Rescue was just a pretext. Su Ye wasn't a saint—what he really wanted was to establish diplomatic ties.
For humans on Earth to venture beyond the solar system and enter the wider universe, relying solely on themselves wouldn't cut it. They would need cosmic-level allies.
And Planet Xandar, with the power and prestige it had accumulated over the years, was well-suited to become Earth's guide into the universe.
So, before this, Xandar must be preserved.
After assigning the Great Wall Guardians and Yondu's crew to draft plans for Xandar's upcoming defense, Su Ye piloted Star-Lord's Milano ahead to the planet.
Operating the Milano wasn't too difficult. A quick dive into Star-Lord's memories and the process became second nature.
But finding the specific flying knowledge from Star-Lord's chaotic and cluttered memories, especially those soaked in his lifestyle chaos, took a bit of work.
It felt more like watching a first-person movie than anything VR movies, making Su Ye unable to help but call out, "Wow, amazing."
Thankfully, reading memories was quick; unlike real life where watching through 500GB of "educational material" might take a month, Su Ye finished in under three minutes.
However, this time is still not as fast as Star-Lord.
When he extracts memories himself, it takes no more than three seconds.
With those memories in hand, Su Ye piloted the Milano, leaving Knowhere behind and entering the vast cosmos.
But he wasn't alone; he brought a dog.
A dog taken from the Collector's place, named Cosmo.
Cosmo was a dog from Earth.
In humanity's exploration of space, dogs have played an important role, having traveled in spacecraft to space over fifty times.
Naturally, many accidents occurred, and many dogs lost their lives in space.
But Cosmo was lucky. Instead of dying, he became part of the Collector's menagerie and lived a long life.
Dogs usually only live for about a dozen years. The other dogs from Cosmo's era had long since had great-grandpuppies who died of old age—but Cosmo was still alive and well.
Moreover, during the time Cosmo was with the Collector, he had a fortuitous encounter, gaining not only an extended lifespan but also telepathic abilities.
His ability was different from Su Ye's. Cosmo couldn't casually read minds or possess people to control their actions or speech.
His telepathy is limited to communication through language and awareness.
But he was also skilled in energy shielding, able to use psychic power to block energy attacks.
This is an ability Su Ye has not yet mastered.
So he brought Cosmo along—partly because they were both from Earth, but also because he wanted to see if he could learn the energy shield ability from Cosmo.
Learning from a dog might sound ridiculous, but as long as it made him stronger, he didn't care.
So, a man and a dog set out together for Xandar.
Meanwhile, on Xandar, in the capital of the Nova Empire, at a bar called 'Seventh Heaven,' a beautiful girl with long black straight hair, wearing a white tank top and suspenders, took out her vibrating phone.
The girl looked about eighteen or nineteen, with a face full of collagen, her heavy curves visible, she glanced at the number on her phone and smiled as she answered.
"Hello! This is Tifa! Is it Aunt Ye?"
"Yes, Tifa, how have you been? Are you adjusting well to life on Xandar?"
On the other end of the line, a gentle female voice was heard.
Tifa smiled even sweeter.
"It's Aunt Ye! Long time no see, I'm doing well here, everyone takes good care of me, how are you and Uncle Su? Also…"
At the end, Tifa's voice became softer, hesitant to continue.
The woman's surname was Ye, and her husband was Su Mutian.
Yes—the caller was Su Ye's mother.
"We're all good, you want to ask about Xiao Ye, right? I'm calling to tell you about him."
"What happened to Xiao Ye?" Tifa immediately became anxious.
The distance between Xandar and Earth is measured in light-years, with units in the hundreds or thousands; she rarely receives news from Earth, and the people she wants to care about, she can't see.
"Oh, nothing serious, don't worry. That kid's just been idle lately, seems like he went traveling. I heard he might be heading for Knowhere, so I figured he might stop by Xandar. I'm letting you know in advance."
Then, Ye's voice dropped to a whisper. "That brat's supposedly dating a foreign girl. Honestly, I don't approve. Tifa, if you've got the chance, go get him back!"
Hearing Su Ye's mom's words, Tifa immediately gripped her phone tightly, making it creak.
"Okay, Aunt, I understand!"
Her words were calm, but Tifa's emotions were about to explode.
There are many things Su Ye doesn't remember.
For example, a childhood friend from the neighborhood—a close playmate, inseparable, always playing house and pretending to be husband and wife.
Later, the playmate left, and he made new friends and forgot the old ones.
This kind of vague childhood memory and forgetfulness is a normal physiological phenomenon, quite common.
But for Su Ye, it's not just memory vagueness or forgetfulness, but the effect of installing a system DLC.
Once the DLC loaded, those vague memories became accessible.
And Tifa is exactly the childhood friend that Su Ye's hazy memories are related to, though he hasn't "remembered" yet.
To Ms. Ye—the mom—Tifa was the most suitable girl Su Ye had ever been involved with, the perfect daughter-in-law candidate.
So, when she found out Su Ye was coming here, she made sure to call Tifa in advance.
Not only to encourage her to take the initiative—but also to tell her: help is coming.
"Xiao Ye's been goofing off for years, but he's picked up some random skills. He might be useful to you guys. Your Uncle Su and I can't leave, so if Xiao Ye can help, don't hesitate to ask."
After saying this, Mrs. Ye hung up the phone.
Tifa, however, held the phone tightly and kept repeating a sentence in a low voice.
"Big Brother Xiao Ye is dating a foreign girl?"
"How can he just go and date some foreign girl?"
"He said... when we grew up, he would marry me…"
At that point, she didn't hear anything else Mrs. Ye had said.
Tifa, still gripping her phone, repeated over and over in a whisper, "He said he'd marry me when we grew up…"
Her tone was light, but her expression had turned cold and firm, like a sword being drawn from its sheath.
At the bar counter, the others noticed something was off.
The few people by the bar turned and looked over.
The one who spoke was a tall, burly man who spoke—standing nearly two meters tall with a body like a steel tower. This tower, however, only had one left arm; the right arm was severed at the forearm and replaced by a rotating Gatling gun.
He was the leader of the group, and his name was Barret Wallace.
"Oh, nothing, Barret! Just a phone call, said a friend of mine might be coming soon."
Tifa shook her head and tried to sound casual, returning to her post at the bar.
"A friend? What kind of friend? A boyfriend?"
A petite, attractive short-haired girl jumped over the bar and hugged Tifa's arm.
"Quick, tell me what he looks like, is he tall, handsome, can he fight?"
Tifa wanted to deny it, but her face had already betrayed her, and the others joined the discussion.
"Tifa's boyfriend must have extraordinary strength. I wonder if there's a way to attract him into our 'Avalanche' group; he could become a big help in our fight against Shinra!"
This "Seventh Heaven" bar wasn't large, and it didn't have much of a customer base—it mainly served as the headquarters for Avalanche, the anti-Shinra resistance group.
Tifa is also a member of Avalanche, and the people sitting here are all members of the group, united by a common goal: to overthrow Shinra, that's why their conversations had no filters.
The girl holding Tifa is named Yuffie Kisaragi, a bright and cheerful girl.
As a flat-chested girl, her bubbly attitude was her biggest contribution to the world.
"Tifa, tell me quickly, is he handsome or not, do you have a picture? Show me!"
Right then, Tifa's phone buzzed again.
Aunt Ye had sent a photo—Su Ye's most recent snapshot.
In the Zhongcheng High School gym, Su Ye had a bright and sunny smile.
The photo was taken when Zhongcheng High School was still open. At that time, Su Ye hadn't yet unlocked the system's powers, and he looked a bit frail, but his face was as handsome as ever.
"Wow! He's so handsome!"
Yuffie grabbed the phone and began showing it around to the Avalanche members. While she focused on Su Ye's face, the male members were more concerned with his arms.
"Doesn't look that tough."
"Skinny. Tifa could probably toss him over her shoulder."
"Is he here for tourism? Xandar is so dangerous, I'd recommend he doesn't come."
"But he's so handsome!" Yuffie, being a beauty enthusiast, argued back.
"Good looks don't put food on the table, Yuffie." Barret puffed on a cigar. His rugged face looked even more serious in the haze.
Yuffie pouted, looking like she wanted to argue but didn't know how to respond.
"You'll see. Once he gets here, you'll know whether strength or looks matter more on this planet—or in this universe."
Cid Haywinter, a pilot nearby, also joined the discussion. He used to be a member of Shinra, working in their operations department, and had a clear understanding of how power equates to influence.
"You're all just meatheads who only care about fighting! You've got no manners, none of you!"
Yuffie huffed and turned away, puffing her cheeks like an angry chipmunk.
At the same time, Su Ye got a call from his mom.
"Mom? What carrier are you using? How are you calling me from this far away in real-time? Does this signal bypass the speed of light? Or… are you nearby?"
Su Ye was bewildered.
He was in deep space—no civilization in sight. If he didn't look at a star map, he wouldn't even know where he was.
The closest celestial body in every direction was a small asteroid millions of kilometers away. How did his mom's call even reach him?
He used to laugh at Nick Fury's pager from the movies. Just one press and Captain Marvel gets a message, no matter how far she is.
He thought that was too ridiculous, and implausible!
But now, something even more unbelievable was happening to him.
How had his mom done this?
Was this… dark matter network technology?
Su Ye couldn't figure it out, and Aunt Ye had no plans to explain.
"Your dad told me not to call you randomly, but since you went to Knowhere, and knowing your personality, you'll probably head to Xandar next. I have a friend there. Go visit. Here's the address."
After saying this, Mrs. Ye quickly hung up the phone, as if the call was costing her a lot.
Su Ye took the address, furrowed his brow, and then set it down.
"Hey, Cosmo, you ever heard of…"
Cosmo was quite old, nearly sixty, older than old Su.
Su Ye wanted to ask if he knew about what happened in '99.
But then he thought, Cosmo had been a space dog since the 1950s and had stayed with the Collector ever since. How could he know anything about events on Earth?
It would be pointless to ask.
"Forget it, let's go check this address first. Xandar has my mom's friend, I wonder how old they are, and whether they're easy to get along with."
"Wait… Mom's friend?"
Hiss.
Su Ye suddenly felt something was off.
This was giving off a vibe.
Why was he suddenly… a little excited?
"Hope there's more than one friend there… if not, it might not be a fair fight."
Chuckling to himself, he hit the accelerator.
The Milano blasted toward Xandar at light speed.
In less than thirty minutes, they landed at the capital's spaceport.
Su Ye disembarked with Cosmo, merging into the crowd.
Customs was no problem—Star-Lord's ID forgery tech made passing through a breeze.
This was Su Ye's first true visit to the capital of a highly advanced alien civilization.
Asgard didn't count—it was magic-based and lacked modern aesthetics.
Xandar, on the other hand, was bright, clean, and full of scantily clad beauties—eye candy everywhere.
"This place is full of people… but no dogs," Cosmo sighed.
Even though he had intelligence rivaling a human's, he was still a dog. He wasn't interested in the view—he was busy looking for fellow canines.
So yes—still a dog.
So, dogs are still dogs. Even if they have intelligence comparable to humans, they are still dogs.
One person and one dog casually walked down the street like tourists, exploring the streets and alleys of Xandar, passing by various clothing stores, restaurants, and entertainment facilities.
Overall, it felt similar to Earth.
Give Earth a few more decades, and its development might just surpass this place.
Moreover, Su Ye reaffirmed something; Xandarians really looked like Earthlings, with similar body structures and appearances.
He even saw an acquaintance there.
Su Ye even saw a familiar face.
Uncle Lee!
Earth had Uncle Lee, and apparently Xandar did too. They looked identical.
But surely they weren't the same person, right?
Su Ye was about to say hi, but Uncle Lee waved him off from a distance.
The old guy was busy flirting—he didn't want any interruptions.
Su Ye just shook his head and walked on.
But now he was sure.
That was the same Uncle Lee who once worked as a school librarian, then drove a truck in New Mexico.
He'd told Su Ye that school was on break, so he was traveling.
Apparently, that "trip" had taken him to Xandar.
'Uncle Lee, I wish you happiness!'
Su Ye mouthed the words as he turned away, then followed the address his mom had given him.
He'd come this far—might as well meet Mom's friend.
"This is the place, Seventh Heaven?"
When Su Ye saw the name, he was suddenly taken aback. The name seemed a little familiar.
Considering that Shinra's headquarters was on this planet, Su Ye suddenly thought of the group Avalanche that the protagonist Cloud from Final Fantasy VII later joined.
Avalanche's base was Seventh Heaven, and the owner of Seventh Heaven was named Tifa.
"So, mom's friend is Tifa? Is this the end of my fantasy, or the realization of my dream?"
The 3D world's Jerusalem, Tifa's girlfriend card has been out for so long, and now Su Ye is finally going to meet her in person.
Thinking about it, he felt a little excited.
At this moment, the bar's door suddenly opened, and a petite girl poked her head out. After looking at Su Ye, she immediately shouted.
"Brother-in-law!"
Before Su Ye could react, she dashed out, jumped into the air, and pounced on him.
It wasn't the first time someone had thrown themselves at Su Ye like this. He caught her effortlessly, hands automatically positioned to support her.
"Brother-in-law, you finally came?"
Yuffie looked closely at Su Ye's face, and quietly squeezed his muscles, feeling a lot more reassured.
'So strong! Those big guys who think they can intimidate him are definitely mistaken!'
"Who are you?"
Su Ye looked at the girl in front of him and somewhat recognized her, but he couldn't directly call her out.
"Oh, I haven't introduced myself! I'm Yuffie—Yuffie Kisaragi! Your little sister-in-law, got it, brother-in-laaaaw!"
"Pfft—"
Su Ye suddenly felt a bit uneasy.
Su Ye winced. That greeting, filled with all the wrong kinds of anime vibes, sent his brain spiraling.
It sounded suspiciously like something out of "Imouto no Nani Nani."
Just as he was getting overwhelmed, Yuffie noticed the change in his expression, let out a humph, did a backflip, and landed lightly on her feet.
"Brother-in-law, I'm not just a cute little girl—I'm a deadly ninja! If you want to be with Tifa, you'll have to prove yourself to me first."
She spun, and a giant Fuma Shuriken appeared in her hands.
She wanted to test out Su Ye's abilities before the rest of Avalanche intervened.
She felt his muscles earlier and thought he should be strong, but whether he could fight was another matter.
Seeing this, Su Ye gave a helpless smile.
He was here to meet his mom's friend, not to fight.
Well, at least not this kind of fight. This situation was a bit tricky for him.
But looking at the serious expression on Yuffie's face, Su Ye realized she wouldn't let him through unless he showed her something.
It reminded him of those wedding traditions where the groom had to battle through a gauntlet of bridesmaids just to see his bride.
Since Yuffie insisted on a test, Su Ye figured he might as well oblige. The question was, what ability should he use?
Yuffie was a ninja. If he used ninjutsu, it might gain her respect.
But most of his ninja-style skills were either too flashy or too destructive—hardly appropriate for a sparring match outside a bar.
After thinking for a moment, Su Ye decided to go back to his roots.
His roots were, of course, Spider-Man.
After all, it was Spider-Man's powers that Su Ye first awakened in this universe. They were his foundation, the skills that let him swing through cities and clean up petty crime with flair. He hadn't used them in a long time, and today seemed like a good chance to dust them off.
In fact, he had forgotten many times that he used to swing freely through the city.
Furthermore, Su Ye no longer had the web-shooters on his hands, as after acquiring Magneto's magnetic field manipulation ability, the web-shooters were no longer necessary.
Today, facing a ninja like Yuffie, Su Ye suddenly felt like he should return to his roots.
They say Tifa is like Jerusalem, a holy land in the 3D district. Since he was here, it could be considered a pilgrimage, so he might as well approach it reverently.
With this thought in mind, Su Ye slowly raised both of his hands.
He activated both his projection magic and the Reality Gem at the same time.
Then, with a flash of red light, two web-shooters appeared on his wrists.
"Old friends, long time no see. It's an honor to fight alongside you again."
The web-shooters, naturally, didn't respond. But for Su Ye, slipping them on was like stepping back in time—to the days when he first played hero in the streets.
Back then, he had wanted to be a hero who cleared the world of darkness like Spider-Man, but now, he was just using those powers to bully a little girl.
After obtaining the Reality Gem, Su Ye's abilities had skyrocketed, and with his current level, fighting Yuffie, this little ninja, would be considered outright bullying.
To be blunt, it would be an outright crush.
Forget the rest, just one telepathic blast, and this little Yuffie would be left standing there dumbfounded, allowing him to do whatever he wanted.
With this thought, Su Ye suddenly realized something.
Why did Professor X have to be a cripple?
If he could walk, who knows how much ugliness and evil would be added to the world.
Okay, the focus isn't on being a cripple, it's about character.
No need to scold me, I'm here apologizing to the great mutant mentor, Professor X, for my youthful ignorance and for taking up public resources...
On the other side, Yuffie saw the web-shooters suddenly appear on Su Ye's wrists. Having spent years in various chaotic environments, she had developed a tough and sunny personality, as well as broadened her horizons.
'Those two devices are not simple, I need to be cautious!'
Yuffie thought to herself, then immediately swung her Fuma Shuriken towards Su Ye.
The so-called Fuma Shuriken was a huge four-bladed sickle, resembling a propeller, mainly used for long-range attacks and incredibly lethal.
But Yuffie was holding it in her hand, only wanting to test Su Ye's strength, with no intention to kill.
At this moment, Su Ye on the other side also made his move.
Su Ye smiled. He formed his hands into mock pistols, fingers aimed at her, and whispered: "Biubiubiubiu!"
Suddenly, his web-shooters fired a rapid barrage of white web bullets—like machine-gun fire—blasting toward Yuffie.
These weren't ordinary mechanical shooters. Su Ye had enhanced them with Projection Magic and the Reality Stone. They were now magical tools.
Not quite Noble Phantasms, but certainly magical-grade weapons.
The projectiles they fired weren't just sticky—they had serious impact. One hit could blow off a dog's head like it was nothing.
Now upgraded, they were practically magic missiles. One could blow off three dog heads—maybe more.
Good thing Cosmo couldn't hear that metaphor, or he'd be mad...
Yuffie slashed through the web bullets with her Windmill Shuriken, deflecting them mid-air.
Just this alone proved her impressive skills.
Dodging dense projectile barrages and swatting them away—not blocking—required insane vision and reflexes.
She pulled it off effortlessly.
Even threw in a few flips to show off her agility and core strength.
Watching her, Su Ye winced, worried she might throw out her back.
To avoid such accidents, he switched tactics.
Instead of firing projectiles, he launched full strands of webbing.
Webbing wasn't as friendly.
Projectiles were light and fast—easy to redirect.
Webbing, though?
Su Ye's webs were thicker… stickier… stronger.
Hard to cut. Nearly impossible to shake off.
And they were stringy—if they stuck to your weapon, they could gum up the blade and then bind the wielder.
From the moment Su Ye arrived and Yuffie charged, the whole bar heard the ruckus.
By the time they opened the door and rushed outside—less than thirty seconds had passed.
And in those thirty seconds...
They almost lost Yuffie.
She was pinned to the wall, wrapped in thick layers of webbing. Her mouth stuffed with gunk.
Eyes rolling back.
As the Avalanche members stared in shock, Su Ye scratched his head awkwardly.
"If I said I did it to keep her from biting her tongue… would you believe me?"
The others all shook their heads, and their faces clearly said one word: 'We don't believe you!'
Su Ye felt helpless. It really was an accident, but once an accident happened, it was hard to explain.
Barrett led the group to the wall to free Yuffie, while Tifa walked over to Su Ye with a bright smile, hands behind her back.
"You made it."
Her smile was one of long-awaited joy, as if they were not strangers meeting for the first time, but lovers who had been separated for a long time and were finally reunited.
"I'm here, Tifa."
Su Ye awkwardly nodded. During the DLC loading process, he had been the most confused, with many character relationships still needing others to explain to him.
So, at this point, he didn't know what kind of identity he should adopt when facing Tifa.
Anyway, seeing Tifa's appearance, which was around eighteen or nineteen, it was clear that he couldn't treat her as just his mom's friend anymore.
Hearing Su Ye call her by name, the smile on Tifa's face grew even sweeter. She immediately reached out and took his hand, pulling him toward the bar interior.
"Auntie told me you were coming. I thought it'd be a while, but I didn't expect you'd arrive so soon!"
In the original setting, Tifa and the protagonist Cloud were childhood friends, growing up as inseparable companions. Later, Cloud left the village to join Shinra, promising Tifa before he left that he'd come back to protect her.
But in the [Girlfriend Card: Tifa] DLC, her backstory had changed. She was now an orphan from Xandar. Her mother died of illness when she was young, and her father was killed by Sephiroth. She was rescued by a mysterious figure and sent to Earth.
When she first arrived on Earth, she was just a little girl. The neighborhood kids bullied her constantly—except for Su Ye, who truly took care of her and even fought other kids for her.
They were inseparable for years. So much so that many kids joked they were already married.
In the eyes of children, two kids getting "married" was something super embarrassing.
Because of this, Su Ye got into countless more fights.
Almost every day, he was either in a fight or on his way to one.
Later, once her hometown was secure again, Tifa was taken back, and they were separated, never seeing each other again.
However, someone had left contact information with Su Ye's mother, and she later reconnected with Tifa. After learning that Su Ye was dating a foreign girl, she couldn't help but wish, "If only Tifa could be my daughter-in-law…"
All of this information was filled in by Tifa for Su Ye, except for the last part about her being a daughter-in-law, which she didn't have the courage to mention.
Su Ye nodded, signaling that he'd basically caught up on the DLC's setup—except for one unresolved detail.
"You said a kind person saved you and sent you to Earth. Do you remember what that person looked like?"
Tifa shook her head. "It's been over ten years. My memory's blurry. I just remember they were glowing with golden light… and had really long hair. That's all I can recall."
A "she," glowing gold, with long hair?
A figure instantly appeared in Su Ye's mind—Captain Marvel.
With her personality, this kind of thing was definitely something she'd do.
But then a question came up—if it was Captain Marvel, why would she send Tifa to China, specifically to Su Mutian?
Tifa was just a regular girl—not like Aerith Gainsborough from Final Fantasy VII, who carried the secret of the Ancients and needed protection from someone as powerful as Old Su.
So maybe it wasn't Captain Marvel at all. Maybe it was someone Su Ye didn't know yet. Or maybe the person didn't exist—it could've been just a mysterious figure set up for future DLC.
Su Ye had a habit: he never forced himself to overthink mysteries he couldn't solve.
If he didn't get it today, maybe he'd understand it tomorrow.
And if not, maybe by tomorrow he wouldn't even care about the answer anymore.
In the bar, after hearing Tifa's introduction, Su Ye sat down with her in the booth, surrounded by the members of Avalanche.
Inside the bar, after listening to Tifa's explanation, Su Ye sat down in a booth with her and the rest of the Avalanche team, forming a small circle.
"Tifa, why didn't you tell me from the start that Brother-in-law was this strong? I made a fool of myself!" Yuffie puffed up her cheeks, still clearly recovering from the webbing ordeal.
Tifa scratched her head apologetically. "It's been over a decade since I last saw him. I had no idea he'd become so powerful."
"Over a decade, huh…"
Yuffie's eyes gleamed mischievously as she glanced around at the group watching.
"Don't any of you have a little common sense? Tifa and Brother-in-law haven't seen each other in over ten years, and you're keeping them stuck in a meeting? Never heard of the saying, 'Absence makes the heart grow fonder'?"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone looked as if they had just realized something, and Tifa's face turned slightly red.
"We're just normal friends. Besides, we were still kids back then. Even if he said he'd marry me one day, that was just childish talk—it doesn't count."
Then she turned to Su Ye. "No one remembers what they said at five or six years old. Nobody recalls it clearly—every word, every expression, playing like a scene in your mind."
"Even if it's been over ten years, even across countless light-years, there's still a lingering concern for that person. You wonder if he's still getting into fights, if he's made new friends, or if he's forgotten you."
"So after all this time, those childhood words... they can be forgotten, right? We don't need to take them seriously. Right?"
She said it with a smile—that kind of gentle, heartwarming smile that could melt someone just by looking at it.
But for some reason, Su Ye felt a chill run down his spine.
It wasn't Tifa sitting across from him anymore—it was a girl named Kotonoha. Behind that gentle smile... was a gleaming machete.
'No no, just my imagination! My Tifa couldn't possibly be that scary!'
Su Ye gulped and forced a confident answer.
"A real man keeps his word. A promise made is like water spilled—there's no taking it back. A man's spit is a nail. Of course it counts!"
"You were six or seven at the time. That counts as a real man?" Yuffie couldn't help but jab at him.
Su Ye smacked his chest. "Doesn't matter if I was six or three—I was still a man!"
"Nice!"
Barret suddenly slammed the table.
"Su Ye, right? We've seen your strength. Your character's not bad either. But that's not enough."
He waved a big hand and brought over a dozen bottles of liquor, placing them on the table.
"This is Xandar's strongest liquor. It's only right to use it to welcome our most honored friend! Tonight—we drink till we drop!"
Yuffie tried to interject, but Barret shut her down with a single look.
Men have their own way of settling things.
They were friends—fighting wasn't appropriate.
And though they didn't fully believe Su Ye's declarations...
But everything comes out after a few drinks, that's when the truth comes out.
As long as they got Su Ye drunk, verifying his thoughts would be easy.
There were five or six big men here, and each one was a tank when it came to drinking. Handling a Su Ye would be a piece of cake!
That was the plan.
What they didn't know was that they'd severely underestimated Su Ye's alcohol tolerance.
His body had been remodeled by countless abilities. He wasn't someone mere mortals could compete with.
Still, even with all that confidence, Su Ye played humble.
"Uh, I don't really hold my liquor well. If I get drunk and cause trouble, that might be bad."
Barret clapped him on the back. "Causing trouble is the point! That's how a man shows his true nature. No worries—we'll cause trouble with you!"
"Come on—bottoms up!"
This liquor wasn't like Earth's beer or ale. If you compare it to Earth's liquor, it was at least 50% alcohol or higher.
And to show his hospitality, Barret insisted they start with full bottles.
"I haven't even had a bite to eat yet," Su Ye said helplessly.
"No problem—this is how it should be!" Barret grinned.
Five Avalanche members took turns drinking with Su Ye.
In just thirty minutes, six people had polished off six dozen bottles—72 in total.
On average, each had 10 bottles.
Su Ye? Over 20.
By the end, Barret was completely numb.
"Don't stop—I can still drink! It's not every day I meet a friend from Earth. I'm happy! Hic—urk—gulp!"
He barely choked down the last mouthful, face red and trembling.
The scene made Su Ye's eyebrows twitch in disbelief.
But Barret didn't care. He slapped Cid on the back.
"Su Ye, right? Not bad, you're a man! I, Barrett, respect you. Join Avalanche, you'll be the successor to this organization! The future is secured!"
Cid was already out cold—nodding off and humming nonsense.
Across the table, Yuffie was sprawled on her back, limbs flopped open. Only Tifa remained sober, turning to look at Su Ye.
"So, what are you planning to do while you're here?"
Though he'd drunk a lot, Su Ye's expression was still calm. His eyes were bright.
"For now, I'm planning to visit Shinra and see what I can do to destroy them!"