Evening.
On the rooftop of the new apartment.
After finishing his boxing, Hawke tugged at his shorts, leaned against the ventilation pipe behind him, sat down on the ground, and grabbed a can of Coke, taking a big gulp.
Just then.
Hawke seemed to recall something, placed the Coke aside, and opened his right palm.
Looking at it.
The mark that Gwen had previously noticed, resembling new skin, had now completely vanished.
After he awakened his Little Universe, whether it was his strength, speed, or physique, these three basic qualities could be said to have completely transcended the realm of mortals.
Without burning his Little Universe.
His strength could easily shatter boulders, destroy thick walls, and even twist steel.
His speed, if he wished, could reach the speed of sound.
His physique was the same.
He could withstand powerful impacts and blows that would instantly kill an ordinary person, even without the protection of a saint cloth, and even if injured, his powerful self-healing ability, far exceeding that of ordinary people, could still allow him to recover faster from fatigue and minor injuries.
The fragment that shot out from the high-speed centrifuge today was an example.
If he hadn't acted then, Gwen would have had no hope of survival against that fragment; without a doubt, she would have been instantly headshotted by the projectile.
But that wasn't the point.
The point was…
Hawke recalled the scene of his instinctive action while rubbing the spot on his right palm where he had felt pain.
Just as he was frowning, lost in thought, the phone he had placed aside rang.
Hawke came back to his senses, slightly startled, and looked at his phone, which was ringing for the first time since he bought a phone card.
He answered.
"Hello?"
"…Yes, it's me. You're here?"
"Okay, I'll be right there."
He hung up the phone.
Hawke got up from the ground, and with a whoosh, his figure vanished from the spot, reappearing by the fire escape, then returning to his new apartment through the window, opening his backpack, and taking out five hundred U.S. dollars.
His computer had arrived.
Ten minutes later.
At the entrance of Bridge Park across the street.
Hawke arrived at the park entrance, looked around at the deserted surroundings, took out his phone from his pocket, found the only number in his call history, and dialed it.
Just then, the lights of a van parked nearby flickered.
Hawke instinctively looked towards the van.
The driver's door of the van opened, and then an Asian woman with thick brown hair, looking no more than twenty years old, stepped out and waved her phone at Hawke.
Hawke looked at the Asian woman's face and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
Skye?
Skye, standing next to her van, which also served as an RV, looked at Hawke approaching: "Superman is not as good as me?"
Hawke nodded: "Yes."
Skye heard this and didn't waste words, taking out a laptop and handing it to Hawke: "As described in our chat this afternoon, it's been used for three years, 90% new, and I've reinstalled the system. Check it, and pay me if there are no issues."
Hawke hummed in acknowledgment and didn't say anything like 'no need,' taking the laptop.
After all, this was a big-ticket item worth five hundred U.S. dollars.
If he hadn't felt a bit embarrassed, he would have even asked Gwen if she had any unused computers she could give him.
It was still the same saying.
Bottom lines are meant to be broken.
Although this phone he had now was forced upon him by Gwen, he had ultimately accepted it.
But Hawke thought about it and felt that a man should still be a bit reserved.
However…
He never expected that the seller he randomly found on the second-hand market using the office computer this afternoon would turn out to be another well-known figure from the Marvel Universe.
Skye.
The future Quake.
Hawke, while feeling emotional, checked the beautiful woman's own used laptop that Skye brought to sell, confirmed that it could boot normally and run some built-in programs, then closed the laptop, and took out the prepared five hundred U.S. dollars from his pocket, handing it over.
Skye took the five Franklins and also checked them.
After a while.
Skye put away the five hundred U.S. dollars, extended her hand towards Hawke, and said with a smile: "Pleasure doing business."
Hawke shifted the laptop to his left hand and also extended his right hand: "Pleasure doing business."
No small talk.
Only buying and selling.
After the transaction was completed, Skye said nothing, got into her van, started it with a hum, and drove away from the spot.
Hawke, on the other hand, returned to his new apartment, placed the beautiful woman's own used laptop bought from Skye on the folding table, and also placed the beautiful woman's own used phone given by Gwen beside it.
Hmm.
Compared like this, Gwen is still better.
Wait, what am I thinking?
Hawke frowned again, shook away the distracting thoughts in his mind, and then connected the computer bought from Skye to the phone hotspot given by Gwen.
Next step.
Quantico.
Hawke directly opened the satellite map webpage and set its location to the coordinates of Quantico.
Although the satellite map concealed some more confidential buildings and things.
But that didn't matter.
Hawke, with just a glance, saw a dilapidated building surrounded by corrugated iron on the satellite map.
He spent half an hour confirming that this building was Dr. Bruce Banner's laboratory at Quantico at that time.
The internet is very developed now, especially after the exposure of the original Avengers, not to mention that Bruce Banner was exposed once in 2009.
So…
Information about Bruce Banner's life, why he became the Hulk, and when he became the Hulk, all this information is available online.
At the same time, gossip about Bruce Banner and Betty Ross having dated was also exposed.
But this was not Hawke's main focus.
Hawke, in his new apartment, rested one hand on his chin and slid the other hand on the computer's touchpad, looking at the introduction to Quantico Military Base and the satellite map on the screen, his gaze fixed on the locked abandoned laboratory, deep in thought.
He felt that he might have to break his bottom line ahead of schedule.
No choice.
He had no money, and even if he did, Quantico probably wouldn't sell him the gamma stone.
But he wanted the gamma stone.
After all, it concerned the saint cloth.
So, there was only one path before him.
If you don't give it, then I can only take it.
But…
Stealing the gamma stone from Quantico is not the same as stealing Vibranium from Wakanda.
Let's put it this way.
If he stole Vibranium from Wakanda, even if it was exposed, it would be fine; it's somewhat like, as long as he dares to start a fight, teammates will automatically be matched, and then the whole World won't come to trouble him, but will trouble Wakanda, and without thinking, the five major powers will definitely make Wakanda hand over the Vibranium, or at the very least, make Wakanda agree to United Nations peacekeeping troops.
So Hawke didn't care about Wakanda at all.
But stealing from Quantico is different.
However…
gamma stone.
I must have it.
Hawke's eyes flickered as he looked at the satellite map of Quantico on the computer screen.
…
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