Something happened.
Another major event occurred in New York City.
Well-informed media personnel rushed back to their respective news agencies almost immediately from their homes, and as soon as dawn broke, brand new headlines made a dazzling appearance.
"New York Times: 'Military's Christmas Eve Raid on Civilian Cemetery Leads to Carnage, Calvin Cemetery Becomes a Slaughterhouse!'"
"Wall Street Journal: 'General Ross's Latest Disaster, Calvin Cemetery's Horrific State Possibly Due to Failed Hulk Pursuit?'"
"Global Observer: 'Seventy-seven People Died Horribly, Helicopter Turned into Fireball, Countless Gravestones Shattered, What Exactly Did the Federal Military Do!'"
What happened at Calvin Cemetery could not be concealed at all.
This is it.
Countless New York City residents woke up to the newspaper headlines, especially those who had buried their deceased loved ones in Calvin Cemetery, feeling as if their world had instantly collapsed.
They rushed to Calvin Cemetery as quickly as possible.
But…
Calvin Cemetery had already been cordoned off by the arriving Military reinforcements.
Facing countless New York citizens shouting that their loved ones were inside and they wanted to enter, the guarding soldiers remained unmoved, and after receiving orders, they even loaded their weapons and stared intently at the警戒线, ready to shoot without hesitation if any civilian dared to cross it.
Are you kidding me?
If we can't defeat last night's monster, can't we bully you commoners?
Military-civilian unity?
This concept does not exist in the U.S. Even if disasters occur in various parts of the U.S., the Military's appearance is not for disaster relief, but for suppression.
The crowd was furious and immediately unfurled banners, protesting face-to-face with the soldiers across the警戒线.
The Mayor of New York was also in a bind at this moment.
Taxpayers in Manhattan, after seeing this news, recalled the losses caused by the Military's previous unauthorized actions. Those with connections directly called the Pentagon, while those without connections but with some money called the Mayor of New York.
It was just one sentence.
Can you do it or not? If not, get out, and they would replace him with a competent Mayor.
The Mayor of New York was also cursing the Military a thousand eight hundred times in his heart at this moment.
The Military used to be reckless in its actions.
But no one could have imagined that the Military would be so reckless this time.
Turning a cemetery into a battlefield, countless gravestones reduced to dust, and even more gravestones shattered?
Good heavens.
Were you there to carry out a mission, or were you dancing on people's graves?
The Mayor of New York, with a livid face, immediately held a press conference, where he made no subtle hints or allusions, directly naming the Pentagon and demanding an explanation and accountability for the incident.
The Pentagon pretended not to hear, giving no response whatsoever.
Washington D.C. was very quiet.
Quantico was also very quiet.
At least…
On the surface, it was.
But Gwen, who was still on vacation with her family in Long Island, felt anything but quiet after seeing this information.
Calvin Cemetery?
Last night?
Hulk.
Gwen quickly took out her phone and dialed Hulk's number.
The phone was off.
Gwen's heart sank. Just then, the female anchor on the TV in her bedroom was also reporting on the events at Calvin Cemetery last night.
No way.
News is time-sensitive; if you don't report it, other TV stations will, and then the ratings will belong to them.
So, for the sake of ratings and advertising revenue, TV stations ignored all the calls from Washington D.C. trying to persuade them to play dead, fearing they would be a step behind, broadcasting their omnipotent reporters' exclusive photos and news materials, racing against time.
When the female anchor on the TV displayed a photo of Spider-Man taken at Calvin Cemetery, which had just been acquired for five hundred U.S. dollars, a name immediately popped into Gwen's mind.
Peter Parker!
Gwen's eyes lit up. She picked up her phone again, found Peter's number, and called him directly.
This time, the phone was not off, and it connected quickly.
"Gwen."
"Peter, was that Hulk last night?"
Gwen went straight to the point: "Did you see where Hulk went?"
Peter on the other end of the line was silent for a moment, then scratched his head: "I just found out about Calvin Cemetery from the news. Hulk was there last night…"
Gwen felt her trigeminal nerve ache.
"Peter!"
"Uh…"
Peter opened his mouth, hesitating for a moment: "Hulk is fine. By the time I arrived, the battle was already over."
After instinctively answering Gwen's question, Peter couldn't help but ask: "Did Hulk tell you my identity?"
After hearing that Hulk was safe, Gwen breathed a sigh of relief, then, listening to Peter's confusion on the phone, she said softly: "I'm not an idiot. You've changed so much, and you've become friends with Hulk. It's not hard to guess that you're Spider-Man."
Peter nodded instinctively as he listened to Gwen's explanation.
"Where is Hulk now? I can't reach him by phone."
"I don't know."
"Peter!"
"I really don't know."
Peter quickly explained: "Hulk left too fast. He just asked me if I intended to stop him. I had no such intention, so I cleared the way, and then he disappeared."
While speaking, Peter asked back with some curiosity: "By the way, Gwen, I thought Hulk went to Long Island with you for vacation. Why was he at Calvin Cemetery last night?"
Gwen heard this, thought for a moment, and pursed her lips.
"Hulk has a younger sister named Anya. She died in an accident in 2009 and was buried in Calvin Cemetery. Every Christmas, Hulk goes there to spend it with her sister."
"It really is his sister."
Peter exclaimed.
Gwen raised an eyebrow.
"What's wrong?"
"Before Hulk left, he asked me what I would do if someone destroyed Uncle Ben's gravestone."
"Anya's gravestone was destroyed?"
Gwen's heart sank, and her voice involuntarily rose a little.
Peter quickly said: "No, it wasn't. I saw that the gravestone was fine and not damaged, it's just…"
Gwen heard Peter's hesitant voice, and her heart sank again.
"Just what?"
"Uh…"
Peter recalled what he saw behind that gravestone as Hulk left: "A nearby grave exploded, accidentally affecting Anya's grave."
It's over.
After hearing Peter's answer, Gwen was left with only this thought.
No one understood better than her the importance of Hulk's sister in Hulk's heart.
If Anya hadn't been resurrected, even if she married Hulk, Hulk would probably choose to spend Christmas with his sister Anya.
No exaggeration.
And now…
Gwen came back to her senses, her voice filled with disbelief.
"Anya's grave exploded?"
"What, no, no, no."
"Peter!"
"It didn't explode, it's just that the backfill was impacted, and some of it splashed out. I saw that the coffin and everything else wasn't exposed."
…
The backfill exploded?
What's the difference between that and the grave exploding?
Gwen's mouth twitched.
Just then.
Helen's voice rang out from outside.
"Gwen!"
"Coming."
Gwen came to her senses, responded loudly, then told Peter on the phone, "Remember to contact me if you hear anything about Hulk," then hurriedly hung up. After composing herself, she opened the door and walked out, descending the stairs of the vacation Villa and asking, "Mom, what's wrong?"
Before she finished speaking.
As soon as Gwen descended the stairs, she saw a familiar face.
Hmm.
Very familiar.
Natasha, whom she had knocked out with a stick that day, was now standing at the door, smiling and talking to her mother, Helen.
Seeing this, Gwen's heart skipped a beat once again.
Helen, seeing Gwen coming downstairs, smiled and said, "Natasha said you lent her the car, and she came to return it."
Natasha smiled and looked at Gwen as she approached, greeting her with a smile.
"Good morning, Gwen."
"…Good morning."
Gwen was silent for a moment, responded, then said a few words to her mother before following Natasha, who had come to return the car, out of the house.
In view.
The yellow corolla, already repaired and looking brand new, was quietly parked at the entrance.
"Go check it out, I didn't damage your car, you know."
…
Gwen listened to Natasha's words, said nothing, opened the driver's door, and sat inside.
Natasha also followed, sitting in the passenger seat and closing the car door.
Gwen took a deep breath and looked at Natasha.
"Are you here to kill me?"
"What?"
Natasha was startled at first, then smiled and shook her head: "No, no, no, how could that be? You didn't kill me then, how could I kill you?"
Gwen looked at Natasha: "But you sent people to kill Hulk."
Natasha shook her head again: "Last night's attack wasn't our doing. In fact, if last night's events hadn't happened, I wouldn't be here to meet you now."
What happened at Calvin Cemetery last night caught all of New York City off guard.
But S.H.I.E.L.D. was also caught off guard.
Maria Hill never expected that she was still collecting information and figuring out how to make the first peaceful contact.
As a result, the Military didn't play fair and directly entered the fray.
Good heavens.
Did you conduct a pre-battle assessment? And you just went in like that?
This is it.
When Maria Hill learned about this, in a flash, she didn't have time to think about why the Military was so mindlessly reckless, and she didn't even bother to think about why the Military knew about Hulk. She immediately contacted Natasha, who had only returned from Tennessee yesterday and hadn't had time to rest, telling her to immediately drive the yellow corolla repaired by New York S.H.I.E.L.D. to find the only relevant person they could currently find.
That is, Gwen.
Natasha looked at Gwen with a serious expression: "Gwen, we need to know Hulk's location now. If this matter escalates, it will be difficult to contain."
…
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