Evening.
On the rooftop of the new apartment.
After finishing his boxing routine, Hawk tugged at his shorts, leaned against the ventilation duct behind him, and sat down on the ground. He grabbed the cola beside him and took a huge gulp.
Just then.
Hawk seemed to think of something. He set the cola aside and opened his right palm.
Before his eyes.
The mark Gwen had seen earlier, which had looked like newly grown skin, had now completely vanished.
After awakening his Cosmo, whether it was his strength, speed, or physique, these three basic attributes had completely transcended the realm of ordinary humans.
Without burning his Cosmo.
His strength could easily smash boulders, destroy thick walls, and even twist steel.
As for his speed, if he wanted to, he could reach the speed of sound.
His physique was no different.
Even without the protection of his Cloth, he could withstand the powerful impacts and blows that would kill ordinary people on the spot. And even if he was injured, his healing ability, far beyond that of normal people, still allowed him to recover from fatigue and minor wounds much faster.
The fragment that had shot out of the high-speed centrifuge today was an example.
If he had not acted at the time, Gwen would not have had the slightest chance of survival against that fragment. Barring any surprises, the projectile would have blown her head apart on the spot.
But that was not the point.
The point was...
As Hawk recalled the moment when he had instinctively acted, he rubbed the spot on his right palm where he had felt pain with his left hand.
Just as he furrowed his brow, lost in thought, the phone beside him rang.
Hawk snapped back to his senses and froze slightly as he looked at the phone, which was ringing for the first time since he had bought a SIM card.
He answered it.
"Hello?"
"...Yes, it's me. You're there?"
"Okay, I'll be right there."
He hung up.
Hawk rose from the ground. With a whoosh, he vanished from where he stood. When he reappeared, he was already by the fire escape. He climbed back into his new apartment through the window, opened his backpack, and took out five hundred dollars.
His computer had arrived.
Ten minutes later.
At the entrance to Bridge Park across the street.
Hawk arrived at the park entrance, looked around at the deserted surroundings, took his phone from his pocket, found the only number in the call log, and dialed it.
Just then, the lights of a van parked not far away flashed.
Hawk instinctively looked toward the van.
The driver's door opened, and an Asian woman with thick brown hair, who looked no older than her early twenties, stepped out and waved her phone at Hawk.
Hawk raised an eyebrow when he saw the Asian woman's face.
Skye?
Standing beside her van-cum-RV, Skye watched Hawk approach. "Superman isn't better than me?"
Hawk nodded. "Right."
Skye did not waste any words. She took out a laptop and handed it to Hawk. "Just like I described when we chatted this afternoon. Used for three years, ninety percent new. I've reset the system. Check it first, then pay me if everything's fine."
Hawk gave a grunt and did not say anything like there was no need to check it.
After all, this was a big-ticket item worth five hundred dollars.
If he had not felt a little embarrassed, he would have wanted to ask Gwen whether she had an unused computer she could give him.
Like he had said.
Principles were meant to be broken.
Although Gwen had practically forced this phone on him, he had accepted it in the end.
But after giving it some thought, Hawk felt that men should still show some restraint.
Still...
He had never expected that the seller he had casually found on a secondhand marketplace using the office computer that afternoon would turn out to be another well-known figure from the Marvel Universe.
Skye.
The future Quake.
As Hawk inwardly marveled, he checked the beauty-used computer Skye had brought to sell. After confirming it could boot normally and run some of its built-in programs, he closed the laptop, took out the five hundred dollars he had prepared, and handed it over.
Skye accepted the five Franklins and checked them as well.
After a while.
Skye put away the five hundred dollars, extended her hand toward Hawk, and said with a smile, "Pleasure doing business with you."
Hawk shifted the computer to his left hand and extended his right. "Pleasure doing business with you."
There was no small talk.
Only business.
Once the transaction was complete, Skye said nothing. She got into her vehicle, started the van, and drove off with a rumble.
After returning to his new apartment, Hawk set the beauty-used computer he had bought from Skye on the folding table. He also placed the beauty-used phone Gwen had given him beside it.
Hmm.
Comparing the two, Gwen was still better.
Wait, what am I thinking?
Hawk frowned again. After shaking the distracting thoughts from his mind, he connected the computer he had bought from Skye to the hotspot on the phone Gwen had given him.
The next step.
Quantico.
Hawk opened a satellite map website and set its location to Quantico's coordinates.
Although the satellite map had obscured some more confidential buildings and items.
That did not matter.
With a single glance, Hawk spotted a dilapidated building surrounded by metal sheets on the satellite map.
He spent half an hour confirming that this building had been Dr. Bruce Banner's laboratory in Quantico.
The internet was highly developed now, especially after the Original Avengers had been exposed to the public. Not to mention that Bruce Banner himself had already been exposed once in 2009.
Therefore...
Information about Bruce Banner's life, why he had become the Hulk, and when he had become the Hulk could all be found online.
At the same time, gossip about Bruce Banner's past relationship with Betty Ross had also been exposed.
But that was not what Hawk cared about.
In his new apartment, Hawk rested one hand against his chin and slid the other across the computer's touchpad. As he looked at the introduction to Quantico Military Base and the satellite map on the screen, his gaze settled on the locked-down abandoned laboratory, his eyes thoughtful.
He felt that he might have to break his principles ahead of schedule.
It could not be helped.
He had no money, and even if he did, Quantico probably would not sell him the Gamma Stone.
But he wanted the Gamma Stone.
After all, it concerned his Cloth.
So there was only one path before him.
If you would not give it to him, then he could only take it.
But...
Taking Quantico's Gamma Stone was not the same as taking Wakanda's Vibranium.
Put it this way.
If he took Wakanda's Vibranium, it would be fine even if it was exposed. It was somewhat like automatically being matched with teammates as long as he started the fight. At that point, the whole world would not come looking for trouble with him. Instead, they would go after Wakanda. Without even needing to think about it, the five major powers would definitely demand that Wakanda hand over its Vibranium. At the very least, they would force Wakanda to agree to a United Nations garrison.
That was why Hawk had not taken Wakanda seriously at all.
But taking from Quantico was different.
Still...
The Gamma Stone.
I have to get it.
Hawk's eyes flickered as he stared at the satellite map of Quantico on the computer screen.
Before you continue