In just the blink of an eye, the yellow Corolla Gwen was driving had vanished from Anna's sight.
At that same moment, a fiery red sports car approached from the distance and came to a steady stop in front of her.
Anna's expression once again returned to its precise, cold sharpness.
A burly man in black stepped out of the car.
"Deliver it to the base."
"Understood."
Anna took the sunglasses pinned to her chest, put them on, and handed the password-protected case containing Hawk's four hundred milliliters of blood to the man in black. She then slid into the sports car.
A moment later, the engine roared, and the car disappeared from sight.
Expressionless, the man in black carried the case into the port.
…
Meanwhile, Anna, already out of the port area, dialed a number.
The line connected.
"Anna."
"Sir, the exchange is complete, though there was a small complication."
"What complication?"
"Gwen Stacy was there."
"…Hm?"
The voice on the other end sounded surprised, then calm again. "So, he does care deeply for Gwen Stacy."
"Yes, sir."
At that moment, a third voice cut in over the line, filled with arrogance.
"Sir, then why don't we use Gwen—"
"Shut up."
"No."
Anna's rejection and the superior's rejection came at the exact same time.
The third person froze. Then, after the superior barked "Get out," hurried footsteps could be heard as he left.
Once he was gone, the superior's voice returned.
"Anna, tell me your reason for opposing."
"Sir, if Hawk dares bring Gwen along, there are only two possibilities. Either he's a fool, or he's extremely confident. And I don't believe he's a fool. After all, after only a single call with us, he guessed we were…"
Anna cut herself off.
Even though their organization reigned supreme in the digital world, untouchable and untraceable, she knew better than to casually utter its name.
The superior chuckled, clearly having understood.
"Spread the word—no one is to touch Gwen Stacy. Right now, our relationship with Hawk is very good."
"And more importantly…"
"When a Demon King willingly puts on shackles, the wisest course is to never tamper with them. Otherwise, what will emerge is the most terrifying Demon King imaginable."
"Of course, we won't touch it."
"So… maintain this, Anna. For now at least, our cooperation is going well."
"Understood."
Anna nodded, hung up, and focused on the road, the sports car speeding toward Manhattan.
In the opposite direction, Gwen was also driving her yellow Corolla, Hawk sitting beside her as they raced toward Culver Lake.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Hawk in the passenger seat, eyes closed.
"What are you doing?"
"Conserving energy."
Still with his eyes closed, Hawk replied, "Adjusting my state. Hulk isn't easy to kill."
Not only because Hulk had incredible regenerative powers, but because of his greatest flaw.
The angrier he got, the stronger he became.
In theory, Hulk was practically immortal. When Iron Man snapped his fingers, he died instantly. Hulk? He only lost the use of an arm.
And not even permanently—just injured, needing time to recover.
Luckily, this wasn't the comic universe but the movie universe.
Which meant Hulk could, in fact, be killed.
Thanos nearly did it. If Hulk hadn't been sent back to Earth by the Bifrost, he would've died right there.
Even so, Thanos beat him so badly that Hulk refused to come out again, no matter how much Bruce Banner called for him.
So…
That "the angrier Hulk is, the stronger he gets" idea didn't quite hold up.
Hawk went over everything he knew about Hulk in his mind.
Gwen, thinking back to what she had found online these past days, nodded in agreement, then glanced at Hawk.
"So, we…"
"He must die."
Hawk opened his eyes, turned to her, and smiled. "Hard to kill doesn't mean impossible."
The method was simple.
Suppress Hulk from the very start, overwhelming him before he could even get angry.
End the fight before rage could build.
Gwen said nothing, only gave Hawk a worried look.
Meeting her gaze, Hawk chuckled.
"Actually, I did think of another way to kill Hulk."
"What way?"
"Kidnap Betty Ross—force Bruce Banner to surrender."
"…Hawk!"
Gwen's eyes widened in shock.
Hawk smiled faintly. "But I abandoned that idea."
She exhaled in relief but remained curious.
"Why?"
"The one who starts evil has no descendants."
Hawk explained calmly. "Besides, vengeance has a rightful target. It was Hulk and Abomination who killed my sister, not anyone else. If I turned my wrath on others, how would I be any different from them?"
That was how he thought—and how he acted.
Revenge was one thing. But he would not, and could not, lose himself in it.
"Of course…"
He paused, then grinned at Gwen. "You're the one who told me to be a good man with a clear conscience. So I won't, and I don't need to rely on such schemes. I'll tell him why I came, and he'll understand why he has to die."
Gwen, seeing his confidence and resolve, smiled softly.
"I believe in you, Hawk."
"Thank you."
He smiled back. "Once I've killed Hulk, then Mary and—"
"Hawk!"
"What?"
"Don't jinx it. You said so yourself."
"…Alright, my bad."
Seeing her stern expression, Hawk wisely admitted fault, then made a zipper motion across his lips.
Satisfied, Gwen smiled and returned her focus to the road, speeding toward Culver Lake.
2 p.m.
Thirty kilometers north of Culver Lake, a private airport.
From above the clouds, a Gulfstream jet bearing the "Stark Industries" logo descended, lowering its landing gear.
…
(End of Chapter)
[Check Out My P@treon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!][[email protected]/euridome]
[Thank You For Your Support!]