~ Thank You for 400 Powerstones, Here's Your Bonus Chapter!
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"BEEP!"
"BEEP!"
"BEEP!"
The moment the piercing alarm blared across the Quantico military base, every soldier—whether on duty, in the barracks, or on leave in town—froze, their faces a mask of pure shock.
The next second, reality kicked in.
"Holy shit!"
"Battle stations!"
"We're under attack!"
"Jesus Christ, what's happening?"
"Did the Japanese attack again? Wait, this is Quantico, not Pearl Harbor."
For a moment, there was chaos. But these were Marines. They snapped into combat readiness in an instant.
This was Quantico, after all—home of the United States Marine Corps. The FBI Academy and CIA headquarters were right down the road.
Less than three seconds after the alarm sounded, the first soldier was on the scene. Then a second, a third...
"GO, GO, GO!"
"What's the target?"
"The old gamma lab!"
"Fuck!"
A lieutenant colonel, hearing the location of the attack, swore viciously. He threw on his fatigues, grabbed his phone, and started running.
The call connected instantly.
"Yes!" a deep, gravelly voice answered.
"GENERAL, THE GAMMA LAB HAS BEEN BREACHED."
"..."
On the other end of the line, General Thaddeus Ross, who had just left the Pentagon and gotten into his car, went rigid.
What did he just hear?
The gamma lab has been breached?
How? The lab is on the Marine base at Quantico. Who the hell could get in there?
Still reeling from the news, General Ross's voice was sharp.
"Say that again. What's been breached?"
"The gamma lab, sir."
"Shit!" Ross's heart sank. "What's the situation?"
"The Quick Reaction Force is on-site. I'm on my way now."
"..."
General Ross took a deep breath, loosened his tie, and slapped the back of the driver's seat. "QUANTICO. NOW!"
The driver nodded and slammed his foot on the gas, peeling out right in front of two stunned Capitol police officers.
The two cops just stared at each other, speechless.
...
Meanwhile, back at the base, the Quick Reaction Force had arrived at the fenced-off perimeter of the gamma lab.
From inside, they could hear a series of thunderous crashes. A moment later, a group of panicked, terrified scientists burst out of the entrance.
The soldiers immediately swarmed them, grabbing them and pulling them to safety.
"What's going on in there? How many intruders? What do they want?"
"ONE! There's only one! He's after the gamma stones!"
"..."
The Quick Reaction Force Captain stared at the scientist who had spoken.
The other soldiers looked at him in disbelief.
"Did you just say... one?"
"Yes, just one."
The scientist's face was still pale with terror. "He's not human. He shattered a concrete wall with a single punch. Bullets don't even touch him. All the guards who shot at him... they're dead."
The soldiers exchanged stunned looks.
Just then, another soldier, leaning on a scientist for support, his leg clearly broken, spoke up. "He's telling the truth. There's only one of them."
The Captain's attention immediately snapped to him.
"Soldier, report."
"It's just like he said. One intruder. He seems to be after the gamma stones. Our bullets couldn't hit him. He killed every soldier who opened fire on him, almost instantly."
"What about you?"
"Weren't you listening?"
The injured soldier, on the verge of a breakdown, screamed at the Captain, "He killed every soldier who shot at him!"
The truth was, he had shot at him too.
But—
The moment he'd pulled the trigger, his rifle had jammed.
And for that reason, and that reason alone, Hawk had spared his life, shattering his leg instead and taking him out of the fight.
The other soldiers and armed scientists in the lab had not been so lucky.
Just as Hawk had predicted:
Once the valve of killing was opened, it was no longer a choice. It was just a matter of numbers.
But he was still holding back.
By now, Hawk had reached the basement of the gamma lab.
The first thing he saw was the gaping hole that had been dug into the floor.
Thump.
Hawk, still in his hoodie and mask, leaped down into the pit.
At the bottom, a rough-hewn tunnel stretched out before him. Pickaxes and shovels lay scattered on the ground.
How primitive.
No, wait.
This was probably intentional. The military is not a monolith.
Hawk thought to himself, his eyes scanning the walls of the tunnel.
There they were.
The walls were made of the same strange, dark stone he had seen in Dr. Connors's lab.
Just then, a phoenix cry echoed through his Cosmo, and a message was delivered to him. "Devour."
"So I just need to let you absorb it?"
"That simplifies things."
Hawk processed the new information.
He had thought he would have to play miner and dig out all these stones himself.
But...
All he had to do was place his hands on the walls, burn his Cosmo, and let the Phoenix constellation within him absorb the Gammanium stored inside.
This was perfect!
A wide grin spread across Hawk's face. He was about to begin.
But just as he raised his hands, his gaze snapped back to the hole he had just jumped through.
He threw a punch at the ceiling, a blast of pure force shooting from his fist.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
The entrance to the basement collapsed, sending a cloud of dust and debris raining down into the tunnel.
The shockwave washed over him, but he stood firm, unaffected.
He just didn't want to be disturbed.
There. Now I can work in peace.
Without another moment's hesitation, Hawk placed his hands on the tunnel walls.
The next second, he unleashed his Cosmo.
BOOOOOOM!
BOOOOOOM!
BOOOOOOM!
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