When Hawke returned home, besides pulling a 20-inch carry-on suitcase, he also had a courier envelope in his left hand.
It was from the deliveryman who had just given it to him.
He said it was expedited from New York University that afternoon.
New York University?
Hawke casually pushed the suitcase aside, sat down on the sofa, glanced at the header of the package, and tore it open.
The next second,he pulled out an acceptance letter from NYU Law School, which included a full scholarship.
"Hiss!"
Hawke gasped, blinking as he looked at the stamped and valid acceptance letter, ready for him to report next September with a full scholarship.
Then he frowned.
Good grief.
It really was just a gift without expecting anything in return.
Hawke thought to himself, then, while looking at the acceptance letter in his hand—which was probably printed that afternoon—he took out his phone, checked his call log, and dialed the number.
The call connected quickly, and the voice on the other end carried a hint of surprise.
"Mr. Hawke!"
"I received the gift."
"That's wonderful wait, Mr. Hawke, the New York University you mentioned isn't the gift; it's just a small token of our greeting."
"Hmm?"
"I just checked, and it seems Mr. Hawke hasn't checked the real gift yet."
Hawke raised an eyebrow.
The next second.
Anna's voice came through: "Mr. Hawke, didn't you log onto that website to check my information?"
Hawke said, "Just a moment," then got up and walked to the folding table, turning on the phone's hotspot and opening the computer.
It was the same low-level forum as yesterday, the same chat box.
But now there was an extra sentence, sent by Anna around 11:00 AM.
Hawke's eyes narrowed as he looked at the extra sentence.
It read:
"New Jersey, Lake Culver, Bruce Banner and Betty Ross will be starting their Christmas vacation there this year."
"..."
Hulk!
After understanding the content of this message, Hawke's breathing became even heavier once more.
"Is this news true?"
"So far, Bruce Banner and Betty Ross's itinerary hasn't changed. The holiday cabin was booked by Ms. Betty Ross and hasn't been canceled."
Anna on the other end of the phone was still smiling.
"Mr. Hawke, do you like this gift?"
"Call me Hawke."
Hawke said in a deep voice, his gaze focused on the message Anna had sent: "I like it very much. What do you want from me?"
Anna smiled.
"Hawk first..."
"Just call me Hawke."
"Okay, Hawke!"
Anna's voice seemed to sound even more joyful: "NYU is just a greeting gift, this is the real gift. Giving gifts to friends is about giving without expecting anything in return, isn't it? Of course, if Hawke really considers us friends."
Hawke slowly turned his gaze away from the computer screen and said in a deep voice: "If the news is true, from now on, you have my friendship, Anna."
He was too lazy to guess who or what force Anna was backing.
Whoever helped him was his friend.
It was that simple.
Besides, the most likely force behind Anna was Hydra.
So what?
Because of the Hulk incident, he'd long since lost all romantic feelings towards these superheroes.
The so-called major villain, Hydra?
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As Kaka said, failure is called rebellion, success is called revolution.
Hydra failed, and history is written by the victors, so Hydra became the villain."
Hawke's answer was serious.
This was also the first time he had formally made a promise.
"I will repay any kindness!"
"Anna."
"What do you want? Just say it. I will definitely satisfy you if I can, as long as the information is true."
"This is a gift. Friends give gifts without expecting anything in return."
Even though Hawke made such a serious promise, Anna on the other end of the phone still insisted that it was a gift, a gift symbolizing friendship between friends.
Hawke did not insist.
The next second,he suddenly thought of something, chuckled, and said, "I happen to have something on my end. If you can help, we might be able to make a deal."
Anna was slightly taken aback, then realized what he meant.
"Please speak."
"I need iron meteorites."
"How many?"
"The more the better."
"How long?"
"Before Christmas."
Hawke said calmly, then added, "But I don't have the money to give you. However, you can make a request, and as long as I can provide it, the deal is done."
His cosmos phoenix star chart was still being refined into Gamanion.
To give Gamanion the ability to bring the Cloths to life, it needed to be refined from its corresponding constellation.
Hawke expected to complete the refinement during the Christmas holidays, and then he could proceed with refining the meteorite.
Hawke's original plan was to obtain the meteorite he needed during the Christmas holidays, and then, after the holidays, when he turned eighteen next year, he could go to Wakanda alone to retrieve the vibranium he needed.
After all, he couldn't fly now, and he didn't have any way to smuggle himself in.
But now?
During his conversation with Anna, Hawke suddenly realized that he might be able to obtain the meteorite he wanted without leaving home.
Regardless of whether Anna or the forces behind her were catering to his desires or playing the long game.
He truly liked and was satisfied with the gift Anna gave him.
Most importantly,the less Anna wanted to get anything from him, the more he wanted to give her something in return.
In short,he made friends not based on who they were, but on whether they suited his taste.
After Hawke stated the terms of the deal, Anna fell silent again on the other end of the phone.
If nothing unexpected happened, Anna was probably consulting her backer, the one who truly made the decisions.
Hawke didn't urge him, but instead turned on the speakerphone, then opened a satellite map, searching for Lake Culver in New Jersey, which Anna had mentioned in her text message.
After a while,Anna's voice rang out again, but this time with a hint of caution, as if afraid of offending Hawke by offering too high a price.
"Hawk, first..."
"Hawk, we're already friends, Anna."
"Okay."
Anna chuckled at Hawke's interruption, her tone softening somewhat.
"Really, anything is fine?"
"Of course, as long as I have it."
"Then..."
Anna paused, then, seemingly prepared, said, "Could we ask for some of your blood?"
Hawke raised an eyebrow at Anna's request.
...
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