"Ha!"
"Go back?"
"I stormed from New York to New Mexico, wiped out the Rose Clan's graveyard, and then sped all the way here from New Mexico."
"What do you think I came here for?"
"Do I look like I have too much free time?"
"They started this war, not me."
"They decide when it begins, but when it ends, that's up to me."
Hawk's laughter abruptly stopped as his cold eyes swept over the uniformed, pompous big shots crowded at the door not far away.
These dignitaries should have been imposing.
But right now...
They were terrified.
They were uneasy.
Ha!
You know when the snot reaches your mouth, it's time to wipe it away.
When the car hits the wall, you know to turn.
With a knife to your throat, you damn well regret it.
But...
This isn't regret; it's just knowing you're about to die.
Hawk took in all these big shots' ugly looks, then refocused on Maria Hill standing in front of him.
"There are only two possible outcomes for this situation."
"...Can I hear them?"
"Of course."
Hawk smiled slightly.
Compared to those disgraceful big shots, he had a more favorable opinion of Maria Hill, who remained unfazed under the threat of Abomination.
Looking at Maria Hill, Hawk spoke in an eerie tone.
His voice was calm, void of any emotion.
"Since I'm here, one kill is a kill, two are also kills, five hundred, five thousand, even fifty thousand are just a matter of numbers."
"..."
Listening to this, Maria Hill instinctively felt a chill in her limbs and her heart.
Hawk continued to speak.
"I finish here; I'll head to the Pentagon. After the Pentagon, I'll move on to the White Building. In short, they started this war, so it will only end with one winner, either they kill me or I kill them."
"Ms. Hill."
Hawk brought a hint of a smile to his face again and said, "What do you think of this outcome?"
His gaze then shifted once more to the big shots gathered at the door, neither in nor out.
Hawk's voice wasn't loud, but strong enough for these big shots to clearly hear what he had said.
So...
They were dumbfounded.
They slumped.
They pleaded for mercy.
In the face of death, everyone is equal. At this moment, the big shots sitting limp on the floor looked at Hawk with pleading eyes.
In short, they conveyed two sentiments.
The attack plan against him was orchestrated by Rose; it had nothing to do with them.
They hoped Hawk could ignore them like a fart; they promised he would never see them again.
Hawk remained silent, engrossed in watching these big shots reduced to tears and snot.
He had no doubt that at this moment, if it meant survival, some would even send their high-society wives to his bed.
After all...
Glossy on the surface, thieves and whores behind the scenes.
That's the Federation.
That's capital.
It's quite normal.
As Hawk enjoyed the ugly displays of these big shots, Maria Hill, having snapped out of her shock from his words, spoke up.
"What's the second outcome?"
"What second outcome?"
Hawk turned to look at Maria Hill, somewhat surprised, "I suddenly realized I don't really like the second outcome; I think this one is nice."
Maria Hill stared into Hawk's mocking eyes.
"Can I hear it?"
"...Alright."
Hawk thought for a moment, shrugged, then looked at Maria Hill and said, "After a war, the victor can demand war reparations from the loser."
As soon as he finished speaking.
Before Maria Hill could respond, the big shots nearby lit up with excitement.
"Compensate!"
"We'll pay!"
"Willing to pay any amount."
"Shut up!"
Hawk's icy gaze swept over the noisy, ugly big shots once more.
As his eyes swept over,
these disgracefully behaving big shots trembled like quails.
Hawk coldly chuckled and returned his gaze to Maria Hill, "But I don't want that outcome anymore."
Maria Hill frowned slightly.
"Why?"
"I don't like it."
Hawk shrugged, "Well, since today's events make it unlikely I'll stay in the Federation much longer, why keep them? Might as well finish them off, clean out the Pentagon too, and I don't like the guy in the White Building either; might as well take care of him too."
He spoke casually.
Maria Hill listened in shock.
Because...
She detected no hint of jest in Hawk's statements, nor did she see any joking expressions on his face.
Clearly.
Hawk spoke casually, but he wasn't lying.
He really intended to do it.
Looking at Maria Hill's horrified expression, Hawk smiled inwardly, then turned and walked towards the big shots.
Just then.
Seeing Hawk move, Maria Hill gasped, quickly regained her composure, and directly ran in front of Hawk.
"Hold on, Hawk!"
"..."
Hawk raised an eyebrow, watching Maria Hill protectively standing in front of those big shots like a mother hen shielding her chicks.
Maria Hill's voice was urgent.
"This matter won't be known to the outside world."
"Is that so?"
"Yes."
Maria Hill nodded emphatically.
And that's indeed the case.
Don't be fooled by the fact that Quantico just turned into a war-torn battlefield; few know what happened here.
Because S.H.I.E.L.D. intervened right from the start and immediately cut off all communications and signals at Quantico.
So...
Other than the locals of Quantico and those at the Pentagon, the White House, and S.H.I.E.L.D., not everyone knows what happened here.
The people of Washington still think today is just another ordinary holiday, not to mention those in other places.
Hawk listened to Maria Hill's words, a thoughtful expression appearing on his face.
But...
Hawk finished his thoughts and shook his head at Maria Hill.
"Not enough."
"Compensation."
Maria Hill quickly said, "You just said, this is a war; since they lost, they have to pay compensation."
Upon hearing this, Hawk's eyes glanced past Maria Hill's shoulder, at those big shots behind her who were silent like cicadas in winter, wanting to speak but not daring to.
Wherever his gaze passed.
The big shots subconsciously avoided his eyes.
It was obvious.
They were truly scared.
Hawk's mind was racing as he looked back at Maria Hill, and he smiled slightly.
"How much."
"How much do you want."
"Heh."
Upon hearing this, Hawk snorted with laughter, "I want a trillion; can they afford it?"
Maria Hill's mouth twitched.
Hawk shook his head, his tone calm.
"A million then."
"?"
"Per person!"
"..."
Maria Hill instinctively turned her head to look at the thirty or so quivering big shots like quails behind her.
Ten minutes later.
Hawk withdrew his gaze from the balance displayed on the tablet Maria Hill handed him, showing his account in Stark Bank.
He looked at the big shots who, after the transfer, all at once, gazed at him with pleading, longing eyes.
"Get lost!"
"Oh."
"We'll scram right away, right away."
"Hurry up, hurry up."
"Thank you, thank you."
"..."
In the blink of an eye, thirty-three big shots scrambled, expressing joy and gratitude, and vanished from Hawk's sight.
Soon.
The large military base was left with only two people.
Hawk handed the tablet back to Maria Hill.
Maria Hill took the tablet, thought for a moment, and looked at Hawk.
"You didn't intend to kill them from the start, did you?"
"..."
Hawk, who had put his right hand back into his pocket, heard this, glanced at Maria Hill, chuckled, and didn't respond.
"You should go."
"What about you?"
"I'll be here for an hour."
Hawk spoke calmly, then his gaze moved past Maria Hill to a surveillance camera at the command building entrance, "Within this hour, you're free to use any weapon at your disposal to try and take me down. Of course, everything comes at a price, and as long as you can bear it, if you don't act within this hour, don't blame me for not warning you—stay away from me in the future, because if there's a next time, Washington will be razed to the ground!"
With that.
He glanced at Maria Hill, "You can leave too, Ms. Hill; maybe S.H.I.E.L.D. could give it a shot within this hour, since you're already here."
Upon hearing this, Maria Hill quickly said, "This is an internal affair of the Federation; S.H.I.E.L.D. only maintains world peace."
Hawk chuckled, said nothing, and closed his eyes.
Seeing this, Maria Hill said nothing more either but turned around and quickly ran toward the nearby S.H.I.E.L.D. jet.
As she boarded, she was already on the phone with the Pentagon.
With the takeoff of the S.H.I.E.L.D. jet, the large Quantico Base indeed presented a scene of complete desertion.
As the sun set, fires blazed, and ruins and wreckage spread across the Quantico Military Base.
Hawk stood in the open ground surrounded by rubble and ruins, hands in his pockets, resting with closed eyes.
Aside from the crackling of residual fires, there was no other sound, and at the outskirts of the military base, surviving soldiers watched with bated breath toward the base.
Time ticked by.
The air was silent.
Very soon.
An hour, neither long nor short, passed in an instant.
At this moment.
"Ring ring!"
A phone placed on the ground in front of Hawk started ringing.
Hawk opened his eyes, looked at the ringing phone, bent over, picked it up, and put it to his ear, answering the call.
"Hello!"
"Hawk."
Gwen's voice came through the phone.
The voice was as gentle as always.
"Are you done with work?"
"...Almost."
"Then come back early, and don't forget, we have driving practice tomorrow."
"Okay."
"Mm, I'm waiting for you in New York!"
"...Okay!"
"..."