Anna's text message was very simple.
Just a name.
Betty Ross.
When Hawke saw this name, he immediately thought of its origin.
Thaddeus Ross's daughter.
Bruce Banner's wife.
Yes.
Wife.
This was back when school started.
The Daily Bugle, which focused on all kinds of gossip news, published it, along with a photo of Bruce Banner and Betty Ross registering their marriage at New York City Hall.
Peter brought that newspaper over.
Because Peter worked part-time at the Daily Bugle, he could bring a copy of the Daily Bugle every day, which was a rare benefit from the newspaper.
Hawke only glanced at it at the time and didn't take it to heart.
After all…
His opponent was Thaddeus Ross, not Betty Ross.
Just like Hulk.
He killed Hulk, but he didn't kill Bruce Banner.
Every wrong has its remedy, every debt its master.
Hawke doesn't do guilt by association.
Hmm.
At least that's what he used to think.
Now?
He understood.
As Hawke was thinking, the phone rang; it was Anna's call, following the text message she had just sent.
He answered.
"Hello."
"Hawke, sorry, it took some time. The account used to transfer money to Daven Simmons also belongs to a well-known intelligence dealer in the black market. It took our people some time to find him, but he still revealed the employer's information."
"Betty Ross."
Hawke didn't care how Anna found out; he only cared about the result.
"Are you sure it's her?"
"Confirmed. Betty Ross's bank account had a transfer of two hundred thousand to this intelligence dealer five days ago. After that, this intelligence dealer contacted Daven Simmons. Oh, and our people also found the call recording between Betty Ross and the intelligence dealer. Do you need it?"
"No need, as long as you didn't find the wrong person."
"Absolutely no mistake, after all, it's very easy to find. Betty Ross's address in New York has already been sent to you."
"Thanks."
"You're welcome."
After thanking Anna again, Hawke hung up the phone, glanced at the address sent in the text message, then put the phone back in his pocket, his expression calm.
He was very good at learning.
After all, learning is the ladder of human progress.
This time was no different.
Before, he adhered to the principle of 'every wrong has its remedy, every debt its master.'
But then Betty Ross pulled a stunt like this.
If he hadn't happened to awaken the 'dragon,' and his Little Universe had been sublimated by the appearance of the 'dragon' and 'Phoenix,' coincidentally allowing him to find the door to the 'Sixth Sense,' thus giving him a Sixth Sense warning the moment Gwen left.
If the Sixth Sense hadn't warned him at that moment, what would have happened next?
Hawke didn't dare to imagine.
Although even if the worst happened, he could run to hell and rescue Gwen.
But…
What if he couldn't go?
So!
Learn from past mistakes.
It's never too late to mend the fold after the sheep are lost.
This was experience, and also a lesson.
In the future…
Such a thing would not happen again.
Hawke's thoughts turned, replacing the 'every wrong has its remedy, every debt its master' in his mind with 'a family must be neat and tidy,' then he walked out of the office building behind him.
Peter, who was outside, saw Hawke coming out and was about to go up to him when he suddenly felt the surge of killing intent from Hawke. Under his Spider-Sense, his hairs stood on end, and he involuntarily stopped.
Hawke looked at Peter, his killing intent receding: "Peter? You didn't leave? Where's Mary?"
Peter snapped back to reality.
"Mary went to find Gwen."
"What about you?"
Hawke walked down the steps, then followed Peter towards the school gate: "Something wrong?"
Peter nodded: "I originally wanted to ask if you needed my help, but now, you probably don't need me. If nothing unexpected happened, you should already know who wanted to kidnap Gwen, right?"
Hawke hummed in affirmation.
Peter saw this: "Alright then, if you need anything, give me a call. I'm going to find Harry. Harry called me yesterday, and he seemed a bit off."
Hawke heard this and was a bit curious: "Harry? Didn't he say last time that he had successfully taken over Osborn Biological Industry?"
When school started, Harry Osborn also came, but it was to ask for leave.
Because Norman had passed away, he needed to take control of Osborn as quickly as possible. Hawke remembered Harry saying at the start of school that with Felicia Hardy's help, he had successfully taken over Osborn Biological Industry.
"Who knows."
Peter shook his head, then said to Hawke: "Well, I'll be going then. Call me if you need anything."
Hawke smiled and nodded.
"Okay, call me."
"Call me."
After Peter waved goodbye to Hawke, he ran into the small grove nearby. A moment later, Spider-Man went online, and with a whoosh, pulling a web shot to who-knows-where, he whooshed again and disappeared from sight.
He didn't even ask Hawke how he planned to deal with the kidnapper.
Because there was no need to ask.
Hawke would definitely kill her.
It was a foregone conclusion.
He was very certain, and he could also understand. If someone tried to kidnap his Aunt Mei, he would kill them too.
No exceptions.
Just like he killed the murderer who killed Uncle Ben back then.
Once again.
The Peter Parker here is Spider-Woman, and he is the bully Maguire. He may be kind, but he is definitely not a bleeding heart.
Perhaps it's truly because of this that the Venom on him, his greatest evil thoughts, are nothing more than a raise in salary and buying suits at a discount.
Hawke looked at Spider-Woman, who had vanished in a blink of an eye, smiled, withdrew his gaze, then walked out of the school gate and hailed a taxi.
"Jersey City."
"Lincoln Park."
"Okay."
The White driver looked at Hawke, who had gotten into the car, through the rearview mirror. Hearing the address, his heart rejoiced, and he nodded, quickly starting the meter and setting off.
Because this was a high-value order, even if he delivered it there without a return fare, he would still make a profit.
The White driver thought to himself, happily stepping on the gas pedal and driving towards Jersey City across the Hudson River.
Hawke, sitting in the back seat, watched the scenery passing by outside the car window, his eyes narrowed.
Approximately forty-five minutes later.
Lincoln Park, located on the easternmost side of Jersey City, was reached.
After Hawke paid and got out of the car, he stood at the entrance of Lincoln Park, then, with a spin on the spot, his gaze instantly fell across the road, on an apartment building directly opposite the entrance of Lincoln Park, which was not luxurious but definitely high-end.
The next second.
The phone rang.
Hawke took the phone out of his pocket, glanced at the incoming call, and put it to his ear.
The moment the call connected, a female voice that sounded very heroic came through.
"Hawke, Victoria Hand, S.H.I.E.L.D., this matter, we…"
"Fuck Off!"
Hawke didn't wait for the voice on the other end of the phone to finish, directly interrupting, then hung up the phone, and walked across the road towards the Lincoln Park Apartments, named after Lincoln Park.
According to the information Anna provided, last month, after Betty Ross married Bruce Banner, she moved from Washington D.C. to settle in the Lincoln Park Apartments here in Jersey City.
Bruce Banner seemed to have joined a laboratory at Stark Industries.
As for Betty Ross?
She seemed to have not worked after getting married, staying at home in the Lincoln Park Apartments, living a secluded life.
New York S.H.I.E.L.D. Operations Command Center.
Wearing a S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform, with her hands on her hips, Victoria Hand, who had also joined S.H.I.E.L.D. after retiring as a Military intelligence officer, looked at the dazzling red light on the large screen indicating the hung-up call. Her lips twitched involuntarily, then she took out her phone and called Maria Hill.
"Hello!"
"Something's happened. Hawke has found Betty Ross."
"That fast?"
Maria Hill, who was at the S.H.I.E.L.D. Triskelion headquarters, was shocked when she heard this, but more so, she frowned: "Didn't I tell you to watch Betty Ross and not let her do anything foolish?"
Victoria Hand sighed: "We thought two months had passed, and she had given up. And after she moved from Washington D.C. to Jersey City, she's been staying at home, and her bank account is with the Stark banking system. Tony is still in recovery, and the latest authorization code hasn't been sent yet."
Maria Hill felt a headache coming on.
"Where is Hawke now?"
"He's already gone upstairs."
"Hiss!"
Maria Hill gasped, shooting up from her seat, her voice even cracking a little.
"Betty?"
"At home."
"What about Bruce?"
"He went to the lab for work."
"…"
Maria Hill was silent, not knowing what to say.
Victoria Hand, however, frowned and said: "What do we do now? Just watch him kill Betty?"
Maria Hill heard this, snapped back to reality, and gave a bitter smile.
"Can we stop him? Moreover, since he found Betty, it means he already knows that Betty made the first move."
"But he killed Thaddeus Ross."
"That was also because General Ross made the first move."
Maria Hill took a deep breath: "You kill me, I kill you, this matter will never end if we keep arguing, and it's meaningless too."
Maria Hill decisively ended the topic, and after a pause, made a decision!
"Forget it, let him be. S.H.I.E.L.D. will not intervene."
"Uh…"
"S.H.I.E.L.D. maintains World peace, not family peace. Hawke has been living a normal life since he returned from Quantico. This matter was provoked by Betty Ross. I will not, because of this matter, take S.H.I.E.L.D. to play a risky game with a strong person who doesn't offend me if I don't offend him."
"…"
Victoria Hand listened to Maria Hill's reasoning on the phone, opened her mouth, and chose not to refute.
No matter how you looked at it, Betty made the first move in this matter.
Although the kidnapping was unsuccessful.
But…
This was Gwen's luck, not Betty's.
At the same time.
While the two female S.H.I.E.L.D. giants were talking, Hawke had already arrived on the tenth floor of the apartment building and stood at the door of Betty's apartment.
Hawke raised his hand, preparing to push the door open.
The next second!
The door was already opened from the inside.
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