It's the same old saying.
To say Hawke had deep affection for Amy Kloe and her son, that would be pure nonsense.
But to say he had none at all, that would also be a lie.
So... to truly expect him to be indifferent to Amy's plight and situation, that's completely unrealistic.
From a certain perspective.
He was the one who created the current him.
But the past cannot be changed.
Perfectly.
Westview is a good place.
Excellent public safety.
Beautiful scenery.
Simple folk.
It's a very good place for retirement.
The most important point.
"Anya wants to see her."
"..."
Gwen heard this and looked at Hawke, who had spoken.
"You told Anya?"
"Mm."
Hawke nodded, taking a sip of his coffee: "This isn't just my business, it's Anya's too. She has the right to know all of this."
Gwen blinked.
"Then... what was Anya's reaction?"
"She cried."
Hawke was concise, then, meeting Gwen's gaze that demanded more explanation, he shook his head: "She cried after realizing we weren't intentionally abandoned."
People are divided into different classes.
Orphans are also divided.
In the U.S. foster care system, orphans with no name, no background, and no surname are at the bottom of the pecking order.
At the top of this pecking order are orphans whose parents have had their parental rights revoked.
Don't ask.
The answer is that they at least still have biological parents; it's just that their parents had their parental rights revoked.
So... Anya, upon learning that she and her brother Hawke were not abandoned orphans, but rather a choice made out of helplessness, burst into tears.
But it wasn't a sad cry; it was... how to describe it, an indescribable cry.
However, after crying profusely, even if sister Anya didn't say it, Hawke could feel that his sister, who had initially been indifferent to leaving the underworld, now wanted to leave if possible.
The reason was obvious.
She wanted to see Amy.
"Perfect."
"After Anya is resurrected, if she doesn't want to live with us, she can also go to Westview."
Hawke smiled as he looked at Gwen.
Gwen held her coffee cup with both hands, and hearing this, she glanced at Hawke and smiled slightly: "That's quite nice, she has options."
Hawke raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
"Nothing."
Gwen shook her head, then looked at Hawke, pursed her lips, and said with a smile: "I thought you would keep Anya right under your nose after she was resurrected, not letting her go anywhere."
It is well known.
Hawke's initial motivation was to resurrect his sister, which led him to where he is today.
So... even Gwen thought that if Hawke truly resurrected his sister, he would definitely keep her close, never letting her out of his sight.
Hawke was stunned for a moment when he heard Gwen's words.
The next second.
He laughed in spite of himself.
Hawke's expression then turned serious as he met Gwen's gaze.
"Gwen, I'm not a sister complex."
"I know."
Gwen, with her expressive emerald eyes, met Hawke's gaze, but the smile on her lips was evident.
Hawke opened his mouth.
Seeing this, Gwen immediately changed the subject.
"S.H.I.E.L.D.'s cloning experiment isn't ready yet, is it?"
"...Soon."
Hawke, seeing the topic shift, didn't dwell on it, thinking about his conversation with Sharon yesterday: "Barring any unforeseen circumstances, it should be ready in three months."
He had specifically called Sharon yesterday to inquire about the progress of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s cloning experiment.
In a word.
Progress is gratifying.
Clinical trials have already begun, and the cloned embryos are currently developing well, just waiting for the completion of clone development in two months, then entering a one-month post-operative observation period.
Two months of clone development.
One month of post-operative observation.
A total of three months.
"If no problems arise after three months, then there will be no problems."
"At that time, we can open the coffin and extract sister Anya's DNA data, and then proceed with the cultivation of the clone."
"However..."
"Christmas this year might be missed."
"After all, it's already August."
"But it doesn't matter."
"As long as my sister is here, every day can be a holiday."
Hawke thought about seeing his living sister Anya in three months, plus another three months, and a happy smile unconsciously appeared on his face.
Gwen looked at the smile on Hawke's face and abandoned the idea of proving Hawke was a sister complex.
"Did you forget someone else?"
"..."
Hawke came back to his senses, glanced at Gwen, his thoughts spun for a moment, and he chuckled.
"Are you talking about Andrew?"
"Yes."
Gwen nodded, then looked at Hawke and said: "To Phoenix what is Phoenix's, to Kloe what is Kloe's, but Phoenix is also Kloe."
No one would dismiss Westview just because Hawke claimed to be Phoenix, and Westview had the ten Kloes.
At the very least, the five great overlords who witnessed Hawke's one-against-two prowess in the Atlantic Ocean would not dismiss it.
Not only did they not dismiss it, but they even joined forces to renovate Westview.
Even S.H.I.E.L.D. has a station in Westview disguised as a post office, and the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent stationed in Westview is Ger.
He was the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who first arrived at Amy's apartment, and whom Hawke had rescued and met a few times, so he was quite familiar.
In short—
To outsiders, Hawke is both Phoenix and Kloe.
Gwen clearly understood that the reason for assigning Phoenix's to Phoenix and Kloe's to Kloe was Hawke's assurance to himself.
Just like Hawke said when he proposed.
Only the descendants of their bloodline would be qualified to inherit his power and Phoenix, the surname they both chose.
So... Hawke was very firm, and Gwen was very much the lady of the house.
"You've met your father Andrew, but Anya hasn't. And since it's a reunion, it's best for the family to be complete."
"Family..."
Hawke muttered Gwen's words, then shook his head.
"His soul is not in hell."
"What?"
Gwen was slightly stunned upon hearing this: "Not in hell? How can he not be in hell?"
Hawke shook his head, saying nothing.
Seeing this, Gwen remembered that Hawke's past was caused by the dark forces of the Heaven Dimension, and she reacted: "Heaven?"
Hawke shook his head again.
"Not there either."
"Then..."
"Still with the murderer who shot Andrew."
"..."
Gwen frowned deeply.
As Hawke spoke, his mind sank, once again arriving in his currently brilliant and glorious Little Universe.
And above his now golden and brilliant Little Universe, there was a galaxy spanning the entire Universe.
That was the river of time unique to Hawke and his Little Universe.
After he had contracted his timeline, even without the Time Stone, he was able to control his own timeline.
However... in his time galaxy that spanned the entire Universe, he could see the past, he could see the present, but he could not see the future.
The Mind Stone, transformed into Phoenix eyes, emitted a faint yellow light.
Hawke's mental power stirred, and then his mind transformed into a bright spot, once again merging into the timeline that formed his Phoenix Galaxy.
The point in time.
1995, the day Andrew Kloe was shot and killed.
Bang!
A gunshot echoed in the alley. The tall and thin white man who drew the gun did so almost simultaneously, and three bullets instantly entered Andrew's body.
Accompanied by the rhythmic sound of footsteps, as the two ran to the side of Andrew's fallen body, at that moment.
A soul emerged from Andrew Kloe's corpse.
The next second.
Andrew Kloe's soul entered the silver cross necklace hanging around the man's neck.
Hawke opened his eyes, looked at Gwen, and nodded.
"Yes, it's on that murderer."
"Who is it?"
"I don't know."
Hawke shook his head: "I had already recorded the aura of these two gunmen. I planned to find them after I came back."
Gwen blinked.
"But you didn't find them?"
"Mm."
Hawke nodded: "I originally thought Father John knew their whereabouts, but do you know what Father John said?"
Gwen shook her head.
"What did he say?"
"Father John told me that those two gunmen were just ordinary thugs, and his task was merely to mislead Andrew."
"Ordinary..."
Gwen's expression became a little strange: "Ordinary thugs can take Andrew's soul?"
Hawke chuckled.
"He doesn't know."
"I didn't tell him either."
"But Father John didn't lie."
"And I only realized what those two thugs who shot Andrew were after seeing Father John now."
Hawke's lips curved slightly as he spoke.
"Angels' energy comes from their Angel Wings."
"Angels whose Angel Wings are severed will become mortals, no different from mortals."
"But their aura still has an essential difference from mortals."
"And the aura of those two thugs who shot Andrew was exactly the same as the aura of Father John when I went to the church to see him earlier."
"So..."
"They are not ordinary thugs."
"But Angels with their wings cut off."
Hawke said this to Gwen, whose mouth was gradually widening: "So, in fact, there wasn't just one Angel on my timeline that day, but three."
One in the open.
Two in the shadows.
However, those two thugs who shot Andrew must have been on Earth earlier than his timeline, and their wings were severed, making them indistinguishable from ordinary people, which is why Hawke didn't notice them at first.
Gwen listened to Hawke's speculation, her mouth slightly agape.
"Then, can they still be found now?"
"I don't know, but I know someone who should have clues."
"Who?"
"The patrolman who was in charge of the case back then."
"..." (End of chapter)
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