69novels Page 22
Page 22
A few seconds later, Natasha's encrypted channel flickered silently, and a reply arrived:
[Received, Smith machine squat enthusiast. I'll remember this favor.]
[I can owe you one more thing: help me find out where the 'Big Foot Gang' is headquartered? What company does it ostensibly operate under?]
39. *Hawker: A Trillion-Dollar Vision* [Seeking Flowers]
The red warning lights in the cabin illuminated Natasha's face. "Smith squat enthusiast?" A slight smile unconsciously curved the corners of her delicate lips.
Hawke's next message popped up immediately:
Let me know if you find out.
As for S.H.I.E.L.D.'s party... the only participants are probably themselves.
The headquarters of the Big Foot Gang, a dark and gloomy training ground.
The cold metal walls reflected the pale blue light.
Schreid, the absolute ruler of the Bigfoot Gang, clad in his signature sharp armor, knelt almost motionless on the cold dojo floor, like an imposing steel statue.
Several screens floated in front of him, silently playing a battle taking place in an abandoned sewer construction project on the outskirts of New York. The footage was intermittent, occasionally crackling with static.
But among them, aside from the four turtle-men who were both comical and incredibly powerful, Shredder's attention was drawn to one of them.
He seemed to possess an incredibly powerful physical body, and many energy attacks had no effect on him. In fact, the high-heat, high-impact energy wave that he released at the end terrified the viewer, even through the screen.
Who is this?
Unfortunately, the video was too blurry to accurately capture facial features, and due to the battle, many people's recording devices were offline.
A subordinate dressed in a high-tech ninja outfit knelt on one knee, his voice trembling as he tried to hide it: "Master, our reinforcements are on their way."
Schreid's visor-covered head turned slightly, his cold gaze focusing on the blurry figure.
"Have you found out who it is?" Schleid's voice came through the voice changer, deep and smooth, yet containing a chill colder than steel.
"Energy readings...very unique, Master." Another tech ninja nervously operated the console. "Unlike any known superhuman or technological weapon in our database. But..." He paused, pulling up a comparison waveform, "the core frequency band...has...partial overlap with the residual energy from the previous Busan incident."
“Busan…” Shredder chewed on the place name, his expression hidden behind his mask, but the temperature in the dojo seemed to drop several degrees. “It’s our witch project.”
The fact that they were able to blow up the organization's most important base was something even he was taken aback by.
On the other side, a truck carrying several people had already driven into the factory building of an abandoned factory.
The three people and four turtles got off the car one after another.
Hawke waved the slightly musty air and said to the four turtles, "You all settle in here first, I'll take care of things outside."
The four turtles had no objection to this. Their appearance was certainly not suitable for openly investigating intelligence, and with the help of the important figure Hawke, they were happy to relax.
Raphael, the second brother, stepped forward and said very solemnly, "Mr. Hawke, thank you very much for your help. We have a deep hatred for Schreid. If you find anything out, we are willing to be the vanguard. After this is over, if we are still alive, please don't hesitate to ask if you need us."
The other three turtles also nodded solemnly.
The meaning is clear: Schleid killed their teacher, who was like a father to them, and their hatred level was already at its maximum. Today, Hawke saved them, and Hawke is their savior.
As long as Hawke tells them where Schleider is, they'll go straight for him and fight, regardless of their own lives!
Hawke laughed and said, "Don't worry, they've messed with me too. I've already had people investigate the Big Foot Gang's headquarters."
After saying goodbye to the four turtles, Hawke told Gu Ziyun to go back first, and also asked her to inform Eunbi that there was an important mission coming up and that she should be on standby at any time.
Gu Ziyun nodded and then disappeared into the night. Hawke was about to get on the truck and leave with the two women.
April's inquisitive blue eyes immediately locked onto Hawke.
“Mr. Hawke! Wait a minute!” She reached out, her fingertips almost touching his arm, then withdrew her hand demurely, her face beaming with the persuasive smile typical of a journalist. “Look, tonight’s been so exciting! I was there the whole time; this is an exclusive that will definitely cause a global sensation! Let me follow you, okay? I promise I won’t cause any trouble, I’ll just record everything! And that exclusive interview…” She clasped her hands together, pleadingly, “Please! Just this once! I know you’re modest, but your story is absolutely worth it…”
Hawke stopped and looked at her vibrant face.
He remained silent for a few seconds, the invisible pressure almost freezing the smile on April's face.
“Operation?” Hawke’s voice was deep and steady. “April, that’s not news reporting, that’s the battlefield. Bullets and energy beams don’t distinguish between journalists and reporters.”
Hawke's refusal was clear, especially considering he had a child in tow. Having been a street hero for several years, he knew all too well that taking a child along was extremely dangerous.
For example, in the battle just now, even Hawke would have a hard time taking care of the two girls and carrying the whole team at the same time, and he still had to rely on the four turtles to hold off part of the fight.
If it weren't for these two burdens, he would have already wiped out the other side, and wouldn't have needed to run away.
April wasn't easily deterred. She took a deep breath and changed her strategy: "Well... how about an exclusive interview? I swear! We'll only talk about the business side! Your investment philosophy, business strategy, views on the global economy... The public has the right to know the thinking behind someone like you who's shaping our times! Look, I've even come up with a few titles: 'Hawk: A Trillion-Dollar Vision,' 'Hawk: The Lane Family's Business Philosophy'..."
She rattled off several headlines that sounded quite "serious," like those in a financial magazine, but her eyes held a sly glint of anticipation.
40 Tonight, you're mine from head to toe. [Seeking flowers]
Hawke looked at the persistent female reporter in front of him and thought that she had indeed helped him tonight and was not entirely unreliable.
He needs to consider his relationship with the media, and sometimes it is also necessary to cultivate a controllable and positive business image.
“Only economic and commercial matters are permitted.” Hawke looked directly at April. “Not a single word is allowed to cross the line. All content must be reviewed by my team before publication.”
“Absolutely! I promise!” April burst into immense joy, as if she had won the lottery.
Overwhelmed with excitement, she almost instinctively took a step forward, stood on tiptoe, and gave Hawke a quick and loud "pop" on the cheek!
"Thank you, Hawke! You're amazing!" Her cheeks flushed, and her eyes flickered for a moment after realizing what she had done, but excitement quickly overcame her shyness. "I...I'll wait for your call!"
After saying that, like a startled yet happy little rabbit, she quickly ran to the passenger side of the truck, fastened her seatbelt, and obediently waited for Hawke.
The air seemed to freeze for a moment.
Emily stood a few steps away, taking in the whole scene.
Her delicate face was expressionless, but the way she crossed her arms, her slightly pursed lips, and the soft "humph" she let out clearly conveyed a strong sense of sourness.
Hawke's gaze shifted to Emily, catching a fleeting hint of jealousy in her eyes.
A slight smile played on his lips as he walked up to her.
Emily looked up at him, her sour feeling still lingering. She was about to say something, like, "It seems our Mr. Hawke's charm hasn't diminished at all," when Hawke suddenly grabbed her waist and forcefully pulled her into his arms.
"Jealous?" Hawke's deep voice, warm with breath, brushed against her ear, no longer the businesslike tone he had when facing April, but filled with possessive intimacy.
Emily's body stiffened slightly, then softened in his arms, and the sour smell miraculously disappeared.
She looked up, suddenly realizing that no matter how enthusiastic April was, all she received was a cold, commercial interview permit. And she…
"No, she's just an ignorant and arrogant little reporter."
Emily's voice regained its usual languidness and a hint of smugness, seemingly regaining the confidence she had when she was the cheerleader captain at Columbia University: "She only gets interviews... but tonight, you're mine from head to toe, every minute of you."
Suddenly, Hawke's phone vibrated. He turned his back and opened the message.
【Natasha】: The coordinates you requested: ********** point to a redevelopment area of an abandoned subway station deep in Lower Manhattan.
【Natasha】: A company in sheep's clothing: TCRI is a cutting-edge biotechnology and space physics research institution. It was previously reported by many people as a money laundering hub for the Big Foot Gang, but due to insufficient evidence, the matter was eventually dropped.
[Natasha]: +2 in favors owed. Good luck, and don't die too quickly. —Creditor.
Hawke's lips curled into a cold smile.
TCRI…Schlade is even more of a player than he thought.
Biotechnology, space physics? But from these two fields, he was certain that Schreid had already made contact with the alien Langer.
Thinking it over, he decided to wait until dawn to do so.
TCRI is also a well-known unicorn company on Wall Street, especially in the last two years, where it has made remarkable achievements in biotechnology.
If it's been reported by multiple people, it's most likely just a front for the Big Foot Gang. As for the evidence...
Does Hawke need that thing?
Hawke wants this piece of meat!
But at this moment, S.H.I.E.L.D. has already rushed to the battlefield. If they find out that the Foot Gang has such advanced technology, will there still be any meat left to eat?
Now, we first need to know all of TCRI's factories and laboratories, both overt and covert, before we can take any further action. But time is of the essence, and to uncover the information we need as quickly as possible, we have no choice but to ask professionals for help.
At this moment, in the ruins of Hawke's battle with the Foot Gang...
S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Quinjet squadron, like angry steel vultures, tore through the night sky and roared to the coordinates.
The blinding beams of searchlight instantly illuminated the ravaged battlefield below as if it were daytime.
Ground troops followed closely behind in armored vehicles, their engines roaring as they blocked all the main passages. Fully armed agents poured out like a tide, their tactical flashlight beams crisscrossing the ruins.
"Target area sealed off! Repeat, target area sealed off!" came the commander's report over the communication channel.
Nick Fury stood in front of the hatch of the lead Quinjet, looking down at the scene of devastation: molten metal, collapsed building structures, scattered fragments of strange ninja equipment, and some twisted, ominous modified limbs...
His single, hawk-like eye swept sharply across the scene, which was deserted except for the wreckage.
"The traveler has escaped!" the ground team reported.
Fury clenched his fists silently.
Too slow again! He always manages to slip away like an eel!
However, at that moment, both the infrared thermal imaging and motion sensors detected the unusual activity.
"Sir! Unidentified personnel have been detected rapidly approaching the combat zone! There are a large number of them!" The technical officer's voice tightened. "They...are cleaning up the mess? Clearing away traces and recovering some equipment wreckage!"
Fury's brow furrowed.
Cleaning up the battlefield right under S.H.I.E.L.D.'s nose?
What a courage!
He immediately connected to the encrypted communication: "Hand, have the scan results for those toys come back yet? Who are those people cleaning downstairs?"
The communicator crackled with the slightly languid yet efficient voice of S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Victoria Hand: "Energy residue analysis points to one of the main targets of the previous battle, but the new equipment is a mixed bag, exhibiting characteristics of both melee weapons and high-energy biological reactions. Database comparisons show some features matching a New York underworld ninja organization called 'Footballs.' However, the recovered equipment fragments have even stranger signals, like… um… something not from Earth? Interesting."
41 Fury: Hawk, I've completely seen through you. [Requesting flowers]
"The Foot Clan?" Fury's eyes narrowed. "So the Foot Clan is helping Hawke clean up his mess?"
The logic instantly took shape in his mind: Hawke had accomplices! These people were there to help him escape and clean up the mess! After the Busan incident, they suspected that Hawke had an organization supporting him, and this scene seemed to confirm that.
The Foot Clan? Alien technology!