Around 11:30 AM.
Under Gwen's gaze, Hawk slowly ascended, then with a graceful turn, transformed into a golden streak and headed towards Flint Monastery on the Texas border.
Ten minutes later.
Two unremarkable electric utility vans drove onto Palm Street.
A black Chevrolet SUV parked in front of 521A. Sharon, wearing a high-quality black long coat paired with a khaki cashmere scarf, got out of the Chevrolet and knocked on the door.
Gwen opened the door and hugged Sharon.
"He's gone?"
"Mm."
"Don't worry."
Sharon followed Gwen inside and said with a smile, "Hawk has been undefeated since his debut. Last month, Thor also said that he was no longer Hawk's opponent."
Gwen smiled at her words.
This was true.
Since Hawk's debut in the Battle of New York, through Quantico Military Base, Hulk, Wakanda, Dark Elves, Mephisto… he had never been defeated.
The worst he had ever been was during his battle with Hulk, but even then, Hawk was only weakened, not unconscious.
And there was Thor's assessment when he returned to New York City last month.
So—
Gwen put away her worries and said with a smile, "Your comfort is very effective."
Sharon smiled slightly: "It's not that my comfort is effective, but that you also believe Hawk won't lose. Otherwise, no matter how much I say, you would still be worried, wouldn't you?"
Gwen pursed her lips, looked at Sharon, thought for a moment, and nodded.
"That's true, I believe in Hawk."
"Then that's it. Have you eaten?"
"Just finished."
"That fast."
"Yes."
Gwen shrugged: "Originally, I wanted to wait for Hawk to come back from Texas so we could eat together, but Hawk insisted that the saying had a bad omen, just like in movies where if you say 'wait until I come back to get married,' you definitely won't come back, or 'wait until I come back to talk,' you definitely won't come back. So he insisted on eating first before leaving."
Sharon listened to Gwen's explanation and also thought of those classic 'wait for me to come back' tropes in movies, and nodded.
"Indeed, saying 'wait until I come back to do something' definitely has a bad omen."
"Have you eaten?"
"No."
Sharon told the truth: "I was still thinking if you hadn't eaten, we could go out together, and then go shopping together, since the satellite imagery won't be online that quickly."
Gwen frowned.
"It won't be online that quickly?"
"It's expected to be online in an hour."
Sharon replied, then asked with some curiosity: "Didn't they say November 11th? It's only the 7th now, there are still four days. Why did Hawk go so early?"
Gwen shook her head: "He didn't say, but it's good to go early. What if there are any traps there? Besides, it's better to rest and wait than to rush over after a long journey."
There were no secrets between Hawk and her.
So after Hawk revealed his destination, Gwen looked up information about Flint Monastery online.
This Flint Monastery had existed for an unknown number of years. Its first appearance was during the great development period of Texas.
At that time, ascetics discovered the place, renovated Flint Monastery, and then practiced asceticism there.
But because it was located in the middle of a desert, with no people around, it was completely abandoned after the great development period of Texas, becoming a desolate place where not even birds would stop.
So Gwen also approved of Hawk's plan to go early.
Rest and wait, waiting for the rabbit to come to the stump!
Sharon nodded.
"Then Westview..."
"What about Westview?"
"Do you need me to send someone to watch for Mr. Chloe when he returns, to keep him from interfering in Texas?"
"No need."
Gwen heard her, and shook her head with a smile.
"Wanda is watching over there. Mr. Chloe can't get out."
"You cannot go out, Mr. Chloe."
In Amy's house.
After receiving Gwen's message, Wanda went out and came to the house diagonally opposite. She watched Amy freely entering and exiting the house, but a certain person couldn't get out and was trying to use brute force to break the barrier Hawk had left on the house. She said to Andrew Chloe: "And you can't break this barrier."
As she spoke, Wanda placed her right hand on the wall of the house, and scarlet Chaos magic energy surged, replenishing the barrier energy that Andrew Chloe had just depleted in his attempt to break it with brute force.
The blood-red wings behind Andrew Chloe subtly moved. He watched Wanda's actions, his eyebrows twitching.
"I need to go out. He is in great danger and needs my help."
"No, staying here is the best help you can give him."
Wanda heard him, remained unmoved, and advised Andrew Chloe. Then she said to Jean, who was beside her: "Go, tell your Grandpa to stay here and not cause trouble for your Daddy."
Jean, nearly four years old, heard her and her eyes lit up. She called out "Grandpa" and quickly ran to Andrew Chloe. Then she looked up at Andrew's blood-red wings, which he had retracted for fear of accidentally hitting her, and said in a sweet, childish voice: "Grandpa, can I touch your wings?"
Those wings looked so beautiful.
Jean blinked her big eyes.
Andrew was first stunned, then a faint smile appeared on his somewhat weathered, sallow face. He crouched down in front of Jean, his voice as gentle as possible: "Of course you can."
Jean's eyes twinkled as she reached out her small hand and touched Andrew's blood-red wings.
The next second.
Jean exclaimed.
"Wow, they're so soft."
"Grandpa, can you hug me?"
"Of course."
Andrew didn't hesitate. At her words, his face crinkled with a smile, and he quickly, but carefully, embraced Jean.
After all, this was his granddaughter.
His biological granddaughter.
Although he still hadn't quite understood the situation from his almost daughter-in-law's words last night.
But one thing was certain.
The Jean in front of him, and the two little ones in the kitchen, sitting obediently in their high chairs eating baby food, were indeed his biological granddaughter and grandson.
Jean was held by Andrew's strong arms, nestled in his embrace, her small hands touching Andrew's blood-red wings, feeling as soft as stroking cotton.
Wanda, standing in the doorway leaning against the kitchen, saw this and turned her gaze to Amy, who was feeding the two little ones in their high chairs. She said, "Shall I accompany you to the men's clothing store in town later?"
Amy, who was gently feeding her two grandchildren, paused slightly at Wanda's words and looked at Wanda: "The men's clothing store in town isn't really suitable for Andrew, is it?"
There was indeed a men's clothing store in town.
But the men's clothing inside, to Amy, how should she put it, it felt as if it was tailor-made for Wanda's brother, Pietro, who was now the town's loafer.
Wanda heard her and chuckled: "Not that one, it's the one next door, which just opened this morning."
Yes.
It just opened this morning.
To be precise, the timeline for the clothing stores in town was as follows:
At midnight, news of Andrew Chloe's return spread, and the preparatory working group for the Westview men's clothing store went online ten minutes later.
Half an hour later, all aspects of opening the men's clothing store were confirmed, and tasks were distributed.
At 4 AM, a new men's clothing store sign was already hung on the storefront next to the men's clothing store that seemed tailor-made for Pietro on the town street, and people were quickly tidying up the store.
At 6 AM, a container of the latest men's clothing from East Country, shipped from a port, was loaded onto a truck, and by the time it arrived in Westview, the picking work was already complete.
At 7 AM, various wardrobes, racks, models, and clothes were simultaneously brought into the store.
At 8 AM, the Westview men's clothing store officially opened.
And along with the men's clothing store, a traveling circus was also being set up in an open area on the east side of Westview.
As for why it was a circus, the reason was simple.
Because in the 1990s, various traveling circuses were the most popular dating spots for New Yorkers at that time.
The most important point.
Andrew Chloe and Amy Kloe's first date location, and the place they visited most often, was this type of traveling circus.
So—
Such was the treatment for a god among men.
Do not be jealous.
After all, this was reality, not a movie. Scenes like Superman being questioned by Congress in movies would not play out for Hawk.
Because Hawk was not Superman.
His lower limit was wiping out families.
His upper limit was wiping out entire races.
So no one would treat Hawk as Superman, nor would anyone dare to treat Hawk as a Superman who could be summoned with a subpoena to meekly attend a congressional hearing.
Perhaps some people who knew of Hawk's existence had thought about controlling Hawk, but at the top level, in the core will of the Five Hegemons, the option of trying to control Hawk did not exist.
Once again.
S.H.I.E.L.D., under the control of the Five Hegemons, now had a very good relationship with Hawk, and the relationship between S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Demon King's Chains was even better.
The most important point.
Hawk tacitly approved of everything in Westview.
That was enough.
Amy heard Wanda's words and didn't think much of it. She glanced at Andrew, who was still wearing his old clothes that she had kept for twenty years, and nodded: "Okay."
Wanda smiled slightly and looked at her daughter, who was stroking Andrew's blood-red wings: "Jean, you stay here with Grandpa. Mommy is going home to change clothes, and then we'll go shopping in town with Grandpa and Grandma."
Jean, still stroking the blood-red wings that were as soft as goose feathers, responded without looking back.
Wanda then turned, crossed the road, and returned to her house.
Pietro was currently in the kitchen, eating fruit cereal and reading the instructions on the cereal box. After seeing Wanda return, he said to her: "I don't understand."
Wanda blinked and looked at Pietro.
"What don't you understand?"
"Andrew Chloe can't go to Texas, why can't I go either?"
"Because it's very dangerous."
"I'm fast."
"That's still not allowed."
Are you kidding?
Could a battle of Hawk's caliber be participated in by a loafer like her brother, who had no other strengths besides being fast?
Wanda decisively refused, and then, as if she thought of something, magic surged in her right hand, and a scarlet Chaos magic directly entered Pietro's body.
Pietro was stunned for a moment.
"What is this?"
"A magic rope, to prevent you from leaving Westview."
Pietro's eyes widened, and he seemed to think of something. He looked at his sister in disbelief: "...A dog leash?"
Wanda heard him, fell silent, then looked at Pietro and smiled slightly.
"...If that's how you want to interpret it, there's nothing I can do. But seriously, instead of running off to Texas to watch the excitement, why don't you think about how we should get revenge on Tony Stark?"
... (End of chapter)
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