Batman wouldn't unconditionally trust Hawkeye, Clint Barton, just because he shared many similarities with Green Arrow, Oliver Queen.
Whether it was the exchange of intelligence or Hawkeye traveling to Yokohama, Japan, while Batman helped him search for Black Widow, essentially, it was a transaction between the two.
Hawkeye naturally raised his point:
"What if I don't agree to this deal and go find Black Widow myself? There's no loss in that for me."
Batman's answer hit the nail on the head:
"This involves another question: Back at the Cube, why did Black Widow frame you as Hydra? Why would she rather have you locked up in the Cube than let you participate in her operation?"
Hawkeye thought for a moment, weighing his words before speaking:
"Just sending Dr. Banner from the Cube to New York wasn't enough; she also needed to personally lock her partner in prison to gain Hydra's complete trust? Was it a token of loyalty?"
"Perhaps it's more than that," Batman said. "But other reasons are currently just hypotheses without evidence, so it's not appropriate to say more."
"Then don't say it. At least I know now that if I participate in the operation to rescue Black Widow, it might cause all her efforts to go to waste." Hawkeye thought it through clearly. "I will set off for Yokohama, Japan tomorrow."
"No, your operation time is the day after tomorrow." Batman shook his head. "You need to abandon the identity of 'Hawkeye,' discard your longbow, and use other weapons to travel to Japan."
"I will provide you with all the equipment you need."
Hawkeye looked down at the longbow in his hand, folded it up, and placed it at his waist, unceremoniously stating his demands:
"I need a katana and a samurai outfit lined with cut-resistant armor."
"I will operate in Japan as a Ronin."
"Within half a month at most, I will provide you with the information you need. Likewise, you need to find Black Widow for me within half a month."
"Deal," Batman said.
With a whoosh, Batman's wide cape flared up behind him. Hawkeye instinctively raised his arm to block.
But the anticipated attack did not come. When he lowered his arm, Batman had already vanished without a trace.
Meanwhile, on North Brother Island.
Norman Osborn was cold and hungry. He wrapped the clothes he had worn out of the Batcave tighter around himself.
In the bag he was hugging, one-fifth of the food had already been eaten.
Inside were just compressed biscuits and fresh water. They could maintain vital signs, but the taste and sense of satiety were unsatisfying.
Norman Osborn didn't know what he had done wrong; he just sat carefully on the ground.
Unlike last night, tonight Norman Osborn did not drill into the woods. Instead, he followed the path he came by back to the shore of North Brother Island.
Here, he couldn't hear those strange hissing sounds, which allowed the uneasiness in his heart to subside slightly.
There was no moonlight tonight; everything around him was pitch black. Norman planned to tough it out until dawn and then have a good sleep under the sun during the day.
But as the night grew deeper, although the hissing sounds were gone, rustling noises and the occasional splash in the water kept Norman Osborn constantly on edge.
The sound was like something in the water constantly landing on the island.
Norman Osborn stared wide-eyed into the darkness before him; he vaguely remembered this scene looking somewhat familiar.
Splash!
The sound of something falling into the water rang out, making Norman Osborn shudder. A series of bat shadows flashed through his mind, and he smelled waves of a fishy stench in his nose.
Hiss...
That reptile sound rang out again, faint and intermittent. Unlike the rhythm similar to breathing from last night, the sound now was more like countless snakes flicking their tongues right by his ears.
"No, it's not 'like'..."
When a slimy object slithered past Norman Osborn, his heart skipped a beat.
The hissing wasn't an illusion; there really were countless snakes flicking their tongues and swimming past him!
It wasn't even just snakes, but also turtles, lizards, and other reptiles.
Rustling, they passed by Norman Osborn, but they didn't attack him. Instead, they moved past him, heading toward the depths of the island's forest.
"What exactly is hiding in the depths of the island?" A wave of curiosity rose in Norman Osborn's heart.
But right now, he couldn't see his hand in front of his face, so Norman Osborn wasn't planning to rashly follow these reptiles.
He planned to go deep into the woods tomorrow during the day to see what was calling these creatures.
Daytime, South Brother Island.
Batman arrived at the laboratory carrying a suitcase that was completely out of character for his image.
"You'd better not tell me there's a person in that box."
As soon as Batman entered, the scientists looked over, and Dr. Otto quipped.
Venom Robin had been on the island since yesterday, undergoing mental training with Professor Morbius under Dr. Banner.
Seeing Batman now, Venom Robin immediately skipped over, took the suitcase from Batman's hand, and impatiently opened it.
"Chocolate, chocolate..." Venom Robin chanted, but upon opening the box, he was immediately disappointed. "What is all this stuff? No chocolate?"
"Why is it all underwear?"
Professor Connors wasn't here. The other three scientists had assumed Batman was bringing lab equipment or something else, but hearing it was underwear, they couldn't help but frown and look at Batman.
In the eyes of the scientists on South Brother Island, Batman had always been synonymous with mystery; he didn't seem to have any connection to the daily necessities of ordinary people.
"Dr. Banner, these are for you and Professor Connors."
Meeting the bewildered gazes of Dr. Banner and the others, Batman explained:
"I asked Peter Parker to rush-produce a batch of clothing using the memory fibers he invented. They can stretch and rebound to the greatest extent possible."
Dr. Banner's eyes lit up immediately, and he ran over in a few strides.
Dr. Banner had always worn extremely loose clothes and pants, but even so, they would always be ripped apart by the transformed Hulk.
It was the same for Professor Connors. His transformed body was even larger, fully over four meters tall, dragging a tail behind him. He would rip through all the clothes on his body, always ending up naked after turning back into human form.
Fortunately, Hulk still had a shred of shame and wouldn't tear his underpants, but Dr. Banner found them incredibly uncomfortable for daily wear.
"Not bad, not bad..."
Dr. Banner ran to the suitcase, looked at the underpants inside, picked out a dark purple pair, and then hurriedly ran behind the laboratory curtain.
A few minutes later, Dr. Banner hurriedly ran out again. His neatly dressed image wasn't much different from before, but he looked a bit more refreshed.
"The night before last, when I took off my clothes, I noticed Batman frown. I didn't think much of it at the time," Dr. Banner said. He seemed to have not worn clothes comfortably for a long time and looked to be in a very good mood. "I didn't expect Batman to get me something that fits today."
Professor Morbius looked on longingly as Dr. Banner's eyebrows raised in delight. He couldn't help but look down at his own tattered clothes, which had been soaked in rain, crawled through sewers, and rolled in the muddy water of Rikers Island.
Just as he hung his head, lost in thought, Batman took a paper bag out of the suitcase and handed it to him:
"Professor, this is yours."
Professor Morbius snapped his head up to look at Batman. His lips moved, but he said nothing.
He also ducked behind the laboratory curtain, and the rustling sound of clothes being changed could be heard.
A few minutes later, Professor Morbius walked out from behind the curtain, wearing a black trench coat with a high collar and blood-red lining.
Compared to his previous vampire image, Professor Morbius now looked more like an elegant Kindred who had walked right out of a storybook.
--
Support me & read more advance & fast update chapter on my pa-treon:
pat reon .c-om/windkaze