"Achoo!"
"God bless you."
In the cafeteria of Imperial University, Mary glanced at Hawk who just sneezed and offered her blessing.
Hawk pinched his nose, sounding a bit muffled.
"Thank you."
"Are you catching a cold?"
Sitting nearby, Gwen asked Hawk with some concern, "You've been sneezing quite a bit these days, even over the weekend at home. Could you really be coming down with something? Maybe you should see a doctor at the hospital this afternoon?"
In the West, going for a check-up at the hospital is quite time-consuming.
Maybe you don't have cancer when you schedule the check-up, but by the time they get to you, you might be diagnosed with cancer.
After all, in a capitalist society, medical resources are not a necessity but a luxury.
But luxury is relative to ordinary people.
For the old Hawk, perhaps, but definitely not for the current Hawk.
Leaving aside Hawk's current prowess, just with the over 40 million lying in his account, he wouldn't need to actively seek medical resources, because they would come to him.
Don't ask why the money increased.
If you ask, the answer is the Security Council paid for his hard work.
That's rightfully Hawk's.
After all, he did help the Security Council solve a huge problem.
While they were thinking about negotiating, Hawk had already sorted out all the challenges for them.
A pure white, clean land was waiting for them to just move in.
So...
Last week, as soon as Hawk got home, the Security Council's payment arrived, explicitly marked as post-tax, so there's no worry about the IRS chasing for taxes.
Hawk was very satisfied with this.
Although he hadn't expected to get paid before he acted, the Security Council's attitude made him pretty happy.
Just one downside.
Ever since he received the payment, his nose kept itching inexplicably.
Hawk felt like someone was gossiping about him.
No, not felt, he was certain someone was talking trash behind his back.
Hawk could guess.
Probably some people were gossiping about him, thinking the Security Council's payment was a sign of weakness, which would fuel his arrogance, and they should strike hard.
Surely there are idiots like that.
After all, the world is just a giant improvisation troupe.
But...
Hawk didn't mind.
Everyone has moments of gossiping, doesn't he often talk behind Mephisto's back too?
Moreover, these Western politicians rose to the top through bluster, and when it's time to act, they chicken out.
So...
Bluster is fine, just don't play for real, because if they play for real, he would have to play for real too.
Hawk thought to himself, waving his hand to his fiancée who wanted to take him to the hospital.
"No need."
"Really no need?"
"Really no need."
Hawk affirmed, quickly changing the subject, looking at Mary's new boyfriend, the former high school bully, whose actions at the gym had made Hawk change his perception and he said to Flash Thompson: "By the way, where did you leave off?"
Flash Thompson was a bit puzzled, then said: "I was asking what happened after I passed out."
He had been knocked out after that bald black woman swung a stick at him.
When he woke up, he was already in the hospital.
Though Flash Thompson later learned that those three bald black women had escaped from a mental hospital and were subdued by the timely police, he still felt something was off.
Who is he?
Flash Thompson.
If a madwoman can knock him out with a stick, which mental hospital could possibly hold those three robust black women?
Hawk listened to Flash Thompson's question and turned to Gwen beside him, "Oh, Gwen, what happened afterwards?"
Gwen looked at the curious expression on Hawk's face, feeling a bit speechless internally.
Sitting opposite Gwen, Mary, watching Hawk play along with Flash Thompson, couldn't help but roll her eyes internally.
But...
Neither of the two women revealed the truth to Flash Thompson.
Poor Thompson.
Soon.
With Mary's persuasion and Gwen's assistance, the simple-minded Thompson deepened his impression that those three women were indeed mental patients.
Hawk just watched the two women brainwash Flash Thompson.
Though Flash Thompson's righteous act had made Hawk change his perception of him, it wasn't enough to tell Thompson the truth.
After all, the current Flash Thompson was just Thompson, not the Venom agent Thompson, so even if he told him, it would only add pointless worry.
So...
Hawk quietly watched until his phone rang in his pocket.
He took out the phone, glanced at the unfamiliar number, decided to answer it, and put it to his ear.
"Hello..."
"Mr. Phoenix, it's Al, I'm from Osborn..."
"I know, old butler, what's happening?"
"Could you please come to Osborne Manor? Miss and Mr. Parker may be in trouble."
"...Okay."
Hawk listened to the voice of the old butler from Osborne Manor on the phone, raised an eyebrow, feeling a surge of emotion, and then calmly agreed. He then turned to Gwen and said, "I'm done, heading back now."
Gwen glanced at Hawk and nodded.
"Take it slow."
"Mm."
Hawk smiled slightly, kissed his fiancée on the forehead, said goodbye to Mary and Flash Thompson, then exited the cafeteria, opened his Audi A8, and sped off from Imperial University.
Then...
Driving at eighty mph, heading swiftly toward Osborne Manor.
When he arrived at Osborne Manor, even before his car came to a complete stop, the anxious old butler who had been waiting at the main building's entrance stepped down to greet him.
The old butler, seeing Hawk stepping out of the car, spoke urgently.
"Phoenix..."
"Hawk."
"...Alright, Hawk." The old butler was aware that Hawk had changed his surname, so he didn't address him as he used to. However, upon hearing Hawk's words, he reverted to the former name, "The young lady and Parker might be in trouble."
Hawk frowned and, while walking with the old butler into the main building of the manor, curiously asked, "What do you mean they might be in trouble?"
The old butler explained, "Under normal circumstances, the young lady contacts me once a month to handle some company matters remotely. But now, a month has passed, and she hasn't called, and I can't get in touch with the laboratory base there either."
Hearing this, Hawk was even more intrigued.
"Where did Peter and Felicia go? They've been away for a long time, right?"
"Osborn's offshore laboratory base in the Pacific Ocean."
As the old butler spoke, he led Hawk into the study, then turned on the projector. Suddenly, an experimental platform similar to an oil rig, built on the vast ocean, appeared in Hawk's line of sight.
Looking at the projected image of the experimental platform, Hawk couldn't help but be greatly shocked.
"Building such a secret platform must have cost a lot, right?"
"This was overseen by Mr. Norman Osborn when he was alive."
"Alright."
Hearing this, Hawk nodded, then curiously asked, "What about the others on this platform, can't they be contacted either?"
The old butler shook his head, "I've tried every possible way; otherwise, I wouldn't have asked you to come over."
Hawk instinctively glanced at the old butler, who was smiling bitterly.
"Who told you that asking me over would solve everything?"
"It was Peter."
The old butler explained to Hawk, "Peter said that if he and the young lady lost contact, after confirming, I should contact you immediately. He believed you would find him, and the young lady agreed too. So, after confirming that the young lady and Peter had lost contact, I called you immediately."
Hearing this, Hawk chuckled.
"They don't think of me when they're out having fun, but remember me when something goes wrong?"
"Hawk, Peter..."
"I'm kidding, don't worry, old butler."
Seeing the old butler about to explain for Peter in a nervous manner, Hawk said with a chuckle and then looked at the projected image of the experimental platform on the vast ocean without saying anything unnecessary.
"For this location, do you have the coordinates?"
"Yes, yes,"
Upon hearing this, the old butler's spirit lifted, and he nodded repeatedly before running over to the computer to project the coordinates of the offshore laboratory base.
Hawk glanced at the coordinates, nodded, then took out his phone, preparing to inform his fiancée.
Because the moment he saw these coordinates, a premonition suddenly arose in his heart.
This time it probably won't be as simple as a quick round trip.
But...
It wasn't a bad premonition; rather, it was a good one.
It seemed as though this time he might obtain something he had been longing for.
But what exactly, the feeling remained vague.
Hawk couldn't figure it out for the moment.
Soon.
The call connected.
"Hawk?"
"Gwen, Peter's missing, I'm going to look for him."
"Wha... okay, stay safe."
Gwen on the other end instinctively exclaimed, then seemed to realize, and her voice turned calm, "When will you be back?"
Hawk answered honestly, "I'm not sure, I have a premonition it might take some time."
Upon hearing this, Gwen fell silent for a moment.
"Is it dangerous?"
"No, I'm invincible in this world, you know that."
Hawk said confidently.
Because the truth was that few Earth-based superheroes at present could match him in battle.
The Ancient One doesn't count.
She's a BUG.
Hearing Hawk's confident answer, Gwen laughed, "Alright, be careful, I'll help you take a leave of absence tomorrow."
Hawk hummed in response and then hung up the call.
The old butler, who had been waiting impatiently, hurriedly said after Hawk hung up, "The private plane is ready, at any time..."
Hawk put the phone back in his pocket and looked at the old butler, "Plane? No need!"
The old butler was a bit stunned at first.
The next second.
He watched as Hawk gradually became transparent before his eyes, his mouth opened wide, and his pupils dilated visibly.
...