Striated Rock Ghost Town is actually not called Striated Rock Ghost Town, nor is its exact location in Alaska.
Its real name is Riolet.
Located in Nevada, it is relatively close to Alaska, and as early as 1923, with the death of the last resident of the town, this place was completely abandoned. As time passed, many people thought it was part of Alaska.
This is also how it got the name of a ghost town.
Because of the rich deposits of rhyolite in the area, it was also called Striated Rock Ghost Town.
But that was all in the past.
In 1904, a large amount of rhyolite was discovered here, leading to the establishment of the town. In 1908, the population peaked, but the economic crisis caused the population to gradually decrease until, eventually, the mineral deposits were exhausted and the people completely left. Now, only the ruins and the desert remain, struggling to speak of the town's former glory.
But today, the place is brightly lit, especially the tunnels dug for mining, where people are constantly going in and out, carrying things.
Anyone unaware might think some company came to this ghost place for a team-building activity.
And they wouldn't be far off.
These people are S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, and the reason they are here is, of course, because of Hydra.
Although a while ago, Hawk traveled around the Federation, eliminating Hydra agents in various places.
But he only got rid of the apparent Hydra agents.
One must know that Hydra has been working closely with S.H.I.E.L.D. for many years, secretly nurturing a large number of Hydra agents.
So…
During this time, S.H.I.E.L.D. has been launching operations everywhere, following leads to eliminate these Hydra remnants.
And this place was just discovered not long ago.
The one leading the team is none other than Tony Stark.
At this moment, Tony is getting Jarvis to contact Gwen, asking her to inform Hawk to come over if he's available.
Just then.
Gwen, who was on the call, interrupted him.
"Um, Tony, Hawk has already gone out."
"Gone out?"
Tony was slightly taken aback by Gwen's words: "Where did he go?"
Just as he finished speaking, a voice sounded behind him.
"Came to you."
"..."
Tony instinctively turned his head and was startled at the sight of Hawk, who had suddenly appeared in front of him. He quickly said goodbye to Gwen on the other end of the call, then focused his gaze on Hawk's current appearance.
White t-shirt.
Black shorts.
Left arm in a cast secured with bandages.
Tony's helmet opened as he curiously looked at Hawk's appearance.
"That injury…"
"Don't ask."
Hawk raised his intact right hand to interrupt directly.
He originally thought of just breaking off the cast on his left arm, knowing that appearing this way was not very presentable and also affected his combat capabilities.
But…
When Hawk recalled his treatment during this period's injuries.
He felt that one hand was enough, and with his left arm injured, so be it. He even pondered about finding a way to extend the recuperation after the hundred-day period.
After all, lying idle is enjoyable temporarily and interminably.
In the physical sense.
But clearly, he couldn't tell anyone about this.
Hawk decisively interrupted Tony's question, rather curious: "Why did you come here?"
Tony looked serious: "Fighting Hydra is everyone's…"
Hawk turned and left.
No kidding.
You, the biggest capitalist globally, talking about everyone's responsibility.
You probably got bored staying in the company, dragged by Pepper Potts to handle company affairs, and used the fight against Hydra as an excuse to sneak out, didn't you?
Hawk thought to himself, ignoring Tony behind him, turning towards the passage leading to the underground mine tunnel.
His Sixth Sense spread out the moment he landed, and he discovered some intriguing things.
Deep in the underground mine, a vast space had been excavated, and in a room of a base full of coagulated blood and corpses, Hawk found himself staring at a Phoenix Holy Armor assembled on a table.
His holy armor.
More precisely, it was the holy armor shattered during his battle with Dark Elf Malekith.
This was why Tony mentioned on the phone that he sensed the energy fluctuations of his holy armor here.
Hawk looked in astonishment at the reassembled holy armor in front of him.
He felt no nostalgia for his first holy armor, only overwhelming curiosity.
As is well-known.
This armor of his was utterly obliterated at the London Stonehenge into fragments not larger than a fingernail.
Yet…
"Hiss!"
"Hydra is impressive. My armor was reduced to rubble, and they had the patience and capability to piece it back together?"
Hawk blinked, secretly impressed.
Just then.
Tony Stark also came in from the outside, as he couldn't teleport and had to run in honestly.
Hawk soon learned how Tony Stark and S.H.I.E.L.D. had found this place.
After Maria Hill was promoted to Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., she launched a massive cleanup operation within S.H.I.E.L.D.
The findings were startling.
In the Black Prison, code-named Freezer, where Dr. Merick, the cloning expert, was held, it wasn't just Dr. Merick who was swapped. Over a dozen criminals originally captured by S.H.I.E.L.D. were also swapped.
The Sandbox, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s dedicated warehouse for storing various dangerous items, also had many registered items missing in the latest inventory.
Hawk's first Phoenix Holy Armor fragments collected from London Stonehenge were stored in the Sandbox warehouse.
Bad news.
S.H.I.E.L.D. lost a lot of stuff.
Good news.
Because whether it's a slingshot, a sandbox or a refrigeration vault, they're all located in extremely remote areas around the world, so the Hydra agents hiding within them don't even know that Hydra's second campaign has already failed.
So...
S.H.I.E.L.D. got clues to track the lost items.
Originally, Maria Hill wanted to list Hawk's Holy Armor as the number one item to search for.
S.H.I.E.L.D.'s system was already unreliable, and the system on the Insight Mother Ship also needed to be rewritten. Jarvis was helping S.H.I.E.L.D. rebuild the system.
So after learning about the loss of Hawk's Holy Armor, Tony stepped up and took on the task.
Don't ask.
He was also curious about Hawk's Holy Armor.
As you see.
With the intervention of Marvel's rare genius Iron Man Tony Stark and his top-notch intelligence, they quickly followed the clues to get here.
"But when we got here, it seems like they already knew they were exposed."
"The entire system inside was damaged, and Jarvis is checking if any part can be recovered."
"..."
Hawk listened to Tony's account, recalling the frozen blood and the corpses bleeding from their seven orifices sensed through his Sixth Sense scan.
However...
Hawk glanced at the Holy Armor pieced together by Hydra, and couldn't help but chuckle: "Why are they researching a broken piece of my Battle Armor? Planning to replicate it?"
Is the Holy Armor important?
Of course, it's important.
But what's important is not the armor itself, but its connection to one's Little Cosmos.
The moment this Holy Armor was destroyed, its connection to his Little Cosmos was severed. Without this connection, the armor is just a Battle Armor made of special material.
Holy Armor.
Holy Armor.
The clothes of the Saint Warriors.
Only the clothes worn by the Saint Warriors can be called Holy Armor.
If not worn by Saint Warriors...
Hehe.
It's just an ordinary piece of clothing.
So...
Thinking about Hydra's possible intentions for collecting his Holy Armor, Hawk couldn't help but snort.
Tony noticed.
"You're not afraid they'll replicate it."
"Afraid?"
Hawk raised an eyebrow, looking at Tony with a serious expression: "Tony, if you want, I can lend you my temporary Black Phoenix Nether Armor. If you can replicate... no, if you can create a comparable Battle Armor, I'll agree to any one of your requests, unconditionally, without any limits. You can ask me to fulfill this promise anytime, anywhere, how about that."
Hearing this, Tony also laughed.
"Really?"
"I rarely joke."
Hawk smiled and gave Tony a definite answer.
If Tony could truly create a Battle Armor no weaker than the Black Phoenix Nether Armor, agreeing to one of Tony's conditions was nothing.
Forget one, he'd agree to ten of them.
The reason is simple.
He would have found his dedicated Holy Armor craftsman for the future.
So!
He's made a huge profit.
As Hawk thought this, Tony also laughed and accepted without hesitation.
"Alright."
"Aren't you going to think it over?"
Hawk said with a smile, looking at how quickly Tony accepted, "If you can replicate it, I'll unconditionally agree to one of your requests, but I haven't said what happens if you lose."
Tony extended his hand.
"Say it."
"If you lose, give me 100 million, how about that?"
"...Are you short on money?"
Tony had expected Hawk to make some complicated demand, but it was just a simple request for 100 million, so he looked curiously at Hawk.
Hawk shrugged.
"Can't help it, my wife is wise. I said I was out of money and would go ask the five philanthropists for a bit, but she wouldn't have it, wants to be a kind person."
"Thanks to Gwen."
Tony, hearing this, thought to himself silently, and then the Steel Armor opened up, and he stepped out, extending his right hand to Hawk: "It's settled, if I lose, I'll give you 100 million. If you lose, you'll agree to one of my requests."
Hawk looked at Tony, who seemed eager to reach an agreement, smiling as he extended his own right hand.
"Deal!"
"Deal!"
The two shook hands and parted quickly.
Next second.
Tony's face showed a peculiar smile as he looked at Hawk.
"You're sure to lose."
"Hehe."
Hawk, hearing this, raised an eyebrow at the hint of concealed smugness on Tony's face.
"I don't believe it."
"Follow me."
"..."