"Once again, thank you. By the way, S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents Abby Bruce and Lorin Cross are already on their way."
"...I'll be back in New York City tomorrow, and Hawk might be back soon too."
"I insist, S.H.I.E.L.D. insists, Gwen, with Hawk not here, we need to ensure your safety."
On the other end of the line, Sharon looked up at the two signals already moving towards Fox Manor to protect Gwen.
This was already a tacit understanding between the newly restructured S.H.I.E.L.D., Hawk, and Gwen.
When Hawk was away on business, S.H.I.E.L.D. would ensure Gwen's safety.
The S.H.I.E.L.D. that had figured out how to coexist with Hawk knew well that building a good relationship with Gwen meant building a good relationship with Hawk.
So, if anyone disliked Gwen getting into trouble more than Hawk, the current S.H.I.E.L.D. would dare to claim second place; even George and Helen wouldn't dare claim the first.
Very soon.
After hanging up, Sharon used her satellite phone to directly contact her superior, formerly the New York S.H.I.E.L.D. Commander, and now the S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters Commander Victoria Hand.
"Commander, Hawk has gone to Molokai Island. The real Dr. Merrick is suspected to be on that island. Should we send S.H.I.E.L.D. agents over?"
"No need."
Victoria Hand almost didn't hesitate: "Since Hawk has already gone, we won't. If the real Dr. Merrick is on that island, our dispatch could very likely alert the enemy."
Although under the command of the current Director Maria Hill, S.H.I.E.L.D. had already undergone a full overhaul.
But...
Hydra remnants still persist across the globe, so Maria Hill and Commander Hand suspect there might still be undiscovered Hydra agents within S.H.I.E.L.D.
Thus, the two of them proposed entrusting Sharon, who could be trusted 100%, with complete contact with Hawk and allowing her to personally select trustworthy agents to join her team, staying behind in the now disbanded and revamped New York S.H.I.E.L.D. Hub to oversee all of Hawk's affairs.
Any information related to Hawk would be directly relayed to her and Maria Hill, minimizing the possibility of information leaks as much as possible.
So!
"Don't worry about Molokai Island; Hawk will handle it."
"Protect Gwen, until Hawk returns."
"Got it. Abby and Lorin have already been arranged to head over, and they've been stationed in Waterfall Town these past few days."
"Good, ensure Gwen's safety."
"Roger that."
Sharon acknowledged, then hung up and glanced at the big screen, ordering the cancelation of satellite tracking on Hawk's energy signal.
Better to be safe.
Speaking of which, with Hawk's speed, he should've already arrived at Molokai Island by now, right?
Sharon pondered as she looked at the darkened big screen.
Molokai Island.
Also known as Molokai Island or Friendship Island, it's the fifth largest island in the Hawaii Islands, characterized by pine and bamboo forests, unique black sand beaches, the world's highest sea cliffs, and the 1,570-meter-high Kashiwa Waterfall.
Most of the island retains its natural landscapes.
Especially the Huailuo Canyon located in the northern part of the island.
The terrain there is steep and distinctly different from the rest of the island, maintaining 99% of its original form. The only safe way to reach Huailuo Canyon is by helicopter.
Boom!
As a red light seemed to break through the sky, Hawk silently appeared in the dense forest that could almost block out all light within the Huailuo Canyon.
In the next moment.
He came before an obviously artificially dug pit and looked down into it.
What met his eyes was Hawk's corpse.
Many of Hawk's corpses, densely packed, scattered in disarray, layer upon layer, naked, with various expressions twisted as if they were casually discarded trash, thrown recklessly into the pit in front of him.
But...
This wasn't the only pit.
Hawk looked around, noticing several areas where the soil had been clearly disturbed.
His Sixth Sense quickly extended downward along the disturbed soil.
Then—
Hawk withdrew his Sixth Sense, looking at what should be the eighth pit that wasn't filled because it wasn't yet full, specifically used for burying his clones.
He suddenly thought of a classic movie.
Resident Evil.
Because Hawk suddenly realized that his current treatment seemed the same as the protagonist Alice's.
The Umbrella Corporation used Alice's blood to create countless Alice clones, attempting to craft a clone as perfect as the original Alice.
Hydra here was no different.
They seemed to plan to use a method of quantitative change leading to qualitative change to make the cloned him possess power identical to his?
This...
Was thinking too much.
Hawk snorted with disdain at this.
The next second.
Bang!
A scorching Phoenix Beam shot out instantaneously, and the moment it fell into the pit in front of him, each corpse instantly vaporized on the spot. In the blink of an eye, the countless Hawk corpses in the pit were gone without a trace.
Hawk then averted his gaze and, following the barely visible footprints on the ground, appeared on a distant cliff.
The cliff faced the sea.
The sea extended endlessly.
Below the cliff was Molokai Island's unique black sand beach.
As for the Hydra Base here.
It was just below his feet.
Hawk lowered his eyes, looking down at the cliff beneath him.
The Sixth Sense sprang forth, enveloping everything like a vast net!
...