The key was that he had grown interested in the plan itself…
or rather, in the plan’s core “product.” He hadn’t told John Lane and Andy the specifics, only saying he was going to “deal with Bates Capital’s loose ends.” Rewind to seventy-two hours earlier.
Hawk moved with startling speed.
With the superhuman physique granted by [Overall Enhancement], the high mobility of [Flight], [Energy Absorption]’s near immunity to the base’s defensive weapons and its uncanny ability to replenish him, and [Heat Ray] cutting through alloy gates like a hot knife through butter, he unleashed a precise “natural disaster” inside the base.
His target was the core experimental zone.
Then he saw her.
Koo Ziyun.
The First Generation Witch.
Combat power level: T0.
She stepped out of the shattered incubation tank through the spilling fluid, amid flashing red alarms, like a demonic blade freshly quenched and drawn from its sheath.
Her eyes were hollow and cold, yet her movements had an inhuman fluidity and deadly beauty.
There were no words, only an eruption of pure, long-suppressed killing instinct.
Her telekinetic shockwaves could tear tanks apart, and the air condensed into invisible blades at her fingertips.
This was going to be a tough fight!
Hawk swore this was the strongest opponent he had ever faced, bar none, dozens of times stronger than the Clay Doll Squad, the four-person combat team that had appeared in New York, all four of them combined.
Absolutely ridiculous.
Hawk was locked in a bitter struggle.
His energy absorption field was under tremendous strain, and his Heat Ray kept getting deflected by her eerily agile movements and powerful psychic shield.
Her strength, speed, psychic power, and combat intuition had all reached frightening levels.
To end the fight as quickly as possible, Hawk had no choice but to burn two of his reserved Skill Cards: Heat Ray from Lv1 to Lv2, and Energy Absorption from Lv1 to Lv2.
“Buzz!” Energy erupted from Hawk in an instant, releasing a burst of pulses that covered nearly half of the core area and forcefully shattered Koo Ziyun’s relentless attack rhythm.
In the split second her body stiffened from the impact, Hawk closed in!
His fist moved so fast it left afterimages, slamming hard into Koo Ziyun’s crossed arms as she blocked.
The tremendous force cracked the alloy floor beneath her feet inch by inch.
Then came close-quarters combat like a raging storm!
Koo Ziyun’s prized speed and psychic power were no match for Hawk’s all-around dominance in prediction, strength, speed, and energy defense.
“Bang!” A side kick from a tricky angle, charged with a burst of energy, sent Koo Ziyun crashing into the thick alloy wall, leaving a human-shaped dent.
She slid down, dropped to one knee, gasping for breath, and spat out a mouthful of blood.
Those hollow eyes showed intense emotion for the first time: shock, frustration, and a trace of…
confusion?
Hawk stood over her, looking down, breathing a little hard, but his gaze was still cold and sharp.
He reached out his hand, dangerous energy crackling across his palm.
“You can keep going until I shatter you completely, or…” His voice wasn’t loud, but it carried an undeniable force that cut right through.
“Come with me.
Leave this cage, leave the people who treat you like a tool.
I need power, but I won’t treat you as disposable.
You can…
choose to be yourself.” Koo Ziyun lifted her head, her bloodstained cheeks looking especially fragile under the flashing red alarm lights.
Her hollow eyes locked onto Hawk, as if judging whether he was telling the truth and weighing the cost of resisting again.
Inside her, the forcibly implanted obedience programming clashed violently with her longing for freedom.
After a moment of dead silence, her tense body gradually relaxed, and the ferocity in her eyes slowly faded until only deep exhaustion remained, along with a faint trace of…
curiosity about the unknown.
She asked, “Can I go to a nightclub…
and hire male models?” At that, Hawk nearly lost his composure, his mouth twitching before he finally nodded.
Koo Ziyun said nothing, just lowering her eyelids in silent acceptance of his offer.
Finding the Second Generation Witch, Shin Si-ah, was much easier.
She looked a year or two younger than Koo Ziyun, kept like a delicate doll in a more “comfortable” yet even more tightly secured observation room.
Hawk, who had read the original story, knew this Second Generation Witch was even more terrifying than the First Generation Witch.
Her strength and close combat ability were no weaker than the First Generation’s, and her telekinesis was greatly enhanced.
But at that moment, her eyes were clear yet full of deep fear, like a startled fawn.
Hawk showed no force at all.
He gently used Mind Soothing, along with a simple promise: “Don’t be afraid.
The outside world is big, with sunshine, ice cream, and freedom.
Want to come see it with me?” The girl’s defenses crumbled completely in the face of such pure kindness.
She nodded timidly and reached out to take the hand Hawk offered.
Hawk ripped out the micro trackers implanted in their bodies, used the cover identities and cargo ship routes Andy had prepared, and quietly brought the two astonishingly powerful girls back to the U.S.
mainland…
the whole operation went off like clockwork.
When the private plane landed at a secret airstrip in the New York suburbs, John Lane and Andy were already waiting in the hangar.
John saw the two girls following behind Hawk, one cold as ice and the other timid.
He raised an eyebrow, then strode forward and pulled Hawk into a tight hug.
“Good to have you back.” His gaze swept over Koo Ziyun and Shin Si-ah, appraising but without hostility.
“So these two are…?” “Koo Ziyun, Shin Si-ah,” Hawk introduced.
“They need a fresh start.” He didn’t go into detail.
Andy smiled knowingly, her gaze passing over the restraint marks still on Koo Ziyun’s wrists and the clear but uneasy look in Shin Si-ah’s eyes, and said calmly, “Welcome to New York, ladies.” CREATORS’ THOUGHTS larsen051 Creation is hard, cheer me up!