Hawk put down his phone and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, his expression turning serious again.
Andy’s efficiency was as astonishing as ever.
The “King” signature Hawk had deliberately left in the Busan base’s main server, combined with the luxury watch inadvertently caught on camera when the base was destroyed, was like a boulder dropped into a calm lake.
Bates Capital had to be scrambling right now, likely facing a furious tirade from Alexander Pierce and the risk of exposure, and in its desperate attempt to cover its tracks, it might do something even stupider.
That was exactly what Hawk wanted.
A rattled enemy was more prone to mistakes and easier to wipe out completely.
And S.H.I.E.L.D.’s involvement was an even more critical part of the plan.
If he hadn’t gained Conceptual Immortality, he might have kept a low profile and moved against Bates Capital only in secret.
But with Conceptual Immortality, he felt he had enormous leverage, enough to dare to tweak S.H.I.E.L.D.’s tail and provoke Hydra.
The description of Conceptual Immortality clearly stated that its protection extended to everything beneath the entire Omniverse.
That meant it would take an Omniversal-level being acting personally to erase him; otherwise, it would be nearly impossible for him to die.
Not to mention this was most likely the cinematic universe.
Even across all of Marvel, how many Omniversal-level beings were there?
Even the most powerful figures at the peak of the cinematic universe couldn’t erase him.
Even if Thanos completed the Infinity Gauntlet and made him vanish for a while, he’d return before long.
Besides, at this point in time, Tony was just a playboy, Captain America was still frozen in the ice, Doctor Strange was still training as a neurosurgeon, and Captain Marvel was lost in some remote corner of the universe.
What did S.H.I.E.L.D.
have to fight him with?
The Skrulls?
Hawkeye and Black Widow?
Or would they just send a hundred Quinjets to blast him head-on?
He wasn’t afraid at all.
The killers Bates Capital had sent this time had genuinely angered Hawk.
Since this incident already involved both S.H.I.E.L.D.
and Hydra, he needed to send them a warning.
Nick Fury, with his one good eye, never missed a lead on anything supernatural or superhuman, especially anything involving a bioweapons program.
In Hawk’s view, Hydra hiding in the shadows was far more dangerous than S.H.I.E.L.D.
With a project like the Witch Project, who knew what else Hydra had?
And how much more?
Hawk needed the attention of this King of agents, along with S.H.I.E.L.D.’s vast intelligence network and deterrent power to muddy the waters and help shoulder the pressure from Hydra, and even from deeper forces.
But he had no intention of revealing to S.H.I.E.L.D.
that he was King just yet.
The timing wasn’t right, so he settled for a half-reveal instead.
“I’ll let you figure out on your own that I’m King, but if you ask me point-blank, sorry, I’m not admitting anything.” Let S.H.I.E.L.D.
go after King and the wreckage in Busan.
He would remain Hawk Lane, heir to a business empire.
Hawk’s fingers drummed absently on the desk, the rhythm steady and cold.
*You’re next, Bates Capital.* Hawk picked up his coffee, now lukewarm, his light brown eyes reflecting the data and reports on the screen.
Much of it was dirt on Bates Capital, everything from intimidation and extortion to murder and arson.
There was plenty of corporate wrongdoing, too.
Hawk packaged it all up and sent it to Andy.
Then, just as he was about to head to bed, his phone buzzed.
He glanced at it and, among his 9,999+ unread messages, spotted one that had just come in from Adriana Lima.
“Mr.
Hawk, are you asleep?” Hawk replied casually, “Asleep.” “Mr.
Hawk, I’m downstairs.
Please let me come up.
I’m begging you.” Hawk leaned out to look down.
Sure enough, a woman bundled in a coat was standing out in the wind, and he sighed.
“Come up.
The code is 004321.” Downstairs, Adriana Lima jumped with excitement.
She rushed into the lobby and, under the security guard’s surprised gaze, punched in the code and stepped into the elevator.
Adriana Lima.
A supermodel from Brazil, a Victoria’s Secret Angel and lingerie model under contract, and one of the many models from Hawk’s yacht parties.
A moment later, Hawk opened the door for Adriana Lima.
The charming woman, wrapped in a thick coat, walked in with a bright smile.
Although she was only twenty-five, she radiated the allure of a mature woman, yet her eyes still held a girlish innocence.
The moment she walked in, she shed her coat, revealing a tight black bodycon skirt that traced her slender waist and shapely hips, while her long, smooth legs in black fishnet stockings looked especially tempting.
“Long time no see.” Hawk gave a slight smile and welcomed her in.
“It really has been a while.
What has our young, handsome Mr.
Hawk been so busy with lately?” Truthfully, the two of them weren’t all that close.
They’d hooked up a few times at most.
If Adriana Lima was seeking him out this eagerly, she was clearly here to throw herself at him again.
Sure enough.
Ten minutes later.
From the hallway by the bathroom came the clack of Adriana Lima’s heels against the floor.
Two hours later, Hawk looked down at the thoroughly ravished Adriana Lima, stroked her delicate face, then pinched her smooth chin and said with a smile.
“Alright, out with it.
What do you want?
I’m in a good mood, so even a slightly outrageous request is fine.” Adriana Lima was worth several million dollars, still very young, with a long career ahead of her.
That kind of money meant nothing next to the Lane name, but she wasn’t some call girl anyone could bed.
Hawk knew that for Adriana Lima to come looking for him, she had to want something.
But for Hawk, any problem that money could solve wasn’t a problem at all.
Adriana Lima gave Hawk a resentful pout.
Did he really have to put it so bluntly?
It was better when everyone understood without saying it out loud.
Once it was laid bare, where was the fun in that?
*Some things are better left unsaid.* But when she saw Hawk growing impatient, Adriana Lima hurried to explain the situation.
Her career was on the rise, and she had just been shortlisted for the cover of the latest issue of GQ, the world’s top men’s magazine.
Confident as she was, her competitors were no pushovers.
Clearly, she was another lost lamb looking for a shortcut.