Marvel: Awakening the Universe.

Chapter 216: Enlightenment in the Sage State!

"Grandpa?"

"The one who runs a cotton farm in Georgia?"

As Hawke listened to Gwen's words, this image flashed through his mind.

A typical American old-money man, wearing a cowboy hat and holding a whip that can be folded five times, surveys his vast and beautiful cotton field.

In the cotton field, white and black complement each other.

The scene is very beautiful.

Gwen glanced at Hawke, whose expression was involuntarily rising, and couldn't help but roll her eyes: "Don't even think about it. Now that we don't have a farm, the Fox family is just an ordinary family in Fallstown."

Hawke sighed with regret upon hearing this, then looked at Gwen with curiosity.

Why would Grandpa want to see me?

"What do you think?"

Seeing that Hawke's attention had been diverted again, Gwen sat up in bed: "We're engaged, but Grandpa hasn't met you yet. I was planning to take you to Falls this summer, but I've been busy with Peter's business and S.H.I.E.L.D., so I didn't say anything. Then Grandpa called me and asked if you were afraid to see him."

Hawke blinked, looking somewhat displeased.

“This is not my problem. You never told me. If you had said you were going to Fallstown, I wouldn’t have gone to find Peter.”

"Don't worry, I've already explained it to Grandpa."

"Oh."

“How about we go to Fallstown together during the Christmas holidays to see Grandpa?” Gwen looked at Hawke, discussing the timing, and then said in a tempting voice, “Although Grandpa no longer has a farm, he has kept many old photos of the Fox family’s cotton gardens and watermelon fields.”

Hawke raised an eyebrow and looked at Gwen: "Yes, we must go. I'm not interested in the photos, but I am very interested in my grandfather. We should go and see him and get his blessing."

Gwen nodded: "Okay, it's settled then. I'll call Grandpa tomorrow and tell him we're coming to see him for Christmas."

Hawke hummed.

"it is good."

"Go to sleep."

"Ah."

Hawke called again, somewhat curious about how many old photos Gwen's grandfather had kept.

Gwen, who had already quietly lay down beside Hawke, sensed Hawke's movements and a subtle upward curve appeared at the corner of her mouth.

the next day.

early morning.

Gwen, who felt she hadn't had such a comfortable sleep in a long time, opened her eyes and saw Hawke staring straight at her.

Gwen was startled. Looking at Hawke, who was hovering in the air with his left arm in a sling, her lips twitched involuntarily. She took a deep breath and said, "The new rule is that no superpowers are allowed in this house."

Hawke stared at Gwen with a resentful look in his eyes.

"But you don't follow the rules."

"...When did I ever break the rules?"

"last night……"

"That's because you didn't remind me."

Upon hearing this, Gwen forced herself to remain calm and prepared to throw off the covers and get out of bed.

Hawke remained unmoved, hovering quietly in mid-air.

Gwen, who had already reached the door and was about to open it and leave, turned her head to look at the scene behind her, and her lips twitched again.

Aren't you going to get up?

"Do not."

"..."

Gwen stood there silently for a while, then sighed, turned around, and said with a hint of helplessness, "Fine, then lie down."

The words just fell.

With a thud, Hawke, who was suspended in mid-air, rolled over and was now lying on the bed.

One hour……

Oh no.

In the afternoon.

Gwen, who appeared very charming and beautiful, was full of energy, though she seemed to have some back pain as she walked out of the bedroom.

"Would you like to go out for a walk?"

"……don't want."

Hawke's voice, weary and weak, came from the bedroom behind him.

Gwen's lips curled up again as she listened to Hawke's voice.

She's now certain of one thing.

As long as she herself isn't afraid, Hawke is definitely the one who is, especially after she explicitly forbade the direct use of any superpowers within the family.

Hawke lay on the bed, his left arm still in a sling, staring blankly at the ceiling above him.

at this time.

The phone that was placed to the side rang.

Hawke remained unmoved.

After a while, the phone stopped ringing.

next second.

The phone rang outside, and then Gwen, who had just gone downstairs, returned to the bedroom. Looking at Hawke lying on the bed, she walked over and said, "It's Tony on the phone."

As she spoke, Gwen turned on the speakerphone and put it to Hawke's mouth.

Hawke continued to stare at the ceiling, his voice somewhat dry.

"Hey."

"Hiss!" Tony's voice came through the phone: "What's wrong with you? You sound like you've been completely drained."

Hawke's voice remained ethereal.

"I was indeed exploited..."

"Snapped!"

Gwen reached out and gently patted Hawke's mouth, then picked up the conversation: "Tony, is there something you need from Hawke?"

Tony, on the other end of the phone, quickly understood what had happened and promptly changed the subject: "Part of the system data found in Rhyolite Ghost Town has been recovered. We roughly know what Hydra is up to. If you have time, come to New York SHIELD. You'll definitely be interested in what Hydra is doing."

Hawke remained unmoved.

Hawke, currently in a state of enlightenment, is wandering in the depths of his own microcosm, immersing himself in the wonder of its vastness and brilliance.

Finally, Gwen took over the conversation, saying that they would be there in a bit.

After all, she was quite interested in what Hydra was doing behind the scenes.

and so……

After hanging up the phone, Gwen quickly woke Hawke up, and an hour later, she drove Hawke to the New York SHIELD in Times Square.

As the vehicle drove into the underground parking lot used for concealment, just as it was about to hit the wall, the wall suddenly split open to both sides.

Gwen was no longer surprised by this and skillfully drove the car into the car elevator that was exposed after the wall parted.

As the walls closed again, the car elevator began to descend slowly.

soon.

The car elevator doors reopened, and Gwen drove the vehicle into the spacious underground base. After parking, she and Hawke got out of the car one after the other.

Sharon Carter, who was already waiting there, came forward, met the two of them, and led them into the operations command center.

Tony was standing in front of the big screen, waving his hands as damaged documents and surveillance footage from the Hydra system in Rhyolite Ghost Town flashed across the screen.

After Gwen walked in, she looked at Sharon in a low voice as she saw the SHIELD agents still sitting on both sides of the big screen.

"Wasn't New York SHIELD supposed to disband?"

"They've disbanded."

"That……"

"This is no longer the New York S.H.I.E.L.D. Operations Command Center, but the S.H.I.E.L.D. hub headquarters, responsible for providing technical and operational support to S.H.I.E.L.D. Meanwhile, the medical center, laboratories, and tactical center are also undergoing renovations, but they are not yet complete."

"……All right."

Gwen listened to Sharon's description with a hint of surprise, but didn't say anything more. Instead, she looked at Hawke beside her.

Hawke had already found a seat when he came in, and his mind continued to sink into the depths of his own little universe.

This was a place he had never been before.

But Hawke's sixth sense told him that this was the location of the seventh sense, and if he could activate this spot, he could gain the seventh sense.

This was the moment he had just fully entered a state of enlightenment, when his utterly weary mind was able to descend to this place, allowing him to perceive it.

but……

Just like when he realized the depths of his sixth sense but couldn't find a way to activate it, he now knows that this is where his seventh sense is located, but he just doesn't know how to activate it.

Moreover, Hawke had a feeling that he wouldn't stay here for long, and that he would be kicked out once the time was up.

There's a saying that goes something like this.

If he hadn't been fortunate enough to come here this time, his view of the Seventh Sense would have been like a frog in a well looking at the moon in the sky.

But now he has luckily arrived in the world of the Seventh Sense, seeing the Seventh Sense as a mayfly seeing the blue sky.

He was reluctant to leave this place, and while he was still here, he used all his inner strength to try to light it up.

and so……

To outsiders, Hawke's eyes looked lifeless, and he appeared to be completely drained.

Looking at Hawke, who was still in this state, Gwen began to wonder if she had been exploiting Hawke too much.

Sharon, who was standing to the side, also looked at Hawke, who was staring blankly into space, and asked in a low voice, "How many times did you squeeze him?"

Upon hearing this, Gwen subconsciously glanced around to make sure no one was paying attention, then lowered her voice and said, "It's only been a few times, but it's been five more times than before."

Sharon was taken aback.

"How many times do you usually do that?"

"Three times, I guess."

"All night?"

"No, he insisted on having it all morning."

"hiss!"

Sharon took a deep breath and instantly understood why Hawke was in this state: "He's completely drained!"

After all, she had seen Hawke in this state before, just like Thor.

That was the second day after Saul and Jane settled in New York. Saul was just like Hawke at the time, his eyes were vacant, as if he were in a trance.

Hearing Sharon's sigh, Gwen quickly changed the subject: "Just let Hawke recover. By the way, you said you found what might be an experiment Hydra was conducting on Hawke at their base?"

Upon hearing this, Sharon withdrew her inner sigh, nodded seriously, and looked at Gwen.

“Gwen, do you remember I told you before that Hydra launched the campaign because I discovered that cloning expert Dr. Myrick had been replaced?

"Ah."

Gwen nodded, then seemed to remember something and looked at Sharon.

"not……"

"Correct!"

"They're secretly cloning Hawk!"

"..."

(End of this chapter)