Emily's eyes widened in terror as she stared at the four giant turtle warriors who had descended from the sky, her mouth agape, utterly speechless. She quickly ran from behind the car to Hawk's side, clutching his arm tightly.
Hawk's face showed no terror like Emily's; instead, it held a hint of amusement and scrutiny.
Ever since he learned of the Foot Clan in New York and a man named Shredder, he knew that somewhere in the underground sewer system of this city, four little turtles existed.
He looked at the leading red-masked, hot-tempered giant turtle: "Raphael?"
The red-masked giant turtle—Raphael—retracted his katanas, snorted heavily, and replied in a booming voice, "You've got some sense, kid! You know the old man's name!"
He glanced at the unconscious drug dealers on the ground and the Foot Clan insignia, one of which was visible beneath a drug dealer's collar. He spat in disgust.
"More Foot Clan trash! They're getting more and more brazen lately!"
At this moment, the calmest blue-masked giant turtle—Leonardo—approached. He sheathed his katana, nodded to Hawk, his attitude relatively gentle and polite: "We are the city's... guardians. You can call us... uh..."
He seemed to be deliberating his words.
"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!" The orange-masked turtle with nunchaku—Michelangelo—excitedly blurted out the answer, even striking a Bruce Lee-esque pose.
The purple-masked turtle with the bo staff—Donatello—pushed up his non-existent glasses and added, "Technically speaking, we are mutated..."
"Hey! Donnie! Get to the point!" Raphael impatiently interrupted him.
Leonardo shook his head helplessly and said to Hawk, "Don't mind my brothers. We noticed you're quite skilled, and... you're special."
His blue eyes lingered on Hawk for a moment, seemingly pondering how he had dodged the bullets. Observing him, he said, "We do need a reliable human to assist with something."
Hawk raised an eyebrow: "Oh? You can tell I'm reliable at a glance?"
To describe this matter, the intellectual leader of the four, no, four turtles—the purple-masked Donatello—stepped forward to explain.
"Hawk Lane, you are the superhero active in Brooklyn—the King!"
Emily, still clutching Hawk's arm tightly, widened her eyes again, looking at Hawk beside her in disbelief, her face full of astonishment.
"When the King first appeared, we began secretly investigating the King's true identity. Three years of investigation couldn't be for nothing, especially two months ago when you were attacked. From then on, the King went silent, and I had a rough idea."
Donatello stroked his non-existent beard, stating with certainty, "Coupled with your ability to dodge bullets just now, the result is obvious."
Hawk's eyes showed surprise. He looked at the four turtles, noncommittally, and countered, "So what do you need?"
Leonardo pointed to the deep sewer entrance: "We've been harboring a lady at our base for the past two days. She's unconscious, seemingly attacked while tracking leads on the Foot Clan and the Hand. We think she needs someone safe and familiar with the surface world to care for and help her. We... it's not very convenient for us to be out for too long."
His tone carried a hint of worry.
Hawk's heart stirred: "Who is this lady?"
"She said her name is April O'Neil."
Donatello interjected, "She's a reporter. Her camera has some... unpleasant photos."
April O'Neil? A female reporter tracking gangs?
Hawk instantly understood why these turtles were looking for him.
His identity as a Columbia high-achiever, the eldest son of Lane Group, and even... "the King," made him a suitable candidate to handle such thorny individuals.
This coincidence was almost deliberate, as if fate had directly thrown the plotline of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" in front of him.
Hawk glanced at the still-shaken Emily, who was secretly observing the four giant turtles, then looked at the deep sewer entrance, and nodded to Leonardo:
"Lead the way. I'll go see this reporter lady."
Led by Leonardo, Hawk, with the still-shaken but immensely curious Emily, bent down and entered the sewer entrance, which exuded a damp and faintly cheesy smell.
The passage was wider than expected, but the environment was far from comfortable.
Emily clutched his arm tightly. Her carefully chosen high heels for meeting Hawk clattered on the slippery concrete floor, her eyes filled with suspicion. "Hawk, are you really 'the King'?"
Hawk turned his head, pursed his lips, and after two seconds of silence, nodded.
"Wow!" Emily excitedly jumped twice, her chest bouncing significantly, attracting Hawk's gaze. "Hawk, tell me, among our school, am I the first to know about this?"
Hawk quickly averted his gaze, looking at Emily's burning eyes, and helplessly said, "Only you, my dear cheerleader captain."
"Yay yay yay!" accompanied by Emily's excited emotions.
After passing through several岔路口, a relatively open space, converted into a living area, appeared before them.
Piles of gym equipment and old sofas lay around, and strange decorations and incomprehensible symbols hung on the walls.
Most prominently, there was a makeshift bed constructed from discarded wooden planks and cushions.
A woman lay quietly on the bed.
Even in such a bizarre environment, she exuded an undeniable radiance.
Her long, dark chestnut hair was spread out on the pillow, her skin was a healthy tan, and her features were deep and striking, possessing an aggressive, wild beauty. Indeed, she bore a striking resemblance to the actress Megan Fox from Hawk's past life memories—April O'Neil.
Her breathing was steady; she seemed only to be in a deep coma or sleep, her brows slightly furrowed, as if enduring some pressure even in unconsciousness.