The red warning light in the cabin reflected on Natasha's face. "Smith Squat Enthusiast"? A subtle curve unconsciously formed on her exquisite lips.
Hawk's next message immediately popped up:
[Let me know when you find out.]
[As for S.H.I.E.L.D.'s party... the participants might just be themselves.]
Foot Clan Headquarters, dimly lit dojo
Cold metal walls reflected a bluish light.
Shredder, the absolute ruler of the Foot Clan, clad in his iconic sharp armor, knelt almost motionlessly on the cold dojo floor, like an oppressive steel statue.
Before him, several screens floated, silently playing footage of a battle that had occurred in a deserted sewer construction project outside New York. The footage was intermittent, occasionally glitching with static.
But among them, besides the four turtles, who were comical yet surprisingly powerful in battle, Shredder's gaze was fixed on one particular person.
He seemed to possess an incredibly powerful physique; many energy attacks had no effect on him. Even the high-heat, high-impact energy wave he eventually released from his body made Shredder feel immense dread, even through the screen.
Who exactly was this?
Unfortunately, the video was too blurry to accurately capture facial features, and due to the battle, many people's recording devices were offline.
A subordinate, clad in high-tech ninja attire, knelt on one knee, his voice trembling as he tried to conceal it: "Master, our reinforcements will arrive soon."
Shredder's helmeted head turned slightly, his cold gaze focusing on the blurry figure.
"Have you found out who it is?" Shredder's voice, distorted by a voice changer, was deep and smooth, yet contained a chill colder than steel.
"The energy signature... is very unique, Master." Another tech ninja nervously operated the control panel. "It's different from any known superhuman individual or technological weapon in our database. But..." He paused, bringing up a comparison waveform graph, "The core frequency... has some overlap with the residual energy from the Busan incident."
"Busan..." Shredder chewed on the place name. No one could see his expression beneath the mask, but the temperature in the entire dojo seemed to drop several more degrees. "That was the organization's Witch Project."
To be able to blow up that organization's most important base had even caught his attention.
On the other side, the truck carrying the group had driven into a deserted factory building.
The three people and four turtles successively got out of the truck.
Hawk waved away some musty air and said to the four turtles, "You guys settle in here first. I'll handle things outside."
The four turtles had no objections. Their appearance was certainly not suitable for openly investigating intelligence outside. With a prominent figure like Hawk assisting, they were happy to take it easy.
Raphael, the second oldest, stepped forward and said very solemnly, "Mr. Hawk, thank you very much for your help. Our hatred for Shredder is immense. If you find anything, we are willing to be the vanguard. After this is over, if we are still alive, if you need us for anything, just ask."
The other three turtles also nodded solemnly.
The meaning was clear: Shredder had killed their father and master, and their hatred was at its peak. Today, Hawk had saved them, making him their savior.
As long as Hawk told them where Shredder was, they would charge in without hesitation, regardless of life or death!
Hawk smiled, "Don't worry, they've provoked me too. I'm already having people investigate the Foot Clan's headquarters."
After bidding farewell to the four turtles, Hawk told Koo Ja-yoon to go back and also to inform Eun-bi that there was an important mission coming up, and to be ready at any time.
Koo Ja-yoon nodded, then disappeared into the night. Hawk was about to get into the truck with the two women when April's curious blue eyes immediately locked onto him.
"Mr. Hawk! Wait a minute!" She reached out, her fingertips almost touching his arm, then discreetly pulled back, her face full of a reporter's unique, highly persuasive smile. "Look, tonight was so exciting, and I was involved the whole time! This is definitely a global exclusive! Let me come with you? I promise not to cause trouble, just to record! And that exclusive interview..." She clasped her hands, pleading, "Please! Just once! I know you're low-key, but your story is absolutely worth..."
Hawk stopped, his gaze falling on her vibrant face.
He was silent for a few seconds, the invisible pressure almost making April's smile freeze.
"Action?" Hawk's voice was low and steady. "April, that's not news reporting, that's a battlefield. Bullets and energy beams don't distinguish who's a reporter."
Hawk's refusal was clear. Especially with a burden, he had been a street hero for several years and knew that operating with a burden was extremely dangerous.
For example, in the combat environment just now, even Hawk would have found it difficult to both look after the two women and carry the entire team; he still had to rely on the four turtles to handle a portion.
If it weren't for these two burdens, he would have already torn through the opponents; why would he need to run?
April wasn't easily deterred. She took a deep breath and changed tactics: "Then... an exclusive interview is fine, right? I swear! Only on the business level! Your investment philosophy, business layout, views on the global economy... the public has a right to understand the thinking behind a figure like you who drives the era! Look, I've even thought of a few titles: 'Hawk: Trillion-Dollar Vision,' 'Hawk: The Lane Family's Business Philosophy'..."
She rattled off several titles that sounded quite "serious" and in the style of financial magazines, her eyes, however, held a cunning and expectant gleam.