Chapter 42: The Great Surge of Q!

On the rooftop of a residential building not far from the warehouse, Hawkeye drew his bow, nocked an arrow, and aimed. With a swift "whoosh," the arrow shot out. It struck with pinpoint precision just beneath the warehouse roof. The arrowhead immediately unfolded, a green indicator light blinking—it was a listening device.

Hawkeye listened through his earpiece for a while, but the warehouse was quiet. He decided to take a probing action tonight; during the day, the target would be too conspicuous.

Little did he know that his every move was already being observed by Luke, who hovered high above in his armor.

"Hawkeye’s planning to come back tonight? Afraid someone might spot him in daylight, I suppose," Luke mused. He lowered his mech, thinking to himself that he had no time to play with Hawkeye at night—he still had to go home and play the good child.

Just as Hawkeye was checking his gear, he suddenly sensed something and heard a voice from above and behind: "Hey, are you looking for me?"

Startled, Hawkeye spun around and loosed an arrow!

A brilliant orange aura flared around the mech, shimmering brightly. The arrow struck the shield and, as expected, bounced harmlessly away.

At the same moment, Hawkeye leapt nimbly back, putting distance between himself and his opponent. He drew his compound bow and unleashed a rapid volley of arrows at the mech.

Only those who have experienced it firsthand could understand just how formidable this shield was. Upgraded once already, it could withstand a missile from a French fighter jet, so what were these arrows in comparison?

Clang! Clang! Clang!

All the arrows struck as if hitting a steel plate. These special arrowheads, capable of piercing walls, had no effect on the protective shield.

Hawkeye was shocked; he immediately realized he had underestimated his opponent. He had thought Iron Man hadn't been going all out at the time, but now it was clear—the two had truly been evenly matched, and this white mech was on Iron Man’s level.

And that kind of opponent was not someone he could handle alone.

Hawkeye made the snap decision to retreat.

"My turn," Luke said. Out of nowhere, a long staff appeared in the mech’s hand.

In an instant, the mech closed in on Hawkeye. His pupils contracted sharply, and before he could react, Luke jabbed him right in the armpit with the staff. Hawkeye found his bow hand suddenly numb and immobile.

Battle Mage skill: Dragon’s Fang.

This technique targeted pressure points, inducing paralysis.

Kevlar fiber might be bulletproof, but it was no defense against a pressure point strike.

Stunned, Hawkeye hurriedly switched hands to grip his bow, backing away rapidly.

Luke advanced relentlessly, spinning the staff and landing two quick jabs into Hawkeye’s thighs. His legs went numb, and he collapsed to his knees.

Then Luke seized the immobilized Hawkeye and flew toward the warehouse.

The entire process took fifteen seconds.

Seeing Hawkeye carried back by Luke, Black Widow tensed. But when she saw Hawkeye wide-eyed and alert, just unable to move, she relaxed a little.

Hawkeye immediately spotted Black Widow imprisoned in the glass cell. Anger surged within him. "Apostle, let her go! If you have a problem, take it up with me!"

Luke’s contemptuous voice echoed from the mech’s speakers: "Loser." He dumped Hawkeye unceremoniously onto the ground.

Though his limbs were paralyzed, Hawkeye’s mouth still worked. "What do you want?" His hawk-like eyes fixed fiercely on the mech. "We’re S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. You have no idea who you’re up against! Damn it, once I get out of here, I’ll—"

Black Widow sighed. "Don’t, Clint. He’s just a child."

"A child? What child?" Hawkeye was stunned.

The mech’s hatch opened, and out stepped Luke’s small figure.

Hawkeye was dumbfounded, unable to believe his eyes for the first time in his life.

What was going on?

The notorious Apostle who was causing such a stir turned out to be a child?

As Luke approached, he grabbed Hawkeye by the ankle and dragged him to the glass cell, opened it, and locked Hawkeye and Black Widow together inside.

Hawkeye gradually regained some strength. With Black Widow’s help, he stood. The two faced each other.

"Clint."

"Natasha."

They stared at each other, then shared a wry smile.

For two elite S.H.I.E.L.D. field agents to be captured by a child—what could one call it? Embarrassing? No, perhaps surreal.

"This can’t be a prank, right?" Hawkeye still couldn’t believe what was happening.

"No, it isn’t."

"He’s really the Apostle? A child? How old is he?"

"Seven."

"…"

Now Hawkeye finally understood how Black Widow must have felt when she first discovered the Apostle was a seven-year-old child.

Watching the two catch up, Luke was at a loss for words.

Another one captured.

If Hawkeye didn’t return, Fury would likely send even more agents. At this rate, before long, this place might as well become S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters.

…

From that day forward, Luke made an extra serving at each meal.

Black Widow and Hawkeye were treated to hearty dishes of meat and vegetables. Aside from restricting their freedom, the two were essentially guests, free to move about the reinforced glass cell. The three of them even chatted occasionally.

Hawkeye noticed a stainless steel basin on the floor. "What’s that for?" he asked.

Black Widow turned away, pretending not to hear.

With financial backing from Big Dog, Luke now enjoyed extra meals every day. He was growing, after all, and each morning he woke ravenous enough to eat an elephant.

Besides devouring beef at every meal, Luke constantly snacked. The more skills he mastered, the more calories he burned, especially when he was thinking.

At that moment, he was sipping a carton of milk while his hands moved rapidly, assembling a heap of mech parts in the blink of an eye.

He made no effort to hide his work from Black Widow and Hawkeye as he continued constructing the G-0 Warlord.

Hawkeye and Black Widow murmured to each other from time to time.

"Do you know what he’s building?"

"I have no idea…" Black Widow shook her head.

"Did he really build all these himself?" Hawkeye asked, as surprised as Black Widow had once been.

It was simply unbelievable for a seven-year-old.

Black Widow shrugged. "I saw it with my own eyes."

Neither of them were experts in this field. Hawkeye was a little better—he made most of his special arrows himself. But this level of engineering was far beyond him. Black Widow was adept at using high technology, but she didn’t know how to build it.

Still, it was clear to both of them that Luke was constructing something big. Judging by the sheer amount of materials he went through each day, it was certainly not an ordinary project.

…

S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters.

Fury’s face twisted in shock as he received his agent’s report. "What did you say? Hawkeye’s missing too?"