Coulson could tell that the other party had no interest in talking right now. He would have to find another time.
He was, by nature, a polite man, and a great admirer of superheroes.
Given how powerful Superman was, angering him would obviously do no good.
Coulson decided it was best to withdraw for now.
He offered a courteous smile and said, "In that case, we won't disturb you, Mr. Superman. We'll be leaving now. See you another time."
Carl said nothing.
Zhao Helen, having no idea who these people were, naturally didn't say a word either.
Coulson and Hawkeye exchanged a glance, then turned to leave.
Just before leaving, Hawkeye stared at Carl for several long seconds.
This so-called Superman really didn't appear that special,
Aside from being tall and good-looking.
Other than that, he couldn't make out anything remarkable.
But the man's attitude... was extraordinarily arrogant.
As a senior agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.,
Hawkeye had never received such a cold reception before.
Within the agency, he was held in high regard, not just by lower-level agents,
but also by fellow elites like Black Widow, with whom he had a strong working relationship.
Even Nick Fury, the Director himself, treated him with respect.
Whenever he was assigned missions, he almost always executed them flawlessly.
Targets feared him by name.
Even when interacting with other government departments, his S.H.I.E.L.D. credentials commanded respect.
Yet now, faced with this so-called Superman,
The man hadn't even looked him in the eye before dismissing him.
Under normal circumstances, Hawkeye would have spoken up, maybe even thrown hands.
But this was Superman.
He wasn't sure he could win.
That said,
He still wasn't entirely convinced this man was the real deal.
More importantly,
He wasn't in charge of this mission.
Before departure, Nick Fury had made it crystal clear:
This operation was to be led by Coulson.
That meant everything had to defer to Coulson's lead.
Despite his discomfort, Hawkeye didn't act out.
He merely gave Carl another long look,
And while doing so, his gaze naturally drifted to Zhao Helen standing beside Carl.
Even for a senior agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.,
accustomed to seeing all sorts of people,
He couldn't help but marvel at her beauty.
Though she wore sunglasses,
her tall figure and refined features left no doubt.
It was surprising, this Superman's girlfriend was genuinely stunning.
Hawkeye shook his head and withdrew his gaze, ready to leave.
Just then, a voice laced with amusement rang out.
『Carl』: "Enjoying the view?"
Hawkeye flinched and followed the voice,
Only to see Carl looking at him with a half-smile.
Hawkeye turned away, pretending not to hear.
After all, he had indeed been staring at Zhao Helen.
A flicker of guilt showed in his eyes.
『Coulson』: "What's going on?"
He had already turned away and didn't know what had just happened.
『Carl』: "To be honest, I warned your S.H.I.E.L.D. last time, "
『Carl』: ", if you come bothering me again, things won't end so easily."
『Carl』: "Yet here you are again."
『Carl』: "Especially you, Hawkeye."
『Carl』: "Where do you think you're looking with those dog eyes?"
『Carl』: "Is S.H.I.E.L.D. looking to lose a few agents today?"
Though his tone was light, Carl's words sent a chill down their spines.
He truly disliked S.H.I.E.L.D.'s constant meddling,
Though Coulson, at least, seemed reasonable and had promptly backed off.
That made Carl slightly less annoyed with him.
But Hawkeye...
That guy staring for several seconds?
Not so forgivable.
『Coulson』: "Apologies, Mr. Superman, there may be some misunderstanding here."
Though Coulson didn't fully grasp the situation, Carl's tone made it clear:
He was seriously displeased with Hawkeye.
『Hawkeye』: "What did you just say?"
Hawkeye frowned, glaring at Carl.
He had already been irritated by Carl's cold shoulder earlier.
Now, with Carl's mocking words, he grew even more aggravated.
『Carl』: "I said, are you looking to die?"
Hawkeye didn't reply.
Instead, in a flash, he pulled out his bow and arrow.
With practiced precision, he nocked and loosed an arrow in one fluid motion.
With a sharp whoosh, the arrow shot toward Carl like a black blur.
Hawkeye's bow wasn't just for show, it was his deadliest weapon.
In his hands, it was far more lethal than any firearm.
At this range, he was confident.
Even if Carl truly was Superman, he doubted the man could dodge it.
He fired for two reasons:
One, he couldn't tolerate being mocked any longer.
And two, because of something Nick Fury had once said:
Superman might be powerful, but S.H.I.E.L.D. had contingency plans to deal with him.
They just didn't want to fight him on Earth.
With that in mind, what was there to hold back?
Also, this wasn't just any arrow.
It was a tranquilizer arrow.
The arrowhead contained a potent gas,
One that would be released on impact.
Just in case, Hawkeye had prepped this arrow with an extra dose.
Enough to take down several elephants.
He had prepared it specifically for Carl.
With that kind of payload, even Superman should fall.
He watched, waiting for Carl to drop.
But what he saw next shattered his expectations.
Carl raised his hand,
And casually caught the arrow mid-flight.
He caught it.
That fast arrow, caught as if it were nothing.
Hawkeye began to question reality.
Still, he held on to hope: the gas would do the trick.
Carl glanced at the arrow, then gave a light chuckle.
『Carl』: "Is this supposed to be a joke?"
Suddenly, a faint, translucent gas began to leak from the arrowhead.
Carl frowned.
He had no idea what the gas was.
Not that he feared it,
But Zhao Helen was standing right next to him.
The moment the gas started seeping out,
Carl instantly hurled the arrow back.
Target:
Hawkeye.
Whoosh!
Hawkeye was still waiting for the gas to kick in.
He never even saw it coming.
The arrow hit him directly.
Instantly, dizziness overcame him.
His body grew heavy. His mind clouded.
Thud!
He collapsed to the ground.
『Hawkeye』: "Was that... a tranquilizer?"
Carl could tell Hawkeye wasn't dead,
Just unconscious.
Still, it didn't matter.
He had made a move against Carl.
Which meant he was as good as dead.
『Coulson』: "Stop! Clint... Clint?!"
Coulson was just starting to react.
He'd meant to stop things,
But now, seeing Hawkeye fall,
His face turned pale in shock.
And before he could even move,
A brilliant beam of red light burst forth, surging toward Hawkeye.
End of chapter...
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