The next day.
Hawk got up early, got dressed, and, after grabbing the documents Lady Snow had given him, left to catch the subway.
He originally planned on taking the bus.
As everyone knows.
The New York City subway is indescribable.
Unfortunately, Hawk discovered that there was no direct bus from his new apartment to the Osborn Biotechnology Industry Building; if he took the bus, he would need to transfer three times.
So, all things considered, taking the subway seemed like a better option.
At least on the subway, if you're not particularly law-abiding, you can get a free ride.
In other words.
You can jump the turnstile at the subway, and even if you do pay, it's cheaper than the bus fare.
So Hawk decided to just take the subway.
Except…
He regretted it as soon as he got on the subway.
Smelly!
Too smelly.
The strange mix of scents coming at him from all directions made Hawk quickly shut off his sense of smell.
But if it were only the smell, that would be one thing.
There was a lot going on inside the subway car.
A hippie with a guitar was singing out at the top of his lungs, dreaming of becoming a great musician one day.
And not far away, a woman who looked like a tank from every angle had a gold python wrapped around her neck.
Who knows how she got that thing on the train.
But that's not the main point.
As everyone knows, if you were to list the places in New York City with the most pickpocket incidents, the subway car would definitely be on the list.
Sure enough, a hooded, dark-skinned guy had his eyes on Hawk.
His instincts told him Hawk was a subway rookie.
A subway rookie refers to someone who doesn't often take the subway and is unaware of its dangers and the deceitfulness of people.
These passengers might not be wealthy, but they're definitely the easiest targets, thus being defined by the thieving community as subway rookies.
Soon.
Pretending to adjust his earbuds, the young man swayed his head and hummed a tune to himself as he approached Hawk from behind.
The next second.
Just as he lowered his right hand from adjusting his earbuds, a pocket knife quickly appeared in his hand, aimed at slashing open Hawk's shoulder bag.
At that moment.
Hawk, with his back to the young man, suddenly seemed to lose his balance, stumbling several steps backward.
The young man, caught off guard by this unexpected motion, hadn't fully adjusted his position with the pocket knife, and as Hawk bumped into him, the handle was struck, causing the blade to flip direction, piercing through the young man's wrist.
"Ah!"
The young man let out a scream, his eyes widened in shock, staring at the pocket knife embedded in his wrist.
Blood dripped from the wound on his wrist, pattering onto the floor of the subway car.
The surrounding passengers, startled by the scream, quickly diverted their gazes after seeing the young man's wounded wrist.
The subway arrived at the station just in time.
The passengers around all simultaneously rose and left the car.
Nobody screamed.
No one cared, and no one asked if the young man needed medical assistance or anything.
Hawk exited the car, following the crowd off the train.
He didn't turn around to look at the young man from start to finish.
After stepping out of the subway car, Hawk felt a few resentful glares directed at his back. His lips curved slightly.
He was being merciful already.
If it hadn't been the subway and was somewhere more remote or with fewer cameras, he might have scattered the little thief's ashes.
Didn't anyone see that everything he wore was cheap, adding up to less than fifty US Dollars?
He's so broke, and yet he's trying to steal?
Is there any decency left?
Is there any law?
And then…
"Gwen?"
Upon exiting the subway station, still frustrated by the near pickpocketing incident, Hawk spotted Gwen standing not far ahead, seemingly waiting for someone outside the Osborn Biotechnology Industry Building.
Gwen, scanning her surroundings by the door, caught sight of Hawk on the opposite side of the street. Her eyes lit up, and she quickly raised her right hand, signalling enthusiastically.
Waiting for me?
Hawk was momentarily taken aback, then swiftly crossed the street during a break in the traffic.
The Battle of New York was already something that happened half a month ago; now, half a month later, you couldn't even tell Manhattan had been invaded by aliens.
That's the power of money.
The Battle of New York ended in the morning, and the restoration work, especially on Wall Street, began at noon.
At that time, the outer wall of the Osborn Biotechnology Industry Building was also seriously damaged.
But now, it's almost impossible to tell that during the Battle of New York, the Osborn Industry Building was pierced through by the Chitauri.
Hawk glanced up at the towering Osborn Biotechnology Industry Building, as tall as the Stark Industries Building five blocks away, then returned his gaze to Gwen, who seemed to be waiting for him at the entrance.
"Were you waiting for me?"
"Of course."
Different from her school attire, today Gwen wore a high ponytail and a lab coat typical for researchers, smiling as she spoke: "If I don't wait for you here, how can I discover your secret?"
Hawk, hearing this, faintly shook his head.
"I have no secrets."
"Yes, you do, and I'll find them out."
Gwen spoke with a serious expression, then her stern face turned back into a smile as she said to Hawk, "Alright, just kidding. Lady Snow called me this morning, she forgot you didn't have a phone, you also don't have an Osborn's access card, and she was worried you might not even get through the door, so she asked me to bring you in to find that..."
Gwen paused and looked at Hawk, "By the way, what's the name of the person you're looking for?"
"Max Dillon!"
Hawk stated the name of the future supervillain Electro, currently just an unnoticed engineer.
Gwen's expression cleared.
"Right, him. Let's go, I'll take you to the Bioelectrical Engineering Department."
"Okay."
Hawk didn't refuse.
Gwen then put her hands in her pockets, swung her ponytail, and gracefully turned around, leading Hawk to the security checkpoint, where she exchanged a few words with the security guard.
The security guard looked over at Hawk, nodded, and manually opened the gate.
After Hawk entered, Gwen thanked the security guard.
In no time.
Familiarly, Gwen led Hawk to the first floor of the auxiliary building, to the Bioelectrical Engineering Department.
...