60. A Gift from Anna

Gwen sat in the car parked opposite the cemetery gates, her gaze fixed on the entrance with a hint of worry in her eyes.

She had known for a while that Hawk's younger sister had died in the battle between the Hulk and the Abomination back in September 2009.

Gwen had even guessed why Hawk was working so hard to make himself stronger.

Even though Hawk seemed to grow stronger just by throwing punches every day, to the point where he could kill the Lizard with a single palm strike—no matter how one looked at it, this method of getting stronger defied all scientific logic.

Yet none of that mattered anymore.

What mattered was that making an educated guess and having Hawk confirm it to her in person were two entirely different things.

Still...

Those were the Abomination and the Hulk they were talking about.

The Abomination was one thing; he was already dead.

But the Hulk?

Could Hawk possibly beat him? Furthermore, the Hulk had apparently fought shoulder-to-shoulder with those superheroes. If Hawk tried to fight the Hulk, wouldn't those superheroes step in to stop him?

Could Hawk win?

Gwen felt a wave of anxiety.

Yes.

She was worrying about this, rather than other things, like trying to persuade Hawk to let go of his hatred, preach love and peace, and abandon vengeance.

Pfft!

The one who had died was Hawk's only remaining family in this world.

If people truly just abandoned revenge, why had the Federal government launched massive retaliation after the September 11 attacks in 2001?

Weren't they supposed to choose love and peace? If so, why bother retaliating at all?

Besides, if love and peace were truly the guiding principles, would the Federal government be stirring up trouble and igniting wars all over the globe?

Gwen scoffed inwardly and rolled her eyes.

She wasn't some naive, sweet girl brainwashed by the public school system; she was a genius who had sailed all the way from elementary school to private high school, collecting scholarships until her hands grew sore.

Just as Gwen was furrowing her delicate brows in thought, a long-legged beauty wearing sunglasses and a refined face appeared at the cemetery gates.

It was Anna.

Unlike the woman who had just been smiling and chatting amiably with Hawk, Anna's exquisite face was now frozen in absolute ice, her strides carrying a fierce, imposing wind.

Right behind her walked a black-suited bodyguard carrying a golf bag on his back.

Soon enough.

Accompanied by the roaring engine of a fiery red Porsche in the distance, Anna drove the sports car away, vanishing down the road like a streak of light.

The black-suited bodyguard followed shortly after, driving away from the cemetery in a black Chevrolet SUV.

A moment later.

Hawk also appeared at the cemetery gates.

Gwen pulled her gaze away from the vanishing Chevrolet SUV in the rearview mirror and opened the door to step out as she watched Hawk walking toward her, pushing a rolling suitcase.

Hawk popped open the trunk and loaded the suitcase inside.

Gwen looked at the suitcase, which had caused the rear of her car to sink visibly the moment it was placed in. "What is this?"

Hawk stepped aside to let her look. "You can check for yourself."

Gwen glanced at Hawk, then reached out and flipped open the suitcase lid.

Instantly.

Gwen's eyes widened.

"Hiss!"

"Yeah."

Watching Gwen catch her breath in shock, Hawk smiled and said, "That was pretty much my reaction when I first saw it."

Gwen quickly snapped the suitcase shut, cast a swift look around to confirm no one was watching, and then turned back to Hawk, blinking involuntarily.

"How did you get this?"

"Traded five weapons for it."

Hawk shrugged. Seeing the look on Gwen's face, the corners of his lips curved upward. "You probably know which five."

Gwen paused slightly, then blinked again.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Gwen."

"Hmm?"

"My acting might not be great, but your technique for putting things back where you found them is even worse."

"..."

The photo of him and his sister Anya on the nightstand.

The bedsheet wrapped around the weapons, which clearly didn't match the way he usually packed things.

Unless she was mistaken, Gwen must have discovered the weapons under the bed, opened them in utter shock, and then forgotten how he had packed them away in the first place.

Gwen opened her mouth, suddenly gripped by the feeling of being caught red-handed.

The next second.

"Thump!"

Gwen slammed the trunk shut, her expression turning dead serious as she looked at Hawk. "The people from New York University have already arrived. We need to get back to campus right now."

With that, she didn't even spare Hawk another look, turning on her heel and marching straight toward the driver's seat—though the moment she turned away, the tips of her dainty ears flushed a faint, delicate red.

She looked rather adorable.

Watching Gwen flee as if escaping a crime scene, Hawk smiled faintly. Deciding not to tease her further, he pulled open the passenger door and climbed in.

Gwen stepped hard on the accelerator, promptly driving them away from the spot.

On the way back to the campus, still brooding over being caught in the act, Gwen deliberately kept her face stiff and expressionless, refusing to look at Hawk or give him any opening to speak.

To sum it up in a single sentence:

Gwen remained silent, focusing entirely on driving.

Meanwhile, sitting in the passenger seat, Hawk replayed Anna's parting words in his mind.

A gift?

What gift?

Before long, the journey from the cemetery to Midtown High—which normally took about forty-five minutes—was completed in a mere thirty minutes thanks to Gwen's extraordinary driving performance today.

Having just hung up a phone call with Mrs. Snow, Gwen swiftly parked the car and turned to Hawk. "The people from NYU are already in the office."

Hawk nodded, pushed open the door, and got out.

Stepping out as well, Gwen stopped Hawk and gave him an encouraging gesture.

"Good luck, Hawk."

"Thanks."

Hawk acknowledged her with a nod and walked toward Mrs. Snow's office.

Gwen did not follow him inside.

After all, this was an NYU admissions interview, not a Berkeley one.

Besides, interviews of this nature were formal affairs; having an outsider trail along simply wasn't appropriate.

"Knock, knock!"

"Come in."

"Mrs. Snow."

Hearing the voice from inside the office, Hawk pushed the door open and stepped in, his gaze sweeping over a meticulously groomed middle-aged man sitting on the sofa before turning to Mrs. Snow. "You wanted to see me?"

Mrs. Snow beckoned to Hawk. Once he closed the door behind him, she introduced him to the middle-aged man who had just stood up from the sofa.

"This is Mr. Gary Cooper. Mr. Cooper is an admissions officer from New York University."

"Gary, this is the Hawk I told you about."

Hawk immediately extended his right hand.

"Mr. Cooper."

"Hawk."

Gary, the NYU admissions officer, shook Hawk's hand with a smile before his expression shifted back to a serious professional demeanor. "I've reviewed your scholarship application. I came by today to ask you a few questions. Please, have a seat."

Hawk nodded and took a seat on the opposite sofa.

Gary Cooper sat back down, retrieved the notepad he had temporarily laid aside when standing up, and dived straight into the main business of the day while looking at Hawk across the table.

Today was both an evaluation and an interview.

If the admissions officer was satisfied with the evaluation, someone with his level of autonomy could announce the results in advance.

Naturally.

That was assuming you were brilliant enough.

An hour later.

Gary Cooper closed his notebook. Under Mrs. Snow's expectant gaze, he looked at Hawk, broke into a smile, stood up, and extended his right hand across the coffee table.

"Congratulations, Hawk. Welcome to New York University."

"Oh! That's wonderful!"

Hearing those words, Mrs. Snow covered her mouth in sheer excitement.

Hawk was momentarily stunned as well, but quickly recovered, standing up to shake Gary's outstretched hand.

"Thank you, Mr. Cooper."

"Thank my colleague Anna instead. She was the one who placed your file right on top of my desk."

"..."