novelhk Page 8
Page 8
Hmm, not bad, not bad! Although Fury didn't know much about the Witch Project, he knew a little bit about it. The products of the Witch Project were very powerful, but the downside was that the cultivation period was too long, and cultivation had to start from the embryonic stage.
It takes at least ten to twenty years to cultivate someone to maturity in age, mindset, and abilities, which is a very high time cost.
However, Fury's advantage in obtaining these materials lies in their ability to corroborate and fill in any gaps in the ongoing Super Soldier program, potentially accelerating the process.
So after a moment's thought, he decided to grant his request.
“Alexander, you’re always so generous.” Fury’s words were crystal clear. “Protecting a few financiers who desperately need to retire, getting them out of the US safely, and finding a beautiful place to live out their days… I’ll take that job. As for your research materials, I don’t want to wait 24 hours, I need them now. You know I’m incredibly enthusiastic about anything that can enhance our ability to handle ‘special situations.’ Happy deal?”
Hearing Nick Fury's words, Pierce cursed inwardly: Damn Hawk Lane! Damn Busan! Damn Fury!
But if we keep Nick calm now, even if we don't give him the information now, with his keen intuition, he'll be able to dig some of it out sooner or later.
Consider it... a stop-loss order!
"…Good deal, Nick." Pierce's voice was heavy with the weight of a knife. "The data arrived on time. As for Bates… I'm leaving them in your hands. Make sure they're safe." His last sentence carried a stern warning.
“Don’t worry, Alexander,” Fury’s smile widened as he saw a huge compressed file sent from an unknown IP address onto the screen, containing all the information and research results about Project Witch. He then promptly hung up the phone.
Hearing the busy tone coming from the receiver, Pierce slammed the satellite phone in his hand onto the ground, and the expensive communication equipment cracked instantly.
lost heavily!
Inside the Tri-Wing building, Nick Fury stared at the extinguished call screen, his smile vanishing instantly, replaced by a cold, sharp expression.
He pressed the internal communication button: "Hill, I'm sending you an encrypted file, codenamed 'Witch,' decrypt with the highest priority. Also, activate the 'Safe House Transfer Protocol,' target: Richard Bates and his core team, location: Hong Kong, China. Act quickly..."
Steinway Tower, penthouse
Outside the huge floor-to-ceiling windows lies the brightly lit, sleepless city of Manhattan.
Hawke Lane stood quietly, wearing only a dark silk robe and holding a glass of vintage port.
He had just ended an encrypted call with a Swiss bank, confirming that the last large sum of money siphoned off from the "ruins" of Bates Capital had safely flowed into an offshore company under his control.
Andy stood not far behind him, also dressed in a simple silk robe, her long hair loose, her face flushed with the afterglow of the event.
On the tablet in front of her, a real-time news notification was displayed about Bates Capital's formal bankruptcy filing.
"The Bates Capital affair is finally over." Andy breathed a sigh of relief.
Hawke turned around, took a sip of the rich Porter, and a cruel smile curved his lips: "The end? No, this is just the beginning."
At this time, there was a knock on the door.
Andy got up and opened the door.
The one who entered the room was Gu Ziyun. She walked in naturally, followed by a petite woman wrapped in a coat.
It was as if Eun-bi, wrapped in a coat, was being carelessly tossed onto the cold, smooth marble floor, as if dragging a tattered doll along.
The coat fell open, revealing a body covered in wounds and dressed in a thin hospital gown.
Eun-fi was curled up, her exposed skin crisscrossed with old and new wounds, her delicate face as pale as paper, filled with fear and pain that went deep into her bones.
She trembled instinctively, but forced herself not to make a sound when she touched the cold ground.
Those once fierce eyes now held only a panicked glint, staring intently at the edge of the carpet, too afraid to look up at the room's owner.
Andy closed the door, walked back to Hawke's side, and calmly glanced at Enfi on the ground, as if he were assessing an item.
Gu Ziyun walked naturally to the bar, poured herself a glass of water, leaned against the edge of the bar, and looked at everything indifferently, as if what was happening in front of her was just an everyday trivial matter.
The huge floor-to-ceiling windows offer a stunning view of Manhattan's dazzling nightscape, creating a stark contrast with the somber atmosphere inside.
Hawke did not speak immediately.
He slowly took another sip of port, the rich liquid sliding down his throat, his gaze like an invisible shackle, slowly landing on Eunfi, carrying an almost indifferent pressure.
The air in the room seemed to freeze, with only Eun-bi's barely suppressed, faint gasps.
14. Scarce Resources
"Eunfi." Hawke's voice wasn't loud, but it pierced the silence like an icicle, clearly reaching Eunfi's ears.
The moment he uttered that name, Eun-fi's body trembled violently.
"Why do you think I'm still letting you live?" Hawke slowly paced closer, his tall figure casting a huge shadow under the light, enveloping Enfi, who was curled up on the ground.
Eun-fi's teeth were chattering, and she was making indistinct sobs.
She didn't dare answer.
Is it pity?
Is it a backup intelligence source?
Or is even crueler torment waiting?
Every possibility sent chills down her spine.
“It’s not pity.” Hawke seemed to read her mind.
"Your abilities, though a joke to me, are a rare resource in this world."
His gaze swept over her scarred arms; the witch's self-healing ability seemed like a joke to him.
His gaze finally settled on her face, which, despite its torment, still retained its exquisite beauty, and he said, "Besides, death is too cheap for you. Things of value should be used to their fullest potential."
Hawke handed the glass to Andy behind him, put his hands in his robe pockets, and looked down at her condescendingly: "I'll give you a chance, Eunfi."
A faint, incredulous glint flashed in Eun-fi's eyes, only to be swallowed up by a deeper fear.
“Work for me.” Hawke’s voice was firm and resolute. “Become a tool in my hands, a sharp, obedient tool. Prove your worth, prove you deserve this life I’ve given you out of pity.”
He bent down slightly, and the powerful pressure made Eun-fi almost suffocate: "Now, you have a chance to prove yourself. A 'pledge of allegiance.' Once you've completed the test, you'll become my employee, enjoying corresponding benefits and protection. You'll live a very happy life in this sunny city, and no one will force you to do anything you don't want to do, except... of course, me."
“If you refuse…” Hawke paused, his tone nonchalant, “Gu Ziyun will be here to help you end your suffering very efficiently. I guarantee the process will be much shorter than what you’ll experience in the interrogation room, but it will definitely not be pleasant.”
Eun-fi's heart was pounding wildly, almost bursting out of her chest.
Work for him?
To become a tool of this demon-like man?
Betrayal of Busan Base?
Every thought made her feel dizzy, contrary to the ideas she had been instilled with since childhood.
But the words "to survive" and "to live better" were like a flickering candlelight in the darkness, weak yet stubbornly drawing her in.
She recalled Hawke's overwhelming power, his cold, all-encompassing gaze during interrogations, and the intertwining of physical and psychological pain... A strange, twisted emotion quietly began to grow.
He was too powerful, even able to make a witch of Gu Ziyun's level submit. He was so powerful that he made her despair, and in that despair, she developed a morbid sense of dependence—perhaps obeying the strong was not the worst choice.
Especially when this powerful man offered her a way out, even if it was a thorny path that required selling her soul, and moreover, judging from his description, it seemed she could live quite well.
The seeds of Stockholm quietly sprouted in the soil of extreme fear and despair.
Her breathing quickened, and her body trembled not only with fear but also with a violent inner struggle.
She looked up and, for the first time, looked clearly and truly at Hawke's face.
His handsome yet cold face was like a sculpture under the light, his eyes deep and seemingly capable of devouring everything.
“I…” Her voice was hoarse and dry, almost incoherent, “I… had no choice, did I?”
“You have a choice.” Hawke straightened up, his tone cold. “A path to life, or a path to death. Choose.”
Eun-bi's gaze passed over Hawke and landed on Gu Zi-yun, who was leaning against the bar.
Gu Ziyun's eyes remained empty and indifferent, as if he were looking at a dead object.
She knew that if she said "no" or hesitated for even a few more seconds, this legendary woman in the witch group—Gu Ziyun—would end her life as easily as crushing an insect.
“I…” Enfi took a deep breath, a breath that seemed to drain all her strength. She closed her eyes and said hoarsely, in a tone that was both relieved and utterly submissive, “I choose to live. I am willing to work for you, Mr. Hawke. I am willing to… prove my worth.”
“Very good.” Hawke showed no surprise, as if everything was under control.
He picked up the glass from Andy's hand again, his tone returning to its previous calm: "Ziyun, take her to get her injuries treated, clean her up, and change her into some clean clothes. Let her rest for the night. Tomorrow, give her the briefing on that task that's simpler than crushing an ant."
Gu Ziyun nodded and walked towards Eunbi on the ground.
Eunbi instinctively flinched when Koo Ja-yoon approached, but under Hawke's cold gaze, she forced herself to relax and let Koo Ja-yoon help her up.
Before leaving the room, she took one last look at Hawke. In those once unruly eyes, there was now only utter submission and a complex emotion that was hard to describe.
The door closed softly.
Andy looked at Hawke: "Are you sure you want to keep her? A monster from Busan?"
Hawke swirled the port in his glass, the deep red liquid reflecting an eerie glow under the light, mirroring his deep eyes.
“A monster? Andy, in this world, power has no good or evil. The key is who holds the reins.” He looked out the window at the endless prosperity. “Bates Capital has fallen, but the greedy vultures will never disappear. We need more ‘claws’ to tear them apart. She’s sharp enough, and beautiful enough… Most importantly, she already knows what the consequences are for betraying me or letting me down.”
He drained his glass: "And this fear will become the strongest collar."
15. What can be done?
The following day, December 24th, was Christmas Eve.
The Wall Street Journal's concise, scathing headline read: "The Bates Empire Collapses, Lane Capital Reaps the Reapership in a Flash."
Like a bomb dropped into deep water, the aftershocks rippled through the Columbia University campus in the early morning, thick and heavy.
When Hawke Lane walked into the campus in the morning light as usual, he immediately became the center of attention.
"Hey, Mr. Reaper! Want some 'bankruptcy liquidation' sugar in your breakfast coffee?" A familiar guy whistled across the lawn, eliciting a burst of laughter.
Hawke gave a slightly teasing smile: "As long as it's not Bates brand, it's a bit sour right now."
He walked briskly, as if the acquisition that shook the financial world was just a classroom assignment that he had gotten an A+ on.
When his figure appeared on the stone-paved path, he instantly attracted the attention of the few students and professors walking by.
The buzzing whispers, like a disturbed swarm of bees, suddenly intensified.
Those probing, awe-inspiring, envious, and calculating gazes, like countless fine needles, silently pierced from all directions.
Today, in everyone's eyes, he has become a young monarch who has just returned victorious from a thrilling battleground of capital.
Bates Capital—a name that finance students once looked up to, a capital firm that graduates dreamed of getting an offer from—became the most conspicuous sacrifice under Hawke's throne.
His first class was macroeconomics, and the atmosphere instantly became subtle when he walked into the lecture hall.