Because of one man, the Avengers Initiative was pushed forward.
And the man behind it all—Blaine—was already on his way back to New York.
Mission complete.
Naturally, it was time to go home.
Blaine had a smile on his face the entire way. This time, using the Hunter's Space to steal Thor's hammer had been a real clever trick.
The system truly was impressive—Thor's hammer could even be stored in the Hunter's Space.
The only drawback might be the limited size. The Hunter's Space grew with the Hunter's level, and currently, Blaine only had a 10×10×10 space.
If it were any smaller, the hammer might not have fit inside. But here's something worth mentioning:
Once Thor's hammer was inside the system's space, Blaine could move it around freely within that realm.
After all, in the Hunter's Space, the Hunter is a god.
Thor's hammer? Nothing but a joke. If he wanted to crush it into dust now, it'd be no problem at all.
If only it could store living beings...
Then whoever he ran into—he could just toss them in...
Blaine shook his head to rid himself of the fantasy.
An hour later—
He arrived back at his old home in Queens, New York.
Blaine flopped onto the sofa and let out a satisfied groan. After all the traveling and bus rides, he was definitely tired. Of course, the exhaustion was more mental than physical.
Leaning back on the sofa, Blaine fell asleep without even realizing it. He slept all the way into the evening.
As bustling New York gradually settled down for the night, Blaine slowly woke up. He rubbed his messy hair and yawned.
Still a bit dazed. He turned on the nearby light. Then headed into the bathroom for a shower, finally feeling refreshed.
"Whew..."
Drying his hair, Blaine picked up his phone. He called the contact number Ward Meachum had left him.
Beep...
Beep...
Beep...
Since it was nighttime, the guy was probably asleep, so Blaine waited a bit.
Just as the call was about to time out, the other person picked up.
"Hello?"
The voice was young, familiar yet unfamiliar, and a little groggy. Just as Blaine had guessed—he had just woken up.
Blaine immediately lowered his voice, speaking hoarsely: "Mission complete."
"Mission complete?"
The person on the other end was briefly confused. "Mr. Bounty Hunter? Sorry, hang on a moment. I'll call you right back!"
Over at the Meachum family estate—
Ward Meachum shook his still-groggy head and hung up, immediately dialing another contact.
He hadn't expected Blaine to finish the mission so quickly.
Neither had the man behind him. Ward had been in the office all day, so they hadn't even had a chance to discuss how to deal with the Bounty Hunter.
His relaxed mood was instantly replaced with anxiety.
Beep...
Beep...
Beep...
The call connected.
"Ward, if this isn't urgent, I swear I'll beat you."
The man's voice was mature and sleepy.
"Dad!" Ward sighed helplessly. "That Bounty Hunter said the mission's complete. What do we do now?"
"So fast?"
On the other end, Ward's supposedly-dead father Harold Meachum snapped awake. He muttered, "Didn't think this Bounty Hunter would actually be so capable."
"You tell me what we do now."
Ward rubbed his forehead. "Better make it quick. He's waiting for my call."
"…"
Harold fell silent for a moment, then smirked with a hint of malice. "Tell him to drop the alien item in the No. 3 warehouse at East Manhattan Pier. Make sure no one sees him."
Not long ago, Harold had Ward rent out an entire dock as a base for Madam Gao and the Hand—a location used for their drug operations.
Using that place made Harold's intentions quite clear.
"And… Dad, what about the money?" Ward asked hesitantly. "I don't have three hundred million."
"Money? Hahaha!"
Harold laughed as if he'd heard a great joke. "Ward, my good son, there are things you don't need to know. Just listen and learn, understood?"
"…"
Ward seemed to understand something. A chill passed through him. He wanted to argue but ultimately nodded, hung up, sighed, and called Blaine back.
"Hello, Mr. Bounty Hunter."
"Mm."
"I've made the arrangements. Please place the acquired item in Warehouse 3 at the East Manhattan Pier. Once you do, the mission is considered complete."
"I'll deliver it. Your payment better hit my account within three days—or deal with the consequences."
Beep… Beep… Beep…
Hearing the dial tone, Ward could only shake his head helplessly and lie back down.
Although doubt still lingered in his heart, he chose to take his chances.
…
…
In the mysterious penthouse atop the GE Building—
Harold couldn't sleep anymore.
He poured himself a glass of vodka, stood at the window, and looked down at the quiet streets. One hand in his pocket, the other holding the glass, he downed the vodka in one go.
A glint of mischief flashed in his eyes, and a smile tugged at his lips, tinged with excitement.
The blood in his veins was slowly beginning to boil.
"Bounty Hunter… The Hand… Madam Gao… Heh, I'm about to be free."
"I'll finally get out of this damned apartment."
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