136. Old Hawkeye Barton.
Alex didn't have to wait long, or maybe he was just lucky. In the afternoon, Old Hawkeye drove to Tonya's auto repair shop. At first glance, Alex was struck by Old Hawkeye's appearance: a long-haired, bearded old man, still muscular and imposing despite his age.
"Don't tell that useless ex-husband of mine actually brought the child support," Tonya's tone was calm, indifferent, showing she had no feelings left for the man in front of her.
"Did the spider sense from your father finally kick in?" Old Barton teased.
"No, I slled the stench of alcohol from you from far away." Tonya set down her work, and Ultron 8 added, "My scan shows his wallet is even thinner than expected."
But Old Barton ignored Ultron 8, or rather, he directly disregarded the robot. He walked up to his ex-wife and placed a wad of cash in her hand. "I brought the money I owed, but you know, work hasn't been smooth."
Tonya could see deep guilt and hidden sorrow in his expression. Because of this, she refrained from further mocking him and silently put the money in a drawer and locked it. There were many gangsters around, and it was necessary to keep a low profile.
After a pause, Tonya spoke, "You didn't just co here to deliver money. So, what exactly are you here for?"
"I just wanted to see my daughter, while I still..." Old Barton opened his mouth but couldn't finish.
As the forr Hawkeye, a sharpshooter whose arrows never missed, it was hard for him to admit that he was becoming blind due to glaucoma. Moreover, he didn't want to worry his ex-wife and daughter.
"I bet you're in so kind of trouble again, aren't you?" Tonya sighed. Then she looked up. "Before you see Ashley, you should et soone else. He claims to be your friend and has been waiting for you upstairs. I told him to wait for you there."
"My friend?" Old Barton was taken aback but quickly beca wary, his guilt instantly replaced by deep hostility.
In this broken world, he didn't have many friends, and none of them would know this place and its connection to him. So instead of an 'old friend,' Barton seed more inclined to believe this person was an 'old enemy.'
"Did he give his na?" Old Barton took out his bow and arrows from his bag.
"I didn't get the chance to ask," Tonya said, her face turning grim. "But I suggest if you need to fight, do it outside. The money you gave won't cover the repair costs."
"Don't worry, ma'am. We won't be fighting." At this point, Alex slowly descended the stairs.
Alex had noticed Hawkeye as soon as he entered, but since the man was chatting with his ex-wife about family matters, Alex didn't want to interrupt and waited for an opportunity. Besides, given Hawkeye's age and not-so-good ntal state, any sudden actions could lead to misunderstandings, which would be troubleso.
Sure enough, hearing Alex's voice, Old Barton imdiately drew his bow, aiming at Alex's head.
"Who are you? Kid, I don't rember having an 'old friend' like you."
"Calm down, Barton. I'm just here to talk." Alex raised his hands, his expression unchanged.
"Talk about what?"
Hawkeye showed no signs of relaxing, his eyes narrowing dangerously. At that mont, he resembled a wounded beast, ready to retaliate fiercely at the slightest provocation.
"Let's talk about the battle years ago when the criminals triumphed, shall we?"
Alex hadn't finished his sentence before a flying arrow cut him off.
"I knew you were no good!"
Despite his age, Hawkeye's actions were smooth and quick, drawing and shooting in one fluid motion, making it easy to forget that he was over fifty.
This old guy definitely had so issues...
Alex raised his umbrella, deflecting the incoming arrows while silently musing. He probably thought Alex was so villain's descendant, looking to revive his ancestor's glory by hunting down surviving heroes to prove his prowess. In the wasteland, such things were not uncommon. Kraven the Hunter's offspring often did this, sotis even targeting supervillains for their hunts. It seed to be their 'family ritual.'
While Alex pondered, Hawkeye closed in. Realizing his arrows were ineffective against the strange umbrella, Barton abandoned ranged attacks for close combat. Indeed, one shouldn't be distracted during a fight. Alex swiftly drew his black blade from the umbrella handle, blocking Hawkeye's alloy compound bow. The bow was specially made, capable of breaking ribs with a single hit to a regular person.
"I said no fighting here!" Tonya's angry voice ca from nearby.
But this couldn't stop Hawkeye's nearly frantic assault. The old man was in the zone.
After struggling to fend off several waves of attacks, Alex abandoned the idea of continuing close combat. He hadn't learned any martial arts, and if not for his powerful reflexes, he wouldn't have been able to block Hawkeye's bow techniques.
While Hawkeye was an archer in the Avengers, underestimating him as just a ranged fighter was a big mistake. Besides 'Hawkeye,' Barton had another alias, 'Ronin.' Apart from his unparalleled archery skills, Hawkeye's close combat abilities were formidable, having been trained by a master swordsman known as the Swordsman.
"Enough, Barton. Stop. I'm not here to fight you."
Alex narrowly dodged another attack, retreating several steps before speaking calmly.
"Then you better lie down first!"
But Hawkeye showed no sign of stopping. He held his bow in one hand and a sharp arrow in the other, charging at Alex with fierce determination.
Seeing this, Alex extended his hand.
"I'm not asking."
Without any incantations, Hawkeye's bow suddenly transford into a steel cable, writhing like a living creature. Barton had no ti to react. Mid-air, he couldn't make any effective moves. The weapon-turned-cable bound him, the other end wrapping around a beam, suspending him in mid-air.
.......
20 advanced chapters on p@treaon
For advance chapters: /Uchiha_Itachi007 (replace @ with a)
137. Conversation with Hawkeye.
138. The Villains' Information.
139. Hawkeye's Journey.
140. 'Dazzling Confusion' and 'Eye-Popping'.
141. Wasteland.
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