‘Bewildering Blossoms’ and ‘Dazzling’

"I’m here to find someone."

Hawkeye glanced at the waiter. He made no unusual move, but his grip on the bow beneath his robe tightened.

As far as he knew, this was Eyeball Man’s territory. The villain was not particularly powerful, weaker than even some ordinary people, but the sins he carried were no fewer than those of any other villain.

Back in that battle, if Eyeball Man had not used the Eye of the Watcher to uncover the weaknesses of most of the superheroes, they would not have suffered such a crushing defeat. So while Eyeball Man might not have fought personally, there was no way he could escape his share of the guilt.

After the Night of Final Battle ended, Eyeball Man had not been secretly executed by Red Skull like Mysterio. On the contrary, he had received high praise from most villains. Red Skull had even approved a large sum of money for him, allowing him to build his own power base in this wasteland as he had wished.

It was because of Eyeball Man’s special ability that Old Barton believed he could find intelligence on the Thunderbolts members here.

Before this, Hawkeye would never have come here, because the moment he showed himself, his identity would be exposed. Red Skull would never allow an Avenger to remain alive within his territory. What awaited Hawkeye would be endless pursuit.

But it did not matter. By now, Old Hawkeye had long since cast his own life and death aside.

For an old man who was about to go blind from glaucoma, death was no different from becoming blind to Hawkeye.

Inside the bar, pulsating music and girls dancing seductively stirred the hearts of the patrons. Hawkeye neither saw nor heard any of it. Soon, he spotted the target of his trip in a corner of the dance floor.

With just one glance, Old Barton recognized him—the man was Eyeball Man.

It could not be helped. The huge eyeball sitting atop his neck was simply too conspicuous. Not just Hawkeye—even an ordinary person would find it hard not to notice this malformed fellow.

Under the dim lights, Eyeball Man lounged with women on both sides, gently swaying his body. Around him, several girls dressed in sexy superhero uniforms held colorful cocktails as they kept the local gang boss company.

Old Hawkeye slowly walked toward Eyeball Man. The pungent smell of alcohol made him uncomfortable. He had not had a drink in a long time.

Perhaps life was like alcohol—sometimes drunk, sometimes sober. But for Old Hawkeye, only he knew whether he was drunk, and no one else could tell whether he was awake.

When he reached Eyeball Man, Old Hawkeye looked down at the seated man before him.

"Time to clear them out, friend. Tonight, I own this place!"

Hawkeye spoke softly, but his tone allowed no question.

Hearing the commotion, Eyeball Man slowly raised his head. The moment he saw Old Barton’s face, his expression twisted into a vicious grimace at a visible speed.

Old Barton had been prepared. He knew he could not hide his identity from Eyeball Man, so he had never intended to conceal it.

His arm slowly rose, and a razor-sharp arrowhead gleamed coldly beneath the lights.

"If you make a sound, this will be lodged in your head the next second. If you don’t believe me, try it and see whose speed is faster."

"I believe you, I believe you." Before Hawkeye could say anything more, Eyeball Man immediately spoke up.

No one knew Hawkeye’s glorious record better than he did. To lead the West Coast Avengers among so many superpowered individuals, Hawkeye’s strength was beyond doubt.

"Good. Then what are you waiting for?" Old Barton stared coldly at Eyeball Man.

"Party’s over!"

The next second, Eyeball Man sprang from his seat.

He waved his hands, driving away the girls around him, while shouting at his subordinates. "That’s it for today, friends! Go! Everyone, get out of here!"

"But—"

"The boss has spoken."

"Music’s off! Clear the place, boys."

A drunken mercenary patron tried to say something, but several burly men quickly hauled him out.

The girls and everyone else obediently left as well. This place had been built by Eyeball Man, after all. Here, he made all the rules. Since Eyeball Man had spoken, naturally no one dared complain.

Here, status was everything. Eyeball Man was everyone’s boss, and his orders were the law of God—beyond refusal.

Old Hawkeye watched the scene coldly. Only after those people had all left did he relax slightly.

Originally, he had thought there would be a brutal fight here.

"God, I really don’t know what exactly happened back then. I don’t know how you ended up like this either."

Eyeball Man raised both hands and backed away several steps in terror, as though that might make him feel a little safer. Hawkeye’s current state was simply too terrifying.

"Cut the crap, Eyeball. I don’t need your pity. I only need to know where they are."

Hawkeye shoved Eyeball Man onto a chair, his gaze sharpening as he spoke in a low voice.

"You know who I mean by they!"

"I know, I know. Please calm down. I’m just a nobody." Eyeball Man was terrified, but he did not dare resist in the slightest.

Old Barton snorted coldly. After pausing for a moment, he looked at Eyeball Man with disgust and spoke word by word.

"Then you’d better tell me quickly. I can spare your life for it. Don’t try to lie to me. I have nothing left to lose."

"There’s one—Goliath. I know where he went."

Eyeball Man racked his brains, seemingly seriously considering what intelligence he had on those people. Of course, he knew who Hawkeye meant by they. Baron Zemo and the Thunderbolts he had created bore the greatest responsibility for reducing Hawkeye to this state.

"Atlas?"

Old Barton raised an eyebrow and gestured for him to continue.

"He works at Arcade’s Amusement Park. I have a club there. He goes there every day to spend money, and he often complains that after making such a huge contribution back then, he now has to work in a circus."

Eyeball Man paused, then casually added another remark.

"But it’s a hundred times better than screwing bolts in a factory, isn’t it?"

Old Barton remained silent, seeming to digest the information.

"That’s all I know, sir."

Eyeball Man swallowed with difficulty, afraid Hawkeye would change his mind and put an arrow through him.

Hearing that, Hawkeye narrowed his eyes slightly. After hesitating for a moment, he loosened his grip on the arrow, stood up, picked up a glass of liquor from the table, and drained it in one gulp.

"Keep the change."

After leaving behind a coin, Old Hawkeye strode straight out of the nightclub.

They watched Hawkeye’s departing back through a gap in the window.

Only after Hawkeye’s figure disappeared at the end of the street did everyone look away.

"Wasn’t what we did a little cruel to him?" Kara slowly asked.

(PS: The day after tomorrow, there’ll be a recommendation on the Qidian app. My book on Chuangshi is being recommended on Qidian. This is my first time, and of course, it’s all thanks to you. Without your support, I wouldn’t have the motivation to keep writing, much less achieve better and better results. Thank you, everyone.)