Hawkeye’s Journey

"Did that guy leave?"

The moment Hawkeye pushed open the door to his daughter’s bedroom, Ashley’s voice rang out, devoid of any familial warmth.

"Yeah, he just left like that. Maybe he had something urgent to deal with, I guess." Old Barton gave an embarrassed smile. Having made a fool of himself in front of his daughter just now left him feeling miserable. More than that, he worried that she would look down on him because of it.

"He isn’t your friend, is he?" Ashley asked calmly.

"It’s hard to say. For now—"

"If you’re going to lie to me, then we have nothing left to talk about."

Before Old Barton could finish, Ashley cut him off. She withdrew her gaze, then flicked her arm lightly. The next moment, the dart in her hand embedded itself in the poster on the wall—a poster of Hawkeye in his younger days.

"I…"

There were some things Hawkeye could not confide in others. They would only bring them endless danger. Ashley was his only biological daughter, so Old Barton naturally would not explain the details to her.

At the same time, Barton did not want this to drive a wedge between himself and his daughter. For a moment, he was torn.

"Is there anything else?"

Looking out the window, Ashley asked again without turning around.

"I heard you got into a fight." Old Barton spoke stiffly. He had never imagined that after facing so many world-ending crises, nothing would leave him as flustered as he was now.

"Yeah. A bunch of thugs were picking on a fat loser, so I went over—"

"A righteous act. That’s great."

Hawkeye said with a smile, but it was clear he had been happy too soon.

"I went over and beat them all up. I protected that fat loser, but he actually refused to pay me. That was an insult to me." Ashley’s expression remained cold, as if she were merely recounting something utterly ordinary.

"Okay. That’s not quite so great."

Old Hawkeye sighed. He wanted to say something, to teach his daughter, who had strayed somewhat from the right path, a lesson. But when he opened his mouth, he could not get a single word out. In this twisted world, he had no right to judge Ashley’s actions.

For most people in the wasteland, Ashley’s actions and principles were the correct ones. Every man for himself, or heaven and earth would destroy him. Hawkeye’s way had long since become "outdated."

"So what exactly did you come here for?"

Ashley had already lost the patience to keep talking.

"I’m going somewhere to do something very important."

God knew how much determination Old Barton had needed to say those words. He let out a heavy breath.

"You might… never see me again."

"Are you going with that wizard?" Ashley suddenly turned her head. Old Barton’s eyesight was not what it used to be, but he could still see that Ashley was very interested in the person codenamed Witch Raven.

Old Barton did not know whether that was a good thing or not. He believed Witch Raven might be a superhero, because Old Hawkeye could sense values and principles in him that were completely different from those of this world. That was something ordinary people could never imitate.

Only someone who had truly lived in a world governed by law, peace, and justice could develop such a worldview. Judging from his age, Witch Raven clearly could not be a "local" of the wasteland.

That was why Hawkeye was more willing to believe that he really came from a parallel world. Besides, compared to his earth-shattering experiences in his younger years, something like that was hardly strange.

But precisely because of that, Hawkeye was even more worried. He did not want his daughter to get involved in danger out of a momentary curiosity.

Perhaps Old Barton was not a good father. He had money to buy Wolverine’s child a game console, yet he would not use that money to make up the child support he owed. But his love and guilt toward Ashley were genuine.

With a sigh, Old Barton spoke slowly.

"No. We have the same goal. Maybe we’ll work together in the future, if I can come back alive. But before that, I have some personal business to take care of, and I have to do it alone. I came this time because I wanted to see you, Ashley."

"Oh, you’ve seen me. Now you can leave."

Ashley’s voice still carried no emotion. It was as cold and biting as the winter wind, as though Old Hawkeye was not her family at all—less than even a stranger.

After a long silence, Hawkeye finally left.

He did not know what he should say. Perhaps he had taken the wrong path from the very beginning. If not for him, Ashley would not have become like this. It was all his responsibility.

As he walked out of Tonyia’s Auto Repair Shop, Old Hawkeye’s figure looked exceptionally bleak in the wind.

He silently leaned against his car, and his thoughts turned to Witch Raven.

He was not sure whether Witch Raven would act on the intelligence he had provided. Originally, his plan had been to act alongside him, fight evil in the wasteland, take revenge on those dictatorial supervillains, and become a true Avenger.

But regrettably, that brat had simply left, abandoning him behind.

"Have I really gotten old?"

Old Hawkeye’s vision was somewhat blurry. He did not know how much time his eyes had left him, but he knew that if he wanted revenge, this was his last remaining chance.

Thinking of the expression on that brat Witch Raven’s face before he disappeared, Old Barton burned with rage. He wiped a hand over his weathered face, forced himself to pull himself together, then turned and opened the car door before getting in.

"Hmph, you didn’t want to take me with you. You’ll regret it!"

Driving out of Hammerfall City, Hawkeye cast off his previous dejection.

The target of his journey was the culprit that had kept him from sleeping peacefully all these years—the Thunderbolts.

When Magneto and Absorbing Man buried the Avengers’ last hope, the remaining forces under Hawkeye’s command still had the strength to fight. Even if they could not win head-on, they could at least have covered a retreat.

But at that moment, the Thunderbolts, who had been inseparable from Hawkeye’s team and had worked with them countless times, betrayed them.

They ruthlessly turned their attacks on the comrades who had entrusted them with their backs. With the Thunderbolts switching sides on the battlefield, the Avengers had no room left to maneuver. Only Hawkeye, whom the villains had deliberately spared, had survived to this day.

Hawkeye dreamed of personally killing those traitors who had hurt him!

To do that, he had to find a way to obtain their exact intelligence and location.

Fortunately, Old Barton had not spent all these years in the wasteland for nothing. He happened to know of a place that might be able to meet his needs.

So he drove to a small town outside Hammerfall City and entered a nightclub called Dazzling.

The moment he stepped inside, lively, deafening music crashed over him.

"Welcome, sir. Is there anything you need?"

The enthusiastic attendant spoke.