Rendezvous

Chapter 231: Rendezvous

"Dad, I’m over here."

Ashley closed her eyes speechlessly.

She truly didn’t know how to express what she was feeling right now. Ashley’s heart was in turmoil. Looking at her father, who was nearly blind yet still worried about her, she felt a little uncomfortable.

"Huh? Oh." Old Barton silently turned around at the sound of her voice, then forced a smile and shook his head. "Ah, getting old, haha."

Perhaps sensing that the atmosphere was a little off, Pietro quickly spoke up and changed the subject.

"By the way, it’s about time. When is Miss Lance getting here? Are you sure this is where you agreed to meet? Nothing could have happened to her, right?"

"Probably not. No matter what, she’s a superhero from another world. I don’t think members of the Justice League would be weak," Kara guessed.

To Kara, the organization her cousin had built had to be the kind that burned like a blazing fire when gathered and shone like countless stars when scattered. Even in another world, they definitely wouldn’t be ordinary people.

"Did you forget that one guy is currently tied up in Red Skull’s hands?" Pietro reminded her.

"He isn’t part of the Justice League," Kara immediately replied. After a pause, she continued, "We should hide for now. There are too many of us standing together. We’re drawing too much attention."

Kara and the others had arranged this meeting spot in advance to rendezvous with Lance, who was coming from Bishop City. Although their preparations had been meticulous, they had still underestimated how bustling Great Lake City was.

The streets were packed with people. Countless burly men with strong, powerful builds patrolled the roads, while factory workers in uniforms passed by from time to time. Among them, Kara and the others, wrapped in robes, looked completely out of place.

Kara had already noticed several gang members nearby glancing at them repeatedly. If those people hadn’t been unable to identify them, they probably would have come over to question them already.

But it wasn’t appropriate to just stand there, either. More and more gang members were gathering around them. If some fool among them came over looking for trouble, all of them would be exposed.

"Kara’s right. We can’t stay here any longer. I remember there’s a bar nearby. I know the owner fairly well, so we can get a private room there," Old Barton said after thinking for a moment.

He had spent years traveling all over the wastelands and was familiar with most major cities. Great Lake City, which was not far from Hammerfall City, was naturally no exception.

"What about Lance? We agreed to meet her in an alley in the Third District," Pietro raised his head.

"It’s fine. That’s not a problem." Old Barton waved his hand, then pulled out several specially made arrowheads. "I’ll leave her some markers at the original meeting spot. Since she can recognize the codes Kate and I use, she’ll naturally understand what these markers mean."

These specially made arrowheads had been crafted by Old Barton using Peter Parker’s webbing. They were highly adhesive and well concealed; only someone familiar with him could spot them hidden on the walls.

And even if someone else discovered them, it didn’t matter. They wouldn’t understand the codes at all, and after a few hours, the arrowheads would melt away and evaporate, leaving no trace behind.

Squinting with effort, Old Barton arranged the corresponding markers based on his blurry vision and muscle memory. Then he stood up and swept out a hand.

"Done. Let’s go!"

"Dad, this way."

"Oh, right, right. Forgot."

Hawkeye’s eyesight truly wasn’t as sharp as it used to be, but the map didn’t lie. Under Ashley’s guidance, the group of five found the bar without much trouble.

The bars in Great Lake City operated twenty-four hours a day. No matter the time, the place was always lively, and people often came here to lose track of time and drown themselves in drink and pleasure.

It was evening now, and the number of people arriving was steadily increasing. Because of that, Barton and the others didn’t draw too much attention, receiving only a few curious glances at most.

"Get us a private room. A big one." Reaching the bar counter, Barton smiled and pulled out the cash in his pocket, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.

When they had left Baron Zemo’s place, they had gotten their hands on quite a bit of money. Most of it had been buried somewhere hidden, since they didn’t have a convenient magic pocket like Zhang Ye’s.

"The usual?" The bartender recognized Barton and silently took the money. "Do you need me to prepare Ace of Spades for you again this time?"

"No need. We’ve got serious business today. Work to discuss." Old Barton laughed heartily, then led everyone deeper into the bar with practiced ease. Clearly, he had been here more than once.

The dim lighting inside the bar, coupled with its intoxicating atmosphere of excess, calmed everyone’s nerves somewhat. After living with their lives on the line, there was nothing more comfortable than indulging themselves for a while. Perhaps that was why so many mercenaries liked coming here.

After walking all the way to the deepest part of the bar, Old Barton opened the innermost door. The instant it opened, dazzling lights flashed inside the room, and the speakers began playing accompaniment music.

"Sit down, sit down. Don’t be shy. I used to come here often when meeting clients. I’m on pretty good terms with the owner. We worked together a lot before."

Seemingly guessing everyone’s curiosity, Old Barton took the initiative to explain his relationship with the owner and why he was so familiar with the place.

"That bartender knows you, Barton. Don’t forget, you’re still on Hydra’s wanted list. He could sell all of us out," Pietro said with a slight frown.

"Don’t worry, Pietro. He won’t. Do you know why so many people come here? Because this place isn’t under Hydra’s control. Countless outlaws live here precisely because Hydra’s reach doesn’t extend this far," Barton said confidently.

"It had better be." Pietro pondered for a moment and said nothing more, but he soon turned to look at Kara.

Their eyes met, and Kara understood what Pietro meant. She gave a slight shake of her head and said, "The music is too loud. I can’t monitor what’s happening around us."

"It’s fine. Leave that to me." At that moment, Melissa, who had remained silent until now, spoke up. "I’ll monitor the sound waves around us. Barton was right, that bartender didn’t report us, but—"

"But what?"

Both Pietro and Kara couldn’t help asking.

"But…" Melissa’s expression became a little strange.

"But it looks like he’s picking out pretty girls to drink with Barton."

In an instant, everyone’s eyes turned toward Barton. Ashley’s glare was the most obvious of all.