Tonyia’s Auto Repair Shop

South Dakota, Grand Canyon.

The mounted police force under Red Skull’s command was handling a crime scene here.

Earlier, the mounted police had received a tip. After sending officers to investigate, they had indeed found several corpses inside the canyon. Strangely, every one of those corpses had the exact same face.

"What do you think happened, Sheriff?" a young officer asked curiously.

"Looks like you don’t know much about this place. This guy’s called Jamie Madrox, an old name on the wanted list. Rumor has it he used to be one of the X-Men, but now that old lunatic often robs passing merchants around here," the older sheriff said.

"Sheriff, what are the X-Men?" the young officer asked, baffled.

At that, the sheriff froze.

Then his expression immediately darkened, and he cursed at the officer. "What the hell does it have to do with you?! Hurry up and dig a hole to bury these damn things. Don’t delay me from getting my drink!"

"O-okay."

The young officer shuddered and hurriedly got to work.

He did not know why the old sheriff had suddenly become so furious, but he did know that his family had given up everything to secure this job for him. He absolutely could not earn the old sheriff’s disgust, or his family would be finished.

"The X-Men…"

Suddenly, an unfamiliar voice came from behind the two mounted police officers, drawing both their attention.

"They were a group of superheroes who upheld justice and brought hope to people. Every member of their team possessed immensely powerful abilities. When they were at their height, every villain had to hide in the shadows, too afraid to show their face."

"Who are you?! How dare you illegally trespass into a crime scene we’re processing!"

The old sheriff snarled viciously.

But the man did not react at all. He simply examined the bodies that had been gathered together.

"Our killer used eight arrows to target eight members of the Madrox Gang. Then he fired them in rapid succession, killing every duplicate here with a single blow. You should know that a duplicate’s only weakness is the head. Striking any other part of his body cannot kill him; it will only make him keep duplicating."

"I won’t ask a third time. Who exactly are you!?" The old sheriff’s hand had already moved to the gun at his waist.

At that moment, the man stood up. He slowly removed his hat, revealing his face.

"No offense intended, mounted police."

He was an elderly bald man with a grotesque bullseye mark on his forehead. He had a curled mustache, while the upper left side of his face had been mechanically modified. A metal lens covered his left eye, emitting a faint red glow.

"Oh! God…"

Upon seeing his true face, the old sheriff and young officer’s eyes widened in disbelief. At the same time, they immediately holstered their guns.

"I-I’m sorry. I failed to recognize you just now, respected Marshal. Lord Bullseye!"

"No need to apologize, Sheriff."

Old Bullseye grinned, wearing an ecstatic smile as though he had never been so happy or excited in his entire life.

"You didn’t recognize me because not everyone is fortunate enough to speak with me. But today, my friend, we’re both very lucky."

"Because, dear Sheriff, this was not done by bandits or merchants. It was the work of someone we have not seen in these parts for a very long time—a superhero!"

Hammerfall City, morning.

The newborn sun burned with all its might, scattering the light of hope across this wasteland as best it could.

Zhang Ye had risen early. Or rather, in this world, it was difficult for him to sleep peacefully at all.

Kara was the same. She did not even dare to fully extend her senses, because even with her five senses greatly weakened, she could still clearly perceive the crimes taking place around the hotel, as well as the pleas and wails of the victims.

Perhaps only Pietro could sleep soundly under such circumstances. As long as Zhang Ye was beside him, the boy felt exceptionally safe.

"What’s our plan?" Kara asked curiously.

"Don’t rush, Kara. You and Pietro stay here and behave. If you get hungry, you can eat the instant food I left in the wardrobe," Zhang Ye said calmly.

"What about you?"

"I need to meet an old friend nearby."

"An old friend?" Kara frowned. She did not believe Zhang Ye would know any "friends" in this wasteland, but she quickly realized what he meant. "One of the heroes who survived those criminals?"

Zhang Ye nodded. "You could say he survived, but I’m not sure what state he’s in now. So it’s best not to let him see you yet, especially Pietro."

Zhang Ye’s target was Hawkeye Barton. Based on the timeline, Hawkeye had not yet begun his path of vengeance, but he had no fixed residence, making him difficult to find. Fortunately, he had a family in Hammerfall City—his ex-wife ran an auto repair shop here.

Barton’s ex-wife was Spider-Man Peter Parker’s youngest daughter, a Black woman named Tonyia Parker. Though she was Spider-Man’s child, she had not inherited his superpowers.

As for Old Hawkeye, over the years, hatred had already driven him mad. Whenever he closed his eyes, he saw Natasha dying in his arms. It tormented him every night, leaving him with no choice but to drown his sorrows in alcohol.

After suffering such an enormous blow and torment, Hawkeye had cast everything aside. There was only one thought left in his mind: revenge against the villains from back then. For that, he was willing to gamble everything.

Along the way, he had long abandoned his identity as a hero. Barton chose to stand against the world and fired the first shot of rebellion. Because of his nearly crazed actions, many people in the wasteland, including the second Hawkeye, had been deeply affected. He had even indirectly caused Wolverine’s family to die.

Therefore, Zhang Ye still could not judge the mental state of an old man who would stop at nothing for revenge and would eventually die for it, much less bring Kara and Pietro with him.

After all, this world’s Quicksilver had sacrificed himself right in front of Hawkeye Barton.

Standing quietly outside Tonyia’s Auto Repair Shop, Zhang Ye kept his eyes fixed on the interior, watching the passersby nearby and the customers entering and leaving the shop. He even spotted Ultron robots handling repairs.

But unfortunately, Zhang Ye did not see Old Hawkeye Barton there. It seemed Barton was not around at the moment.

Just then, a crisp voice suddenly rang out behind Zhang Ye.

"Are you some kind of pervert? You’ve been staring at my house this whole time."