The dark sky.
The boundless sea.
Merrick, his face pale, lips blue, struggled to keep from sinking into the increasingly turbulent water, paddling with his hands while his eyes were filled with despair, his lips moving incessantly, his voice trembling.
"Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name…"
"Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven…"
"May your glory, like the light of dawn, shine upon…"
Hawk stood on the deck, one hand in his pocket, looking down at the stopwatch on his wrist, ticking incessantly.
Then—
He looked up at Dr. Merrick in the water and smiled slightly.
"Time's up!"
"No, no, no."
Dr. Merrick in the water heard Hawk's calm words, then saw Hawk's equally calm expression, and instantly panicked, his prayer for God's blessing becoming more and more urgent.
Even when Hawk used his telekinesis to lift him from the water, and his neck was squeezed in Hawk's hand, his prayer was so urgent that it was visibly desperate for God to descend and bless him.
The result!
Nothing happened.
Hawk looked up, glanced at the night sky where not even a single star could be seen, then withdrew his gaze to Merrick, who was still praying: "Stop it, your God won't come."
He wasn't very disappointed by this.
If he doesn't come, he doesn't come.
It's God's loss if he doesn't come, not Hawk's; God will know when Hawk fights his way into Heaven Dimension.
But Dr. Merrick was utterly despairing.
"It won't happen."
"It won't happen."
"God won't abandon me, I am God's most devout follower."
"I've bled for God, I've been imprisoned for God."
Dr. Merrick spoke with increasing agitation, looking at Hawk: "God won't abandon me, wait, it must be the wind is too strong, the water is too cold, causing my prayer not to be received by God, yes, it must be like this, let me go, let me go, let me go, when I return to land, I will definitely pray for God to forgive you."
Hawk looked at Dr. Merrick in his hand, his expression agitated, from initial despair to fanatical self-persuasion, even saying he would ask God to forgive him, and his mouth twitched unconsciously.
Dr. Merrick's expression was fanatical.
"I am the new Noah, believe me, only I can lead humanity to survive in this war between Angels and Demons."
"Noah?"
"Yes, I am…"
"I think you look like a watermelon rind."
Hawk interrupted directly, looking at Dr. Merrick in his hand, frowning: "I even doubt now that you are not a follower of God at all, just a fraud using God's name."
Merrick pressed his hands against Hawk's arm, shouting excitedly.
"No, I am, I am the new Noah, God said so himself."
"Oh, really."
"Otherwise, how would I have the red apple personally bestowed by God?"
"You mean this?"
Hearing this, Hawk's mind stirred, and he retrieved the bitten red apple that he had put into the Underworld and showed it to Merrick.
Merrick's eyes lit up at the sight of the red apple right in front of him, and he reached out to grab it: "This is mine, give it back."
Hawk put the red apple away again, smiling at Merrick in his hand: "Tell me how God found you, and I promise I'll let you stay with the red apple."
Merrick looked at Hawk, his expression suspicious?
"Really?"
"I never lie."
Hawk's tone was calm as he met Merrick's suspicious gaze, then he released his right hand from Dr. Merrick, took a step back, leaned against the railing behind him, enjoying the sea breeze, and smiled at Dr. Merrick: "When you finish your story, I promise to reunite you with your red apple."
Merrick, soaking wet and even shivering a bit, slumped onto the deck, looking at Hawk.
"You swear to God."
"Alright."
"I swear to God, as long as you tell me the truth, I promise I will reunite you with your red apple. If I lie, may I not enter Heaven after death and be captured by God."
Hawk raised his hand and swore a solemn oath to God without any change in expression, then lowered his hand, motioning to Merrick with his eyes.
"It's your turn, Dr., speak."
"It started when I was invited to help S.H.I.E.L.D. solve a case."
Dr. Merrick looked at Hawk, who had sworn an oath to God, and let down his guard. After a moment of silence, he recounted the entire process of his meeting with God.
The story was long and tedious.
Simply put, as a global expert in biology, Dr. Merrick had naturally collaborated with S.H.I.E.L.D. before.
And there was one collaboration where Dr. Merrick went to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s sandbox warehouse, which stores strange items S.H.I.E.L.D. found or confiscated from all over the World, to identify a certain sticky substance that seemed to have its own vitality.
This identification lasted for a month. Because he had collaborated with S.H.I.E.L.D. several times and was considered an old acquaintance, Dr. Merrick had some special treatment during the sandbox identification process, such as being able to browse various strange items stored in the warehouse during breaks.
For example, a mirror that bled, a comb that talked, and a reindeer head that was just a head and could still talk.
The red apple was what he saw during one of his browsing sessions.
And then he became engrossed.
Dr. Merrick claimed that the moment he saw the red apple, he heard God's voice.
God told him that the reason his secretly experimented clones always failed was because they lacked souls.
Because Dr. Merrick's piety touched God, God, who had long given up on Earth, once again turned his attention to this World, which had been corrupted by demons after his departure.
God told Dr. Merrick that he would be the new Noah and the new Jesus, and that he should use the tens of thousands of pure souls in the red apple to create a new humanity.
He would descend to Earth soon, unleash another great flood to cleanse this World defiled by demons, and then, only he and the new humans he created could board the new ark and reach a new World after the great flood.
Dr. Merrick believed him, then stole the red apple. Under the pretense of providing perfectly matched organs for the wealthy, he garnered investments from them, continuously expanding his cloning Base, attempting to build an unprecedented new human race created by him.
After that, he was captured by S.H.I.E.L.D.
But Dr. Merrick firmly believed that this was God's test for him, just like Jesus was nailed to the cross by ignorant humans back then.
Being captured by S.H.I.E.L.D. did not shake Dr. Merrick's faith; instead, it made him even more convinced of God's promise.
He, Merrick, was the new Jesus.
After that, he was rescued by HYDRA. Initially, Dr. Merrick was very resistant to cooperating with HYDRA.
After all, he was God's chosen one, and HYDRA, by all appearances, seemed to be the representative of demons.
But he quickly realized.
HYDRA saved him, while S.H.I.E.L.D. persecuted him, just as they persecuted Jesus back then.
So… HYDRA wasn't a villain at all.
Dr. Merrick then reached a cooperation agreement with HYDRA. HYDRA would promise him funding and a cloning Base, and in return, Dr. Merrick would help HYDRA use Hawk's blood to clone their own Hydra Captain.
Hawk listened to Merrick recounting his story of being chosen by God as the new Jesus and the new Noah, then looked up at Merrick.
"What's the situation with those several buried pits outside the Base with clones in them? Didn't you say you were going to build a new human race? Why did you destroy them after creating them?"
"God's will."
"Oh?"
"After God left in disappointment with humanity, demons had already occupied Hell. God wanted to shine his light on this World again, so he needed devout souls as precursors, to fill Hell."
"So…"
Hearing this, Hawk looked thoughtfully at Merrick: "You're constantly cloning me, and then constantly killing me, just so that the formatted souls in the red apple can pass through my clones and go to Hell?"
Dr. Merrick nodded.
"Very correct."
"You're using my clones as tools for soul cleansing."
"No way, there are so few people in this World who are pious to God, and God has lost faith in them, so he chose me."
Dr. Merrick explained this, and when he mentioned that God had chosen him, he couldn't help but puff out his chest, seemingly very proud.
Hawk was expressionless.
"Why me?"
"What?"
"You want to cleanse God's soul, do you have to pick on me alone? Can't you clone other people?"
"No."
"What?"
"God said, you are Samael!"
"Who?"
Hawk heard this, and before Dr. Merrick could explain, he subconsciously raised an eyebrow: "Lucifer Morningstar?"
Dr. Merrick was a little surprised, then seemed to think of something, and said with a smile: "Yes, you were adopted by the church, Hawk, this is no coincidence, because you are Samael, the former Archangel."
Hawk chuckled, but didn't refute Merrick, instead he held out his hand: "Go on, I am Archangel Samael, this is also what God told you."
"Yes."
"You are Samael."
"At least partially."
"God told me that your soul has also been defiled by this World now occupied by demons, so, cloning you, and then killing you, is helping you."
Dr. Merrick nodded with immense certainty, then looked at Hawk, and said with fervent eyes: "Those souls baptized by your clone will eventually become part of your soul, and when they develop, when they grow, when they become strong, they will cleanse your soul, allowing your soul to evolve, and you will return again, Archangel Samael!"
Hawk understood.
He nodded, looking at Dr. Merrick.
"So, God wants his soul to take over my body?"
"No, no, no."
Dr. Merrick shook his head repeatedly.
"It's not taking over, but evolution. Your soul has been defiled by demons. Only when a pure soul reintegrates with you will you understand your true identity. You are Samael, you are the Archangel, you are…"
"Enough."
Hawk directly raised his hand to interrupt.
Dr. Merrick, who was speaking excitedly, subconsciously shut his mouth, looking at Hawk.
Hawk then looked at Dr. Merrick.
"Last question."
"Samael, you speak."
"Sa…"
Hawk listened to Merrick, who was renaming him, and his mouth twitched again. Suppressing the urge to kill Merrick right now, he said directly: "Strucker, where is he, do you know?"
Dr. Merrick shook his head.
"I don't know."
"Really don't know?"
"I've told you everything I know. After all, you are the new Samael, I am the new Jesus, we are on the same side."
This guy's brain has been muddled by deception.
Hawk thought to himself as he listened to Dr. Merrick's words, then smiled slightly at Dr. Merrick in front of him.
Dr. Merrick stood up from the deck, shrugging his shoulders.
"So, can I have the red apple back?"
"Of course."
Hawk smiled, his eyes instantly turning crimson.
"Bang!"
"Pfft!"
With the Phoenix Ray shooting out, Dr. Merrick, still smiling and fantasizing about continuing to serve God, instantly vaporized before Hawk's eyes.
Hawk retracted the Phoenix Ray, and pouted as he watched Dr. Merrick's soul, pulled by his Underworld, plunge into the netherworld.
When did he say he would return the red apple to Merrick, or when did he say he would let Merrick leave?
Hawk had always said that if Merrick cooperated, he would reunite Merrick with the red apple.
Where is the red apple now?
The Underworld.
It was currently being played with by his sister Anna.
Where is Merrick now?
He also went to the Underworld.
So… he didn't lie, nor did he break his promise, although he really wanted to break it to see if God would appear.
But Hawk thought about it and felt there was no need to consume his character for God.
One sentence.
God?
He is not worthy!
So, God is also planning to play a game of killing two birds with one stone.
He fooled the poor, idiotic Merrick, making Merrick clone his body and cleanse souls like money laundering, allowing the processed souls to silently infiltrate Hell, while secretly tinkering with his Death Angels, and simultaneously gathering these souls, attempting to use these souls, which have passed through his clone and are already in his form, to take over his body.
Tsk tsk.
This imagination… it's comparable to HYDRA back then.
The old HYDRA fought on two fronts, fighting the Soviets while also fighting the West.
This God is the same now.
He not only wants to go to war with Mephisto, but he also wants to take care of him while dealing with Mephisto.
Hmm.
As expected of God.
Hawk described HYDRA's approach as utterly foolish.
But for God's approach, he chose to describe it with four other words.
Commendable courage.
But if you have this courage, why don't you show up and face me?
Your new Jesus, your Noah, and even the red apple you used to invade Earth are all in my hands. Aren't you going to show up, even project yourself here, and say some harsh words?
You can lose the battle, but not the spirit.
You are God, be energetic, don't lose points.
Hawk stood on the deck, looking up at the still pitch-black night sky, his mind churning, hoping to meet God.
The result… once again.
When he asked Merrick to pray for God's arrival, God didn't appear. Now he had chopped up Merrick, and even his soul and the red apple storing tens of thousands of souls had been packaged by him, yet God still didn't appear.
Clearly.
God is offline.
Alright.
Seeing this, Hawk sighed with some regret that he couldn't meet God tonight.
However… God didn't come.
But other things did.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Just as Hawk withdrew his gaze from the night sky and glanced at the turbulent sea, four splashes erupted around the speedboat.
The next second.
Four U.S.… no.
They were black mermaids.
Four black mermaids, perfectly integrated with the darkness, holding spears, leaped out of the sea, looking at Hawk on the speedboat with angry, hateful eyes, screaming: "Genocidal murderer, die!"
This voice is… Wakanda?
Hawk raised an eyebrow, looking at the distorted face of what appeared to be a Wakandan remnant in front of him, holding a spear and frozen in mid-air. He then reached out and pinched her neck, pulling her in front of him to examine her carefully.
Upon closer inspection.
He then realized that this black woman, who seemed to be a Wakandan remnant, was not black.
Wakandans have black skin, but this black woman in front of him had skin that was a bluish-gray color, similar to some deep-sea fish.
And her physical features were also distinctly different from Wakandans.
She had webs between her fingers, and not just her fingers, but also between her toes, there were translucent webs.
Her ears were also pointed.
And her eyes were large and somewhat deep-set, with luminous patterns on her exposed, bluish-gray skin.
Clearly.
These four were not Wakandan remnants.
But their angry shouts just now were indeed in the Wakandan language.
Hawk was certain of this.
But… when he destroyed Wakanda, he didn't find this new species with bluish-gray skin, webbed fingers, and pointed ears in Wakanda.
Could they live by the Wakandan coast?
Wakandans in the sea?
Hawk frowned in thought, then looked at the little black woman held in his hand, whose bluish-gray skin was gradually turning red. He thought he was pressing too hard, so he loosened his right hand to allow her to breathe freely.
But… the little black woman's pupils gradually widened, and her face also gradually turned red.
It wasn't just her; the other three little black women, holding spears and frozen around the speedboat, were also the same.
Hawk unsealed the mouth of the little black woman in front of him.
The next moment.
The little black woman opened her mouth, looking at Hawk with fear and pleading in her eyes.
"I…"
"I can't breathe."
"I can't breathe!!"
"…"
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