Marvel: Awakening the Universe.

Chapter 234 The bigger the storm, the more expensive the fish! (5K-word chapter!)
Gwen led Caroline and Hawke into the house.

Stefan, Elena, and Bonnie the Black Witch are still outside.

Oh.

In just one hour, Damon will die as the sun rises, turning to ashes in endless pain and wailing.

but……

Damon doesn't want to die.

"Stephen, Stefan..."

Damon, whose mouth had been freed by Hawke but whose limbs remained bound, saw Stefan approaching him with a strange expression and hurriedly called out, seemingly wanting Stefan to save his life.

Stefan approached Damon, looked at Damon whose eyes revealed an endless desire to survive, and shook his head with a bitter expression: "Damon, you've really messed up this time."

This is why he never uses hypnosis to win a woman's heart.

Of course.

The main reason is that he doesn't need it, and the second reason is that hypnosis is a despicable and criminal method.

If no one pursues the matter, that's fine, but if someone does pursue it, and that person is far more powerful than them, they don't even have the right to harbor resentment.

Because Damon was in the wrong first.

It was Damon who hypnotized Caroline first. Caroline may not have the power to seek revenge on Damon, but Caroline's cousin... she has a fiancé with terrifyingly powerful abilities who can knock her and Damon unconscious with just a glance.

and so……

Stefan shook his head and looked at Damon: "I have no other options this time."

If he were stronger than Hawke, he might have been able to use the excuse that Damon was immature and that Caroline wasn't seriously injured to forcibly rescue his brother.

This has nothing to do with morality, it's all about strength.

If he were better than Hawke, he really would have done it.

After all, no matter how lousy Damon is, he's still his brother.

Unfortunately, Hawke, who could knock him unconscious with just a glance, was terrifyingly powerful.

Moreover, Hawke can also take Damon away from a distance.

Such an existence is simply beyond his ability to defeat.

The most important thing.

He couldn't even stand on the moral high ground to criticize Hawke, since Hawke had a legitimate reason to do so.

Who told Damon to strike first?

He's always trying to hypnotize this person or that person. Well, he's finally managed to hypnotize a powerful figure he can't afford to offend, and he's probably hypnotized himself into losing his life.

Elena, standing to the side, looked at Damon, who was bound, opened her mouth, but ultimately chose not to say anything.

Bonnie, the black woman, looked at the bound Damon and shrugged: "Be a good person in your next life, Damon."

Damon was stunned.

He was completely dumbfounded, looking at Stefan, who said he was doomed this time, Elena, who was speechless, and Bonnie, who told him to be a good person in his next life.

Wait a moment.

This doesn't make sense. Shouldn't the three of them be trying everything to save themselves? But putting Stefan aside, why do Elena and Bonnie look at him with such disgust?

All I did was hypnotize Caroline.

He didn't just hypnotize Caroline; he's hypnotized countless women over the years.

What's so important that you'd want to die over this?
Why.

Damon's thoughts raced as he looked at the beginning of the whitening sky, his gaze fixed on the direction Hawk and the others had just left. He shouted, "Caroline, I..."

His mouth was open.

But all you could see was his mouth trying to open and close, yet no sound came out.

Back on the sofa on the first floor, after muting Damon's voice again, she smiled slightly and looked at Gwen sitting beside her: "Continue."

Gwen frowned and asked, "Is there a way to make Caroline a normal person again?"

Hawke raised his eyebrows.

Upon hearing this, Caroline looked at Gwen and said, "Cousin, I don't want to turn back."

Gwen looked at Caroline.

"But you're only seventeen."

“I know, but I prefer being who I am now to being an ordinary person. I can hear very far, I can run very far, and I can even live forever.”

Caroline described to Gwen the surge of her senses after becoming a vampire and the near-immortality of vampires, saying, "And I saw another world, and I don't want to go back."

As Gwen listened to Caroline's words, she remembered something Hawk had said before and subconsciously looked at Hawk.

Eyes facing each other.

Hawke shrugged, as if to say, "See, I told you."

From frugality to extravagance is easy, from extravagance to frugality is difficult!
one more time.

An ordinary person who becomes a vampire and experiences the vampire's super strength and speed will generally not choose to become an ordinary person who gets out of breath after running a few steps.

Just like in the X-Men universe.

After the development of the mutant healing serum, which mutants went to get injected with it, wanting to return to a normal life?

Those mutants who want to turn back into normal people are all mutated, but they are the lowest level of mutants who have only changed their appearance and have no abilities at all.

Even Professor X, who is so protective of humanity, why doesn't he go and turn a mutant who can know everything with a thought back into a normal human?

Most people are driven by self-interest.

Although vampires have many flaws, their near-immortality alone is enough to offset all of them.

and--

Hawke glanced at Caroline, shook his head to meet his fiancée's gaze, and said, "The transformation into a vampire is irreversible, and even if I could, you wouldn't want me to turn her back."

Gwen frowned.

"why?"

“She was already dead before the transformation, remember? That’s what triggered the vampire transformation process and brought her back to life.”

"..."

Gwen remembered what Caroline had told her about the transformation process, and looked at Caroline, who was also resisting becoming a normal person again.

at this time.

The phone rings.

Gwen took out her phone, glanced at it, and then handed it to Hawke: "Natasha's."

Hawke reached out and took the phone, got up from the sofa, and put it to his ear.

"Natasha."

"G... Hawke, the results are in."

"you are right."

"The telomere length of Dr. Myrick that we captured did not match the normal DNA length."

“His bone age test results were also incorrect.”

"Although the Dr. Merrick we captured looks exactly like Dr. Merrick in the database, his bones show no signs of damage, and there are no traces of any signs of illness or injury."

"His bones were so smooth, they looked exactly like those of a baby who was not even a month old."

Natasha, at S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, stared at the two test results displayed on her computer screen and spoke to Hawke in disbelief: "But I can't understand it. You said clones don't have souls, but he does."

Hawke smiled.

"Cloned humans should indeed not have souls."

"Then he..."

"I already know the reason."

"what?"

Natasha was slightly taken aback and a little curious. Hadn't Hawke gone to Georgia for vacation? How did he suddenly know the reason?
Hawke smiled and didn't hide anything from S.H.I.E.L.D.: "It's related to the dimensional war. As for why I got involved, I'm still investigating. I'll tell you when you ask me again."

Dimensional Wars?

Natasha understands dimensions, but not many; she does understand war, though.

She instantly became alert.

"Is there anything SHIELD needs to do?"

"not needed for now."

Hawke smiled and said, "Alright, that's all for now, bye."

Say it.

He hung up the phone immediately, then looked at the lawn, which was gradually brightening as the sun rose.

into the eye.

As the sun rose, Damon, bound to the spot, also met the end of his destiny.

Wisps of smoke began to emanate from Damon's body.

Damon's mouth was agape.

He seemed to want to shout, to scream, but his voice was as if it were blocked; his mouth was open, but no sound could be heard.

Hawke glanced sideways at Gwen, who had walked up to him, arms crossed, calmly watching everything.

"Would you like to hear his screams?"

Will Grandpa be woken up?

"will not."

"……never mind."

Gwen thought for a moment, shook her head, and then looked at Caroline beside her: "This is what a vampire is like. A vampire who will die completely if they lose that ring and are exposed to sunlight. And you still insist on wanting to be a vampire?"

Caroline looked at Damon outside on the lawn, his mouth agape, his face contorted, and billowing smoke rising from his body. Then she said to Gwen, "Cousin, the human Caroline is dead."

Gwen looked at Caroline.

after awhile.

She sighed, took the Sun Ring that Hawke had just taken from Damon's hand from her pocket, grabbed Caroline's cold right hand, and slapped the ring into Caroline's palm. Then she looked at Caroline, her tone tinged with helplessness. "Remember to carry a spare ring with you."

"...Thank you, cousin."

Caroline looked at the Sun Ring in her palm, and upon hearing Gwen's words, she was first taken aback, then realized what she meant, looked up at Gwen, and gave her a bright smile.

at the same time.

Damon also disappeared from the lawn.

He physically disappeared, but compared to being directly vaporized by Hawke's Phoenix Ray, at least Damon, who was killed directly by ultraviolet rays, still left a trace of his existence on the lawn.

Stefan stared blankly at the white marks left on the lawn.

Elena was also puzzled.

Only Bonnie, the little black woman, looked at the white marks on the lawn, with only one thought in her mind.

Thank goodness, this scourge is finally gone.

God can bear witness that, in Bonnie's opinion, many of the misfortunes that have befallen the town are caused or provoked by Damon.

Now that Damon is dead, Bonnie genuinely feels that the troubles in Fallstown can be reduced by more than 90% instantly.

Gwen then looked away from Hawke and said, "I'm going back to my room to rest for a while."

Hawke raised an eyebrow: "I'll go with you."

Gwen smiled, did not refuse, and turned to walk towards the stairs.

Seeing this, Caroline, who was standing still, looked at Gwen who had turned around and said, "Cousin, then I..."

Hawke glanced at Caroline.

You should say thank you.

"Thank you."

Caroline subconsciously said thank you, then looked at Hawke, who followed after her cousin without looking back.

"Then I..."

"Do whatever you want, we're here to visit Grandpa and have a vacation."

Hawke spoke without turning his head, then caught up with Gwen and followed her toward her room, intending to get some sleep as soon as possible.

soon.

Hawke and Gwen disappeared into the stairwell.

Caroline only looked away after the two figures disappeared, then walked out of the manor and came to the side of Bonnie and Elena.

She watched as Stefan, who seemed to have somehow found a plastic bag, collected the white dust from the lawn into it, and thought she should say sorry.

But Caroline suddenly remembered something.

She's the victim here.

and so……

Caroline, realizing what was happening, looked at Stefan, who was bending over in front of her, opened her mouth, but swallowed back the words she was about to say.

Bonnie, the black woman, walked to Caroline's side and whispered, "I'm sorry, I didn't know you were being controlled by Damon."

She didn't like Damon, and at that time, Caroline was on Damon's side, so Bonnie, the little black girl, didn't like Caroline either.

But now she knows why.

Caroline smiled as she looked at Bonnie, the little black woman who was apologizing to her.

Elena, who was standing nearby, hugged Caroline and apologized as well.

As for Stefan.

After collecting his brother Damon's ashes, Stefan stood up, looked at Caroline, and said something with a forced smile.

"Feel sorry."

"It's all in the past, Damon..."

"He was never a good person."

Stefan, seeing Caroline hesitate, interrupted, "So, perhaps death was a relief for him."

Even though Damon is his brother.

but……

If Damon had been killed for no reason, he would have done anything to avenge Damon.

Damond's death was of his own making.

one more time.

You hypnotized someone, and when their relatives found out, they were furious and killed you.

How can he avenge you now?

The most important thing.

When Stefan said that death might be a relief for Damon, he actually added in his heart that it might also be a relief for him.

no way.

Damon is a real troublemaker, and he never cleans up the mess.

To put it bluntly, which of the young and beautiful female tourists who come to Waterfall Town hasn't been drained of their blood by Damon? Every time, he's the one who's busy making the female tourists forget the memory and cleaning up Damon's mess.

The most important thing.

His brother used to fight him for Catherine, and now he's fighting him for Elena.

It's okay to die.

It's fine if I die.

only……

Stefan thought to himself, putting the plastic bag away, and looked at Elena: "But without Damon, what will happen to the progenitor Klaus..."

They already knew the purpose of the first ancestor Klaus from Elijah.

Furthermore, they had already made a deal with Elijah, the progenitor: if they helped find the Moonstone, Elijah would ask his brothers to forgive their offense and pardon their disrespect.

But now that Damon is gone, their strongest fighting force is gone.

Moonstone…

They probably won't have a chance to get it.

Elena's expression stiffened as she listened to Stefan mention Klaus, the progenitor of the empire.

Seeing this, Caroline said to Elena, "Don't worry, Hawke will take care of it."

Upon hearing this, Elena looked at Caroline.

"Will he make a move?"

"why?"

That's what he said.

"Uh……"

Caroline looked at the three people staring intently at her, told them about her cousin Gwen's answer, "It's not needed anymore," and then said to Elena, "So, don't worry."

Elena nodded. "Thank you, Caroline."

Caroline smiled slightly: "We're friends. I'll confirm this with my cousin once she's rested."

Elena forced a smile and nodded.

"what?"

You're saying that Catherine is an angel?

"But isn't she a vampire?"

In Hawke and Gwen's room.

Gwen pulled the blanket over herself and wrapped it around Hawke as he rolled to the side. Then, looking at Hawke lying beside her, she blinked and said, "Also, didn't you say before that Heaven had been driven out of Hell?"

Hawke, who was in a brief state of enlightenment, glanced at Gwen, who exuded an alluring scent even though she was wrapped in a blanket, and smiled: "Obviously, they've come back. Also, Catherine isn't an angel. I'm just saying her soul comes from the Heavenly dimension."

Gwen nodded upon hearing this, then looked somewhat curious.

"What does this have to do with you? Seizing the power of life and death over Earth, isn't that Mephisto's business? How did you get dragged into this?"

"Yeah, I'm curious too."

Hawke chuckled, and after regaining his senses, he shifted his body and pulled Gwen into his arms. While inhaling the fragrance of Gwen's hair, he voiced his suspicions.

"First, this was an accident."

"The real Dr. Merrick may have made a deal with the Heavenly Dimension to use cloning technology to help the Heavenly Dimension release more souls to Earth, thereby accelerating the progress of the silent conquest of Hell and Earth."

"Secondly, without a doubt, this was intentional."

"Dr. Merrick is the spokesperson for the Heavenly Dimension. He covets my power, so he wants to copy my power for his own use."

Gwen was his fiancée, and as he told her, as his fiancée and future Mrs. Phoenix, Gwen enjoyed everything he had.

Gwen and he had started from humble beginnings, so he had nothing to hide.

Hawke is not a civil servant.

He's a Saint Seiya.

Since ancient times, we have only heard of civil officials replacing their wives who had shared hardship when they entered the capital; we have never seen a military official replacing his wife who had shared hardship.

Gwen listened to Hawke's two speculations, then looked up at Hawke, whose eyes were darting around.

Which one do you think?

"I hope it's the second one."

"Ok?"

Gwen raised an eyebrow at Hawke's answer: "You want the Heavenly Dimension to deliberately make you your enemy, why?"

Hawke's lips curled into a smile.

"because--"

“The louder the storm, the more expensive the fish!”

"..."

(End of this chapter)