Previously, Black Widow had mentioned that due to the issue of national borders, it was impossible to make a large-scale entry to rescue Tony.
Blake thought that a few people would come to deliver some equipment and supplies to make it easier for the two of them to infiltrate the Ten Rings camp.
Unexpectedly, S.H.I.E.L.D. directly sent another ace agent, Hawkeye.
Hawkeye appeared in front of Blake on foot at one o'clock in the morning.
Just like in the movies, he wore a black combat suit, carried a quiver of arrows on his back, and held a compound bow in his hand.
He also carried a bag containing various individual combat weapons.
Perhaps it was because the actors in the movies were generally older, but all the characters Blake had seen so far looked much younger than they did in the movies.
Hawkeye looked at most thirty years old, very energetic, with a cold expression on his face.
"Clint Barton, Agent Barton, this is Blake," Black Widow gave a brief introduction.
"Agent Romanoff told me about you. You got Isaiah's blood and became a super soldier. You're lucky, kid!" Hawkeye extended his right hand to Blake.
'Calling me kid and saying I'm lucky? Heh!' Blake sneered inwardly and reached out to shake Hawkeye's right hand.
'As expected, testing me?'
Seeing Hawkeye's strong arm, Blake smiled slightly and exerted some force with his hand.
Hawkeye's expression instantly changed.
"Hmm?!"
God knows, Hawkeye was just giving a normal handshake, but Blake, thinking too much, immediately increased his strength.
His current strength was measured in tons, and even the top agent Hawkeye was still within human limits.
"Hey, Blake, what are you doing? Let go!"
Fortunately, Natasha pulled Blake away in time, otherwise, Hawkeye wouldn't have been able to draw his bow today.
"Are you okay?" Natasha looked at Hawkeye, whose face had turned red.
Hawkeye didn't say anything. He shook his hand and flexed his palm, indicating that he was fine.
"What were you doing? Are you crazy? Why did you squeeze so hard during a handshake?" Natasha questioned.
Blake was also embarrassed. Actually, he knew immediately when he applied force that Hawkeye wasn't trying to test him; otherwise, there would have been some resistance.
It was completely like a sneak attack.
He scratched his head awkwardly and explained with embarrassment.
"I thought he was going to test me. That's how it is in the movies, and he called me kid and said I was lucky..." Blake's voice grew smaller and smaller, feeling very embarrassed.
"Sorry, Agent Barton. How about I not resist, and you squeeze back?"
Blake extended his right hand.
Hawkeye looked at him, holding back the urge to punch him in the nose. He could tell, this kid was a complete rookie.
"You owe me one, remember that!" With that, he turned around coolly to pack his equipment.
As soon as he turned, Hawkeye's face twisted in pain, almost bringing tears to his eyes.
There was no helping it; his hand bones hurt too much from being squeezed.
This brief episode meant that he and Hawkeye had started off on the wrong foot but had gotten to know each other through the confrontation.
...
At four o'clock in the morning, it's said to be the time when humans are in their deepest sleep.
A figure slowly infiltrated the vicinity of the Ten Rings camp.
"I've reached the designated position! Over!"
Blake was lying less than twenty meters from the camp, wearing night vision goggles the size of regular sunglasses.
He spoke softly.
"Copy that! Stay put, observe the camp, and wait for instructions. And stop saying 'over,' this isn't a movie, rookie!" Hawkeye's voice came through the earpiece.
On a small sand dune about a hundred meters from the camp.
Hawkeye finished speaking, turned off the voice communication, and aimed a bow at the camp.
"Want to have a little contest? The usual rules?"
Next to him was Black Widow, holding a sniper rifle equipped with a silencer.
"Sure! I didn't expect to have a chance to fight alongside you in the desert. Looks like Fury really values Stark!"
Black Widow was carefully observing the sentry positions in the camp through the sniper rifle's scope.
"It's not Stark he's valuing, it's this kid Blake. It's obvious he wants us to train a rookie."
Hawkeye adjusted the small monocular sight on one of his eyes, which seemed to be his standard equipment for long-distance archery.
"I'll count to 3, and we start together. 1, 2, 3!"
"Whoosh!"
"Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Ever since absorbing the super serum, Blake's senses had become sharper than those of ordinary people.
He heard the sound of arrows whistling through the air.
As the sound echoed, he saw sentries in the camp ahead falling one after another.
Some had arrows directly piercing their throats, while others had holes opened in their foreheads.
It must have been Black Widow and Hawkeye taking action together.
In less than two seconds, all seven or eight sentries, both visible and hidden, fell to the ground.
Immediately after, there were footsteps behind him.
Hawkeye quickly ran up from behind.
As soon as he reached Blake, Hawkeye drew his bow and arrow, staring intently in the direction of the camp.
Then Blake saw Black Widow running towards them from the small sand dune with fluid movements.
When she arrived, she didn't say a word and directly set up her rifle, aiming at the camp.
"I'll go to that cave on the left. If anyone comes out, I'll hold them off. Stark should be on the right. You handle it. Got it?" Hawkeye glanced at Blake.
Blake made an OK gesture.
"Go!"
At Hawkeye's command, Blake sprang up from the ground. This showed just how effective basic combat skills were.
Not just in combat techniques but also in knowledge of firearms and even in a hostage rescue mission like this.
Although it was Blake's first time, his running and walking were entirely trained. He didn't look like a novice at all!
Hawkeye gave Black Widow a thumbs-up secretly.
Experts can recognize skill; moving quickly while avoiding obstacles and being mindful of enemies that could appear at any moment.
It's easy to tell if someone's experienced.
"This kid isn't bad!" Hawkeye said and then followed, running towards the camp.
Whether it was because of their relaxed vigilance or confidence in their chosen position, there were no guards inside the cave, except for two guards at the innermost gate.
At this moment, both were sleeping against the big iron gate.
Blake hesitated for a moment, then drew a silenced pistol and shot each of them once.
Killing for the first time, Blake initially thought of using a knife but decided a pistol was better.
Maybe it was because he used a pistol or because he was eager to rescue people, but killing from a few meters away with a pistol didn't cause Blake any discomfort.
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