The next morning, at the military's second base on the outskirts of New York, military helicopters and transport planes periodically landed at the expansive airfield.
Elite soldiers from all over the United States gathered there, their muscular arms bared under the sun. They huddled in teams, discussing and conversing as if preparing for a secret war.
A black military officer and a middle-aged general with graying hair stood on a low hillside next to the airfield, inspecting the elite soldiers gathering below.
"General, I've gathered all the soldiers you requested. They are the cream of the crop, and there's even one top-tier recruit!" The black military officer grinned confidently, showing off a row of white teeth.
"Buzz!"
Just then, a military helicopter began its slow descent. The soldiers and the officer looked up to see the helicopter's cargo door wide open. A blond young man sat nonchalantly near the door, his face expressionless, his hair disheveled – the image of a top-notch soldier.
"Emil Blonsky, born in Russia, transferred from the British Royal Marines, with the title of most outstanding all-around soldier," The black military officer proudly introduced. "I believe no one is better suited for this secret operation than him."
"Jo, don't speak so soon. If you knew that last night I successfully enlisted..." Ross's words were cut off when a private helicopter flew into the airfield, marked with Stark Industry and Supernatural Incident Bureau logos.
"He's here, quick, let's go." Ross waved his hand, his excitement evident on his face as he left the hillside to personally greet the newcomer.
The black military officer hesitated for a moment before hurriedly following suit.
Two helicopters, one private and one military, descended almost simultaneously, bringing the last batch of elite soldiers called for the mission.
With the addition of Jo, the officer in charge of the mission, and Ross, who appeared in person to greet the arrivals, the sight surprised and drew the attention of the soldiers and officers on the airfield.
Emil had just jumped out of the helicopter with a backpack on his back when he saw the renowned General Ross approaching him. Even with his well-trained composure, he couldn't help but be slightly startled.
"General!" Emil stood respectfully and saluted. Ross, however, only nodded lightly and walked quickly past him, heading towards the private helicopter parked on the ground.
The cargo door of the private helicopter opened, and a silver-haired young man slowly descended. He was dressed in casual attire with a hood and seemed to be yawning out of boredom, giving the impression that he had come on vacation rather than to answer a summons.
But the moment he appeared, the entire military base's airfield fell into a sudden hush. The soldiers and officers on the field stared in shock and excitement as if they were witnessing a living legend stepping out of the precious archives of military history.
Kyle had contacted the email sender the previous night, leaving Raina behind at the new company in New York. He arrived at the base alone, accompanied by Venom and Vis.
As he stepped out of the helicopter's cargo hold, he saw a middle-aged general walking toward him. Kyle opened his mouth to inquire, "Are you the Thunderbolt?"
"Thunderbolt is just a nickname others gave me."
Ross firmly shook Kyle's hand, displaying great respect and maintaining direct eye contact. His eyes were slightly red. "Mr. Kyle, I'm General Thaddeus Ross. You can call me Ross. I'm Joseph Taylor's son."
"Joseph's son?" Kyle was momentarily stunned, recalling a scene from over sixty years ago when a new recruit had faced off against an instructor in a training yard as the sun set.
He sighed and said, "It's been a long time. Is Joseph still doing well?"
"Father, he passed away twenty years ago." General Ross's eyes welled up with tears, and he looked sincerely at Kyle. "Before he passed away, he often mumbled your name, but we couldn't reach you back then to let him see you one last time."
Kyle didn't say much, instead patting General Ross's shoulder reassuringly and sighing softly.
This was the reality of being a regular human - born, aging, suffering from illnesses, and eventually passing away. Kyle and General Ross continued their conversation while making their way to the base's office.
The black military officer stood in the middle of the airfield, still in a daze. From the moment Kyle appeared, he, like the other soldiers around him, had fallen into a dreamy state of awe.
They had actually summoned the Symbol of Peace— was this so-called secret mission meant to destroy a country?!
"Symbol of Peace," Emil whispered as he clenched his fist, a dim melancholy clouding his eyes. Even with his extraordinary achievements in the military, there was a whole new level above him. No soldier could catch up or even touch that pinnacle; they could only look up in reverence.
Inside the general's office, after Kyle took a seat, General Ross closed the door and retrieved a classified document from his drawer, handing it over for Kyle to examine.
Kyle didn't waste any time and opened the file to read. Inside was information about a young man and a thick stack of classified documents.
"What you're holding now is the personal file of Bruce Banner, along with the classified files related to the Hulk incident," General Ross explained briefly. "Bruce Banner used to be a Biologist professor at Culver University, working on a project involving lifeform cell technology enhancements. However, due to a laboratory accident involving lifeform technology, he was exposed to a massive dose of gamma radiation, which caused a transformation in his body. He became the incredibly powerful green lifeform shown in last night's video, which we refer to as 'Hulk.'"
As Kyle flipped through the file, there were numerous pictures depicting various sizes of military units engaging Hulk at different locations and times.
All these encounters, big and small, ended in unmitigated disaster for the military. In every picture, whether it was a tank or a fighter jet, without exception, they were crushed and torn apart into piles of scrap metal.
General Ross continued, "After several failed attempts to capture him, Hulk disappeared. During these four years, the military suspected he might have reverted to his human form and hidden in some corner of the world."
"You contacted me in such a hurry because you've found him, right?" Kyle smiled and made his assessment.
"That's correct." General Ross nodded, his expression grave. "A few days ago, an elderly man bought a bottle of Brazilian-made beverage from a supermarket in New York. After consuming it, he died on the spot. Doctors detected an extremely high level of gamma radiation in the beverage. After two days of investigation, I'm confident that Hulk is hiding in Brazil. We've even narrowed down the specific location."
"As long as you've found him," Kyle said, nodding and putting down the file. He looked directly at General Ross and asked, "Are you willing to follow my instructions throughout this mission?"
"Of course!" General Ross nodded firmly.
"Very well. I'll give you my first order right now," Kyle said in a solemn tone. "For this mission, all combat personnel are to be assigned to logistics and evacuation duties, ensuring the safety of civilians who may be affected by the coming fight."
"As for Hulk, leave him to me."
(End of this chapter)