Now that he thinks about it, this is rather peculiar.
Hulk, born from Bruce Banner's anger, sustained extensive burns under the Eternal Flame. However, once he reverted to his human form as Bruce Banner, the burns on his body seemed to have miraculously disappeared.
Although Bruce Banner remained unconscious, his hair was only slightly ruffled, and his bare upper body was fair-skinned, as if he hadn't just been through a fierce battle.
"Hulk..."
Inside the aircraft cabin, Kyle observed Bruce Banner in Elisabeth's arms and couldn't help but narrow his eyes.
The coexistence of Hulk and Bruce Banner was somewhat similar to Kyle and Venom; while they shared a single form, they weren't the same lifeform.
Since Bruce Banner showed no signs of burns, this saved Kyle quite a bit of time. He instructed Vis to control the aircraft and return to the Stark Tower and send notifications to two locations: SHIELD headquarters and the Stark Tower.
As the Starfighter touched down on the rooftop of the Stark Tower, a red-haired woman was already waiting on the helipad.
As Kyle emerged from the aircraft, he glanced at the woman before him, and it wasn't Black Widow, but Natasha.
"Sir," Natasha immediately said and saluted upon seeing Kyle.
In addition to representing her role as the Deputy Director of SHIELD, Natasha was also a member of the Carl Family, making her an elite spy in the Natural Affairs Division.
"You're here so quickly?" Kyle was a bit surprised.
"I was already on standby in this area, waiting for you, having heard about the battle at Culver University. I just happened to see your message," Natasha explained with a charming smile on her face.
"This is him..." Kyle nodded towards Elisabeth, who was pushing the unconscious Bruce Banner in a wheelchair.
"Yes. The Avengers needs top-tier combat power, and he's my recommended candidate," Kyle shrugged and continued, "Shall we head to the meeting hall?"
In the Stark Tower's meeting hall, Kyle sat in the main seat with Raina standing behind him, gently massaging his tense shoulders, which had been strained from the battle.
After assuring Bruce Banner's girlfriend, Elisabeth, that he was safe, she left the meeting hall, leaving the still unconscious Bruce Banner behind.
Natasha, on the other hand, was scrutinizing Bruce Banner closely, intrigued by how this seemingly harmless young professor, who was currently unconscious, was the same green-skinned monster that had left even the armed forces helpless.
They didn't have to wait long. Out of nowhere, a curved streak of light suddenly blinked into existence high above, revealing the swift approach of a golden-red-painted Iron Man. It came to a sudden stop, hovering just outside the windows of the meeting room.
*Kaboom!* Iron Man gently rapped on the glass, then pushed open the window and walked into the meeting hall. He was quite familiar with the surroundings and casually took a seat on one of the couches.
Due to the weight of his titanium alloy Iron Man suit, the soft leather couch noticeably sagged.
"Tony," Kyle shook his head helplessly upon seeing him.
Since publicly revealing his identity as Iron Man, Tony Stark had been holed up in his workshop, rarely attending public events. He had even stopped driving his sports cars and now spent his days flying around the city in his Iron Man suit.
"Godfather, I just came out of the workshop, so I didn't change my 'clothes' for this meeting," Tony said as he took off his helmet, revealing a tired face with a somewhat ironic smile.
With Tony's arrival, the new Avengers had practically assembled.
Tony's gaze fell on the still-unconscious Bruce Banner, and similar to Natasha, he asked in amazement, "Is he the Hulk? He doesn't really look like it."
"He can transform," Kyle chuckled and glanced at his wristwatch. "Vis, can you wake him up?"
The wristwatch automatically detached from Kyle's wrist and fell onto the smooth floor of the hall, and transformed into an irregular mechanical form, turning into a small robot.
"Hello, everyone. I am the personal steward of the owner, Vis."
The robot had quite a gentlemanly demeanor as it bowed and saluted those present.
*Cough.*
On the table, Iron Man's helmet blinked and emitted a special greeting from J.A.R.V.I.S.
Vis and J.A.R.V.I.S., are strangers until now, in a way.
Amid the surprised gazes of everyone, Vis hopped over to Bruce Banner's feet. Placing its mechanical hand on his bare skin, it quickly diagnosed, "He's not injured, but his mental state is a bit confused, which is why he's in a state of unconsciousness. A little electrical stimulation will help with this."
With that, it sent a small electric shock that caused his body to convulse involuntarily.
"Don't roast me!"
Bruce Banner exclaimed in shock, his eyes snapping open, fear still evident on his face.
"See, all better," Vis said, spreading its hands and stepping back.
"Where am I? And who are all of you?" Bruce Banner looked around, feeling perplexed. The modern, high-end conference room and the silvery-haired youth, the leather-clad woman, and the upper half of Iron Man all gazing at him forced him to the brink of utter confusion.
Kyle calmly said, "Nice to meet you... Well, actually, we've met twice, and we've fought twice."
"Twice? You've fought the Hulk and came out unscathed?" Bruce Banner was taken aback. As he looked at Kyle, his initial shock turned into a sense of recognition.
That's right, the person in front of him looked uncannily like the statue at Culver University.
Bruce Banner trembled, finding it hard to believe, and said, "Are you the Symbol of Peace? In the flesh?"
Kyle calmly nodded. It appeared that he was still a living fossil, a sight that left everyone on Earth surprised.
"Cough, Professor Banner, we have met before. Do you remember me?" Tony Stark cleared his throat.
In his own way, Tony was also a bit helpless. Every time he was with the godfather, he had to actively assert his presence.
Bruce Banner was now fully awake and looked at Tony, his eyes widening as he said, "Yes, we met at a scientific conference five years ago. You are Tony Stark, Chairman of Stark Industries. But why are you wearing the Iron Man suit?"
"Well, you see..." Tony awkwardly scratched his head, unable to admit that it was just a habit of being cool.
Natasha, sitting with her legs crossed, was the last to speak, "I'm pretty sure you don't know me. I'm Natasha Carl, the current Deputy Director of SHIELD."
"Symbol of Peace, Stark Industries, SHIELD..."
Bruce Banner grew increasingly astonished, his brow furrowed, as he asked his biggest question, "Why am I here?"
"Well, you'd have to ask the Hulk inside you," Natasha laughed, her red lips parting as she explained, "You had just transformed into the Hulk at a California university, fought with our leader Kyle, and then, after reverting to your human form, Kyle brought you here before the military could arrest you."
This was quite a lot for Bruce Banner to process. His mind racing, he looked nervously at the group of people. "So, what do you want with me?"
"What we do depends on your choices from here on out," Tony said, initially raising his hand to scratch his chin but quickly realizing that he was wearing the Iron Man suit, he lowered his arm and cleared his throat. "We'd like to invite you to join a team."
"Avengers."
Kyle picked up where Tony had left off, his gaze fixed on the bewildered Bruce Banner.
The Hulk, the elite fighter who had battled his way through the Marvel World, the high-end combatant who could take on any challenge on Earth.
(End of this chapter)