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The silence was deafening, almost suffocating.
It was an incredibly uncomfortable and awkward silence!
Banner, even when he wasn't transformed, was a very cultured person. Although he looked somewhat disheveled, he carried himself with grace.
After a long, awkward pause, he was the first to break the silence: "I think there must have been some misunderstanding."
"Mm-hmm, you're right," Arthur agreed quickly, nodding. "Please come in."
As Banner stepped inside, Arthur was still a bit dazed.
Why had this legendary figure suddenly shown up at his place?
Thinking about the note Banner had been holding earlier, Arthur's mouth twitched.
Shaking his head in resignation, he closed the door and went inside.
Seeing Banner walking in front of him, Arthur couldn't help but look down at his pants...
He quickly slapped his own face. What a messy situation!
If he annoyed this guy, Hulk could tear the place apart in no time!
Hulk's destructive power was more ferocious than anyone could imagine.
Banner looked around and seemed to be complimenting Arthur's place: "Your place is..."
After thinking for a moment, he could only say, "So spacious."
"You're right," Arthur replied. "I've been thinking about getting a desk, maybe changing the signage, and opening a detective agency or a jack-of-all-trades shop. After all, people keep coming to me for help, and I don't even know when I became the go-to guy for such things."
Arthur couldn't help but smile.
Banner looked embarrassed: "If I've caused you any trouble, then I..."
"No, it's not your fault," Arthur sighed. "I know a little bit about what happened to you."
"..."
After a moment of silence, Banner finally said, "Before we continue, can I confirm a few things with you?"
"Sure, let's go upstairs to the living room and talk."
---
Once upstairs, with another glass of water in hand, Banner seemed a little uneasy as he spoke: "Before we go any further, I need to confirm something. Was it you that night?"
"Well, I really didn't mean to rip your pants off," Arthur felt he had to address this directly.
"It's okay," Banner replied instinctively, then realized his answer was problematic.
What do you mean, it's okay? Ripping your pants is okay? He thought for a moment and added, "As long as you don't do it often..."
"So occasional tearing is okay?"
Arthur was surprised when he heard this and asked back.
"Of course not..."
Banner was at a loss. What a messy situation he had found himself in!
Arthur wiped the sweat from his brow and said, "This is a misunderstanding. It's all a big misunderstanding!"
"Anyway..." Banner reorganized his thoughts and continued, "You seem to know a lot about my situation. If you're the person from that night, then I can be a little more at ease. You see, sometimes I can't control my emotions, and when something like that happens, I need someone to keep me from doing things I'll regret."
"So confused..."
Arthur clicked his tongue and said, "Before we get into that, can you tell me how you found me?"
"Of course."
Banner said, "I originally wanted to leave the country, but in the end, I was stopped by the military. You see, they're very different from what I thought the military was. They didn't want to arrest me, they wanted to talk to me. Although there were some minor unpleasant moments at first, we managed to communicate successfully. They suggested that the way to help me was... to find you!"
Arthur sighed softly. "And then?"
"Then I came here."
"..." Arthur was speechless. That was rather hasty, wasn't it?
"They don't seem to be bad people," Banner continued. "And they told me that if there's anyone in the world who can help me, it's you! I don't have too many demands. In fact, if I can just keep my sanity in... this state and not harm those around me, I would be satisfied.
Arthur fell silent after hearing this.
The military… and that note… everything seems like a mess!
It seemed that Pepper had indeed been hiding a lot of things from him.
If she was so willing to help with the experimental supplies, she must have known about Banner coming here, right?
If that was the case, Arthur was beginning to have trouble understanding her intentions.
The fact that Banner was sent here clearly indicated that someone had access to certain information!
And... they must have confirmed his identity!
The creation of the Hulk was a tragedy that resulted from the military's research into Super Soldier Serum.
The inventor of the Super Soldier Serum was Dr. Erskine!
In this world, the number of people who knew of his connection to Dr. Erskine could be counted on one hand... and now, the only person alive who knew was probably one person!
Agent Carter!!!
Only Agent Carter could have made this situation possible!
"Is it you?" Arthur frowned slightly. "But if it is you, why go through such a large circle to reach me?"
Unless there are reasons that force you to do so?
In the silence, Arthur suddenly pulled the note out of his pocket, opened it, and saw a line of neat handwriting: "Please... be yourself!"
There was no additional information, just that one sentence, and Arthur fell into deep thought after saying that.
At that moment, his mind was in turmoil.
Seventy years is enough time to change a person, but some deep-seated things don't change!
If it were Agent Carter, once she was sure of his identity, she wouldn't go through such a roundabout way to reach him.
Unless she's in a situation where she can't contact him directly!
So something unexpected must have happened to bring things to this point.
But if that was the case, Arthur suddenly felt a sense of relief.
Not rushing to find Agent Carter after arriving in this world might have been the best choice!
Using the name Instructor and appearing in some people's view might have inadvertently given Peggy Carter a good hand!
And if Agent Carter really had a plan, then now, his identity was probably only known to a few.
Otherwise, SHIELD should have come knocking by now.
Looking at Banner, Arthur was basically certain of his guess.
"Please…" Arthur's mouth curved into a slight smile. "No need to be so formal with me. We're… old comrades after all!"
...