Guess who is the one asking for lift?
(Pretty obvious from the Chapter's Name)
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When Tony Stark woke up, he found himself lying in a U.S. military base.
The first thing he saw was Rhodey's familiar face.
"How was the taste of that wild ride, Tony? Next time, remember to share a car with me, okay?" Rhodey said with a smile.
God knows the immense pressure he'd been under this past month.
"Rhodey!" Tony smiled warmly and hugged his good friend.
"Blake, right, where's Blake?" Suddenly remembering something, Tony's expression changed dramatically, and he pushed Rhodey away to ask.
Looking around the room, he saw Hawkeye, Black Widow, and even Yinsen, but Blake was nowhere to be seen. Recalling the events before he lost consciousness, Tony realized what had happened.
"Rhodey, go rescue him! Blake stayed behind to cover our retreat. Go save him!" Tony demanded urgently.
Rhodey already knew what had happened. He'd heard about Blake from Tony before.
But regarding the rescue, he said, "I'm sorry, Tony. The military is willing to take risks for you, but your friend, I'm very sorry, Tony."
"He saved me. I can't leave him behind!" Tony Stark stood up, agitated.
"Tony, listen to me. This is an international border issue. We can't just storm into a non-ally country for one person. I've already submitted a request, and I'm sure they'll communicate with the other side soon," Rhodey said, trying to comfort him.
"By the time they approve the request and communicate, it'll take several days. We all know how slow the bureaucracy is. After all, it's not the famous Tony Stark in danger now but an unknown person, right, Colonel Rhodes?" Hawkeye said sarcastically, although he knew Rhodey was in a tough spot.
Regardless of who it was for, Blake had stayed behind to ensure everyone else's escape.
"Do you have any good ideas? If I'm not mistaken, you guys are agents, right? You should have some special means or something," Tony said, looking at Hawkeye.
"The military refused to provide a plane, but our own Quinjet is on its way and should arrive in about twenty minutes," Black Widow said calmly.
Under the circumstances, leaving Blake behind had been the best chance for the group's survival. But that didn't mean Black Widow wasn't worried.
However, after showing their credentials, the base commander had refused to provide a plane. They had no choice but to contact the nearest S.H.I.E.L.D. intelligence office and urgently request a Quinjet.
It had been about an hour since they left Blake.
Even though Blake was a super soldier, Black Widow was starting to get anxious.
Blake, on the other hand, was completely unaware of Tony's situation. Even if he knew, he wouldn't care much at this moment.
Because the person in front of him had left his mind reeling.
"It's you?" he exclaimed in surprise.
The traveler looked surprised and confused, with a hint of fear.
"You know me?"
Know him? Of course, Blake knew him. He just never expected to meet him here.
"There was a picture of you in my university lab, hanging next to Marie Curie's. Dr. Bruce Banner."
"It's an honor to meet you here!" Blake opened the car door and got out, tossing a bottle of water to Banner.
"Drink some water. Judging by your appearance, you're probably out of supplies," Blake said while scanning the rear to see if anyone was following them.
In his mind, he was frantically recalling scenes from the movie "The Incredible Hulk". Marvel's movie timeline was never strictly linear, but key events like those in "Iron Man" and "The Incredible Hulk" both took place in 2008. However, which one came first was unclear.
Blake remembered that after Bruce Banner first transformed into the Hulk and escaped General Ross's pursuit, he fled to Brazil, where he met a teacher who taught him to control his heartbeat. Later, he risked returning to the U.S. to meet his online contact, Mr. Blue. After battling the Abomination, Banner vanished.
According to the storyline, Banner then was next seen in India during "The Avengers". So, this encounter likely took place after his battle with the Abomination and before he went to India.
After sorting out the timeline in his mind, Blake continued speaking.
"You need a ride, Doctor? Don't worry, I'm not a bad guy. My car broke down, so I bought this one from a militant for $30,000."
"You know, this is the Middle East!" Blake shrugged, trying to sound relaxed.
It wasn't that he particularly wanted to bring Bruce Banner along. It was just that as soon as they met, the system issued a new task: [Gain Bruce Banner's trust, become his friend, and help him evade military pursuit.]
"System, isn't it a bit too much for me to get involved between Banner and the military right now? Can't this task wait?" Blake asked internally.
[This system only issues tasks based on the people and events the host encounters. Completion is not mandatory, but the Marvel world is fraught with danger. Earning more points will help the host unlock the store and gain more powerful abilities sooner.]
Though the system's tasks were laid-back with no penalties for failure, the points were indeed highly beneficial. Blake gritted his teeth and accepted the task.
At worst, he could prioritize his own safety if things got too dangerous. There was no time limit on the task, after all.
Blake then casually explained why he was driving a militant vehicle. He knew that Banner harbored a strong aversion to the U.S. military, which was one reason he chose to come to Asia. Compared to the America and Europe, Asia was where the U.S. had the least influence.
Hearing Blake's explanation, Bruce Banner looked troubled. The weapons on Blake's vehicle did intimidate him, but not because he feared being attacked. He worried about causing harm if he transformed. Yet, without getting in the car, he was low on supplies and might transform due to physical exhaustion.
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