If you didn't see it with your own eyes, you'd never know how powerful the Hulk truly is.
Even though the Hulk in the movies is weakened a thousand times compared to the comics, he remains unbeatable until a Skyfather-level character appears.
The sheer force behind every punch and kick made Blake, hiding behind a distant sand dune, deeply uneasy.
In the face of such a berserk Hulk, Blake felt that as a super soldier, he was no different from those Ten Rings terrorists.
If there was any difference, it would just be between one punch and two punches.
"System, this task is insane. I feel like I'd be killed before I even open my mouth."
Watching from a distance as the Hulk crushed a man's head into a bloody mist, Blake swallowed hard.
[No pain, no gain. If you can't even handle this task, You better go back to live a miserable life working off your debt as a corporate slave.]
"Curse you! Always looking down on me!"
Why do other people's systems offer hundredfold returns for purchases or automatically level up from eating and sleeping? Why is mine so difficult, with crazy tasks and constant insults though there is no penalty for failing the task which is a relief?
Despite the complaints, Blake knew he had to complete the task. The reward was too enticing.
The Hulk had already killed most of the Ten Rings terrorists. The remaining few were either scared senseless or fleeing madly.
Seeing that most of the people were dead and the cars were mostly wrecked, Blake figured the Hulk might have calmed down a bit.
Gritting his teeth, Blake stood up from behind the dune.
"Hulk!" Blake greeted the Hulk warmly, smiling like a village girl spotting her beloved returning.
The only difference might be the absence of a fluttering handkerchief in his hand.
"Roar!!!"
Unfortunately, the Hulk didn't understand this sentiment. With a roar, he leapt and landed heavily in front of Blake.
Without a word, the Hulk swung a punch at Blake.
As the Hulk charged at him, the pressure almost made Blake instinctively dodge.
Barely managing to steady himself, he was suddenly faced with a fist the size of a cooking pot.
So aggressive!
Punch first, talk later!
Muttering to himself, Blake quickly dodged the Hulk's punch.
"Wait, Hulk, I'm not with them. I mean no harm. I just want to talk."
"Hey! I know you don't really want to hurt anyone. You just can't help but get angry and cause destruction, right? I have a great solution!"
While dodging the Hulk's punches, Blake quickly voiced what he remembered from Thor: Ragnarok, hoping to touch the Hulk slightly.
"Hmm?"
Perhaps due to the lingering impressions from Banner, the Hulk felt that Blake was indeed different from the group that attacked him. Or maybe Blake's words had some effect, as the Hulk's third punch stopped mid-air.
(In "The Incredible Hulk" movie, Banner and the Hulk seem to have a form of shared memory, although not comprehensive, it does exist. However, in later Avengers movies, Hulk and Banner's memories appear to be separate. Here, we assume a middle ground, where Hulk has very vague impressions of people and events encountered by Banner.)
"Whoosh!" Blake let out a long breath.
"I'm not your enemy, Hulk. I want to be your friend. Can we talk?"
Heart pounding, Blake raised his hands to show he had no hostile intent toward the Hulk.
"Friend?" The Hulk muttered the word.
And then...
"Bang!"
A sudden punch sent Blake flying over twenty meters, crashing into the sand.
The Hulk immediately jumped to his side, grabbing him with his thick arms, squeezing Blake in his grip.
"A solution, tell Hulk, or Hulk will tear you apart!" Just as Blake thought he was done for, the Hulk spoke to him.
"There are many bad people in this world, even some monsters different from ordinary people. I'm not talking about you; I actually like your green skin. I mean like Abomination, that ugly guy you fought in New York, remember?"
Being able to communicate was a good start, and Blake said excitedly.
"Hulk remembers. He puny. Hulk Smash him!"
"Roar!"
The Hulk's behavior showed a mix of innocence and beastly nature. Mentioning his victory over Abomination, he roared triumphantly like a male beast boasting about his achievements.
"Hey! Hey! Big guy, you can roar all you want, but can you put me down first? You're choking me!"
During his roar, the Hulk subconsciously tightened his grip, nearly choking Blake.
"Hulk forgot. You too weak. Hulk use no strength!" The Hulk said as he released Blake.
"Cough, cough!" Blake coughed a couple of times, adjusting his clothes.
"Not everyone is as strong as you, Hulk. You need to learn to control your strength."
"Hulk's strength great. Where monsters bad people. Hulk Smash them!" The Hulk shouted, his voice making Blake's ears ring.
"I need to find the monsters and bad people first, Hulk. We need information. They won't just appear in front of us."
"Hulk find! Now!"
Another roar!
"No, no, no! The bad people are far away. We need to take a plane. You know planes, right? Hulk is too big for a plane. You need to turn back into Banner!"
"Plane!" The Hulk mumbled.
He seemed to recall some bad memories, like the military helicopters that attacked him.
"Hulk hate planes. Hulk hate Banner. Hulk no Banner. No!" The Hulk clenched his fists again, on the verge of going berserk.
"I understand, I understand. Listen, I don't like Banner either. That guy speaks so pretentiously, really annoying. But we need Banner's help, right?"
"Whether it's finding bad people or just going out, Banner is more convenient than Hulk, right?"
Like dealing with an innocent child, Blake began to slowly reason and negotiate with the Hulk.
*******************************************
You can get access to early chapters on patr*on.
If you like my work and you want to support me then you can become my patron on patre*n.
My patr*on account is S_Pandey_0170