Tony Stark casually remarked, "In the meantime, Coulson's reports, Selvig's notes, articles on extraction theories…" He added incredulously, "Am I the only one doing the homework here?"
While they were discussing how Loki might use the Tesseract, Barton and the others, under Loki's control, were already in action.
High above, in a remote corner of the aircraft carrier, Syd, who had been admiring the view, suddenly focused his attention on the distance.
"Is it starting...?"
A black fighter jet was approaching rapidly from afar.
The carrier's radar had long detected the incoming jet.
A female staff member was attempting to communicate with it.
"Transporter 66B, please enter the confirmation code. The computer has your information but lacks your flight records. What cargo are you transporting...?"
On the fighter jet, Hawkeye Barton smirked slightly and replied, "Weapons and ammunition…"
As the crew on the fighter jet prepared various firearms, Barton readied a special bow.
While the people aboard the carrier were busy talking and even arguing, Barton stood at the open hatch of the fighter jet, notching an arrow and slowly drawing back the bow.
With a whoosh, an arrow equipped with a small explosive was fired straight into the carrier's outer hull.
Boom!
A massive fireball erupted, accompanied by a deafening roar.
The carrier suffered significant damage, with several parts breaking off and the entire vessel shaking violently.
Tony Stark and the others were shocked but quickly responded.
Captain America grabbed his shield, while Tony Stark rushed toward his armor.
In the chaos aboard the carrier, employees were running in all directions.
"Alert, alert! All personnel, take note!"
The carrier's loudspeakers blared with warnings.
"Engine 3 has lost control…"
As they scrambled to deal with the situation, Barton and his team appeared on the carrier's deck.
"Don't let them repair the engines!" Barton commanded.
"Understood, sir."
Meanwhile, Dr. Banner, overwhelmed by the stress of the situation, was lying on the floor, struggling in agony.
"We'll be alright!"
"Hang in there, Banner!"
Black Widow, who was beside Dr. Banner, hurriedly tried to comfort him.
Despite her efforts, Dr. Banner was uncontrollable, beginning his transformation into the Hulk.
His body began to swell, his skin turning green, muscles bulging, and his clothes ripping apart.
With a roar of rage, Dr. Banner completely lost control, now fully transformed into the Hulk.
The Hulk's gaze quickly locked onto the nearby Black Widow.
Natasha's heart skipped a beat as she realized the danger and immediately tried to escape.
However, she hadn't made it far before the heavy footsteps of the Hulk could be heard closing in.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The Hulk rampaged through, destroying various equipment in his path.
In the carrier's glass enclosure.
With his keen hearing, Loki detected the commotion and a smile curled at his lips.
Roar!
The Hulk roared in anger.
In a shadowy corner.
Watching the Hulk's rampage, Syd pondered thoughtfully.
He knew the Hulk very well.
Whenever Dr. Banner's emotions surged, he transformed uncontrollably into the Hulk.
In Hulk form, his body was controlled by an instinctive consciousness, namely the Hulk himself.
The Hulk not only possessed immense physical strength and durability but also extraordinary regenerative abilities.
Most notably, his strength increased with his rage.
It was well-known that his power originated from a gamma radiation experiment.
Syd stroked his chin, uncertain if things were as straightforward as that.
He vaguely recalled that the source of the Hulk's power might not be solely gamma radiation but also related to some powerful entity.
Shaking his head and not dwelling on the Hulk too much, Syd turned his attention back to the battlefield, eager to see how things would unfold.
At that moment, Thor the God of Thunder arrived nearby, facing off against the Hulk.
The Hulk swung his fists, and to Syd's curiosity, Thor struggled to block the blows.
Bang!
Thor raised his hand to defend but found it challenging to resist the Hulk's strength.
This surprised Syd.
It indicated that the power difference between the two was not that significant.
However, this was in the Hulk's normal state.
"I wonder if I can withstand the Hulk's blows once I reach Level 5 of Asgardian strength?"
Watching Thor's strenuous defense, Syd was unsure.
"Maybe the power of Mjolnir could make a difference?"
Syd recalled the time Mjolnir had significantly enhanced his strength.
Mjolnir was always available, and as long as it was on Earth, Syd could summon it at any time.
With a bit of time, Mjolnir would fly into his hand.
"Banner, stop!"
"I'm not your enemy!"
Thor tried to calm the Hulk, but the Hulk ignored him and punched Thor away.
The Hulk, sensing something with his beast-like instincts, glanced toward Syd's hiding spot.
In the next moment, the Hulk charged toward Syd.
Syd was slightly taken aback.
Just as he was contemplating if he could face the Hulk, the Hulk came charging at him?
He wasn't interested in dealing with this.
However, the Hulk wasn't deterred and found Syd's presence highly annoying.
Roar!
With an angry roar, the Hulk swung a punch at Syd.
Shaking his head, Syd was not inclined to tolerate this. He raised his hand, and a red glow emanated from it.
The next second, the enraged Hulk was lifted into the air in surprise.
Boom!
In the next instant, the Hulk was forcefully thrown away, crashing down onto the ground far below in a very disheveled state.
At this moment, Thor, who had been knocked down, quickly got up, picked up Mjolnir, and prepared to teach Banner a lesson. Instead, he saw this scene.
Thor was astonished.
When did Banner fall to the ground?
With his formidable physique, who could have done this?
Instinctively, he looked forward but saw nothing, no one in sight.
Thor was puzzled.
"Roar!"
At that moment, the Hulk stood up.
He was furious and somewhat frustrated.
His primitive consciousness couldn't comprehend how he had been thrown away.
Looking around and finding no one, he directed his anger at Thor.
Thor, seeing this, faced the Hulk with Mjolnir in hand.
With a loud bang, the Hulk, unaware of the hammer's power, was sent flying by a single strike.
As they fought, Syd, observing from a distance, thought of an important matter.
"Speaking of which, the Battle of New York is about to begin. I wonder if the Time Variance Authority will make an appearance?"
Syd's expression grew serious.
End of Chapter