"Is this your experiment?"
"My God, what have you done?"
On the plane transporting the Hulk, both Banner and Betty immediately guessed that this monster was likely the work of General Ross.
General Ross remained silent, his mind involuntarily flashing to Blonsky.
Staring at the screen that had lost its signal, Banner and Betty turned to look at General Ross.
"Sir?"
His subordinate asked him what to do next.
After a long pause, Ross ordered, "Deploy all forces to the Brooklyn area."
His voice suddenly sounded ten years older.
They had just solved one problem, and now an even bigger one had emerged.
Why was this happening?
He couldn't understand.
Hearing General Ross's order, Banner took a deep breath and then said firmly, "Let me go, you have to let me go!"
He saw the shadow of the Hulk in that monster—it was the Hulk, the disaster he had created, and he had to deal with it.
"What are you talking about?" Betty asked, confused. "Do you think you can control it?"
Betty didn't want Banner to take such a risk.
"It's not about control; it's about using it," Banner explained.
"What if you can't?" General Ross asked sternly.
"That thing was created by all of us!" Banner replied gravely. "All of us!"
"Please!"
General Ross stared deeply at Banner for a long time, then turned to give his order: "Land near it."
He had compromised.
At this point, pride and honor were irrelevant. If that monster continued to wreak havoc on the streets, what kind of impact would it have on New York, on the country?
The only option was to let the Hulk, his experiment, his enemy, try to fix it—using one mistake to solve another.
"No, stay high, open the rear hatch!" Banner said.
General Ross nodded in agreement.
Banner moved to stand at the open rear hatch, and Betty anxiously grabbed his hand, trying to stop him. "Bruce, what are you doing?"
"Think it through; you don't know if you'll transform!"
Betty pleaded desperately, fearing that if Banner jumped and failed to transform, he would be shattered to pieces.
"Betty, I have to try!"
Banner gazed deeply at Betty.
How could he not know that the Hulk had already been suppressed by the serum, possibly even destroyed?
If he jumped, it would either be a success or death.
But precisely because of this, he had to jump and try.
In this situation, unless faced with a life-or-death crisis, how could he awaken the Hulk?
Without awakening the Hulk, how could he deal with that monster?
The two stood in silence, then gradually leaned in and kissed.
Was this their final farewell?
No one knew.
Their lips parted, and Banner released Betty's hand, falling backward out of the plane.
Betty remained in her original posture, reaching out as if to grab Banner as he fell, her eyes following him all the way down.
"Boom!"
Banner hit the ground, creating a small, human-shaped crater.
Did he succeed?
Everyone on the plane held their breath and silently prayed.
…
"Currently, a gray-green monster is rampaging at the intersection of 121 North Broadway in Brooklyn. According to authorities, appropriate countermeasures and rescue operations have begun, but some on-site witnesses claim the monster has already wiped out a squad of soldiers—bullets and rockets have no effect on it… Residents in the surrounding areas are advised to evacuate immediately. Stay tuned to our channel for updates on the situation..."
In Manhattan, New York, in a small bar in Hell's Kitchen—a famous Marvel location—the TV was continuously broadcasting the tragic events unfolding in Brooklyn.
Watching the blood-soaked, horrifying footage on TV, the atmosphere in the bar became even more heated.
"Oh my God, what kind of monster is this?"
"Tsk tsk, I'd love to see how tough this big guy is!"
"Are you crazy? That thing will tear you apart!"
"Not necessarily. If it dares to come to Hell's Kitchen…"
Listening to the chaotic discussions in the bar, Lynch let out a burp and put down his soda.
He wasn't too fond of drinking.
As for whether a bar in Hell's Kitchen would have soda and whether drinking soda would get you beaten up, those weren't things Lynch needed to worry about.
He had simply, perhaps by coincidence, shattered the bar's marble countertop while putting money on the table.
Yes, a fifteen-centimeter-thick, rock-hard slab that would break your hand if you punched it.
The effect was perfect, a critical hit.
The bartender, who had been impatiently saying there was no soda, quickly ran out to buy a bucket of it and even prepared various flavors.
It also kept away the annoying petty criminals, pickpockets, con artists, and so on.
Leaning back on the spacious booth sofa, sipping soda, and enjoying the occasional flirtatious glance from passing women, Lynch, who had come to experience the excitement of Hell's Kitchen, had to settle for the rare peace and friendliness of this place.
Lynch couldn't help but sigh.
Being strong might just be this dull and tasteless.
"Hey, can I sit here?" A voice suddenly interrupted Lynch's self-indulgence.
"No…" Lynch instinctively refused the fifth woman to ask this today.
But then he looked up and stood up, recognizing the visitor. "Natasha, what brings you here?"
It was Natasha, looking stunning in a low-cut dress.
"Don't you know?"
Natasha discreetly sat next to Lynch, leaning close to his ear and whispering, "That monster in Brooklyn."
Lynch lazily took a sip of his soda and replied slowly, "How could I not know?"
He pointed at the TV. "It's being broadcast everywhere; it's hard not to know."
Natasha smiled, her bright eyes lingering on Lynch.
Feeling uneasy under her gaze, Lynch shifted away and asked, "Is there something wrong? What are you looking at?"
"I'm looking at the 'Super Boy'!" Natasha giggled. "Why is he still sitting here?"
"Otherwise?" Lynch rolled his eyes, sensing something was off with Natasha today. "Do you expect me to fly out and fight the monster?"
Normally, Natasha always smiled and spoke gently, but the longer you interacted with her, the more you felt a distance between you.
Compared to those who were cold on the outside but passionate inside, Natasha, who seemed friendly at first but was hard to get close to, was even more difficult to deal with.
But today, Lynch could feel that the distance between Natasha and him seemed to have closed somewhat.
Despite that, Lynch's answer remained a refusal.
No, not happening, no way!
"I'm just not interested," Lynch said nonchalantly.
Natasha sighed and said softly, "The culprit is Ross, but it's the innocent civilians who are paying the price. How can you say this has nothing to do with you? Do you know how many people are asking where their superheroes are?"
"Right, Brooklyn needs superheroes, New York needs them, but this world also has countless people praying for gods... So who should I listen to? Do you know how many people pray every day for you guys to be destroyed?" Lynch replied harshly.
Natasha was left speechless. She remained silent for a while, then put down her cup and stood up.
"Alright, enjoy yourself. I have to go risk my life with this guy."
With that, she turned to leave, looking hurt.
Lynch immediately broke his cool, bursting out in laughter at Natasha's departing figure.
"Alright, you win."
Lynch sighed. "Actually, someone has already taken action. If nothing goes wrong, it'll be dealt with."
Natasha returned, puzzled. "It? You mean…"
…
Brooklyn, where Abomination was wreaking havoc.
The crater Banner had made suddenly trembled, and then a green hand thrust out.
It was the Hulk! Banner had succeeded!
Everyone on the plane cheered.
The Hulk climbed out of the pit, tearing off the remnants of clothing clinging to him.
"Roar!"
The Hulk roared at the distant Abomination.
Hulk, Smash!