106

Chapter 106: Hulk Capture Plan

"How do you know that DC wants the Tesseract so desperately?" Nick Fury asked. "I believe that S.H.I.E.L.D. has never asked you for it over the years."

Thor smiled and shook his head. "That's because your interest in the Tesseract is a recent development. You want to gather more superheroes, so you're pursuing that scientist named Bruce Banner. But even if you catch the green titan, replicating his situation might be impossible."

"However, Iron Man's appearance has given you a new option: using the Tesseract's power to create weapons, much like a year ago."

"You seem to know everything," Nick Fury said, taking a deep look at Thor and appraising his potential.

In reality, Thor's supposed potential was just talk. He knew about Kingpin but had never even seen the secretary next to him.

"Three days ago, an elderly man named Stan Lee had an adverse reaction after drinking a beverage imported from Brazil. A special serum was discovered in the beverage. General Ross sent Lieutenant Bronski to apprehend him, but he escaped."

"Furthermore, during his escape, he transformed into a massive green monster, causing significant damage. Conservative estimates suggest that even Stark in his armor couldn't handle him."

It's clear that Stark's numerous armors are unlikely to defeat Hulk unless there's a specialized "Anti-Hulk Armor" designed to restrain him. Even the Mark 85 wouldn't be sufficient for this task. Moreover, Nick Fury knew that convincing Stark to assist was almost impossible, but Thor could offer alternatives.

"So, you've located him now?"

"Yes."

Nick Fury nodded. "Bruce Banner has an ex-girlfriend, Betty Ross, who is General Ross's daughter. They recently reconnected, and now Betty's current boyfriend has notified us. Tomorrow afternoon, Bruce Banner will be going to the university where Betty works. We need to evacuate early."

"Okay, I can help you capture him. As for negotiating with the military, that's your responsibility. But I can't guarantee what will happen after you retrieve him. Despite being an accidental transformation, Bruce Banner is still influenced by his inherent good nature, making him relatively controllable. If it were someone else, it might turn into a monster driven by hatred. Not everyone can be a Hulk, just as not everyone can be Captain America."

Nick Fury nodded. "It doesn't matter. I actually doubt that the plan will succeed. Rest assured, Washington will honor its commitments if Bruce Banner is captured."

"They dare not break their promises."

Thor smiled faintly as the stainless steel cup in his hand turned into molten iron.

Early the next morning, on a helicopter, Bronski, General Ross's confidant, looked at two women—one tall and one short—and smirked.

"Damn it, the general told me a very powerful master would be coming to help, and I thought 437 yards was a tough guy!"

The soldiers beside him quietly pulled him aside. "Sir, keep your voice down. They were reportedly invited by the Washington government."

"I think Washington has been deceived."

Bronski deliberately raised his voice, feeling quite pleased with himself. Last night, he had injected a newly developed super-soldier serum, greatly enhancing his physique. Though he hadn't received the electrotherapy treatment like Captain America, he felt he could now outmatch his previous self several times over.

"Sister, who is he?" Kayla asked sleepily.

In the early morning, she had avoided the sunbathing session Thor had arranged for her by claiming she had a new target for combat exercises. Still groggy, she was dragged onto the helicopter. Sitting across from her was Natalia. Given Kayla's youth and inexperience, Thor had assigned Natalia to look after her.