Chapter 74

"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"

Leo pulled out a smoke bomb he had prepared in advance and smashed it on the ground. As the smoke engulfed him, he quickly formed hand seals and unleashed a C-rank ninjutsu: the Phoenix Sage Fire Technique.

Small fireballs, each the size of a fruit, burst from his mouth, piercing through the smoke and shooting toward the two helicopters that were closing in from the sky.

The Phoenix Sage Fire Technique wasn't as powerful as the Great Fireball Technique, with relatively low destructive power, but it had the advantage of producing a large number of fireballs and covering a wide area.

"What the hell? Where's the fire coming from?"

Seeing Leo throw the smoke bomb, the soldiers in the helicopters assumed he was trying to use the smoke as cover to escape and quickly lowered the helicopters to get closer.

They had no idea that they were about to be hit by a barrage of small fireballs.

The fireballs slammed into the helicopters, igniting flames inside them. Alarms blared, and the pilots had no choice but to make an emergency landing on the street, scrambling to escape.

Moments later, two loud explosions echoed through the street as the helicopters blew up right there.

By this time, Leo had already grabbed Banner and Betty again, leaping across the rooftops and disappearing from the military's line of sight.

When General Ross and Blonsky arrived at 5th Street with their troops, all they found were the wreckage of the two helicopters and a few burned soldiers.

"Where are they? What the hell happened? Did they have heavy weapons, or did Banner turn into a monster? How did you get shot down?"

Ross grabbed one of the helicopter pilots by the collar, gritting his teeth as he questioned him.

What was supposed to be a flawless operation had ended in failure, and Ross couldn't understand why.

How could there have been such a massive wave in the city center? Even if a water pipe burst, it wouldn't cause something like that. And who was that masked stranger? What was his purpose in taking Banner and Ross's daughter?

"General, we didn't see them carrying any heavy weapons; otherwise, we wouldn't have approached..."

The burned pilot clutched his leg as he recounted everything that had just happened.

Ross released the soldier and turned to Blonsky, commanding:

"They can't have gone far. Keep pursuing them. I'll order everyone else to tighten the lockdown. Today, even if he grows wings, he won't fly out of here!"

...

"Xiao Liu, drive us to the airport!"

Back in the car, Leo removed his mask and first instructed Xiao Liu before turning to the back seat where Banner and Betty were sitting. He extended his hand and introduced himself with a friendly smile:

"My name is Leo Chen, a friend of Dr. Stern. I have some... special abilities."

"Bruce Banner, thank you for your help."

"Betty Ross!"

Banner and Betty, still feeling a bit dizzy from being carried and jumping across rooftops, shook hands with Leo.

They were still processing everything that had happened. The entire escape had been surreal, with Leo carrying them and leaping from roof to roof.

"You mentioned special abilities just now. What do you mean by that?"

Having regained her composure, Betty couldn't help but ask. As a professor of cell biology, steeped in materialism for decades, she found Leo's abilities to produce water and fire baffling and difficult to comprehend.

It was as unimaginable as when Doctor Strange first visited the Ancient One and was introduced to the concept of magic.

Banner, now fully aware, also turned his gaze toward Leo.

Leo paused for a moment before replying:

"Do you know about magic? What I just used isn't exactly magic, but it's something similar."

He didn't feel the need to hide his abilities from them, just as he hadn't hidden them from Tony Stark in the beginning. There was no point in doing so.

He refrained from using his powers in front of the general public to maintain a peaceful life, but he wasn't afraid to show his abilities when necessary.

Sometimes, showing one's strength is the best way to instill fear in enemies and earn the trust of allies.

"Magic?"

Banner and Betty exchanged skeptical glances at Leo's response.

Deep down, they leaned more towards the idea that Leo had used some advanced technology they didn't understand, but they didn't voice it aloud.

Leo didn't bother explaining further. They would come to believe him over time.

"Boss, there's a checkpoint ahead."

Half an hour later, Xiao Liu brought the car to a stop.

Up ahead, a group of soldiers was blocking all vehicles heading toward the airport, conducting thorough checks on each one.

Banner and Betty tensed up at the sight.

But Leo simply waved it off and prepared to use the Shadow Clone Technique.

However, just as the chakra surged within him, he paused, looked around, and then turned to Banner and Betty:

"Could you both move over to the side a bit, to clear some space?"

"Sure, no problem."

Although unsure of what Leo had in mind, Banner moved to the back seat, pressing close to Betty, leaving the seat by the car door empty.

"Shadow Clone Technique!"

Leo nodded, formed the seals, and in an instant, another Leo appeared in the now-empty seat.

"My God!"

"What the hell!"

"WHAA, two bosses!"

The sudden appearance of a second Leo startled not only Banner and Betty in the back but also Xiao Liu in the front, who widened his eyes in shock.

It was his first time witnessing Leo perform the Shadow Clone Technique.

Banner tentatively poked the arm of Leo's clone and whispered to Betty:

"It's real, not a hologram."

At this moment, faced with undeniable evidence, Banner and Betty finally accepted that there were indeed extraordinary powers in this world beyond the realm of science.

"Go!"

Leo instructed his clone, who nodded and stepped out of the car.

A moment later, the American soldiers at the checkpoint seemed to receive some urgent news. They abruptly halted their inspections, quickly boarded their vehicles, and left the area.

Leo and the other cars waiting at the checkpoint were now free to continue toward the airport.

"What did you do? Why did they leave so suddenly?"

Banner asked, curious.

Leo grinned and shrugged:

"Because they spotted you a kilometer away, so there was no need to guard this checkpoint anymore."

As it turned out, after leaving the car, Leo's shadow clone had used the Transformation Technique to take on Banner's appearance and strolled around near a surveillance camera about a kilometer away, drawing all the soldiers in the area toward him.

Banner didn't quite understand how it was possible for him to be in the car and a kilometer away at the same time, but he didn't press further.

Avoiding the need to transform into the Hulk to escape the trap was already the best outcome.

Thanks to the diversion created by the shadow clone, Leo and the others made it to the airport without further incident and boarded his private jet, flying back to New York.

Meanwhile, General Ross, undeterred by the protests of local citizens, continued to maintain the city's lockdown, refusing to give up on finding Dr. Banner and his companions.