Military Testing

It didn't surprise Russell that General Ross knew his identity in the underground world.

He had never been too secretive about his true identity, and if General Ross wanted to find out, a simple phone call would do the trick.

"I don't need you to join the military."

"I know that superhumans like you generally don't like dealing with official institutions."

"Rather than joining, let's call it cooperation."

"You help me with something, and I'll give you an appropriate reward. We both get what we want, just like military contractors."

General Ross looked at Russell and spoke.

"If it's not about joining but cooperating, then we can continue this conversation."

"I wonder what trouble General Ross wants me to help you solve?"

Although Russell's identity in the underground world was that of a top assassin for the Continental Hotel, no one ever dictated that an assassin could only perform assassination tasks.

As long as General Ross could offer a reward that interested him, taking on his task wouldn't be an issue.

"I want you to help me capture someone alive!"

General Ross's expression instantly turned extremely serious.

"Just capture? General, you should know that compared to capturing, I'm better at sending targets to hell."

Russell retorted.

"He must not die, he must be brought in alive!"

"As long as you can assist me in capturing him alive, your Zaku combat armor won't just be sold to Jack and Johnson. I can also help you secure military contracts for other weapons produced in your lab."

Although General Ross was just an Air Force Major General, he wasn't one of those civilian officials with a rank but no real authority.

Leaving aside his extensive network of connections within the military, his authority within the military itself was a formidable force that couldn't be ignored.

Russell didn't immediately respond to General Ross; instead, he put on an appearance of deep contemplation.

Although General Ross hadn't revealed the target's identity, his earlier words had already indicated that the target he wanted captured was likely Bruce Banner.

Moreover, from the fact that he was entrusting this task to an outsider like himself, it was probable that he had already tasted defeat at the hands of Bruce Banner. This might be why he was considering bringing in external assistance for the capture operation.

After a few minutes of thought, he didn't decline and simply agreed.

After all, it was just capturing the Hulk.

Not a big issue!

As long as they could locate the Hulk, capturing him alive shouldn't be too difficult.

"General, with your sincerity, if I still refuse, it would be a bit disrespectful."

"General, who do you want to capture?"

Russell asked General Ross.

"I'll tell you the specifics of the target next time we meet."

"After your Zaku combat armor completes its real-world testing, I'll send someone to pick you up."

After saying this, General Ross left the wine room.

After he left, Russell didn't plan to stay at the mansion any longer. He drove his Porsche 911 back to the laboratory.

Originally, his plan for the day was just to pitch the Zaku combat armor to the military, but unexpectedly, General Ross was among the military figures contacted by the senator.

What surprised him even more was that General Ross had entrusted him with capturing the Hulk.

Back in his office, he logged into the black market forum and found an information broker he had dealt with a few times before.

In the black market, anything could be bought and sold, and information was one of the primary commodities.

He sent a message to the information broker he had never met in person, and after providing a deposit, he logged off the black market forum, patiently waiting for the information broker's response.

Two days later.

Russell arrived at a military testing ground wearing the forest-green Zaku combat armor.

This time, he didn't see General Ross; he only saw Major Generals Jack and Johnson, the ones who had greeted him.

General Ross hadn't been very interested in the Zaku combat armor to begin with.

Furthermore, the Zaku combat armor currently produced by Russell lacked sustained flight capabilities; it could only perform low-altitude ballistic flight.

A combat armor without sustained flight capabilities wouldn't pique the interest of any Air Force officer, regardless of whether it was Jack, Johnson, or anyone else.

After exchanging greetings with Jack and Johnson, Russell handed the armor over to the military-assigned test personnel.

He wouldn't personally test the armor; the military wouldn't allow him to do so.

After all, the individuals who would wear the armor into combat wouldn't be him but the military's own soldiers.

Although the operating system of the Zaku combat armor retained only the most basic functions and couldn't be as intuitive as the Endosymbiotic Battle Armor, it was still easy to operate.

In no time, the test soldiers adapted to the armor's controls.

Subsequent proceedings were straightforward.

Soldiers wearing the Zaku combat armor began single-handedly facing various active-duty weapons on the testing ground.

The test concluded quickly!

And the results were satisfactory!

Without any suspense, the soldier in the Zaku combat armor displayed incredibly powerful combat abilities, winning almost effortlessly.

Russell wasn't surprised by this outcome.

Even the rudimentary Mark 1 armor that Tony had cobbled together in a cave could easily eliminate terrorists and help him escape.

If the crude Mark 1 armor could achieve such impressive results, the Zaku combat armor, which outperformed the Mark 1 in every aspect, would naturally perform even better.

After the test ended, Major Generals Jack and Johnson made a unanimous decision.

Octopus Monster Military Technology Laboratory successfully secured its first batch of military orders.

Five Zaku combat armors, totaling 600 million dollars!

Delivery in one month!

Although Russell had sufficient funds to provide an advance payment, he decided to prepay half of the total order amount for safety's sake.

The remaining half would be paid upon delivery.

Of course, as a reward, the Zaku combat armor used in the test remained in the possession of the military.

With the military order secured, Russell returned to the laboratory in high spirits.

Although 600 million dollars might not be considered a major order, its significance was significant.

From today onward, his Octopus Monster Laboratory officially transformed into a military contractor.

He left the task of manufacturing the combat armors to No. 3 and Peter.

As for himself, not long after returning to the laboratory, he boarded a plane headed for the Pentagon.

As agreed, General Ross had sent someone to pick him up!

The Pentagon.

General Ross's office.

At this moment, General Ross, dressed in camouflage, sat behind his desk with a thick Cuban cigar in his mouth.

Seated before him were two individuals.

One was Russell, who had just arrived at the Pentagon.

The other was not very tall but sat upright – Emil Blonsky.

Although Blonsky seemed unremarkable and full of energy, he carried an air of suppressed emotion.

Had he already been injected with the enhanced serum?

Thinking about this, Russell couldn't help but examine Blonsky more closely.

Blonsky sensed his gaze and responded with a cold stare.

Russell didn't back down; he engaged in a direct gaze with Blonsky.

---

If you're interested in reading more, feel free to visit my patreon which already contains 20 chapters: 

https://www.patreon.com/XElenea