The Situation Spirals Out of Control

Tony finally arrived at the scene, his face darkening as he saw the massive hole in his building. His heart ached.

"Jarvis, did we get insurance on the building?"

"I'm very sorry, Mr. Stark, we didn't."

"Looks like I'll need to get some next time."

"Mr. Stark, I regret to inform you that you no longer have control over Stark Tower. You'd have to purchase insurance out of your personal funds."

"Great. So the one who should really be worried is Obadiah."

At that moment, Emil stood up from the ground, dusting himself off. He glanced up at Iron Man hovering in the sky.

"Oh, another annoying pest."

Just as Emil was about to leap up to attack, General Ross rushed over.

"Mr. Stark, stop! You're attacking the wrong guy. The real enemy is the one inside the building!"

Since Ross often purchased weapons from Stark Industries, he knew Tony personally and wanted to avoid a conflict. However, Tony merely pointed at Emil, his voice tinged with sarcasm.

"But it's this big guy down here who wrecked my building. And all the destruction along the way? That's him too. Meanwhile, the big green guy inside the building? He's been actively avoiding civilian areas."

Ross, realizing the truth in Tony's words, felt a twinge of guilt. Still, he pressed on. "It's all part of capturing the Hulk. Just step aside, and we'll deal with the situation."

At that moment, Hulk emerged from the hole in the building, glaring at Emil.

"HULK!"

With a furious roar, Hulk jumped down, landing with a deafening crash that cracked the ground.

Seeing Hulk appear, Tony flew off to the side, staying out of the fight.

Suddenly, Elizabeth, taking advantage of the distracted soldiers, broke free and sprinted onto the battlefield.

"Hulk, run! You can't beat him!"

Emil, spotting someone entering the fight, casually kicked a piece of rubble at her.

With a sharp whistle, the basketball-sized chunk of debris struck Elizabeth square in the stomach.

"Urgh!"

Blood gushed from her mouth as she was flung backward.

"NO! ELIZABETH!" General Ross ran over, devastated.

"HULK!"

The sight of Elizabeth's limp body in Ross's arms sent Hulk into a berserk rage. He charged at Ross.

"Your fight is with me!" Emil intercepted Hulk, grabbing him by the shoulders and forcing him to the ground with overwhelming strength.

Hulk struggled, but no matter how much he pushed, he couldn't break free.

Soon, he buckled under the pressure, dropping to one knee.

But seeing Elizabeth, motionless in Ross's arms, Hulk's grief turned into an uncontrollable fury.

"HULK!"

His body swelled even larger, his muscles bulging as he slowly rose back to his feet.

Emil, feeling the surge of power from Hulk, was momentarily taken aback.

"Impressive, Hulk. But I'm still stronger!"

With that, Emil kicked Hulk square in the chest.

"Boom!"

Hulk was sent flying, smashing into Stark Tower once again.

Hovering in the air, Tony groaned in dismay.

Even though he wasn't the CEO anymore, this was still the place where he had grown up.

He hesitated for a moment, then, seeing Emil about to attack again, raised his hand and fired two missiles.

"Boom! Boom!"

Emil halted his attack, looking up at Iron Man.

Meanwhile, General Ross, clutching Elizabeth tightly, glared at Emil with hatred.

"Blonsky, you'll pay for this!"

With a snarl, Ross pulled out a remote control and pressed a button.

"Argh!"

Emil collapsed to his knees, writhing in agony as an electric shock shot up his spine.

Adam had foreseen this moment and had implanted an electric device into Emil's spine as a fail-safe to control him.

But Ross, consumed by his daughter's death, had lost all sense of reason. His face twisted with rage as he stared at Emil.

"My daughter!"

Despite their distant relationship, Ross had always loved Elizabeth deeply. If not, he wouldn't have forgiven her so many times for defying him.

Their estrangement had only grown because Elizabeth had chosen Bruce Banner over him.

That was one of the main reasons Ross was so determined to capture Banner. It was as if his precious daughter had been taken away from him.

Now, with Elizabeth's death, Ross was blinded by a desire for vengeance.

Hulk reemerged from the rubble of Stark Tower and charged at Emil once more.

"HULK!"

"Smash! Smash! Smash!"

Blow after blow rained down on Emil, who, despite his injuries, seethed with fury, his anger overcoming the pain from the spinal implant.

"Die, Hulk!" Emil roared, pushing Hulk away with one powerful strike.

Then, with a grimace, Emil reached behind his neck and crushed the implant embedded in his spine.

"Crack."

The device, along with his spinal vertebrae, shattered in his hand.

Emil slumped to the ground, temporarily paralyzed by the nerve damage.

"I am… invincible!"

But within seconds, the nerves in his spine regenerated, and Emil slowly rose to his feet once more, power surging through his body.

Ross's expression darkened as he realized the severity of the situation.

"Soldiers! Open fire!" Ross barked.

"Sir, who do we shoot?"

"Who else? Emil!"

"Yes, sir!"

The soldiers and police immediately opened fire on Emil.

"Rat-tat-tat…"

But the bullets barely scratched him. Emil ignored the attacks completely, his body still healing.

In the sky, Tony fired his repulsor blasts again, the most effective weapon against Emil so far.

"Boom! Boom!"

But even under the barrage of attacks, Emil's wounds continued to heal rapidly. In moments, he was back on his feet, his eyes locking onto Tony.

Of all his attackers, it was Iron Man's blasts that hurt the most.

But Tony was out of reach, so Emil turned his gaze toward Ross and the remaining soldiers and police on the ground.

"You're all dead!"

With a stomp, the ground shattered, sending chunks of debris flying into the nearby soldiers and police.

"Ah! I'm hit!"

"Help me!"

"Please, someone…"

As the soldiers and police scattered, Ross found himself alone, face to face with Emil.

A flicker of fear crossed Ross's face.

"Damn it! Umbrella's products are so unreliable!"

"General, we have unfinished business, don't we?"

Just as Emil closed in, Hulk appeared once again.

"HULK!"

_________________

Upto 20 chapters ahead on patreon :-

patreon.com/ShadySmuggler