Bab 185: Hulk

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Upon his return, Ivan received news from Arnold and his team. They'd acquired the Hulk's blood but under unforeseen circumstances. General Ross had secured the residence and taken the Hulk into custody. Following Ivan's instructions to avoid conflict with the military, Arnold's team created a diversion and retrieved a blood sample during the chaos.

Ivan commended Arnold's cautious approach. Safety was paramount, and as long as the next Hulk storyline wasn't disrupted, the mission was a success. He retrieved the blood sample and, alongside Arnold, returned to Skull Island.

He inquired about the Hulk's current status in the lab from the Red Queen. A holographic projection displayed the Hulk engaged in a fierce battle across a desert landscape. Ivan observed the fight unfold. Ivan felt a flicker of sympathy for the unfortunate events. He then instructed the Red Queen to monitor Bruce Banner's whereabouts, ready to intervene if necessary. His objective was to recruit a specific individual with the help of Hulk.

With immediate concerns addressed, Ivan focused his attention on the blood sample. After thorough analysis, he unlocked its secrets, extracting a powerful super-fusion serum. This serum had the potential to merge existing beings and grant superpowers to ordinary people.

Meanwhile, Bruce Banner, having escaped, resumed his civilian life under a hidden identity. He landed a job at a beverage factory. There, he inadvertently contaminated a drink with his blood, leading to the unfortunate death of an elderly customer who consumed it. General Ross was alerted to the incident and launched a search for Banner.

The Red Queen promptly reported the situation to Ivan, who sprang into action. Instead of searching for the Hulk, he set his sights on a different target – Mr. Blue. As Ivan suspected, this Mr. Blue was Samuel Sterns. In the movie, accidental exposure to the Hulk's blood triggered a mutation in Sterns, granting him exceptional intelligence and telepathic abilities. This transformation, marked by greening skin and a large head, ultimately led him to become the criminal "Leader," a nemesis of the Hulk.

Ivan stationed himself near Sterns' residence, keeping a close eye on his movements while anticipating the Hulk's arrival. His wait proved fruitful. Within days, Bruce Banner and his girlfriend Betty Ross visited Sterns, seeking his help to control and potentially eradicate the Hulk. However, General Ross' forces arrived simultaneously, apprehending Banner.

The situation took an unexpected turn when Emil Blonsky, consumed by his desire for power, forced Sterns to inject him with the Hulk's serum. This transformation birthed a monstrous villain, who escaped the lab ready to confront the Hulk. Following the lab's destruction, Ivan found Samuel Sterns injured and bleeding. The Hulk's blood, staining the wound, triggered mutations in Sterns' brain. Outside, a military transport carrying General Ross took off, a knowing smile playing on Ivan's lips. The destruction caused by General Ross' forces also resulted in Betty Ross coming into contact with the Hulk's blood, though not through a wound. This wouldn't cause immediate change, but the possibility of a future "Red She-Hulk" remained.

"Mr. Sterns," Ivan addressed him as he entered the lab, witnessing Sterns' rapid cranial growth. "Quite the transformation. Welcome to a new world vastly different from what you knew."

Ignoring Sterns' pained silence, Ivan retrieved a syringe and injected him with an unknown serum. Surprisingly, the pain subsided almost instantly. Sterns, regaining his composure, demanded answers. "Who are you? What did you inject me with?"

"Don't worry, Mr. Sterns," Ivan said, now referring to him as "Leader" (foreshadowing his future persona). "It's a special serum designed to guide your mutations. Though your head might be slightly larger, it'll maximize your brain development. But I doubt that bothers you much." Ivan couldn't help but glance at Leader's head, which was already significantly bigger.

Leader, surprisingly unconcerned, reached out to touch his skull. Ivan had expected some embarrassment, but he seemed to accept his new appearance readily. "This serum can induce positive mutations from the Hulk's blood? How is that possible? My research shows his cells possess immense, uncontrollable energy. What kind of serum can counteract that?" The mutation had intensified Leader's thirst for knowledge. Even in this situation, his priority was scientific inquiry.

"Simple," Ivan explained. "It's derived from the blood of the Banner. The Hulk's transformation isn't solely caused by gamma radiation – his genetics play a role too. So, by addressing the root cause, we can't suppress the Hulk's cells, but we can guide them."

"I see. So you've been keeping tabs on the Hulk to explain your convenient arrival. Did you happen to save me?"

"Not at all!" Ivan refuted, dismissively waving his finger. "You're more valuable to me than the Hulk. I have enough muscle—what I need are brilliant scientific minds."

"You want to recruit me?"

"Indeed. You're consumed by curiosity about these mutations. Your thirst for knowledge is a powerful motivator. I can offer you access to things you never dreamed of – exotic creatures, alien technology beyond Earth's wildest dreams, even the arcane arts..."

As Ivan spoke, he pressed a button on his clothing, activating a holographic display. Images of fantastical creatures, alien technology, and magical objects materialized mid-air. Leader, initially hesitant due to Ivan's unknown motives, was utterly captivated by the fantastical sights. His insatiable thirst for knowledge rendered him powerless to resist. "I agree!" he exclaimed, readily offering his services in exchange for access to these wonders. His overwhelming curiosity ultimately swayed him.

"Very good. Come with me now." Ivan stepped forward and grabbed the arm of the big boss, and a shape-shifting phantom came to Skull Island.

"Wait a minute, I'm still..."

As soon as he said that, he felt that the scene before him had changed for a while, and he had come to a place where there was no life. Through the humid air around him and the smell of seawater, the boss knew where he was now.

He was still in his home just a moment ago, and he came to the island in the blink of an eye. This speed was too fast. His highly developed mind turned around and guessed that Ivan had the ability to wear space. With a sad face, he said, "Aren't you moving too fast? I still have things to do."

Ivan ignored the bitterness and said in a big way: "If you have any requirements, just say them, and I will solve them for you. If you are reluctant to give up the equipment in the laboratory, forget it; I will prepare better for you."

He remembered the advanced instruments that Ivan had shown him. In comparison, his equipment was outdated: "The equipment is nothing, but the blood of the Hulk in my laboratory has to be recovered, and there are also injections. After getting the blood of the Hulk, the new monster also needs to take a part of the blood sample and compare it with the blood of the Hulk, which is very important for my research."

"That's no problem. Let's call the newly-appeared monster Abomination. I will help you get the Hulk and Abomination's blood. Go to the lab first, and the Red Queen will serve you." Ivan said after the direct shapeshifting disappeared.

Sterns stood there, not knowing what to do. At this moment, a three-dimensional image of a little red-haired girl appeared out of thin air, and a crisp voice said, "Mr. Big Boss, hello. Welcome to Skull Island; please come with me now."

"This...this is...artificial intelligence! It's amazing..." Red queen immediately attracted the Sterns, and he jumped up to study it, chasing after the red queen and asking this question, which annoyed the red queen for a while.

Ivan returned to Stern's house again, collected the Hulk's blood, and rushed to the battlefield. He found that the Hulk and Abomination were still fighting fiercely. He doesn't know how many innocent people died in it.

According to Ivan's idea, it was inevitable that the two big men would be injured in a fight as long as the Hulk made a wound on Abomination and bled a little blood. Ivan collected the blood samples, and that's it. No, I don't know if it was because the Hulk had just injected the antidote. He was weak and beaten by the Blonsky, and he had almost no strength to fight back.

Ivan waited for a while but did not see the Abomination bleeding. Finally, he became impatient and decided to take action himself. He first touched his face and changed his appearance with the nano-robot attached to his body. When the Hulk was beaten up again and Abomination was about to catch up, Ivan swayed and appeared in front of them, blocking the way.

Abomination has just gained powerful strength and thinks that he is invincible in the world. He doesn't care about Ivan, who is blocking the road and slaps him with a slap. In his opinion, this slap is enough to turn the little bug blocking the road into meat sauce.

But what happened next was unexpected. Emil only felt that his slap seemed to hit the steel column, and the palm of his hand was painful. The little bug in Emil's eyes didn't move, and he caught the massive slap with one hand. The freeze frame was there; everyone present felt unbelievable and couldn't believe what they saw.

But what shocked them even more was that Ivan held a finger of Abomination's left hand with one hand, turned his body, fell over his shoulder, and with a "boom," Abomination was slammed to the ground, a large pit several meters deep was smashed on the road, and the severe pain made it impossible for monsters with muscular physiques such as the Abomination to get up for a while.