Capítulo 70: Chapter 66. Hulk Smash!
While hiding in Brazil, Bruce Banner sent blood samples to "Mr. Blue," hoping that he could help him rid himself of the Hulk's genes. But the experiments failed to bring results. He concluded that the only way to solve his problem was to hand over all his scientific data to "Mr. Blue."
After the U.S. military sent a team to capture him, Banner firmly decided to return to the States and put an end to this nightmare.
Transforming into the Hulk and escaping capture, he returned to the university where he used to work. But all his research data was gone—he realized General Ross had long since seized it.
Soon, he encountered his former girlfriend, Betty Ross. The last time he transformed into the Hulk, he accidentally injured her; to protect her, he left the U.S.
But their reunion showed that Betty still had feelings for him. She knew her father, General Ross, was pursuing him to create a powerful weapon, so she secretly handed him loaded copies of his scientific data. Touched, he bid her goodbye and set off to find "Mr. Blue."
But suddenly, soldiers under General Ross appeared, forcing him to turn into the Hulk again. Ross was prepared—with sonic cannons and combat vehicles—but even they couldn't stop the Hulk. In the ensuing explosion of an armed helicopter, Hulk rescued the unconscious Betty and disappeared.
...
At a Motel
"Bruce, look, I bought you some pants. They should fit," Betty smiled, tossing him a pair of shorts as he stepped out of the shower.
Bruce caught the shorts, realizing they were oversized and stretchy.
"Betty, let's not," Banner said with a smile, understanding her joke. These pants were clearly meant for the Hulk.
Still smiling, Betty pulled out a brand-new portable heart rate monitor and put it on Bruce. Then she started trimming his hair, reminiscing about the happy times they once shared.
The mood grew romantic, and they started hugging and kissing on the bed. But just as they were about to become more intimate, Bruce noticed his heart rate spike and stopped.
"What's wrong, Bruce?" Betty asked, confused.
"I can't do this," Banner said, pulling away and looking at her.
"Don't worry, Bruce, I want this too," Betty thought he'd stopped because of her.
"I can't get too excited, or the Hulk will come out," Bruce replied with a sad smile, lowering his head.
Later, they left the motel and headed to New York to find "Mr. Blue." Upon reaching New York, they found their path blocked on the bridge. Sensing something wrong, they abandoned the car and decided to proceed by water.
...
In Manhattan
"Hey, Bruce, wait, look over there," Betty said as the taxi brought them into Manhattan. Stepping out of the car, she noticed something unusual.
Bruce looked in the indicated direction and saw several police officers questioning people. He didn't understand what was happening.
"What is it, Betty?" Bruce asked.
"We should be careful and avoid these people. My father is probably already looking for us," she replied. Betty knew all too well what her father was capable of. If they moved too openly, he would find them quickly.
"Alright, let's go that way," Banner agreed, recalling how caution had saved him in the past. Since he'd met her, life had been too calm, and it had made him relax a bit. But now he quickly gathered himself, found a quiet corner, and led her there.
They ended up on the border between affluent and poorer neighborhoods, where dark alleys still remained.
In fact, these police officers weren't looking for them at all. Recently, the security in this part of Manhattan had worsened, so police had increased their patrols. This area was one of the wealthiest, so the police were vigilant about maintaining order.
Meanwhile, General Ross had just received information about Banner's correspondence with "Mr. Blue" from the computer Bruce used in Brazil. The General had not yet set off but was preparing, injecting the serum into Emil Blonsky.
Banner and Betty decided to take the dark alleys to reach Greyburn College. But these dark corners were places frequented by criminals.
"Hey! You two, stop right there!" a coarse voice with an accent called from behind. Bruce and Betty turned to see a few guys with cigarettes in hand and strange tattoos, clearly members of a gang.
Banner tightened his hold on his girlfriend's hand and moved her behind him. These men looked like typical street thugs he'd encountered in Brazil, and such encounters had often forced him to turn into the Hulk.
One of the thugs, with yellow hair, tossed his cigarette on the ground and approached them with a smug grin, his friends following close behind. They all had Asian features, wore black tank tops with Japanese inscriptions, and looked like gang members.
For the "Nuclear Waste" gang, times had indeed gotten rough. In Hell's Kitchen, where they usually operated, business was bad. Being a foreign gang, they constantly clashed with locals and only got small gigs, most of which went to the gang leaders.
Recently, a dangerous new figure had appeared in the area, raiding gangs. This individual attacked large groups, leaving only severely injured people behind. A couple of times, they even wiped out entire gang factions. The head of the "Nuclear Waste" gang had gotten scared and moved the whole gang to another district.
But in other parts of Manhattan, the police kept a close watch on order, making life even harder there. Moreover, several other small gangs had also moved to this area, worsening the situation and leading to increased police patrols.
"Damn, they say the guy always causing chaos in Hell's Kitchen is Storm Swordsman. Those guys in fancy suits, instead of making money, just keep getting in our way," muttered Hiroto, the gang leader, exhaling a puff of smoke.
"Exactly, boss!" agreed Hiroshi, one of his henchmen. He glanced around and suddenly spotted something that caught his attention. Hiroshi's eyes sparkled with greed.
"Boss, look! That girl is a real knockout!"
Hiroshi excitedly tapped Hiroto on the shoulder, pointing to a man and woman rounding the corner. The man looked like an average white guy, but the woman… Hiroto swallowed, struck by her beauty.
Overcome with desire, Hiroto decided to approach them, not caring whether the guy was her boyfriend. He loved stirring up trouble either way.
"Hey! You two, don't you know this is the territory of the 'Nuclear Waste' gang?" Hiroto shouted in heavily accented English.
"Sorry, we'll leave right away," Banner replied, hoping to avoid a conflict. He'd been in these situations before, and they often ended with Hulk breaking loose. With Betty by his side, he just wanted to get away as quickly as possible.
He took Betty's hand, trying to lead her away, but two thugs blocked their path.
"What do you want? I'm warning you, don't make me angry," said Banner, feeling his heartbeat quicken.
"Haha, think you can just walk away after coming onto our turf?" sneered Hiroto, pulling out a knife and eyeing Betty, who stood behind Banner.
The thugs began to close in. If they got surrounded in this dark alley, escaping would be tough.
"Bruce, let's just run," whispered Betty, suggesting they break through the thug blocking their exit.
Banner gripped her hand tightly, then tossed his backpack straight into Hiroto's face. The gang leader stumbled back, and Banner grabbed Betty, making a dash for the exit.
"Nani?!"
The thug at the exit was knocked over by Banner's sudden move. Bruce ignored his own racing heartbeat, focused on getting away before the Hulk emerged.
"Catch them!" Hiroto yelled, pulling the backpack off himself.
Banner and Betty, unfamiliar with the area, stumbled through the streets, giving the gang time to catch up.
Suddenly, another group of men appeared in front of them. Banner stopped, realizing they looked just like the other thugs.
"Hiroto, what's going on?" asked one of the newcomers, a guy with slicked-back hair.
"Oh, Abe-san! These two were causing trouble, and I'm trying to catch them," Hiroto replied, panting but grinning. There was no way these two would escape now.
"Really? Then get them," said Abe, casually signaling his men forward.
The thugs lunged at Banner and Betty. Banner's arms were seized while Betty fell, struggling to break free.
"Leave her alone!" shouted Banner, his eyes starting to glow with a green hue, his breath growing ragged.
The thugs ignored him as Hiroto approached Betty with a grin.
"I said, leave her alone!" Banner roared.
"Haaaaa!"
The beastly roar and a loud crash made everyone stop and turn.
A cloud of dust rose behind them, and screams of pain filled the air, making the gang members gulp nervously.
"Abe-san? What happened?" asked Hiroto cautiously, not hearing any response from his superior.
Heavy footsteps echoed from the dust cloud, and a giant green figure emerged.
"Haaah!"
Hulk's roar was so powerful it knocked the gang members backward.
Hiroto and his crew froze in terror. As the dust settled, Hiroto saw his gang members, including Abe, pinned against the wall; many of them, including their leader, lay dead. A massive hole gaped in Abe's chest.
Hiroto bolted, and the others followed. Hulk's face twisted with rage, and he leaped straight into the crowd, scattering them with a powerful strike. With a single swing of his arm, he slammed one thug into a wall, where he slumped lifelessly to the ground.
The fallen thugs had no chance. Hulk grabbed two of them by the legs and, swinging his arms, smashed them against each other with such force that they no longer looked human. He tossed their bodies into a pile of garbage.
"No! Don't come any closer!" Hiroto, who had just managed to stand, began to back away, terror overwhelming him as he wet himself.
"Hmph!" Hulk grabbed a nearby trash bin and hurled it at Hiroto. The gang leader saw a shadow rapidly descending upon him, and a crash buried him under the debris, only his legs visible as blood pooled beneath the bin.
"Bruce, it's okay, calm down," Betty said as she stood up and approached Hulk. She felt no pity for the thugs—they deserved what they got—but she needed to calm Hulk down. She'd done it before, after he'd returned from the university, and successfully brought him back into Bruce Banner's form.
Betty spoke softly, and Hulk began to calm, slowly moving toward her. She reached out and placed her hands on his face, hoping this would soon end, and Bruce would return.
"What's going on here?" a voice suddenly cut through the air.
Hulk's eyes widened again, and he turned toward the source of the voice, letting out another furious roar.
Betty took a few steps back and looked at the newcomer.
Floating in the air was a man in armor, and Betty recognized him.
"Iron Man? No… Storm Swordsman?"
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