Before long, Robert and the Hulk arrived above General Ross's military base, but Robert didn't immediately drop the Hulk. They needed to wait for Tony Stark's signal that the official meeting had begun.
Meanwhile, just as Steve had predicted, as soon as the Avengers arrived at the meeting venue, Nick Fury and General Ross launched their attack. Whatever agreement Nick Fury and Ross had reached, or perhaps Ross's long-running research on Gamma warriors wasn't going well, causing him to refocus on the Hulk, seeking to capture him again for further studies.
"Mr. Rogers, I'll say it again: Bruce Banner is our man. Even if you bring all these officials to witness, he remains ours!" General Ross took a deep breath as he spoke to Steve, maintaining a semblance of respect, though his tone lacked genuine deference.
"Interesting, hahaha..." Steve laughed heartily at Ross's words, the wrinkles on his face bunching together. His laughter was contagious, and several officials around him joined in. It was clear that the Avengers' status had shifted since they became part of the official establishment.
While the Avengers had been training or conducting research, Steve had leveraged his reputation and connections to rally a portion of the government to their side. Otherwise, do you think Nick Fury would have only contacted General Ross to bring up Bruce Banner?
Nick Fury was truly desperate after realizing SHIELD no longer had any formidable assets. He even considered sharing Bruce Banner's research with other agencies, potentially flooding the world with Gamma warriors, much like the super soldiers of today. While this would strengthen these agencies, it would also diminish SHIELD's competitive edge. However, at least it would bolster the overall strength of these agencies, reducing their fear of the Avengers.
Nick Fury was tired of living under the constant threat of the Avengers. Robert's immense power allowed him to casually infiltrate the SHIELD headquarters; on a bad day, he could blow up both Fury and SHIELD entirely. The fact that SHIELD's prized asset, the Hulk, had been taken by the Avengers without explanation was intolerable.
If this continued, Fury not only feared for his life but also for SHIELD's assets being constantly at risk of being seized by the Avengers. First, it was Bruce Banner; next, it could be the Space Stone. How could Fury stand for this? Even though he knew there was a vast power gap, Fury needed to push back, if only to annoy the Avengers as revenge.
Unfortunately, Fury's plan failed. Steve had managed to garner support from other government agencies, and many were no longer eager to clash with the Avengers. Additionally, Ross had his own reasons for not wanting the Gamma research to be leaked. He didn't want other agencies to succeed where SHIELD had failed, threatening his hold on Gamma warriors as his trump card.
Thus, Ross agreed to help Fury target the Avengers, but only under the condition that no Banner-related information would be leaked. If they succeeded in reclaiming Bruce Banner, Ross wanted him exclusively for his own research.
However, Ross hadn't expected Steve to dispel the tense atmosphere with just a laugh, causing the surrounding officials to join in and adding pressure to Ross. He couldn't ignore the fact that some of these laughing officials included high-ranking military personnel from other factions.
"Sorry, but I've lived a long time and never heard such a funny joke before..." Steve finally stopped laughing, his expression serious as he looked at Ross. "Maybe I'm out of touch with the times, but back when I was fighting Hydra, we Americans valued freedom and democracy. Since when can someone decide another person's fate without their consent? He belongs to no one but himself! Where he chooses to work is his own freedom! It's his right!"
"Well said!"
"Exactly! Not even the military can restrict someone's freedom like that!"
"He only worked for you; he wasn't enlisted. How can you claim he's yours for life?"
As Steve's words echoed through the room, the voices of agreement grew louder, making Ross's expression darken and leaving Nick Fury momentarily speechless.
"Don't say I didn't give you a chance," Steve continued, glancing at Ross and Fury. "We've brought Bruce Banner here today in front of all these colleagues. Let him decide where he wants to go from now on. Since when do you force someone to work for you?"
"Or do you think the Avengers aren't qualified to host a superhuman? Don't forget, when the Avengers officially became part of the government, we were granted the authority to handle all superhuman incidents. And we haven't interfered in your territory yet..."
With a bang, the doors to the meeting hall burst open as Tony Stark entered with Bruce Banner in tow. Tony sneered at Ross and Fury, "Heh, still playing games, huh? Banner, go ahead and tell these gentlemen what you really want."
"My name is Bruce Banner. I worked in General Ross's lab, but I never sold myself to him. As for SHIELD, I was forced to join..." Bruce Banner's words were blunt, completely disregarding the displeasure on Ross and Fury's faces.
"I'm not interested in revisiting the past or seeking retribution, even though I've been treated unfairly and tortured. From now on, I'm a member of the Avengers, so certain individuals should stop coveting me..."
"Wait!" Fury suddenly stood up, interrupting Banner. He stared directly at him and said, "How do I know you're really Bruce Banner? What if you're an imposter? We don't know what tricks the Avengers have up their sleeves; it would be too easy for you to fool us..."
Hearing Fury's words, both Steve and Tony couldn't help but smirk. This was exactly what they had been hoping for—a reason for Banner to transform.
"Hulk!" Banner let out a wicked grin before roaring. Under the astonished gazes of the officials, he transformed into the massive green Hulk, becoming the center of attention.
"So, you were deceiving us all along? You could transform this whole time?!" Fury's composure cracked as he shouted at the Hulk, unable to contain his frustration.
Fury's claim that Banner might be an imposter was a last-ditch effort to keep the issue unresolved, as his intel suggested Banner couldn't transform. If Banner truly couldn't transform, it gave Fury more leverage to keep pressuring the Avengers. But now, with Banner turning into the Hulk, all of Fury's schemes were shattered, and he began to suspect that Banner had been pretending all along.
"Hulk!" The Hulk's eyes darted around as he growled, pretending he couldn't speak. It had to be said, he was doing a pretty convincing job.
"Alright, Banner lost his ability to transform after too many experiments, but with the Avengers' psychological counseling, he's regained it..." Steve patted the Hulk's back, who slowly reverted to Bruce Banner. Tony Stark subtly nodded in approval.
"Okay, we can begin," Robert said, high above the military base. "Do exactly as I say. Use the amount of force I tell you to. Understand?"
"Got it!" The Hulk, who had been enduring the chilly wind high in the sky for a while, nodded eagerly, shouting, "Aaaahhh!!!"
With a loud crash, the Hulk's massive body plummeted into the core of the military base, a spot Robert had carefully chosen for its spaciousness and minimal personnel, ensuring no unnecessary casualties. Most importantly, the strongest presences in the base were all concentrated here.
"Enemy attack!"
"Enemy attack!"
"Enemy attack!"
Cries of alarm echoed through the base as the strongest presences Robert had sensed earlier quickly moved into action.
"Who dares attack our headquarters?"
"Hahaha! I was just itching for a fight, and now we've got one!"
"I wonder how many of them there are. Will there be enough for all of us?"
There were two groups of speakers—yes, two groups. The first consisted of three individuals, one with a hint of yellow, another with a touch of green, and the last with a bit of blue in their appearances. They were giants, their forms having deviated significantly from human norms. These were the successful Gamma warriors, similar to Abomination.
The rest were a larger but less powerful group. Their heights were closer to that of ordinary humans, though they exhibited partial mutations, granting them abilities beyond the average person. These made up the bulk of the Gamma Corps, often referred to as cannon fodder.
"Hulk's gonna smash you ugly guys!" The Hulk's face turned even greener upon seeing the grotesque Gamma warriors surrounding him. The Abomination had been hideous enough, but these Gamma soldiers were even uglier, making them completely unacceptable in the Hulk's eyes.
"What the heck? Hulk?! Isn't General Ross handling the Hulk situation? Why is Hulk here?!"
"So what if it's the Hulk? I refuse to believe he's stronger than us, all being Gamma warriors!"
"Exactly! Let's take him down and give Ross a surprise when he gets back!"
The Gamma warriors were initially shocked by the Hulk's presence but quickly became excited. As the first Gamma warrior, or monster, the Hulk was their origin.
But unlike the demon soldiers who respected Hellboy, these Gamma warriors felt no such reverence for the Hulk. After all, the Hulk had been constantly hunted, and Ross's obsession with the Hulk made the other Gamma warriors quite resentful.
"Give it your all and kill one of them first to scare off those soldiers rushing in!" Just as the Hulk was about to clash with the first green monster, Robert's voice echoed in his mind, making the Hulk's eyes light up.
The Hulk had already intended to kill the green monster, especially since its color was somewhat similar to his but far uglier.
The Hulk's muscles swelled suddenly, and he slammed his fist into the green monster's, meeting it head-on.
With a sickening crunch, the green monster's arm was instantly shattered, with the force of the blow ripping through its chest.
Its expression froze in disbelief, unable to comprehend the vast difference in strength; it hadn't even managed to withstand a single punch from the Hulk.
"What the hell?!"
"Holy crap?!"
The remaining Gamma warriors were stunned, their advance halting abruptly.
The soldiers who had rushed in quickly retreated under their commander's orders. This was clearly not a battlefield for them; joining a fight between such monsters, even with advanced weapons, would only make them cannon fodder...
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