"Hey! General Ross, why are you still here? Aren't you in a hurry to go back?" Tony Stark's voice suddenly sounded beside General Ross, snapping him out of his confused daze.
"Huh?!" General Ross immediately regained his senses. He could hear the strong undertone of mockery in Tony Stark's voice, which instantly sparked a new suspicion in his mind.
Indeed, General Ross had previously clashed with the Avengers in the conference hall, so Tony Stark mocking him was expected. However, for some reason, General Ross had a hunch that the trouble at his military base was somehow connected to the Avengers!
"What's wrong? Why are you glaring at me like that? Are you upset because you couldn't bring Banner back to your military base?" Tony Stark grinned, unable to hide his amusement as he pulled Bruce Banner closer, emphasizing the words "military base," which made General Ross's pupils shrink.
"So it was you! You sent the Hulk to attack my military base and kill my men?!" General Ross had already begun to suspect the Avengers, and Tony Stark's words seemed to confirm it. This realization made General Ross furious.
According to the information he had received, the years of research on Gamma Warriors had almost been completely destroyed. Reproducing these Gamma Warriors based only on previous experience and materials would be nearly impossible, and the cost would be enormous. How could General Ross not be enraged?
"Hmm?"
"What? Something happened at General Ross's military base?"
"The Hulk? Isn't the Hulk right here?"
The remaining officials who hadn't left yet paused upon hearing General Ross's furious shout, looking over at Tony Stark and General Ross. They hadn't expected that after witnessing the drama in the conference hall, there would be more to come...
However, the officials were confused as to why General Ross claimed that the Hulk had killed people at his military base when the Hulk was clearly standing right there. They had just seen Bruce Banner transform into the Hulk and felt the immense pressure he exuded.
"What are you talking about?" As expected, after General Ross's outburst drew everyone's attention, Tony Stark's smile widened, but his eyes feigned an innocent look as he said, "The Hulk is right here. If you want to falsely accuse the Avengers and create a new conflict, there's no need to fabricate something like this. You could at least say the Human Torch went and blew up your base."
"You!" General Ross's pupils contracted slightly as he looked at Tony Stark's deliberately feigned expression. He instantly understood Tony Stark's intention.
Tony Stark wanted General Ross to know that it was indeed the Avengers who destroyed his precious Gamma Warriors, but he had no evidence to prove it. After all, the Hulk had an alibi—General Ross himself was a participant in that alibi.
This was a warning from Tony Stark and the Avengers to General Ross, telling him not to provoke them further. As Tony Stark had said, if the Avengers wanted to take action against General Ross, it would be all too easy.
After all, the Avengers didn't rely solely on the Hulk. With the Gamma Warriors nearly wiped out, it wouldn't be difficult for someone like the Human Torch or Spider-Man to deal with General Ross, considering none of his men were a match for them...
As for how the Hulk could be in both the conference hall and at his military base simultaneously, General Ross had no idea. He speculated that the Avengers had mastered some extraordinary power or had reached a higher level of understanding in their research on the Hulk...
"Fine! I'll remember this!" General Ross took a deep breath, glaring at Tony Stark with a cold voice.
"Oh, I know." Tony Stark nodded, smiling widely because he could tell that General Ross was absolutely livid. His eyes were bloodshot, and even his face seemed slightly swollen.
"Hmph!" General Ross didn't say anything more to Tony Stark. He snorted coldly, turned around to leave, but as his eyes swept over Bruce Banner, his anger suddenly subsided. He looked at Bruce Banner and smiled, saying, "Oh, I've been meaning to tell you something, but I haven't had the chance. Betty is getting married soon..."
"What?!" Bruce Banner gasped in shock and instinctively rushed toward General Ross, grabbing him by the collar and shouting angrily, "Say that again?!"
"Stop!" The soldiers under General Ross raised their weapons and aimed at Bruce Banner. Even though they knew Bruce could transform into the Hulk, they couldn't allow their superior to be treated like this.
"Your temper has worsened, hasn't it? Is it because of the Hulk's influence?" General Ross smiled as he saw the angry Bruce Banner, feeling like he was back in control. "Originally, if you had come back with me, there might have been a chance to stop this wedding. But unfortunately, you chose the wrong side..."
"Bastard!" Bruce Banner's body instantly swelled, transforming into the Hulk. He lifted General Ross, roaring, "Where is she? How dare you threaten me like this?!"
"I think I understand now. You're not the Hulk; you're still Banner!" General Ross stared deeply at the Hulk before him, seeing through Bruce Banner's previous disguise. The Avengers must have found a way to separate the consciousness of the Hulk and Banner!
"Separate consciousness?" Not far away, Nick Fury, observing the scene, narrowed his eyes. However, he didn't step forward. Their cooperation with General Ross had ended the moment their joint plan failed.
Even if General Ross managed to capture Bruce Banner using other means, it had nothing to do with S.H.I.E.L.D. anymore. Although Nick Fury felt some regret, if General Ross could cause the Avengers some trouble, he would be pleased.
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
Under the watchful eyes of the onlookers, General Ross's men opened fire at Bruce Banner when they saw their superior being held aloft. Unfortunately, the bullets bounced off the Hulk's green skin, causing no harm.
"Banner..." Tony Stark sensed something was wrong as soon as he heard General Ross's words, but it was too late. General Ross's men had already fired, and Tony Stark, along with the unarmed Steve Rogers, could only take cover behind Bruce Banner. Once the gunfire ceased, they prepared to talk Bruce Banner down.
"Smack!" But just then, a large red hand gripped Bruce Banner's arm. It was a powerful hand, one that forcibly pried Bruce Banner's arm off.
To everyone's shock, including Tony Stark's, General Ross's military uniform shredded as he transformed into a red giant, similar in appearance to Bruce Banner's Hulk!
Tony Stark finally understood—General Ross hadn't just been getting red in the face; he had almost transformed into the Red Hulk but held back. However, for some unknown reason, he couldn't hold back anymore...
"You..." Bruce Banner was stunned when he saw General Ross transform into the Red Hulk. What was even more shocking was that the Red Hulk was taller than him!
Bruce Banner's transformation into the Hulk was fixed at a height of 2.29 meters, unlike the Hulk, who grew taller with anger. But the Red Hulk in front of him stood over 3 meters tall!
If Bruce Banner's Hulk was similar in height to someone like Yao Ming, then General Ross's Red Hulk exceeded the limits of human size, truly becoming a giant!
So, as Bruce Banner looked up at General Ross, he was momentarily speechless, especially when he saw the menacing smile on General Ross's face, making Bruce Banner feel an ominous premonition.
"You dared to attack a high-ranking military officer? I'll have to arrest you and question your motives!" General Ross grabbed Bruce Banner by the neck, making Banner instinctively try to resist.
"Smack!" But to Bruce Banner's utter shock, his arm was caught by General Ross, who then locked his body in place. Before Bruce Banner could react, he was completely immobilized by General Ross.
"Given all that strength, you still can't fight, huh?" General Ross's mocking voice came from behind Bruce Banner's head. "You're not even as strong as that raging Hulk. Is this the limit of your power? If so, you're not much stronger than those Gamma Warriors. I'm very disappointed!"
"Let him go!" The situation unfolded so quickly that Tony Stark and Steve Rogers hadn't even had time to react before Bruce Banner was subdued. Their expressions changed as they yelled at General Ross.
"Heh, wasn't our Tony Stark quite arrogant before? I was going to let this go, but I figured I should demonstrate some value; otherwise, who would fund my next project?" General Ross smirked as he looked at Tony Stark.
"However, even if the Avengers are powerful, that doesn't stop me from arresting someone who attacked me, right? Besides, just because the Avengers handle extraordinary events doesn't mean that someone like me, a high-ranking military officer with superpowers, must join the Avengers, right?"
"Well done!" Nick Fury, who had also been startled by General Ross's transformation, silently praised him when he saw that Ross had gained the upper hand. This was the first time Nick Fury had seen the Avengers on the back foot, even if it was just Tony Stark and Steve Rogers.
"I'll say it again: let him go!" Tony Stark narrowed his eyes as he looked up at General Ross, his voice cold.
"So, it all comes down to who has the bigger fist, huh? That's fine. I'd like to see how much strength our aging Captain still has. And as for our Iron Man, what use are you without your suit of armor..." General Ross sneered, unconcerned about Tony Stark's threat, and continued his taunting.
"Click! Click!" Just as General Ross finished speaking, Tony Stark's belt emitted a clicking sound. A set of armor began to unfold from the belt, covering his entire body.
It wasn't the fully developed nano-suit.
Due to time constraints and other research priorities, Tony Stark hadn't made much progress on his armor. However, he had developed a new portable suit as an interim measure, in case of danger. He hadn't expected to need it here.
"Portable armor!" While Tony Stark himself didn't place much importance on this portable armor, the other officials present were impressed. Who wouldn't want this kind of technology? Especially since they had all been developing their own suits, they saw hope for further advancements in Tony Stark's technology.
"Zap!" As the officials eyed Tony Stark's armor, a laser beam shot from his suit, targeting General Ross.
Tony Stark had no intention of engaging in close combat. He knew the flaws in this transitional suit. His plan was to force General Ross to release Bruce Banner, allowing Steve to take Banner and retreat...
"Fzzzt!" To Tony Stark's surprise, the laser hit General Ross but didn't harm him or even push him back a step. General Ross didn't even loosen his grip on Bruce Banner...
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