"It hurts just looking at what happened! I think you made it angrier!" Rhodey looked at Hulk's bared teeth, knowing that he wouldn't let it go so easily.
"Oh yeah! But Veronica's concept is great! Although it hasn't demonstrated overwhelming combat power yet, at least it can hold its own against Hulk!"
Tony smiled apologetically at Banner, then began analyzing the actual combat performance of the Hulkbuster armor, intending to build one for himself.
By this time they had already dealt with the Strucker situation, and most of HYDRA had surrendered. NATO had wanted to take Strucker into custody.
However, Tony argued that they couldn't guarantee Strucker's safety. This comment left them speechless, and they could only watch as Tony and the others took Strucker and his scientist away.
But Tony and his team didn't leave NATO empty-handed. They also released the captured HYDRA soldiers and relevant information to them. Of course, Tony had also instructed JARVIS to make a copy of everything.
Meanwhile, Captain America seemed to be contemplating something after seeing Hulk's adverse reaction to Banner's name.
[With a thunderous crash, Tony smashed through a building and emerged from the other side, quickly stabilizing himself in mid-air.]
[But before he could fully recover, Hulk charged directly into him, driving him back through the building and unleashing a barrage of furious blows.]
[Tony attempted to right himself, but Hulk maintained his position atop the Hulkbuster armor, repeatedly hammering the suit with devastating force.]
[Tony backhanded Hulk into the building's structure, but the green titan was barely affected. He plowed through two floors, then grabbed the leg of the Hulkbuster armor.]
[Hulk leaped onto Tony's back and began tearing at the suit, ripping off the thrusters. Tony finally managed to fly over the building, but Hulk remained on top of him, continuing his relentless assault.]
["Damage report?" Tony glanced at the flickering display and the intermittent system alerts, shaking his head in frustration. "That's comprehensive. Give me something specific!"]
[Veronica immediately deployed a new armor component toward Tony. Hulk, still clinging to the armor, flipped around to deliver another powerful punch.]
[Then with a backhand swing, he knocked away the approaching component, sending it crashing back into Veronica. Both plummeted toward the ground.]
[Facing Hulk's unrelenting attacks, Tony momentarily found himself without options.]
[Fortunately, he spotted an unfinished construction site nearby. After scanning to confirm there were no people inside, he immediately formulated a plan.]
["How quickly can we buy this building?" He then flew over the structure and hurled Hulk downward.]
[Tony rocketed toward Hulk, accelerating with gravity, and fired four missiles at the building's central support columns.]
[Hulk could only watch helplessly as Tony dove toward him with a roar, smashing into the structure with Hulk beneath him.]
[In an instant, they crashed through countless floors, and the entire building collapsed completely. Billowing clouds of dust and debris erupted as the structure imploded.]
[A massive dust cloud swept across the town as citizens fled in panic. The local military finally arrived, training their rifles on the ruins.]
[Hulk emerged from the rubble, roaring defiantly. But after the impact, he seemed to gain some awareness, looking at the terrified citizens fleeing around him.]
[Even Hulk realized what he had done. Seeing these dust-covered people staring at him in horror, Hulk's rage gradually gave way to remorse.]
[Then he noticed a soldier aiming a weapon at him and instinctively tensed, but before he could react, a massive mechanical arm knocked him unconscious...]
"He doesn't want this to happen..." Natasha observed Hulk's expression, lowering her head with a sigh. She could sense that Hulk had his own distinct emotions.
He wasn't merely Banner in another form. They should be considered two separate individuals sharing one body, similar to dissociative identity disorder, and they clearly resented each other.
Natasha believed that if Banner could peacefully coexist with Hulk, perhaps he could become the integrated being that Sky had mentioned.
The crucial point was that Banner controlled Hulk's body, not the other way around, indicating Banner remained dominant in their relationship.
Dr. Banner naturally understood this, but he had never succeeded in integration because he always subconsciously resisted Hulk, and Hulk equally disliked Banner.
After all, there was a time when Banner wanted to destroy Hulk at any cost, so the relationship between them was like water and fire. Peaceful coexistence would never come easily.
[Night had fallen by the time they were heading back.]
[In the Quinjet, Banner reclined in his seat, silent and withdrawn. Captain America had also closed his eyes, quietly processing everything he had seen in Wanda's vision. Thor stood apart from the others, hands clasped, lost in his own thoughts.]
[Maria Hill, monitoring from New York, delivered the bad news remotely.]
["The news media loves you guys! But everyone else? They're not exactly fans. There's no official call for Banner's arrest, but the news is spreading fast."]
["Where's the Stark Relief Foundation?" Tony knew this incident was serious and would significantly impact the Avengers' public standing.]
["Already on the scene. How's the team?" Hill's reply provided Tony some relief, as she showed concern for everyone's condition.]
["Everyone...we took a hit. We'll shake it off," Tony responded with forced confidence.]
[At this point, Hill offered a suggestion: "Well, for now, I'd stay in stealth mode. And stay away from here."]
["So run and hide?" Tony leaned forward, eyebrows raised.]
["Until we can find Ultron, I don't have a lot else to offer."]
[Looking at his dejected teammates, Tony had to admit this was their best option. "Neither do we."]
[He ended the communication and approached Barton, the only one who seemed unaffected by Wanda's magic. "Hey, you wanna switch out?"]
["No, I'm good. If you wanna get some kip, now's a good time, because we're still a few hours out." Barton declined Tony's offer, suggesting he should rest instead.]
[Tony looked confused. "A few hours from where?"]
[Barton replied calmly: "A safe house."]