Every person has someone they secretly wish dead.
That was Wade's philosophy.
It was the very reason he'd approached Kurogai Blackwood about partnering up. This was Wade's world—mercenary work, odd jobs, and deadly contracts. Whether it was a messy skirmish, escorting an old lady across a street, or taking someone out, he was up for it.
"No thanks," Kurogai replied with a half-smile, swirling the dark liquor in his glass. "If I ever had an enemy worth killing, I'd handle it myself."
There was no need for middlemen. If Kurogai truly wanted someone gone, he'd crush their heart with his own hands.
"Ah, got it. So, you're in the business too?" Wade paused mid-motion, his tone suddenly shifting as he sensed something dangerous beneath Kurogai's words.
That was no bluff. Wade could feel it—the kind of quiet, bone-deep killing intent only a seasoned mercenary carried. It wasn't something you could fake. It lingered like the scent of blood.
He'd sensed it in the field before, in warzones and abandoned labs, and now, here, in the low lighting of this bar.
From that moment, Wade stopped treating Kurogai like some ordinary guy and started regarding him as a peer.
"If that's what you want to call it," Kurogai replied, taking a slow sip.
Wade grinned. "Perfect. I've got a mission on hand. Think you'd be interested in a little co-op? High-paying gig."
A few days ago, Wade had picked up a contract. Problem was, it was the kind of job that required backup, and Kurogai, despite being a mystery, exuded the kind of energy Wade didn't want to be on the wrong side of.
"I might bite," Kurogai said with a brow raised. "Tell me more."
He didn't actually plan to accept the job, but he was curious. This was the first time he was dipping a toe into the world of mercenary networks. And curiosity, in his case, often led to opportunity. He was currently experimenting with the activation conditions for other pupil rings—something that required exposure to different kinds of danger.
Wade leaned in close. "I can't spill too much unless you're in, but here's the teaser: reward's sitting pretty at two million USD. We split it evenly—one million each. How about that, huh?"
He finished the sentence with a dramatic whisper before bursting into laughter. But when he saw Kurogai's stoic expression didn't budge, the grin faltered.
Wade was confused. Who turns their nose up at a million dollars?
What he didn't know was that Kurogai had long since stopped caring about money. Unless it served a greater purpose, dollars were just paper to him.
"Alright, alright, I'll throw you a bone. The target's a doctor. Dangerous guy. The instructions are clear—he must be captured alive."
Wade dropped his voice again, trying to maintain some secrecy. Kurogai's expression changed slightly—his eyes narrowed with recognition. A doctor, dangerous, must be taken alive... and there was a military connection?
"Go on," Kurogai said, voice calm but firm. "Give me more."
Wade scratched his neck, reluctant. "Can't say much more, man. I've already crossed the line just saying this. But—since you did help me win at poker earlier—I'll say one last thing. The job's tied to the U.S. military."
That was it. The final piece.
A dangerous doctor being tracked secretly by the military? There was only one possibility.
Bruce Banner. The Hulk.
Kurogai's mind worked fast, recalling details. The military had been working on a new serum to recreate the Super Soldier Project. Banner had been at the center of it. But something had gone catastrophically wrong.
Banner became the Hulk. And the military, humiliated by their failure, couldn't openly chase him down. So they turned to the underground world. Hired mercenaries. Quiet captures. Black-ops solutions.
Everything suddenly made sense.
"Don't break my heart, man," Wade groaned, clutching his chest in mock despair. "If you say no, I'll cry right here."
"Wade," Kurogai said flatly, "you don't have the power to deal with that creature. Stay out of it."
It wasn't meant as a warning. It was a statement of fact. The Hulk wasn't a man—they were chasing a force of destruction. Banner's rage-fueled alter ego grew stronger the angrier he got. That was a fight even Deadpool, in his current state, couldn't win.
Wade pulled a dramatic face. "Oh come on, don't tell me you're planning to hog the whole job! That's not very team-player of you!"
Kurogai stared at him.
Wade finally sighed, hands raised in mock surrender. "Fine, fine. Just don't forget who brought this to your doorstep."
"If you follow me, that's on you," Kurogai said, finishing his drink and setting the glass down gently. "But I warned you. Don't come crying when you're in pieces."
"Pieces is kinda my thing, buddy."
Kurogai didn't smile. But inside, he admired the madman's tenacity—even if it bordered on foolishness.
Still, this was a lead he couldn't ignore.
A chance to encounter the Hulk… and maybe awaken something new inside him.
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