Inside Primus Tower's command center, Ben Parker nearly choked on his coffee. He watched on the main monitor as a familiar green behemoth crashed into the street below with the force of a small asteroid.
This was definitely not part of his plan.
He genuinely hadn't factored Pierce recruiting Dr. Banner into his calculations. The man was supposed to be hiding in some remote, forgotten corner of the world, not dropping out of the sky like a living, breathing gamma bomb.
Tony, who had been monitoring the external situation alongside him, approached with a deep frown creasing his features. His arms were crossed tightly over his chest.
"I know that guy. Tore up half of Manhattan a while back—I wasn't in New York at the time, thank God." Tony's voice carried a rare note of genuine concern as he watched the chaos unfold. "I don't know if they can handle something that size."
Tony had to admit, Dr. Connors was impressively strong, and his massive physique seemed to be on the same level as the Hulk's. However, he had reviewed every second of footage from the Hulk's previous rampage in Harlem. An equally terrifying monster, the Abomination, had been no match for the green giant's seemingly limitless rage. From that perspective, Connors might be tragically outclassed.
On the street below, two titans collided in a battle that shook the very foundations of the surrounding skyscrapers.
When they stood tall, both Connors and the Hulk were taller than a single-story building, and each of their punches landed with the concussive force of an artillery shell. The Hulk possessed a terrifying, raw strength, but Connors was no ordinary lizard. The genetic cocktail in his veins had been amplified by Dr. Animo's transmodulator, a technology that didn't just revert creatures to their prehistoric state—it granted them power far beyond their original evolutionary limits. His scales could withstand heavy weapons bombardment, and his strength was sufficient to lift objects weighing dozens, even hundreds, of tons.
Therefore, in the opening exchange, the Hulk gained no immediate advantage.
Connors swung his massive right arm like a battle-axe, aiming directly for the Hulk's throat with bone-crushing force. The impact sounded like a localized earthquake, a deep, resonant CRACK that echoed through the canyon of buildings. To the shock of everyone watching, the mighty Hulk was actually knocked from his feet by the single, devastating blow.
With the giant momentarily stunned, Connors transformed into the apex predator he was, pouncing on the fallen Hulk with a terrifying, predatory grace. His razor-sharp claws, which had shredded military-grade steel, tore through the Hulk's supposedly impenetrable green skin. His fangs sank deep into the Hulk's shoulder, and for the first time in recent memory, the green goliath bled.
The sight was absolutely jaw-dropping.
From the relative safety of a shattered storefront, Nick Fury stared in disbelief. "He's… he's actually that strong?"
The pain, however, did nothing but cause the Hulk's anger to skyrocket. While his baseline strength may not have matched Connors's initially, the gamma-irradiated blood in his veins began to boil with incandescent fury. Veins bulged across his massive frame like steel cables under his skin, pulsing with raw, untamed power.
The Hulk roared, and in the next moment, he drove both feet into Connors's abdomen with such force that he launched the giant lizard clear through the air. The scaled behemoth crashed down onto the street vertically, making the ground tremble with the impact. Wasting no time, the Hulk rose and threw himself at Connors like a living meteor, his fists—each larger than a dinner plate—hammering down in a relentless, brutal barrage.
Connors's body was tough enough to shrug off cannon fire, but he felt genuine agony under the Hulk's assault. He roared in a mixture of pain and fury, spinning his powerful tail to knock the Hulk aside.
Then the two titans clashed again.
This time, it was obvious that Connors was beginning to flag. He could sense that his raw strength, which had initially exceeded the Hulk's, was now only an even match. Worse, the Hulk's power continued to grow with every passing second, fueled by each surge of anger. They traded devastating blows, each punch generating shockwaves like missile impacts that made it nearly impossible for the humans nearby to maintain their footing.
After several more brutal exchanges, Dr. Connors was showing clear signs of exhaustion. The Hulk grinned savagely as he began to completely overwhelm his opponent. Even when Connors's arms were broken multiple times by the onslaught, his enhanced healing factor allowed him to continue fighting—but just barely.
Soon, the Hulk had beaten Connors so severely that the lizard could barely mount a defense. The green giant grabbed Connors by his elongated snout and began slamming him into the asphalt repeatedly, each impact leaving a deep, crater-like depression in the street. Connors was rapidly losing consciousness when the Hulk leaped high into the air—nearly a hundred meters—and raised his arms, which were thicker than century-old tree trunks, preparing to deliver the final, killing blow.
"Dr. Connors!" Steve and Peter shouted simultaneously, sprinting toward the center of the battlefield.
Seeing the Hulk's devastating attack descending, Peter reacted instantly, firing two web lines that wrapped around Connors's torso. He yanked with all his might, pulling the barely conscious lizard away from the impact zone just in the nick of time.
BOOM!
The Hulk's fists struck the street with the force of a bunker-buster bomb. Everyone felt the ground give way beneath their feet as the entire block of asphalt collapsed instantaneously, punching straight through to the city's underground infrastructure.
"HAHAHA! HULK STRONGEST!" the green giant bellowed, standing in the ruins and pounding his chest like a triumphant gorilla, displaying his absolute dominance for all to see.
Though the other hadn't been hit directly, the shockwave left them reeling. Nick Fury and Natasha felt as though they'd been struck deaf, their internal organs rattled by the seismic impact. Such overwhelming power immediately plunged them into despair. Who could have imagined that after executing their plans so carefully, they would suffer such a devastating setback right on their own doorstep?
"Cough... cough..."
Steve pushed aside chunks of shattered concrete and hauled himself out of the rubble. When that punch had fallen from the sky, he'd been closest to the epicenter. His first instinct had been to use his shield to protect Connors, but Peter's quick thinking had saved the doctor, leaving Steve to bear the full brunt of the shockwave alone.
Blood trickled from the corners of his mouth, his ears rang with a high-pitched whine, and his vision swam in and out of focus. The monster before him was a horrifying echo of his first mission after awakening from the ice, a chilling reminder of the mutated creatures that had nearly killed him. The situation was equally dire now.
From the corner of his eye, he saw Peter crawling out of the debris, supporting a now-human Dr. Connors. Peter wasn't in much better shape; in his effort to save Connors, he'd taken a brutal hit from the collapsing street.
"Are you guys okay?" Steve called out, his voice hoarse.
"Can't say I'm fine—my back took a hell of a hit," Peter replied through gritted teeth.
Nearby, Nick Fury pointed to his ears, shaking his head to indicate he couldn't hear a thing. Natasha and Harry were still buried somewhere in the rubble.
The weakened Connors, still retaining a trace of consciousness, closed his eyes in defeat. "Even if we survive this… we can't beat that monster," he rasped. "His power… it seems to have no limit."
An atmosphere of despair settled over the group like a heavy blanket. Steve knew he had to be the one to stand up. He couldn't fall here. Not when so much was at stake.
As Peter struggled, he found himself thinking about the only other person he knew who possessed that kind of incredible power, but he could only glance back uncertainly at the distant silhouette of Primus Tower.
By then, Steve had already secured his shield firmly to his arm and was walking with unwavering determination toward the Hulk.
"Wait, Captain…" Peter called out, his voice strained.
But Steve didn't stop. Without looking back, he said, "Spider-Man, go. Do what you need to do. Let the world know Hydra has taken control. Focus on fighting them. I'll hold this big guy back."
"But Captain, you're no match for him!" Peter shouted, genuine worry cracking his voice.
Steve finally paused and offered a small smile over his shoulder—that same confident, determined smile that had once inspired thousands of soldiers to follow him through the hell of World War II.
"Who says I'm not?" he said softly, turning back to face the monster. "I can do this all day."
Seeing Steve's unyielding resolve, Peter found he had no more arguments. In that moment, there was nothing left but to trust his captain.
"Dr. Connors, let's go," Peter said, supporting the injured scientist as they struggled out of the battle zone.
However, when the two finally climbed out of the collapsed crater, they were confronted by the black muzzles of several handguns pointed directly at them. Captain George Stacy stood at the forefront, his service weapon aimed at Peter's head, his expression unreadable.
"Captain Stacy…" Peter looked at him with weary resignation. He no longer had the energy to fight the police.
"At the end of your rope, Spider-Man?" Stacy produced a pair of handcuffs and secured them around Peter's wrists, then spoke into his radio with practiced calm. "Spider-Man has been apprehended. Taking him into custody immediately."
George Stacy then pushed Peter and Connors toward the only police cruiser that was still operational, his face a grim and determined mask. Peter's heart sank. He had failed. He had failed to live up to his captain's sacrifice.
But after the police car turned a corner, it didn't head toward the precinct. Gripping the steering wheel tightly, Captain Stacy asked with raw frustration, "Alright. What the hell is really going on here?"
"Captain, you—" Peter began, a spark of hope flickering in his chest.
"When this is all over, you better explain everything to me!" Stacy interrupted, his tone stern but not hostile.
Peter finally understood. George Stacy had chosen to believe him. The realization filled him with a profound warmth and renewed determination, his faith in doing the right thing surging back to life.
"Please," Peter said urgently. "Take Dr. Connors to the Hardy Foundation. They have medical facilities that can help him."
Meanwhile, Steve stood alone before the Hulk. Compared to the towering green giant, he looked like a child facing down a mountain.
But Steve clenched his fists, his determination a quiet, unshakeable force.
"Get out of here, little man!" Hulk snarled, still riding the high of his victory. He couldn't tolerate such a weak-looking opponent challenging him so brazenly.
At the same time, Pierce's voice crackled through the comms of the surrounding Hydra agents. "Dr. Banner, eliminate Steve Rogers immediately!"
The Hulk, however, was far beyond listening to orders. He stomped his massive foot on the ground, turned toward the SHIELD agents, and roared his response.
"HULK NOT BANNER! BANNER IS WEAK! HULK IS STRONG!"
Watching from a safe distance, Pierce frowned deeply. The green giant was simply uncontrollable. He already had plans to eliminate Banner, but now wasn't the time. He would wait until the monster reverted to his human form, then use a Helicarrier's full firepower to obliterate him completely. For now, it was clear the Hulk intended to release his pent-up rage on Steve Rogers.
"HULK SMASH PUNY HUMAN INTO PASTE!" he roared, raising a massive fist and bringing it down like a sledgehammer from the heavens.
Steve quickly raised his shield with both hands, bracing for the inevitable impact.
It felt like a mountain had fallen on him. The sheer kinetic force sent him flying through the air like a rag doll, even though his vibranium shield had taken the brunt of the blow. The shield itself was undamaged, but it couldn't negate the laws of physics. It absorbed the energy, but the momentum had to go somewhere. The solid surface also made the Hulk's own fist ache from the impact, which only served to make him angrier.
Steve felt the world go dark for a moment, his head spinning. He struggled to his feet, his body screaming in protest, but his will remained unbroken.
Just then, a familiar voice cut through the ringing in his ears.
"Leave this big guy to me, Captain."
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