"A little girl? Why is there a little girl here?" General Ross's soldiers looked at one another in disbelief.
"This kid isn't simple. We spent all night failing to capture the Hulk, and yet he passed out in front of her!"
"That's right. Stay alert. At the first sign of trouble, open fire immediately!"
"Yes, sir!" the soldiers answered in unison.
The commanding officer leading the operation raised his loudspeaker and shouted toward Laffey.
"Girl down there, squat with your hands over your head or we'll shoot!"
"Hands over my head?"
A playful smile appeared on Laffey's face.
She was the apostle of the Lord of Life, her status exalted beyond compare. To demand she kneel or surrender was blasphemy.
A cold glint of killing intent flashed in her eyes. She opened her lips and uttered a single word.
"Scram."
"!!"
The soldiers never imagined that the girl they had surrounded would dare speak to them like this.
They had tanks, helicopters, and overwhelming firepower at their disposal. Even a battalion would shrink under such pressure. Yet this girl acted as if they didn't exist.
After telling them to leave, she casually dragged the unconscious Banner and started to walk away.
The commanding officer's face twisted with rage.
"Open fire!" he roared.
In an instant, heavy machine guns and cannons from more than a dozen helicopters rained fire upon her.
Laffey had intended to leave peacefully. But now that she was ambushed, the killing intent in her eyes burst forth like a storm.
"You really want to die?" she said coldly.
The cannons floating around her body lit up, unleashing a blinding storm of shells.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Explosions tore through the night. Helicopters burst into flames one after another, falling like fiery fireworks. The spectacle was dazzling, yet soaked in blood and death.
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack! Ground units and fighters, fire at will!"
The commanding officer, lucky enough to dodge the first barrage, trembled in fear.
This wasn't a child. This was an entire fleet. A god!
God? The thought struck him like lightning. His eyes widened as he zoomed in on the girl through his monitor. He clearly saw the tree emblem embroidered on her clothes.
"The Church of Life! She's from the Church of Life!"
Panic filled his chest. For a moment, he almost gave the order to retreat. But his pride and ambition held him back.
"No. Whether or not she's from the Church of Life, she defied us. Disobedience means death. I was right to attack. If she dies, there's no witness. If I bring back Banner, I'll be rewarded. Glory instead of punishment!"
The thought of facing court-martial vanished. His eyes reddened with determination.
"Fire! Don't stop until she's dead!"
Tanks and fighter jets roared to life, unleashing a storm of shells and missiles. The sky lit up with blazing fire as destruction rained down on Laffey.
The commander sneered, convinced victory was his.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The forest below was engulfed in explosions. Flames rose into the sky, turning night into day.
"Is she dead?" he muttered, staring at his thermal monitor.
As the smoke cleared, the battlefield was a wasteland. The girl's figure was gone.
"She's dead!" he shouted in triumph.
But his joy lasted only a heartbeat.
From the ruins, a crimson beam shot out, piercing tanks, fighters, and even the helicopter he stood in.
The commander looked down in horror at the gaping hole in his stomach.
"Laser cannon… she's not… dead…"
His final words faded as his helicopter exploded in a fireball.
All around, the tanks and fighters went up in flames, bursting like fireworks across the sky.
Laffey had annihilated Ross's entire unit with ease.
A magic gate opened before her. Her killing intent faded, replaced once again by her cold arrogance. Humming happily, she dragged Banner through the portal, disappearing from sight.
Brazil, temporary military command base.
"What's the situation? Do we have contact?" Ross asked, his face grim.
Minutes ago, their communications had been cut off by heavy interference.
"General, the jamming has stopped, but we still can't reach our units."
"No word from the recon team either?"
"They're en route. We should hear soon."
At that moment, a terrified voice came through the radio.
"Reporting! Based on the battlefield remains, there was a massive fight!"
"And our people? Put them on the line!" Ross demanded.
"General, I'm afraid they're gone. The wreckage of tanks and aircraft is everywhere. It looks like a complete wipeout."
Silence fell over the command tent. Only Ross's furious breathing could be heard.
"Damn it! Find out who did this. I'll kill them myself!" he roared.
"Sir, the last word received over radio was 'Life.'" a soldier reported.
"Life? A little girl?" Ross's face darkened. He fell into thought, then barked coldly, "We're returning to the States immediately!"
Roland estate.
Banner had already woken up. In front of him sat a little girl swinging her legs and drinking wine straight from the bottle.
He recognized her. She had appeared in the viral video of demons descending upon Earth. She was from the Church of Life.
"I didn't expect the big green guy to turn into someone so weak. Your gamma rays are pretty strange." Laffey sipped her wine lazily.
"You've seen him?" Banner rubbed his aching head.
"When he transforms, I lose all memory. It's like he's a completely different person," he explained.
"Not only did I see him, I beat him down. Otherwise, how do you think you got here?"
"…" Banner's eyes went wide.
"You… you beat him down?"
"Mhm. He's strong, the strongest human I've ever met. But compared to Mephisto, he's nothing. Compared to me, still nothing. Anyway, enough talk. I just came to tell you that you're in the United States now. Since you're awake, you can leave." She took another swig and stood.
"Wait, little sister, please. Can you let me see the Lord of Life? I want to beg him for help."
"Impudent. Do you think a mortal like you can just demand an audience with my Lord? Leave, or die."
A crushing wave of pressure burst from her body, nearly forcing Banner to his knees. His heart pounded with terror.
So this was the power of just one follower of the Lord of Life. No wonder they could fight demons from Hell.
But the stronger she appeared, the more desperate Banner became. If even her power was beyond comprehension, what about her master? Perhaps the Lord of Life could cure his curse.
Gritting his teeth, Banner tried to speak again, but Laffey cut him off.
"My Lord already knows what you want. His answer is this: Hulk and Banner are one. No one can separate you. If Hulk dies, you die. If you die, he dies. Think carefully."
Her eyes flashed coldly. "Also, don't call me little sister. My name is Laffey. If you dare disrespect me again, I'll kill you."
With that, she turned to leave.
But before she could take another step, alarms blared across the Roland estate.
Her expression turned icy, and in a flash of light she vanished.
Blue skies stretched over the sea.
Not far from the Roland estate, an aircraft carrier battle group floated on the waves. Tanks and armored vehicles lined up outside the mansion gates in perfect formation.
Inside the carrier command room, a group of generals studied the situation.
"General, we've confirmed it. The girl who took Hulk is from the Church of Life. Hulk is inside the Roland estate right now."
A holographic projection flickered to life, showing blurry footage of the battle from the previous night. Laffey's figure was faintly visible.
Ross rubbed his temples. "Why would the Roland family abduct Hulk?"
"We don't know yet. We'll have to ask their head, Roland Phils. But, General, I must remind you. Although we have the President's authorization to capture Hulk, the Roland family has ties with the Church of Life. This may involve the mysterious Lord of Life himself. The President ordered us to proceed peacefully. We can negotiate any price, but we must not use force. Otherwise, Congress will not back us."
The commander's warning was heavy.
The world knew of the Lord of Life's existence, but not the true link between him and the Roland family. Few realized Roland Phils himself was the Lord of Life, for every appearance of the deity had been in a different form.
Ross scowled. "I only want Hulk. As long as they hand him over, I have no reason to cross the Roland family."
"But in my opinion, General, we've already crossed them." The officer sighed bitterly.
The United States had the strongest fleet on Earth, but that didn't make them invincible. He had advised Ross to approach with diplomacy, but Ross was too direct, too aggressive.
Now all they could do was pray the Roland family would be merciful.
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