chapter 190 part 1
Chapter 189: Mutation
2023-05-02 Author: Yue Shang Xintou
Bzzzt—
Inside the Hydra laboratory, Banner watched as a lab rat chewed through an electrical wire, and he subconsciously reached out to stop it.
"Quick, open the laboratory door!"
Seeing Banner trapped inside the laboratory, the researchers outside immediately shouted.
"We can't! The level of gamma rays is too high!"
However, as the wire snapped, the gamma ray machine, which had already been shut down, suddenly activated. Deadly gamma radiation instantly flooded the entire laboratory.
"I can't stop it..."
In front of a computer, a researcher frantically pressed the buttons, but the out-of-control gamma ray machine showed no reaction at all.
The level of gamma ray emissions inside the laboratory continued to rise. If they opened the laboratory's main door now, all of them would die from the gamma ray exposure. It wouldn't just be them; everyone in the entire Hydra facility would perish from the radiation.
While the researchers stood paralyzed with panic, Banner's body inside the laboratory was instantly struck by the gamma rays emitted from the machine.
"Argh!"
However, the unexpected happened.
The gamma rays, potent enough to kill everyone in the building, did not instantly take Banner's life. Instead, under the bombardment of gamma rays, Banner collapsed to the floor, letting out agonizing cries of pain as he struggled.
The massive amount of radiation from the gamma rays penetrated every cell in Banner's body, but it unexpectedly activated a cluster of dormant cytokines within him. These factors began to mutate rapidly, combining with the gamma rays and instantly starting to spread, devouring Banner's originally normal cells in the blink of an eye.
As his cells mutated, Banner's frail appearance began to change.
Starting from his fingers, a strange green hue emerged from his wounds, rapidly spreading across all of his exposed skin.
At the same time, his slender frame began to swell at a visible rate, tearing his clothes into tattered strips.
Bam, bam, bam!
The physical mutation didn't seem to alleviate Banner's agony from the gamma rays. Stimulated by the radiation, countless dark green veins bulged on his bare torso. Banner swung his mutated, thick arms, smashing deep and shallow craters into the laboratory floor while tilting his head back to let out a pained roar.
ROAR—
With his roar, the laboratory's glass shattered into dust.
Banner then slammed his mutated green hand onto the gamma ray machine. Amidst a series of ear-piercing screeches of twisting and breaking metal, he forcibly ripped the entire gamma ray machine from the laboratory and, with another roar, hurled it out.
Boom—
The wrecked machine smashed through the laboratory's main door, leaving a deep mark on the ground.
Yet, as if still not satisfied, Banner tilted his head back and roared again. The mutation seemed to have had an extremely intense effect on his consciousness. At this moment, Banner was like a crazed beast, rampaging and destroying everything in sight.
"Warning, warning..."
"Experiment accident in D-Sector. All personnel in the laboratory, please cease your work immediately and evacuate to a safe location..."
Urgent alarms blared throughout Hydra's underground laboratory. Accompanied by violent tremors, the entire facility descended into chaos.
"What's going on?"
Inside a laboratory, Doctor Zola, who was actively brainwashing Brock Rumlow's consciousness within the 'Consciousness Register,' paused his actions and asked.
However, before any subordinate could report, he already knew the situation through Hydra's network.
The surveillance feed from D-Sector was displayed on the laboratory's computer screen. He watched Banner, who was rampaging like a beast on the monitor.
The virtual face of Doctor Zola on the screen twisted into an anthropomorphic expression of surprise.
"Is that... Mister Hyde?"
"No, it's similar, but there are differences."
Looking at the monitor's image of Banner's enormous body, mutated under the stimulation of gamma radiation, Doctor Zola's first thought was of the 'Hyde Formula' used by the former Thunderbolts member, Calvin. The form he took after injecting the hormone was indeed somewhat similar to the monster on the screen.
However, comparing the skin color and physical structure, Doctor Zola could still see the differences between the two.
"What experiments are being conducted in D-Sector?"
Using his electromagnetic signal consciousness stored on the server to lock down the area where the monster was rampaging, Doctor Zola asked his research staff.
"...There's the upgraded 'Project Insight' integrated with the satellite barrier, Project Hive, and the 'Super-Soldier Serum' Type II project, which is led by Dr. Bruce Banner."
In the D-Sector laboratory, numerous labs were sealed, and the entire area was put on lockdown.
Only then did Doctor Zola return his attention to the researcher's report.
Comparing it with the location on the surveillance footage, Doctor Zola quickly identified which lab had the accident.
"So, it was Dr. Bruce Banner's experiment that had a problem."
Watching the bizarre green monster on the surveillance feed frantically destroying everything around it, Doctor Zola spoke in a flat electronic tone, "Contact Dr. Bruce Banner immediately. I need to know the specific details."
At Doctor Zola's command, the researchers in the Ultron Laboratory sprang into action.
"Report, Doctor..."
Soon after, they relayed some rather bad news to Doctor Zola.
"The one who had the accident was Dr. Bruce Banner himself."
"What?!"
Hearing the researcher's report, Doctor Zola's face on the screen flickered for a moment.
Clearly, he had not anticipated such an answer.
...
Beep, beep—