Chapter 17: Mister Hyde
Author: Yue Shang Xintou
"Very good."
He nodded, his gaze shifting to the monster at his side.
Natasha glanced down at the screen on her wrist, silently calculated the time, and spoke in a calm tone.
"It's about time."
*About time? What does that mean?*
Hearing Natasha's words, a look of confusion appeared on Colin's face.
Immediately after, he saw her stride forward, walking straight through the dense fog toward the monster.
"Be careful!"
Watching the silhouette of Natasha being swallowed by the dense fog, Smith wore a worried expression. While Colin, beside him, wasn't so overt, he was just as curious about what methods this Black Widow would use to subdue the monster before them.
However, the anticipated fight never happened.
Just as Natasha walked into the dense fog, the monster's once-massive body began to shrink rapidly, as if on cue. Its muscles twisted and contorted until it transformed into a tattered-clothed, middle-aged man.
"You look absolutely terrible, Mister Hyde..."
Pressing a mechanism on her waist, Natasha injected a pre-prepared serum into Mister Hyde's neck. Observing his reaction, she advised, "Perhaps you should try reducing the dosage of your injections."
The injected serum was clearly effective; within seconds, the pained expression on Mister Hyde's face had eased considerably.
He opened his eyes, looked at Natasha, and said hoarsely, "This was just an accident. The Hyde Formula I developed is already quite stable in terms of its transformative effects. There are no issues, and it doesn't need to be reduced. It's perfect."
"Then how do you explain what just happened?"
Faced with Mister Hyde's obstinate attitude, Natasha couldn't help but frown.
"..."
At her words, Mister Hyde fell silent for a moment before shaking his head and speaking in a raspy voice.
"I told you, it was just an accident. I'll get it under control."
"I hope so."
It seemed the Thunderbolts weren't a monolith; their internal relationships were quite complex.
Natasha and Mister Hyde made no effort to conceal their conversation.
Colin stood a short distance away, a pensive look on his face as he listened to them.
*But, Mister Hyde?*
Pondering this, he turned his gaze to Mister Hyde, who was talking with Natasha. He was a stern-faced, middle-aged man with brown hair that matched the monster's long mane. His ragged appearance perfectly overlapped with a certain image in Colin's mind, except this man lacked a pair of indestructible pants post-transformation.
So it really wasn't the Hulk, or rather, Bruce Banner.
"Smith, so this Mister Hyde is also a member of the Thunderbolts?"
With one question after another, Colin turned to the cameraman beside him. Judging by his earlier reactions, he seemed quite familiar with the Thunderbolts.
Of course, it was also possible he was only familiar with Natasha.
"That's Mister Hyde."
Ever since the Black Widow appeared, Smith's gaze had been locked on her. He answered Colin's question without even turning his head.
As a Superhero team officially sanctioned under the Superhuman Registration Act, some information about the Thunderbolts' members has always been semi-public.
For example, Mister Hyde.
According to the information on the Thunderbolts' members published on the Federal Government's Superhuman Registration Act monitoring website.
Mister Hyde, also known as Mister Hyde.
He possesses a powerful transformation power, able to turn into a giant creature.
According to Mister Hyde's own explanation, he had been obsessed with the story in British author Robert Louis Stevenson's novel, *Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde*, since he was a child. He was especially fascinated by the protagonist's transformation, convinced that the experiment described in the novel could be replicated. To that end, he spent a vast amount of money and effort, and ultimately, he succeeded.
He gained the power to transform into a giant creature and named this power Mister Hyde, the same as the character the protagonist transforms into in the novel *Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde*.
Mister Hyde.
After hearing Smith's explanation, Colin turned to look at Mister Hyde in the distance.
As time passed, the smoke from the explosion that had shrouded the block gradually dissipated, revealing a devastated street. The most eye-catching feature was the large crater Mister Hyde had smashed into the center of the block.
Observing the crater up close made Colin marvel once again at the power of his monster form.
Despite having gone through such a damaging ordeal, he could now stand before Natasha and converse as if nothing had happened.
"Ah!"
Just as Colin was lost in thought.
Suddenly, a piercing scream came from mid-air.
The scream from overhead made Colin instinctively cover his ears, his face contorting in discomfort.
Beside him, Smith was also covering his ears, but his expression was strange—a mixture of pain and a hint of excitement. "Songbird," he exclaimed, "Songbird is here!"
Songbird?
Hearing the cameraman's cry, Colin glanced over at Natasha and Mister Hyde.
He saw them enduring it with calm expressions, apparently unsurprised by the scream.
As Colin's gaze shifted, the owner of the 'scream' landed on the ground.
"So this is where you were..."
Dispelling the wings of Sound Wave Energy on her back, Songbird—or Melissa Gold—looked at Natasha's group and remarked casually.
"You were hard to find."
"Sorry," Natasha said as Songbird arrived. "I forgot to contact you all."
"It's fine."
Shaking her head, Songbird's tone held little real blame despite her complaint. "Since you're here, Natasha, I'm sure everything's fine. By the way, who are they?"
As she spoke, Songbird noticed Colin and the others standing nearby and gave Natasha a questioning look.
"Television Reporters. They must have wandered into the block by accident and happened to run into Mister Hyde after he transformed."
Natasha explained, her gaze following Songbird's toward the two men in the distance.
"They're pretty lucky then, not getting torn to shreds by Mister Hyde."
Hearing this, Songbird glanced back at Colin's group, her tone teasing.
"Every one of my transformations is completed under my own volition. An accident like tearing uninvolved people to shreds, as you so crudely put it, is impossible. Therefore, your joke isn't the least bit funny."
Faced with Songbird's teasing, Mister Hyde replied in a hoarse voice, his face cold.
(end of chapter)