Ch: 484-490
484. How Banner Became the Hulk
Hill's reason for looking at Locke wasn't to ask his opinion on whether Gwen should be allowed in.
It was simply a heads-up.
Whether Gwen goes in is negotiable.
But Locke?
Not a chance in hell!
After all, in Hill's eyes this was, without doubt, another catastrophe sparked by Locke—just like every other time. She believed it, said it, yet had no proof whatsoever.
But this World doesn't run on science alone.
There's also magic!
The thought struck Hill suddenly, and she seriously wondered: was some unknown mystical force shielding Locke? If enough disasters struck, Locke—always one step ahead—would stay perfectly safe.
Sounded absurd.
Yet… when it came to the extraordinary, like the Federation's bottom line, the rule was: no matter how absurd, there's always worse.
Listening to Hill's unvarnished theory, Locke shook his head. "I think you're overthinking it. At the very least, that Black Spider business had nothing to do with me."
Hill's expression shifted. "That… might have been an accident, a coincidence."
Locke: "…"
Goodfellas… an accident? A coincidence?
So I'm officially a walking disaster now, huh.
Heh.
Locke waved it off, done talking to Hill, and pulled Gwen aside. "It could be dangerous in there."
Gwen, also wearing a bullet-proof vest, looked up at Locke. "So, I've got a proposal!"
Locke raised an eyebrow.
'What?'
'Truce.'
'Huh?'
Locke laughed. "Truce? Are we at war or something?"
Gwen shrugged. "Then be straight with me."
"Cheeky."
"…Truce it is."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning tonight I won't hunt for proof you're that guy. And I'm not worried about my safety, because I believe the one destiny sent me will appear the instant I'm in danger and keep me safe."
"…"
Gwen whispered it, then looked at Locke. "So, truce?"
Locke chuckled.
Shrug.
"No idea what you're talking about."
"…"
Gwen glanced at him: after that line he stayed quiet, but the corners of his mouth twitched as though he'd just heard the sweetest confession—tail practically wagging. She smiled, leaned in, and kissed him.
Locke licked his lips.
One Second later.
From the corner of his eye Locke glanced at the building, then smiled at Gwen as she turned to follow Maria Hill, whose team was ready to breach. "You probably won't get the chance."
Gwen blinked. "What?"
Before the words faded—
Boom!
She spun toward the building. In an instant every light inside died into silence.
Moments earlier—
Precisely when the last bomb blocking the entrance was disarmed—
"Now!"
"Not yet—the device isn't ready!"
"Roar!"
Using both claws to clutch the tablet, Dr. Lizard—waiting anxiously while Bruce Banner calibrated the gamma device—saw the S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents pouring through the door on the monitor and instantly demanded Banner activate the machine.
But… how could he?
True, Bruce Banner's IQ towered while his EQ scraped bottom, yet even he couldn't stand by once he realized what Dr. Lizard planned.
And here lay the upside of low emotional intelligence:
A scientist with decent EQ, knowing Dr. Lizard meant to destroy the World, would probably keep helping just to stay alive.
But when IQ outranked EQ… no meant no!
Even if it cost his life.
For reference, see a certain Sheldon: sky-high IQ, forever doing "the right thing."
Still… Bruce Banner wasn't quite that extreme; Sheldon had zero EQ, whereas Banner possessed just enough to have won Betty Ross as his girlfriend. So, unwilling to assist Dr. Lizard, he chose a softer approach:
Stall for time!
Adjusting his glasses, Banner told the now-roaring, speechless Dr. Lizard, "The warmup cycle isn't finished; activating now will cause—"
He tried to buy seconds.
But…
Bruce Banner had overlooked one thing: the creature standing before him now was no longer Dr.Connors, but Dr. Lizard—more precisely, a beast driven past reason by Banner's answer and by the S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents pouring in, roaring with the raw fury of a cornered animal.
Even his eyes, in that instant, slipped further into something feral.
Bright green.
Empty of anything human.
He stepped forward.
"Raaagh!"
"Aah!"
"Boom!"
Before Banner could finish his sentence, the Lizard's claw caught him full-force; blood sprayed, his body lifted off the floor and slammed into the lab's thick bullet-proof glass with a thunderous crack.
One Second later—
—a dull thud.
Banner's right cheek ballooned at visible speed, then he slid to the floor with a wet slap, gasping in pain.
That single blow left Banner feeling as though his very soul had been scattered to the wind.
This is what happens when a scholar tries to reason with a monster.
Cold sweat burst across the groaning Dr. Banner's forehead.
Right then—
—another roar.
Fighting to stay conscious, Banner watched the creature take his place, and, without a glance, slam the emergency-start switch. Terror surged through him: "No—wait—"
He already felt half-dead,
but if the Lizard pressed that button, he would be completely dead.
Too late; the last trace of sanity vanished, leaving only the compulsion to finish the task, and the Lizard drove the switch home.
Whummm!
Instantly
the unique glow of gamma rays flared to life.
The next second
that beautiful yet lethal light began to shudder.
"Rrrragh!"
Snarling, the Lizard stared at the serum canister as the rays converged and quaked, then tried to claw the radiation back into focus.
"shit!"
Ignoring his reeling senses, Banner lurched to his feet and slammed the emergency cutoff.
Beep!
Beep!
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Klaxons howled while heavy shutters dropped around the lab; in one breath every light and circuit died.
Yet something impossible happened.
Instead of dying with the power, the gamma glow blazed even brighter, more radiant than before.
The entire device shook like a man in a fit, rattling violently.
What—?
Banner stared, stunned.
The power was cut.
Where was the energy coming from?
This wasn't science!
The Lizard only grinned in wild rapture, unaware that the rays were mutating his outstretched claws anew.
His burning eyes stayed fixed on the serum vial as, under the trembling radiation, it boiled in One Second, vaporised in two, and in three re-liquefied into a new, alien hue.
"What's going on?"
"What happened?"
"How—?"
Outside, the assault team froze as a blinding column of light burst through the roof and speared into the sky.
"Pull out!"
"Now!"
"Everyone—retreat!"
Maria Hill was first to react, instantly ordering the S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents who had just entered to fall back.
After all,
S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't grow Agents on trees.
Nick Fury might write them off as numbers, but Hill would not.
Rumor has it this very attitude makes HYDRA's poaching attempts ever more futile.
Yet something seemed to jam their comms.
"gamma rays—"
"What?"
Gwen, meeting Hill's gaze, gaped at the blazing light. "That's gamma radiation…"
But why like this?
The next instant—
—a colossal boom.
It looked as though the very clouds had been punched open.
Then
a deafening blast ripped the air; the five-storey building tore apart like a crisp snack, shards flying in every direction…
485. Superman's Transformation Tradition
Everyone present was stunned.
A seemingly sturdy building had, at this very moment, crumbled into dust. This in itself was a particularly fantastical and, no matter how one looked at it, unscientific event.
Instantly.
Maria Hill snapped back to reality with a whoosh, then her gaze shot towards Locke's position.
Locke was also slightly taken aback.
Maria Hill's gaze seemed to be conveying something.
"See, I told you so. Bringing you really can cause a bigger disaster, thereby stopping the disaster Dr. Lizard intends to cause. This is what I meant by fighting magic with magic."
"..."
Locke met Maria Hill's eyes, feeling speechless... What does that have to do with me?
Locke, who inexplicably felt a scapegoat being thrown at him, opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, after thinking for a long time, he couldn't utter a single word.
Could it be... I really have a Disaster Constitution?
It shouldn't be.
The Mandate of Heaven title hasn't even been activated.
And... I'm the protagonist.
Wait!
Locke raised an eyebrow.
Protagonist?
Disaster?
Uh... Locke blinked.
"Quick, save them!"
"Quick!"
"shit!"
"Bruce!"
"Bruce!"
After a few seconds of stunned silence, everyone quickly reacted. They looked at the S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents lying on the ground, wailing amidst the ruins of the building that had shattered like a crispy potato chip, and roared in anger.
However... Locke's gaze was fixed on the dazzling light that, despite the building completely crumbling like a potato chip, was still blasting towards the original location of the building from the sky. He fell into contemplation.
This light... this aura, it seems, somewhat familiar.
"Is this gamma rays?"
"Seems like it."
Gwen frowned, staring at the soaring pillar of light, feeling it was somewhat unscientific. Most importantly, she looked down at the transparent fine hairs standing up on her arms: "Something's not right!"
Locke nodded.
This pillar of light seemed to contain something else besides gamma rays.
It felt familiar.
Locke searched through his memory database.
Kingpin?
Locke raised an eyebrow, having retrieved the familiar aura within.
So... Kingpin, who was over a month late, finally came to help the Kingpin here seek revenge?
The next second.
Ding!]
Mission generating!]
Mission Name: "The Third Ring of the Peaceful Semester!"]
Mission Alias: "The Death of Kingpin!"]
Mission Reward: "100,000 Achievement Points," "100,000 Potential Points"]
Mission Description: "After you kill Kingpin, countless Kingpins from parallel universes will swarm. For each Kingpin killed, you will receive a reward..."]
"Kingpin..."
Locke raised an eyebrow: "One Kingpin, one reward? Really? Are they just giving away points?"
This... one Kingpin equals 100,000 points.
Then... what about a hundred Kingpins?
Hiss!
Is the system opening the floodgates?"
Locke raised his eyebrows, his eyes filled with surprise and delight. He quickly accepted the mission. One Kingpin was worth 100,000 points, so a hundred Kingpins would be 10 million points.
How many parallel Worlds are there?
What the heck.
What's the point of going to school? Just catch Kingpin and grind, and you can even travel a bit along the way.
I'm going to drop out!
Locke thought to himself.
Just then.
"Roar!"
"Ah!"
"shit, what is that?"
"Run!"
Accompanied by a roar, from the crumbling ruins of the building, just as a line of soldiers was gathering the S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents who had been directly knocked out by the explosion, a Lizard Monster, looking incredibly unscientific, easily two and a half meters tall, and exceptionally ferocious, crawled out from the ruins and roared furiously.
"Dr.?"
Gwen felt completely unwell. Looking at the monster in front of her, which looked like a villainous monster in every way and had no trace of Dr. Connor, she asked, "Is this... really Dr.?"
Locke came back to his senses and nodded sincerely: "Yes, it's him, Dr. Connor after a secondary growth spurt."
Tsk tsk.
Originally, Dr. Lizard, who hadn't undergone a secondary growth spurt, looked quite hideous, but everything is relative. If you compare the old Dr. Lizard to the Lizard Monster in front of him, then the Dr. Lizard without the secondary growth spurt looked quite handsome.
This current appearance?
Locke felt a little uneasy. He seriously doubted that this appearance couldn't be saved by even one Purification Potion. It might even require two Purification Potions.
Maybe not even enough.
But... forget it.
A Purification Potion costs five hundred points after discount. After this job, he could get a hundred thousand... no.
Counting the Kingpin who suddenly appeared, he could get a total of two hundred thousand points. Rounding up, no matter how you look at it, this wave could be considered a real windfall.
Betty Ross on the other side was also not doing well.
"Bruce!"
If it weren't for two soldiers holding Betty Ross tightly, she would probably be crying and rushing up to see if she could dig Bruce Banner, who might or might not still be there, out of the rubble.
"Fire!"
"Fire!"
"Bang bang bang!"
"Bang bang bang!"
The arriving soldiers and S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents, seeing the Lizard Monster rising from the ruins, instantly moved in unison. Countless muzzles aimed at the Lizard Monster in the ruins, and they fired in unison.
If Dr. Lizard could still make everyone feel that he could be saved.
But this two and a half meter tall, particularly hideous monster in front of them, no matter how they looked at it, had no need for rescue.
However... the dense bullets hitting the Lizard Monster's body failed to penetrate, even making clanging sounds. It seemed to have no other effect than to enrage the Lizard Monster.
"Boom!"
"Ah!"
"Take these two away first!"
"Understood."
A S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent walked up to Locke and Gwen: "You two, you can't stay here."
The entire Military Base wasn't exactly in chaos, but it had entered full alert.
Not only Locke and Gwen, but Betty Ross was also being transferred by soldiers to a relatively safe area behind them.
"Roar!"
The Lizard Monster, having undergone a secondary growth spurt and completely transformed from Dr. Lizard into a monster, let out an angry roar after being provoked. Its steel-like tail swept across like a thousand armies, and with a rumble, it knocked a dozen soldiers flying like bowling pins.
"Wow!"
Locke, who had moved to the safe zone outside the arena, couldn't help but exclaim. With his arms crossed, he said to Gwen beside him, "Honey, I feel like we're watching a monster disaster movie for free."
And it's even 3D.
No!
It's 6D.
The visuals, the special effects, they're top-notch.
Gwen's beautiful eyes were fixed on the enraged Dr. Lizard. Hearing Locke's words, she couldn't help but look at Locke: "Dr. Connor isn't like this. The Dr. is being controlled by this monster."
Locke shrugged: "The soldiers and Agents present certainly don't think so."
Gwen took a deep breath.
She took a step.
Locke raised an eyebrow.
"What are you doing?"
"I want to..."
Gwen turned around and looked at Locke, who was holding her: "I want to save Dr. Connor. As long as I inject the antidote, Dr. will definitely regain his sanity."
"That's not a good idea."
"What?"
Locke measured the Lizard Monster's size at this moment with his hand, then compared it to Gwen's size: "Honey, if you go over there, you'll be flattened into meat paste."
"I'm not afraid!"
Gwen's beautiful eyes fixed on Locke: "My Hero will protect me."
Locke was a little speechless.
You go, then you encounter danger, and then I appear.
In that case... I might as well just appear directly and skip the process.
Locke thought to himself, turned his head, looked around, and after his gaze fell on a building, he said to Gwen, "Stay here, I'm going to the restroom."
Gwen smiled when she heard this.
The next second.
Gwen's expression froze.
"Wait, you're going to the restroom?"
That's not right.
Shouldn't you say: "Honey, let me handle these tiresome tasks, you just need to be beautiful."
How... did it suddenly become going to the restroom?
Gwen's expression was a little suspicious: "Are you in a hurry? If not, wait?"
What if Dr. Connor gets directly blown up by the Military while you're in the restroom? How would you save Dr. Connor then?
But... "No!"
"Why?"
"Because..."
Locke shrugged: "Tradition!"
Speaking of which, Superman usually runs into a restroom, finds an empty stall, sits on the toilet, and then forcefully tears open his clothes to transform into Superman.
So... this is tradition.
Although Locke was a pirated Superman right now, he had the ambition to aspire to the genuine article, hoping to exchange for true Superman bloodline and become a real Superman.
Therefore, he looked up to his idol.
Since Superman's tradition is to change in the restroom, and even though Locke felt it was a bit strange to change in the restroom, since it was a tradition, it should be followed.
Besides.
Although Gwen already knew Locke was Superman, she had no evidence. Others didn't know and had no evidence. If he transformed so openly, what would happen in the future?
Should he be like Tony Stark and hold a press conference directly?
Then... yes, I am Superman?
Uh... it seems, that wouldn't be impossible.
Locke thought to himself, winking mischievously at Gwen: "No peeking!"
Gwen: "..."
486. The Lizard Monster Who Stole Hulk's Name
Gwen was beaming with happiness!
Peeping?
I peeked at you using the restroom?
It was clearly you, like a pervert, who would always sneak in when I was showering, insisting on showering together.
Pervert!
Big pervert!
…Wait?
Gwen suddenly blinked, as if she'd thought of something, and watched Locke, who was walking towards the restroom not far away, her eyes subtly shifting.
Evidence… isn't it right here?
However.
Gwen suddenly remembered what she had just promised Locke. She looked at Locke, who had already entered the restroom, and resisted the urge to step over and catch him in the act.
Just then.
Boom!
A sonic boom suddenly erupted.
What?
Gwen looked up. In the distance, in the direction of the Statue of Liberty holding the torch high, a figure, like a rocket streaking across the sky, dragging a long tail of clouds, was roaring towards them at an extremely fast speed.
But… wasn't the restroom over there?
Gwen snapped back, looking at the direction of the restroom where Locke was no longer visible, and then, looking at the direction from which Superman had arrived, she blinked, her beautiful face momentarily filled with great confusion… Thud!
Locke landed, and instantly, a wave of air swept out in all directions.
"Ceasefire!"
"Ceasefire!"
"Stop firing!"
The sharp-eyed Maria Hill almost immediately issued the order the moment the dark figure descended from the sky.
General Thaddeus Ross, on the other side, also raised his hand, signaling the many soldiers to temporarily cease fire.
Even the raging Lizard monster roared, stopped in its tracks, and then stared at the figure that had suddenly appeared before him, kicking up countless dust, and was vaguely visible within it.
Soon.
The dust settled.
In full view!
Wearing a black battle suit made of unparalleled divine weapons—copied, no, borrowed from Man of Steel—with a large 'K' on his chest, Locke slowly withdrew his fists from the ground and rose to his feet, his black cape flowing freely behind him, appearing in everyone's line of sight.
"Who is he?"
"Superman."
"What Superman? Clark Kent."
Maria Hill said to Barbara Morse, who was shouting nicknames beside her, and then turned to General Thaddeus Ross, whose eyes were fixed on Locke's back, gleaming, and said, "He's the one from the Black Spider disaster in New York a month ago."
Barbara Morse seemed to have thought of something, a hint of surprise on her face: "Oh right, Director, I remember you said he seemed to be specifically here to deal with this Kingpin matter?"
Maria Hill nodded: "Yes, I didn't expect him to still be in our world."
Similarly.
In the past month, S.H.I.E.L.D. wasn't just looking for Kingpin's whereabouts; they were also looking for Clark Kent's whereabouts, not just Superman, but also the Spider-Woman.
However, just like Kingpin, who had vanished without a trace.
Neither Superman nor Spider-Woman had left any clues for S.H.I.E.L.D.
They even thought Superman had already left.
But… S.H.I.E.L.D. could be certain of one thing: Spider-Woman was from their world, and there was a high probability that she was a New Yorker. In the past month, S.H.I.E.L.D. had been deployed everywhere, hoping to find some clues.
But they found nothing.
Now?
Maria Hill hurriedly opened her communicator and contacted the New York S.H.I.E.L.D. Command Center.
"Victoria!"
"Director."
"Activate all satellites, run them all, closely monitor this area, especially K's movements. Classify it as top secret. Once you find his whereabouts, do not make any unnecessary moves."
"Understood."
No matter how you look at it, this Superman is in the righteous and lawful alignment.
Since he's in the righteous and lawful alignment, discussing cooperation isn't out of the question.
Moreover… Maria Hill and they weren't strangers to Clark Kent anymore. After all, the first time is awkward, the second time is familiar. This was their second meeting, so they should at least be able to exchange contact information.
People go to bed after three dates, so exchanging contact information after two meetings is perfectly normal, right?
Similarly.
General Thaddeus Ross, beside him, watched Locke with glowing eyes.
His gaze was fervent.
Full of admiration!
He had seen the documentary of that fight above New York City a month ago.
The fist-to-fist combat was right up his alley.
Just then.
Thaddeus Ross saw Locke's right hand move suddenly, and something appeared in it. He paused slightly and looked at Maria Hill: "What's he going to do?"
Maria Hill also noticed the bottle filled with liquid that had suddenly appeared in Locke's hand and shook her head: "I don't know."
Not far away, Gwen was also watching, somewhat puzzled, at the bottle that had suddenly appeared in Locke's hand.
Purification Potion!
No choice.
Locke always liked to hit enemies hard.
But… Dr. Connors didn't look like an enemy at all. If he just chopped him up like this, it would definitely seem like repaying kindness with enmity. After all, no matter what, Dr. Connors had given Gwen five percent of the shares.
Of course.
To be precise, it was only three points of equity.
But… three points of equity, no matter what, was already worth over a hundred million.
Forget it.
One bottle would be a reward for Dr. Connors protecting Gwen a month ago, and the second bottle would be sold to Dr. Connors.
Locke thought to himself, flexed his right hand, and then looked at the Lizard monster not far away, which had stopped attacking. Although it was only acting on instinct, its instinct told it that it was very dangerous, and it stared intently, feeling like its hair was standing on end, even though it had no hair.
Although the Lizard monster was a full two and a half meters tall, Locke was at most one meter ninety.
But the height difference did not bring the Lizard monster a sense of security.
Locke looked up and took a step.
The next second!
"Roar!"
The Lizard monster, like a startled kitten, roared at Locke, as if saying, 'Don't come any closer, I'm very fierce, the super fierce kind.'
This scene… was very strange!
Not far away, Maria Hill and General Thaddeus Ross, who were watching, exchanged glances, their faces filled with an inexplicable expression.
Locke, meanwhile, dug in his ear, then levitated, standing in the air. Once he was level with the Lizard monster, he looked at it: "Alright, drink this stuff, and I promise I won't bully you."
As he spoke.
Locke showed the purification potion in his hand.
But… "Roar!"
"What the hell?"
This roar was different from the angry roar before.
Locke raised an eyebrow.
"Wait."
Locke seemed to have thought of something and silently opened his normal skill bar, found the language bar, and clicked upgrade.
Golden light flashed.
Language White Quality, Advanced! → Language Blue Quality, Beginner!
Locke raised an eyebrow and looked at the Lizard monster: "Say it again."
The Lizard monster complied: "Roar!"
This time, what Locke heard, besides the pure roar, contained a little something else.
But… Upgrade!
Language Blue Quality, Beginner! → Language Blue Quality, Intermediate!
Language Blue Quality, Intermediate! → Language Blue Quality, Advanced!
"Again!"
"Roar!"
Locke raised an eyebrow. After upgrading to blue quality advanced, he could finally understand the meaning in the roar.
"No, I won't drink it."
"…Heh heh!"
Locke, after understanding, looked at the Lizard monster: "This isn't a multiple-choice question. Either you drink it yourself, or I'll force you to drink it."
He could feel Kingpin's aura, which was being deciphered in the light beam still shooting into the sky, getting closer and closer. He didn't want to have to fight on two fronts when the time came.
"Roar! No, why? I finally got out of that hellhole, I don't want to!"
"…"
Locke raised an eyebrow: "Finally got out of that hellhole? What hellhole!"
The Lizard monster roared towards the sky-piercing light beam: "Roar! There! I just came out of there! I don't want to go back! No! You brought me here, not me! I don't want to go back!"
Gamma rays?
Are there… living beings inside?
Oh right.
It seems that the Hulk came from gamma rays, right?
Then… Locke looked at the Lizard monster thoughtfully: "Do you know Hulk? He's from the same place as you. I'm very familiar with him."
"Roar… What is this…"
The Lizard monster let out another roar, and then, as if it had thought of something, roared again: "Hulk! That's a good name, I'll take it!"
WTF?
Locke blinked.
Wait, what's going on here?
Just then.
The Lizard monster seemed to see Locke's slight daze, let out another roar, turned, and seemed to be planning to make a run for it.
Locke snapped back, looking at the Lizard monster that had already turned, lowered his head, and sighed.
The next second!
Boom!
Locke looked up, his figure disappearing from its original spot. When he reappeared, he was once again in front of the Lizard monster.
"Roar! No, get away!"
"Boom!"
The Lizard monster, who had just stolen the name Hulk, looked at Locke who appeared in front of him, let out an angry roar, and instinctively swung its tail, preparing to throw Locke away.
But… "Meow?"
The Lizard monster blinked, turned its head, and looked at Locke, who was gripping its huge tail with both hands: "Roar! Wait, you want… Hold on! Roar! No!"
Locke's muscles exploded. He landed on the ground, took a deep breath, and, grabbing the Lizard Doctor's tail, directly performed an over-the-shoulder throw, forcefully lifting the overweight Lizard monster into the air.
Boom!
With an over-the-shoulder throw and a loud bang, the Lizard monster was slammed into the concrete ground, creating a huge crater…
487 Friendly Interaction with Hulk
With a bang, the lizard monster landed, and the entire concrete ground cracked like a spiderweb, as if it couldn't bear the sudden weight. If it were to happen again, it might just split open.
In fact!
Locke had no intention of a second strike.
A quick victory.
There was still a lot to do tonight.
The Lizard.
Hulk.
And a Kingpin who was about to descend... Shit!
Locke felt a sudden wave of speechlessness. He felt like he had suddenly become a laborer, working late into the night.
But... 200,000 points.
It was barely acceptable. If it weren't for these 200,000 points, Locke guaranteed he would have dropped everything on the spot. He wouldn't care who was involved or if the Earth exploded; it would have nothing to do with him.
But now?
Finish things early, then go back early to unlock new positions.
Gwen had promised him.
Locke remembered it very clearly.
"Roar! No!"
From the pit, the entirely green lizard monster roared continuously. It scrambled up almost immediately, then, seeing Locke pull out another purification potion, it exploded with adrenaline and threw a punch at Locke that tore through the air.
Even with only instinct, this lizard monster, who had just stolen the name Hulk, could feel that if he drank this potion, he would die.
No!
Gamma monsters never surrender!
Hulk never bows!
"Roar! I don't want to fight you!"
"Boom!"
Locke raised an eyebrow, watching the punch that tore through the air and came directly at him. He tossed the purification potion to his left hand, then formed his right hand into a fist and met the attack directly.
With a rumble!
Under the enormous collision, countless dust clouds instantly rose. Some soldiers and S.H.I.E.L.D. agents on the periphery were directly knocked over by the rolling shockwave.
The lizard monster at the center roared again in pain, then with a crash, it was sent flying backward, slamming into the wall of a building fifty meters away.
Instantly.
A large hole was torn in the wall, and the lizard monster looked as if it had been swallowed by the building.
Locke snorted a laugh.
The next second.
Locke also vanished from his original spot.
Just as everyone's gaze fell on that building, wondering whether to go over and take a look, before they could even decide, they heard continuous roars coming from inside again.
The roars were angry!
The roars were frantic!
And then... the roars... were aggrieved!
Immediately after... "Boom!"
Like a meteor, the lizard monster looked like a shot put thrown by someone, spinning five and a half times in the air. From its eyes, some unknown liquid seemed to trail in the air, and with a crash, it slammed directly into the front of a tank rumbling over from that direction: "Boom!"
Clearly.
The tank's tonnage was also useless.
The lizard monster, swooping down like a giant shot put, directly overturned the heavy tank in front of it like a bag of Lay's potato chips. After carving a ten-meter-long trench in the concrete ground, it finally stopped sliding.
"My God!"
"He's too strong."
Some soldiers and S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, who didn't even deserve names, were gaping at this moment, marveling at Locke, who walked out of the building with an expressionless face, then instantly shot into the air with a whoosh and disappeared.
Thud!
Locke landed steadily once more, pulled out his purification potion, and with an expressionless face, like a benevolent father, watched the lizard monster, who had flipped over in the pit and shaken off countless gravel from its body.
"Third time's the charm. Don't make me angry!"
"Roar! Stop fighting, stop fighting!"
"Then drink it!"
"Roar! I won't drink it, I won't drink it!"
"Sigh!"
Locke looked at the shrinking pillar of light, sighed, and prepared to use force.
Won't drink it?
Then it's forced submission.
Just then.
The lizard monster in the pit spoke up.
"Roar! Wait a minute!"
"...Speak."
"Roar! It's fine if I leave him, but I'm not going back. If I go back, I'll be beaten to a pulp by the source."
"Heh heh, if you don't drink it, I can beat you to a pulp right now!"
"Roar! I don't care. Either you find me a new host, or you just kill us."
"..."
Locke raised an eyebrow, listening to the somewhat helpless words, and quirked his brow: "Good heavens, are you threatening me?"
Tsk tsk!
I've lived this long, and I've never seen anyone who threatened me and still managed to be well.
It's not that people haven't threatened Locke.
But... basically, within twenty-four hours, at most sixty-two hours after the threat, they had already disappeared without a trace, without exception.
Locke shook his head, somewhat speechless, and raised his fist.
Forget it, let it be destroyed.
At worst, he'd make a trip to hell later, make a deal with the Hell Lord, arrange a luxury suite for Dr. Connors or something, and consider it repaying Gwen's favor to Dr. Connors.
Seeing this, the lizard monster in the pit immediately became anxious.
"Wait, anyone will do!"
"I don't give a damn..."
Locke said impatiently.
The next second.
Just as he was about to throw a punch, suddenly, in the normally quiet mission bar, one of the accepted and in-progress missions suddenly flickered.
Mission Name: "A Peaceful Semester, Second Ring!"
Mission Alias: "The Birth of Hulk! Also known as Preventing Maria Hill from Discovering the Truth!"
Mission Completion: "Ninety-eight percent"
"..."
Locke raised an eyebrow, watching the mission completion percentage, which was dropping like a timer the moment his killing intent arose, and quirked his brow: "What's the meaning of this?"
Wait!
The birth of Hulk?
Locke seemed to recall something, turned his head, his eyes narrowed, and instantly, he saw Bruce Banner in the distance, about two hundred meters away, amidst the rubble, being dug out. He was pale, covered in blood, his body tattered and torn like a rag doll, looking like he was only a journey away from reporting to hell.
Betty Ross was beside herself, holding the rag doll Bruce Banner and crying out his name, as if calling his soul, seemingly believing that this would call back Bruce Banner's soul, which already had one foot out of his body.
"Hiss!"
Locke seemed to realize something, instantly took a sharp breath, and looked at the lizard monster in front of him, whom he had beaten into submission: "So you're the one called Hulk."
The lizard monster shook its head: "No, no, no, I'm not called Hulk anymore, I'm not."
Locke's face darkened.
So... this guy really is Hulk.
And... it was even a name he himself had given.
"That's not right!"
Locke frowned slightly: "Shouldn't you be going into that guy's body? How did you end up in this body?"
The green lizard monster took a sip: "That guy's like a little chicken. I'm not stupid. Why would I abandon a body with poor physical fitness to go find a weakling? What would I gain?"
That's true.
There's no reason to abandon someone with poor physical fitness to go find a scrawny four-eyed nerd whose physical fitness is worse than a chick.
Locke opened his mouth, listening to the lizard... no.
Listening to the reason given by Hulk, Locke, surprisingly, felt speechless.
So... if I kill Hulk, then the 100,000 points for this second ring will be gone?
This won't do!
Locke raised an eyebrow, his murderous intent instantly receding.
The next second.
Mission Completion: Ninety-eight percent.
It really is... Locke thought to himself, looking at the lizard monster, no, looking at Hulk who was residing in Dr. Connors's body, and a smile appeared: "Alright, I agree."
Trouble?
No trouble!
When it comes to rewards, no reward is too small. No matter how hard or tiring, it's worth it.
Locke possessed the qualities and cultivation of a high-level player.
As long as it was a mission and there was a reward, let alone this, he would even accept swimming naked in lava.
It's just finding a host for Hulk.
It's all simple stuff.
Isn't that a matter of minutes?
Locke smiled.
But... Hulk didn't seem to think so: "Roar! Don't try to trick me, do it first!"
Locke raised an eyebrow: "Don't worry, I won't trick you."
Hulk roared: "Roar! No, do it first. You humans are very bad."
Locke clenched his fist.
Mission Completion: Ninety-seven percent.
"Mission, mission!"
Locke silently repeated the words twice in his mind, closed his eyes, then revealed a benevolent smile, nodded, and then, with a smile, looked at Hulk, who was residing in Dr. Connors's body: "Alright, then you find a host, and I'll help you transfer."
Saying that.
Locke stood next to Hulk, hands in his pockets, like a pimp, his gaze falling on General Thaddeus Ross and Maria Hill's group of people: "Tell me who you like, and I'll help you."
The mission only stated that the birth of Hulk was needed.
It didn't specify that it needed to be the birth of Bruce Hulk Banner.
And... Hulk just said it.
He didn't think much of Banner.
Small arms and legs, like a little chicken.
As a high-level player, not being perfunctory with missions is also a quality of a high-level player. Hulk already said he didn't like Banner, so designating Bruce Banner as Hulk's sole representative would be a bit unreasonable.
"Roar! Really?"
"Of course!"
Locke said with a smile: "I told you, I'm a very amiable person."
For the mission, right?
Hulk's eyes lit up, and he pointed at someone not far away: "Roar! I want..."
Before the roar finished!
Boom!
Hulk, his entire body bent forward, was heavily slammed into the concrete ground...
Four Hundred and Eighty-Eight, This is Red Hulk
Locke's face darkened once again.
No other reason.
The Hulk, who was currently residing in Dr. Lizard's body, pointed at someone, and it was none other than Gwen.
His Gwen!
Good heavens.
You're like an old man hanging himself, eager to die.
If you want to die, just say so. It's only 100,000 points. Although it's painful, he can still choose to give up and make up for it elsewhere.
For example... at worst, he could find another Gamma device, then open it, and name the subsequent Gamma creatures that arrive 'Hulk.' Wouldn't that work?
What?
Not the Hulk anymore?
Heh heh... there's a saying that's been around forever.
Have you ever heard of 'beating a confession out of someone'?
No matter what the Gamma creature is called, as long as it admits to being the Hulk, then it's OK. Rounding up, no matter what, the mission can be considered complete.
As a professional high-level player.
Likewise.
A flexible mind and adaptable methods are also essential qualities that a professional high-level player should possess!
The Hulk, who had just climbed out of the pit, looked bewildered.
He wanted to get angry.
But... after weighing his options, he let out a somewhat aggrieved roar at Locke!
"Roar! Why did you hit me!"
The Hulk felt very wronged: "Roar! Among so many humans, only she feels the strongest, besides you!"
That makes... a lot of sense!
After all, Gwen had received the power inheritance of the White Spider Jelly. And if Gwen transformed into her spider form, she wouldn't necessarily be able to beat everyone here, but in a one-on-one fight, she would completely and easily win.
The few people over there were somewhat stunned at this moment.
They exchanged glances!
Especially Gwen.
She felt like Locke might have some serious illness.
After all, in Gwen's and everyone else's eyes, it seemed only Locke was talking to himself, facing a lizard monster lying in a pit.
Moreover, others didn't have as good hearing as Gwen.
"How about..."
Barbara Morse saw the situation and suggested, "Should we go over and take a look?"
Maria Hill immediately glanced at Barbara Morse: "Are you out of your mind?"
The Superman who appeared wasn't afraid of this lizard monster, and he seemed to be beating it up the entire time.
But what about the others?
Maria Hill's gaze fell on the soldiers who had just been swept away and killed by the enraged lizard monster's tail. She felt a lingering fear: "Let's wait and see."
She wasn't afraid of death!
But... Maria Hill was very resistant to such meaningless deaths. And, as it currently stood, although this Clark Kent from another world seemed to have a strange mental state, he was still on their side of justice and order.
For now, that was enough.
Gwen listened to Maria Hill's conversation, feeling a bit disappointed. After all, if Maria Hill had gone over, she could have gone too, and she really wanted to ask, 'What on earth are you doing?'
Locke wasn't doing anything strange!
When he used to watch Marvel, the Hulk always acted like a mischievous child.
And now?
Movies, they don't lie to me!
"No!"
"Roar! Why not?"
"Pick someone else, that person won't do!"
"Roar! No, I want her, I want her!"
"Get lost!"
Locke raised an eyebrow. Seeing the mission completion progress in the mission bar had already dropped to fifty percent, he took a deep breath, then casually pointed with his right hand: "Fine, don't choose anymore, just that one."
"Meow what?"
The Hulk followed the direction of Locke's finger, and the entire Hulk was stunned.
No other reason.
The direction Locke pointed was at Bruce Banner, who was being nervously carried onto a stretcher like a rag doll, about to be sent to the nearest hospital to see if he could be saved.
The Hulk was dumbfounded!
"Roar! I don't want this, I don't want this four-eyed nerd, he's too weak, I don't want him!"
"Heh heh, when I gave you a choice, you didn't cherish it. Now, you don't want it? Too late?"
Locke let out two cold laughs.
I gave you a chance, but you were useless.
Since you can't even do the most basic multiple-choice question, then don't do it, I'll do it for you.
Originally, Locke thought that although the Hulk seemed foolish, his conversations were quite interesting. And since this was a mission about the Hulk and not Bruce Banner, he wanted to give the Hulk a chance to change his fate.
After all... instead of having the Hulk and Bruce Banner dislike each other, it would be better to choose someone they both liked from the beginning, which would save future after-sales troubles.
But... it was fate.
Locke thought to himself, then came back to his senses and looked at the Hulk: "Either you choose to be beaten to death by me, or you accept my terms!"
"Roar! No, I don't want a weakling!"
The Hulk roared, then stood up with a bang, spread his arms, and let out an angry roar at Locke.
He would rather not have a weakling as a partner.
Locke looked up at the Hulk, whose green skin seemed to be turning red and hot from anger, and raised an eyebrow.
Wait a minute.
Shouldn't the Hulk... be green?
And... that's right.
Shouldn't the Hulk's strength grow stronger the angrier he gets?
Locke thought to himself, during his recent fight with the Hulk, it seemed this Hulk's strength hadn't increased with his anger.
What's going on?
Could it be that this guy isn't the Hulk?
Something's not right.
The mission in the mission bar didn't say that.
But... this color?
And the strength that didn't change with anger, it really didn't look like the Hulk.
It was somewhat like the Red Hulk?
Locke raised an eyebrow!
Just then!
Ding!]
Mission Supplement!
Mission Alias: "The Birth of the Red Hulk!"
Double Mission Reward: "As a reward for discovering the easter egg, the reward will be doubled upon completion of this mission!"
Mission Note: "Haha, didn't expect that, did you? I was wondering when you'd discover it. This isn't a BUG, it's a little easter egg. Surprised? The System loves you, smooch!"
"..."
Locke's eye twitched violently: "You clearly had a BUG, and then you emergency-fixed it, didn't you!"
What little easter egg.
Who are you trying to fool with that!
However, Locke looked at the so-called double reward, which was actually a compensation reward used to placate players after a game bug, and after thinking about it, he spoke a truth.
If it's doubled, that's 200,000 points.
Plus the Kingpin who's still in the queue.
Tsk tsk.
That would be 300,000 points.
Good heavens.
Locke secretly thought that the system was indeed a rich tycoon, and once again, he put away his murderous intent, nodded, and looked at the Hulk, who was truly named Red Hulk, with a very kind smile: "Alright, I'll give you one last chance. Choose carefully. If you choose wrong again, then don't choose at all. Either I send you on your way, or I'll choose for you."
For the mission, you know.
Earning points.
It's not shameful!
Upon hearing this, the Red Hulk became impatient, but quickly, he saw Locke's narrowed, fierce eyes and swallowed hard. Then, he seemed to think of something: "Roar? Besides that one, who's the strongest here?"
Locke raised an eyebrow.
"The strongest?"
"Roar! Yes, yes!"
"...Then those two!"
Locke pointed with his right hand at Maria Hill and Thaddeus Ross, saying, "Among all these people, the strongest are those two."
One is the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. One phone call can mobilize tens of thousands of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, and another phone call can have her agents air-dropped anywhere in the world within twenty-four hours.
Moreover, Maria Hill's physical fitness itself is one of the strongest here. After all, Maria Hill also came from a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent background, and the effort she put in was almost the same as the effort put in by Ms. Peggy Carter back then.
General Thaddeus Ross is the same!
As one of the bigwigs in the federal military, General Thaddeus Ross's phone call... uh, couldn't deploy tens of thousands of troops, but a single phone call could easily make someone disappear.
What's more... General Thaddeus Ross's physical fitness itself was top-notch, of course, that was when he was young. However, General Thaddeus Ross's physical functions have deteriorated due to age.
But... even so, with General Thaddeus Ross's current physical fitness, ordinary small villains, those common, cannon-fodder-like villains, wouldn't even be worth General Ross's attention.
"Roar! No women."
The Red Hulk recoiled, seemingly still thinking that Locke was displeased because he had chosen a woman, and thought it was a trick question. Then, he asked again, confused: "Roar! That old guy, he's stronger than that weakling, but any human is stronger than that weakling. Why do you say he's the strongest here?"
Locke's mouth curved upwards, and he patiently explained: "The old guy you're talking about, without even lifting a finger, can make anyone here die very quickly!"
The Red Hulk was shocked: "Roar? Really?"
Locke nodded!
He was telling the truth.
Don't forget, this is the New Jersey military base, federal military territory. As the big boss here, let alone the soldiers, even S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, if General Thaddeus Ross wanted to, every single S.H.I.E.L.D. agent could be taken down here.
The charge?
Trespassing on a military base, does that count?
"Roar, roar! If you're not lying to me, then it's him."
489. The Birth of Red Hulk
Hulk... no, that's not right.
Red Hulk is different from the regular Hulk.
The regular Hulk, the angrier he gets, the stronger he becomes; his maximum strength allows him to lift a mountain weighing 150 million tons.
But Red Hulk is different.
Red Hulk grows stronger by absorbing gamma radiation, and can even absorb other types of energy, such as cosmic radiation.
Usually, the more energy he absorbs, the stronger he becomes.
However... compared to the Hulk who can lift a 150 million ton mountain, Red Hulk's strength is far inferior to a Hulk enraged to the extreme.
He only possesses over a hundred tons of strength... But... precisely because of this, Red Hulk, who doesn't need anger as fuel, while a tiny bit weaker than the Hulk, is also a tiny bit more rational than the Hulk.
Red Hulk understood.
He had no choice.
If he made the wrong choice again, it was clear that this powerful god-like man, who could beat him like a baby, would truly strangle him.
Like strangling a pitiful little chick.
I just came out, I don't want to die yet.
Although Red Hulk looked at Thaddeus Ross, who even had a white beard, and felt that Locke was bluffing him, he had no choice but to hold onto a sliver of hope that Locke wasn't bluffing him.
Locke's expression was clear and sincere: "Don't worry, I never lie."
Thaddeus Ross was indeed the most powerful man among the humans present.
After all... power.
Power!
Power, as in strength!
With Thaddeus Ross's immense power, who would dare call him a weakling?
Even Alexander Pierce from Hydra, upon seeing Thaddeus Ross, would respectfully address him as General Ross, a big shot!
As for whether Thaddeus Ross would agree?
Ha.
That wasn't even a question.
Locke made a gesture to Red Hulk to wait a moment, then turned his gaze towards Thaddeus Ross.
Instantly!
Locke vanished from his spot, and when he reappeared, he was already in front of Thaddeus Ross and the others.
"Careful!"
"General!"
"..."
The moment Locke landed, the two lieutenant colonels beside General Ross instinctively moved to protect him, but the general said in a deep voice, "Put your guns away."
The two officers were slightly stunned, then obeyed the order and put their weapons away.
"I have a question!"
Locke glanced at the two officers pointing their guns at him, then looked at General Thaddeus Ross and directly told him the terms of the deal he had made with Red Hulk, getting straight to the point.
Beating around the bush was pointless.
Locke preferred to get straight to the point, simple, crude, direct, and very efficient.
He was determined to get these 200,000 points.
Even the Ancient One wouldn't be able to stop him!
What's more... Thaddeus Ross had no reason to refuse.
One thing could be seen from General Thaddeus Ross's pursuit of the super-soldier serum.
General Ross was a traditional and hawkish general.
He liked powerful soldiers.
Even... the kind who liked to get straight to the point, using visible, physical methods to crush and destroy enemies!
And Red Hulk... was the epitome of extreme physicality!
Indeed!
General Thaddeus Ross was very tempted by Locke's words.
But... "I also have a question!"
"Please speak!"
"Will he be under my control?"
"Of course."
Locke replied to General Thaddeus Ross, "If you wish, then you will be Red Hulk, and Red Hulk will not be you."
The two officers beside them saw this.
They became anxious!
"General!"
"This is very dangerous!"
"No!"
General Thaddeus Ross's eyes burned with fervent admiration for violent aesthetics: "This is a brave attempt!"
Although Locke had just beaten Red Hulk like a little chick.
It was undeniable that Red Hulk's combat power could be said to be at the peak of individual combat strength.
To be able to merge with such power, and to have it under his control.
Why not?
What?
What if it's a trick?
Heh.
Over the years, how many times had General Ross been deceived in his efforts to improve the individual quality of soldiers and the military's firepower? Yet, each time, General Ross only grew stronger from the experience.
In a word.
Some risks are worth taking.
Red Hulk is too ugly?
Power not under control, no matter how handsome, is hideous, but if it's controlled and usable power, no matter how ugly, it can be said to be pleasing to the eye!
Thaddeus Ross looked at Locke: "I agree!"
Locke revealed a brilliant smile.
Two hundred thousand points.
Acquired!
He hadn't misled Thaddeus Ross.
If Red Hulk were to be transferred to Thaddeus, then General Ross would be Red Hulk, and Red Hulk would merely be Red Hulk.
In fact... if Red Hulk had initially been transferred to Dr. Connors, then Locke wouldn't have needed to do so much.
But Red Hulk was transferred to Dr. Lizard.
Dr. Lizard was not Dr. Connors; Dr. Lizard was merely a beast with only animal instincts, which is why Red Hulk developed a self-awareness after his arrival.
However, this self-awareness was very weak; if Locke wanted to, he could easily disperse Red Hulk's self-awareness with a single slap, but doing so would mean his 200,000 points would vanish into thin air.
"Let's go then, there's another guy waiting for me."
Locke glanced at the gradually dimming light pillar; within it, Kingpin's aura was growing closer.
Just then.
"Mr. Kent..."
"Maria Hill?"
Under General Thaddeus Ross's warning gaze, Maria Hill gave General Ross a reassuring look and then turned to Locke: "Mr. Kent, can we go over and take a look?"
Locke smiled: "Of course!"
Go ahead and look.
Anyway, after the transfer, Thaddeus Ross wouldn't immediately transform into Red Hulk.
After all... if he transformed on the spot, his mission would also be deemed a failure.
The Hulk has been born, but it absolutely cannot be tonight.
That was the main instruction for the mission.
Gwen, hearing this, also quickly ran over.
Maria Hill looked at Gwen running over, then glanced around, seemingly noticing that something was missing.
"Where's Locke?"
"Oh, he went to the restroom. He had diarrhea."
"..."
Locke's face was expressionless.
I am not Locke, I am Clark Kent, I have a poker face, I have no emotions!
Gwen's tone was casual, and she glanced at Locke out of the corner of her eye.
Maria Hill nodded, walked past Gwen, and saw an agent in the distance near the restroom who had given her a signal, and she subtly nodded back.
She knew where Locke was, of course.
And... she was very certain that Locke was still in the restroom.
Soon.
Locke brought Thaddeus Ross to where Red Hulk was sprawled in the crater, not daring to move, fearing Locke wouldn't give him a chance and would just finish him off.
"It's settled."
Locke said to Red Hulk, then, as if thinking of something, he waved his right hand, took out a bottle of life potion, and tossed it to Thaddeus Ross: "Drink it."
Thaddeus Ross took it.
"What is this?"
"Life Potion."
"Life..."
"It locks in your life. If you die, a sip of this will bring you back to life, bouncing around. Consider it my gift to you."
Locke said.
After all, Thaddeus Ross was helping him complete a mission. Giving him a bottle of life potion, which in Locke's eyes was only worth five hundred points, compared to the two hundred thousand points he was about to receive...
It was basically less than a single hair from nine oxen.
Thaddeus Ross opened the potion bottle cap and sniffed it.
The scent of life wafted into his nostrils.
The next second.
Thaddeus Ross glanced at Locke, then raised the bottle and directly gulped down two-thirds of it.
Locke saw this.
He directly placed his right hand on General Thaddeus Ross's crown.
The next second.
His left hand directly rested on Red Hulk's crown.
Instantly!
Endless energy surged directly from Locke's left palm, grabbing Red Hulk, then throwing Red Hulk into his endless energy. After a swirl, it was directly poured into General Thaddeus Ross's crown through his right palm.
A muffled groan!
General Thaddeus Ross couldn't help but groan, his pupils wide. In his entire sea of consciousness, a storm began to brew. The Red Hulk, breaking in without reason, was like a tornado, attempting to destroy General Ross's sea of consciousness with overwhelming force.
But... General Ross, having just drunk two-thirds of the blood potion, had his entire sea of consciousness firmly protected. No matter how Red Hulk raged and ran rampant, he couldn't break through this sea of consciousness.
After a while.
Red Hulk seemed to accept his fate, obediently descending.
Then... he began to reside in General Ross's sea of consciousness, slowly merging with it.
At the same time!
"Ding!"
"Mission completed: 'The Birth of Red Hulk!'"
"Mission reward: '100,000 Achievement Points!', '100,000 Potential Points!'"
"Double reward: '100,000 Achievement Points', '100,000 Potential Points!'"
"Total reward: '200,000 Achievement Points!', '200,000 Potential Points!'"
"Status refreshed!"
"Achievement Points: '750,000!'"
"Potential Points: 750,000!"
"Ongoing mission: 'The Death of Kingpin, The Peaceful Semester - Third Ring!'"
"Mission reward: '100,000 Achievement Points!', '100,000 Potential Points!'"
"Mission description: 'For every Kingpin killed, one reward will be granted, with no upper limit. The more you work, the more you get!'"
490, Using my own weapon against me?
The corners of Locke's mouth curled up slightly.
Done!
As for how to transfer Red Hulk from Dr. Lizard's body into General Thaddeus Ross's body, that question wasn't a problem at all.
Red Hulk was born from gamma rays energy.
And gamma rays energy is an energy form.
Locke possessed infinite energy, and all rivers return to the sea; using his infinite sea of energy as a transfer station to execute the transfer was a matter of utter simplicity.
Furthermore... from a certain perspective.
Because Red Hulk had taken a trip through his infinite sea of energy, it could be said that he had already been branded by him.
To put it simply... Red Hulk's life and death were already in Locke's hands.
Heh.
Please, Locke was never a saint from beginning to end, or rather, Locke was just a player. Have you ever seen a player do something solely for the benefit of others?
Especially the kind of thing that completely benefits someone else?
Nonexistent.
However, although Locke could decide Red Hulk's life or death with a single thought, he had no interest in directly destroying Red Hulk.
Not because of the mission, but simply because he was refined and easy-going.
At the very least, if Red Hulk... no, if Thaddeus Ross didn't provoke him, he wouldn't do such a thing; doing this was merely for the sake of safety.
After all, in case Thaddeus Ross transformed into Red Hulk in the future and planned to move against him.
Then... it would be equivalent to attacking him with a weapon he had given.
If that were the case, Locke could ensure such a thing wouldn't happen; the moment Thaddeus Rossplanned to use the weapon he bestowed against him, he could withdraw that power at any time.
But not now.
A person who has experienced great power will find it extremely unbearable if they fall back into the dust.
Didn't the ancestors have a saying?
It is easy to go from frugality to luxury!
But difficult to go from luxury to frugality!
Isn't Iron Man the best proof? After surgery to remove the nuclear reactor from his chest, he could have become an ordinary person. The result? He still donned the Iron Man Suit once more and finally sacrificed himself for a group of unrelated people for nothing.
"Alright!"
"What?"
Maria Hill looked at Thaddeus Ross, who was standing there with his eyes closed, cold sweat pouring down his forehead. Hearing Locke's words, she couldn't quite react: "It's already done?"
Locke nodded: "Yes, Red Hulk has been transferred over. As for whether he can subdue Red Hulk, that depends on him."
After all, the mission was completed.
The rest... was none of his business.
And... Locke pointed to the remaining one-third of the life potion held in General Ross's hand and said: "Don't worry, having drunk the life potion, whether he can subdue Red Hulk is merely a matter of time. You should..."
Before he could finish!
Behind him!
Roar!
The group watched as the Lizard Monster in the pit, having been released from Locke's palm, suddenly let out a roar—a meaningless roar—and then collapsed weakly. Its entire body curled up, accompanied by various cracking sounds, as the Lizard Monster's entire frame seemed to rapidly shrink.
In just the blink of an eye.
It went from a two-and-a-half-meter Lizard Monster and shrank back to its previous form—that is, Dr. Lizard, who was nearly two meters tall.
The next second!
Having lost the empowerment of the Gamma Red Hulk energy, the regressed Dr. Lizard acted as if he had just woken up with a huge temper, still intoxicated by the illusion of that powerful strength that he could feel but no longer existed.
In this illusion of great power, Dr. Lizard directly swung his similarly shrunken claws, staring with blood-red eyes, and threw a punch directly at Locke.
Amidst the roar, he seemed to be expressing a single thought.
It's you again, but I am strong now, I'm not afraid of you.
But... even the evolved Red Hulk had been hung up and beaten by Locke.
This guy?
Bang!
Roar?
Locke raised an eyebrow, and with his right hand, he directly caught the claw Dr. Lizard swung at him. In the next second, he gave it a twist. Instantly, the sound of bone cracking was accompanied by Dr. Lizard's uncontrollable scream of pain.
Whoosh.
Locke appeared behind Dr. Lizard with extreme speed and pressed down on Dr. Lizard's head with his right hand.
The next second.
Gulp!
Gulp!
Roar...
Roar my foot!
The mission regarding Dr. Lizard was already complete. Locke, sensing the disappearing pillar of light, grabbed Dr. Lizard's head and, as if force-feeding poison, pried open Dr. Lizard's large mouth and poured a bottle of Purification Potion down his throat.
Gwen's eyes went wide.
Instantly.
Dr. Lizard's struggles gradually became weak.
His eyes... after a bottle of Purification Potion went down, began to regain clarity at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Ten seconds later.
Dr. Lizard fell to his knees with a thud and began to dry heave. Then, layers of green mist rose from his body. Amidst this mist, Dr. Lizard was drenched in sweat and began to involuntarily curl up again, shivering and shaking.
Thud!
Locke casually tossed the empty bottle to the side. The bottle traced an elegant arc in the air and landed with a thud, precisely into the trash can over there.
Used things should be thrown away; you can't exactly hide them away like treasures.
In his storage space, there were still over a dozen bottles of life potion plus over a dozen bottles of Purification Potion piled up. This just happened to empty two slots to put something else in.
Under the effect of the Purification Potion, the green mist around Dr. Lizard continued to evaporate. When the green mist was about to dissipate, a ragged lizard-like man who looked like he had just been fished out of boiling water... wait.
It was Dr. Curt Connors, finally reappearing in everyone's sight.
Gwen's eyes lit up.
"Doctor!"
As Gwen spoke, she immediately stepped forward, wanting to crouch down and help up Dr. Curt Connors, who was slumped on the scorching, red-hot floor.
Maria Hill was also slightly stunned, then signaled two S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents to join the rescue effort.
Cough, cough, cough!
"Water!"
"Water!"
"Coming, water!"
Gwen took a bottle of mineral water from a S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent who had run over in eight seconds for a hundred meters. After opening the cap, she handed the water to Dr. Curt Connors: "Doctor, water."
Gulp, gulp, gulp!
Dr. Curt Connors used his hands—which were pale as if soaked and even wrinkled—to tremblingly and quickly take the water. Then, with a series of gulps, he finished the bottle before Gwen could even react.
As it turns out.
If you are too thirsty, you cannot drink water too fast.
You'll vomit!
Dr. Curt Connors's expression suddenly changed. He hurriedly used his arms to push away the two S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents supporting him, ran to the side, and let out a series of retching sounds.
That sound.
That image.
Locke had already looked away.
At that moment.
Dr. Curt Connors's retching stopped abruptly.
For no other reason.
Curt Connors tremblingly placed his two arms in front of him. Then, as if thinking of something, he couldn't help but raise his hand and quickly feel his own cheek, as if it were the first time he had ever touched it.
Watching from behind, Gwen was a bit worried.
"Doctor?"
"Doctor?"
With a swish.
Dr. Curt Connors turned around directly, his eyes wide. Then, he shifted his gaze away from his hands and looked up at Gwen nearby.
"Gwen?"
"Yes, Doctor, how... how do you feel?"
"My arm."
Curt Connors didn't seem to hear what Gwen said at all. Suddenly, his expression became excited, his eyes slightly red, and tears began to stream as he spoke to Gwen excitedly: "It worked, we succeeded."
The excited Curt Connors used his hand to rub back and forth on the other arm—the one he had lost and regained.
The scene turned from nauseating to bone-chilling.
Combined with Dr. Curt Connors's expression, it was practically like a pervert—a pervert who had discovered his own arm was some kind of rare treasure.
However... Gwen and the others still breathed a sigh of relief.
For no other reason.
Dr. Curt Connors had changed back.
As for appearing to have become a pervert, well, that was a matter for a psychiatrist.
Gwen seemed to think of something. She turned to look at Locke, who was watching the place where the light pillar was slowly disappearing, pursed her lips, and said, "Thank you, Mr. Kent."
Locke raised an eyebrow and looked at Gwen with his usual Superman-like poker face.
"No thanks needed!"
"It is necessary."
Gwen changed the subject and said with a smile, "Mr. Kent, could you leave a contact method? When he's free, I'm sure the Doctor will want to thank you in person."
Maria Hill, standing nearby, did not stop her.
For no other reason.
She also wanted Locke's contact information. Again, strangers, after spending time together, become familiar strangers, and then, after a few more encounters, they become friends.
When the time comes, if a friend is in trouble and makes a call, no matter what, there's still an eighty percent chance of getting outside help.
But... Locke met Gwen's pair of eyes that seemed capable of speaking and patted his pocket: "Sorry, I haven't set up a phone number for this World yet."
Having a number and not using it would be outrageous!
Peni Parker had already helped his Clark Kent persona find a place. Since that was the case, why not use it?
I am.
Clark Kent, from the Shadow Spider Universe!
A farm owner!