He wasn't the type to be a busybody or meddle in others' affairs.
If Tony Stark hadn't called just then, Shi Xiaolei wouldn't have bothered with whatever was happening at the alley entrance... Whether it was seeking revenge for his destroyed new car by causing trouble for these American soldiers, or trying to hide his identity and surrender like a normal person, he would have prioritized his own situation.
But now...
He couldn't pretend not to hear a friend's plea for help.
Leaving a resentful look that said, 'Consider yourselves lucky,' Shi Xiaolei revealed his abilities, taking a mighty leap in front of the American soldiers and landing on the roof of a low-rise building by the street.
"Tony, what's wrong? Where are you?"
As he continued to leap to higher buildings, Shi Xiaolei answered the call, connecting with Stark via his Bluetooth headset.
"Thank goodness you finally answered. Dude, what took you so long? Were you on the toilet or something?"
"Just tell me what's going on~." He had been yelling like he was about to die just a moment ago, so why was he acting like his usual self now? Shi Xiaolei unconsciously rolled his eyes at Stark's flippant tone.
"OK, let's get serious. Jarvis, keep an eye on my energy consumption and remind me when it hits 20%." After instructing Jarvis, Stark continued to Shi Xiaolei, "I need you to get to 43rd Street. There's a big green guy going berserk here. Oh, that's at least two million... Locke, I won't bore you with the details; you can listen to the radio or watch the news on your way. Just hurry over, I need your help."
"43rd Street?" With a few big leaps, he had already reached the roof of a building facing the street.
Looking down from the height, the entire situation was clear. At this moment, Shi Xiaolei not only saw the Hulk being besieged but also Stark, who was circling in the air, providing cover for the soldiers.
Recalling the previous events, everything made sense.
"Tony, I see you." As he informed Stark, he removed the slightly inconvenient Bluetooth headset and, along with his helmet, put on his newly assembled gear.
Stark's surprised voice came from the headset on the ground: "Hmm? What's going on? You're not nearby, are you?"
"Ya ho~~!"
Shi Xiaolei's answer didn't come; instead, a wild shout echoed from above.
Dodging a chunk of concrete thrown by the Hulk, he adjusted his posture and looked up. In Stark's astonished gaze, a black dot grew larger, descending from the rooftop with a thunderous might.
Heavy plate armor paired with a horned helmet, a thick gray-iron color all over, looking very sturdy.
His left hand gripped the Roman short sword named 'Bloodletter,' and his right hand held a Hanreid's Sword inlaid with the 'Call to Arms' runeword. Under the sunlight filtering through the gaps in the buildings, the two weapons gleamed with a cold luster, exuding a strong and violent killing intent.
Perhaps it was his eye-catching appearance, completely different from other passersby, or perhaps the battle intent swirling around him triggered an alert, but as soon as Shi Xiaolei, fully armored, appeared, the Hulk's attention focused on him.
"Roar~~~!"
"Ha~~~!"
As if by agreement, as the Hulk let out a savage roar, Shi Xiaolei also howled, applying a skill-boosting buff to himself.
Then, the two behemoths leaped simultaneously, colliding in mid-air like Mars hitting Earth.
"Hiss, that must have hurt~." Hovering in mid-air, Stark watched as Shi Xiaolei was hammered far away by the Hulk's punch, like a cannonball crashing into a storefront by the road. His eyelids twitched, and his mouth twisted involuntarily.
'Damn it, I was careless.'
Climbing out of the rubble, Shi Xiaolei felt a surge of frustration—he had planned to use the bonus from a jumping attack to deliver a heavy blow to the Hulk. He never expected the Hulk to leap at the same time.
In mid-air, with no ground to push off, only one factor determined the outcome: whoever was bigger and heavier.
Even with a layer of armor on, he was still not as heavy as the Hulk in his enraged state.
In this collision, Shi Xiaolei didn't lose due to lack of strength; it was purely because he wasn't as heavy as his opponent.
That was a bit frustrating.
"Green Fatty~!" With a belly full of frustration, Shi Xiaolei burst out of the collapsed shop, attacking the Hulk like a whirlwind in the second round.
Learning from the previous round's lesson, this time, Shi Xiaolei didn't jump but charged towards the Hulk with his feet firmly on the ground.
Releasing his right hand from covering a wound, the Hulk clenched his fist and delivered another punch.
Noticing the wound on the Hulk's left arm, Shi Xiaolei's ingrained combat instincts kicked in. With just a crouch, he dodged the wind-laden punch.
Continuing his charge with inertia, he closed in on the Hulk, then raised his right hand again, swinging his longsword at the Hulk's thigh.
In that previous collision, although Shi Xiaolei took a powerful blow and was sent flying, the greatsword in his hand left the Hulk's only injury so far... It was because of that sword strike that Shi Xiaolei had roughly estimated the greatsword's lethality against the Hulk, which was why he struck mercilessly this time.
And sure enough, with one swing of the sword, the result was as Shi Xiaolei expected: the Hulk's thigh only suffered a wound about a centimeter deep... Blood did spurt out, but as for how serious it was, it was actually just a minor scratch.
"Roar~." Although the injury was small, the stimulation it caused the Hulk was significant.
After being bombarded by guns and cannons for so long without even a scratch, these two wounds from Shi Xiaolei were the first time the Hulk had been truly injured.
One punch, two punches, three punches... As if he had completely lost his mind and entered a berserk state from drugs. The Hulk launched a storm of attacks. At the same time, due to his rising anger, his physique also expanded by a circle.
Before, each punch only created a small pit the size of a washbasin, but now, every punch the Hulk slammed into the ground left a crater with a diameter of no less than a meter.
The power had indeed increased significantly.
Fortunately, the Hulk had only just been born and hadn't learned any fighting techniques; every punch was purely instinctive.
"Hey, ha~!"
Within a small area, he moved and dodged, and when he couldn't avoid it, he would turn his body to deflect some of the force, preventing the Hulk from landing a solid hit. Relying on his master-level close-combat skills, which had become ingrained in his blood, Shi Xiaolei stood firm, trading blows with the Hulk.
Giant fists hammered against the plate armor, emitting heavy thuds, like heavy objects falling on a drumhead.
Streaks of sword light flashed up and down, cutting wounds and bringing forth sprays of fresh blood.
Even the soldiers who had been on battlefields had never seen such a spectacle... Watching the scene unfold, Stark, encased in his armor, couldn't help but smack his lips: "Jarvis, make a note for me... From now on, no matter what happens, absolutely never engage Locke in hand-to-hand combat."
"Understood, sir."