In a secluded village...
A golden portal opened in front of a weathered wooden cabin.
Xiao Han, Wanda, and Kara stepped out.
The cabin door was half open. Through the gap, Bruce Banner sat at a crude wooden table, reading a worn book under the dim glow of an oil lamp.
Hearing the noise, Banner looked up.
The moment he saw the three of them, he froze before letting out a bitter smile.
"Xiao? Wanda? How did you find this place?"
Then he shrugged helplessly.
"Right... you're Superman."
Closing the book, he rubbed his tired forehead.
"Hulk lost control again. I can't go back to the city."
Xiao Han walked into the cabin and looked around.
The walls were cracked and peeling.
The roof leaked in several places.
A rickety wooden bed looked ready to collapse at any moment.
Banner's beard had clearly gone unshaven for a long time, and one lens of his glasses was cracked.
"It's fine."
Xiao Han spoke calmly.
"I'm not here to comfort you."
Only then did Banner notice Kara standing behind Xiao Han.
His brows furrowed.
"And who is she?"
"Kara Zor-El."
Kara stepped forward and extended her hand.
"Another Kryptonian."
Banner instinctively shook her hand before his eyes widened.
"Wait... Kara Zor-El?"
"Supergirl?"
He studied her more carefully.
The longer he looked, the more familiar she seemed.
He turned toward Xiao Han in disbelief.
"A comic book character?"
Xiao Han didn't bother explaining.
"Banner."
"Come back with us."
Banner immediately shook his head and took a step backward.
"I can't."
"I'll only cause more trouble."
"Ross's military is hunting me everywhere."
"And whenever Hulk appears... bad things happen."
"Then deal with the people causing the trouble."
Wanda interrupted him.
Scarlet energy swirled around her fingertips.
"The military has crossed the line."
Kara crossed her arms.
"I was imprisoned by humans for so long that I've completely lost faith in them."
"How much longer are you going to keep hiding?"
Banner opened his mouth to argue.
But Xiao Han didn't give him the chance.
"Finished hesitating?"
He grabbed Banner by the shoulder.
"Let's go."
"W-Wait!"
"Where are we going?"
Before Banner could react, Xiao Han opened another golden portal.
On the other side...
...stood General Ross's military base.
High walls.
Electrified fences.
Patrolling soldiers.
And at the center stood a gray building marked Gamma Research Division.
"To have a nice little talk with General Ross."
Carrying Banner with one hand, Xiao Han stepped through the portal.
Military Base
A golden portal suddenly opened high above the base.
Xiao Han floated in the air while carrying Banner.
Wanda and Kara hovered beside him.
Within moments...
Piercing alarms echoed throughout the entire facility.
Every soldier immediately raised their weapons.
Then they recognized the newcomers.
Everyone froze.
"It's Superman?!"
"The Hulk!"
"Who's that blonde girl?"
The muzzles of their rifles trembled slightly.
No one dared make the first move.
General Ross strode out of the command center in his immaculate military uniform, his face dark and stern.
Looking up at Xiao Han, he barked,
"Superman!"
"This is a restricted military facility!"
"You've crossed the line!"
Xiao Han looked down at him from above.
"Crossed the line?"
He released Banner, holding him aloft with his biofield.
"Banner is one of my people."
"You're hunting one of my people."
His voice suddenly turned cold.
"And you're saying I've crossed the line?"
A mocking smile appeared on his face.
"I've never had anyone tell me I've crossed the line."
"No one."
The instant those words fell...
Every weapon in the base locked onto Xiao Han.
But Xiao Han moved faster.
Bzzzzt!
His blazing heat vision swept across the battlefield.
In an instant...
Every weapon in the military base was destroyed.
General Ross remained standing where he was.
Cold sweat trickled down his forehead.
Years of military discipline kept him from taking even a single step back.
Staring at Xiao Han, he growled,
"You're declaring war on the United States!"
Xiao Han couldn't even be bothered responding.
He merely curled a finger.
Ross was instantly lifted into the air by an invisible force.
He struggled desperately.
It was useless.
Xiao Han, Wanda, Kara, and Banner slowly descended to the ground.
"Turing."
"Yes, sir."
Turing's voice came from Xiao Han's wristwatch.
"Did you record everything?"
"Everything has been recorded, including General Ross's statements and all subsequent events."
Xiao Han nodded.
"Good."
"Now record me."
A beam of light projected from the watch, forming a holographic camera.
Standing before the lens, Xiao Han's black combat suit fluttered in the wind while its golden lines glowed with a cold radiance.
"I am Superman."
His deep voice echoed steadily.
"The Hulk is my friend."
"He is also a hero who protects this world."
"Just a few days ago, he fought beside me to destroy an alien fleet and saved countless lives."
"And yet..."
"A hero like him has been threatened, hunted, and forced to hide in remote wilderness by the military."
"I find that deeply disappointing."
"I will protect this world."
"But I will not tolerate threats from anyone."
"I'm not Clark Kent."
"I won't show mercy to my enemies."
"And I certainly won't spare anyone who points a gun at me."
He stepped aside slightly, allowing the camera to capture the devastated military base behind him.
"This is your final warning."
The recording ended.
"Turing."
"Upload the video everywhere."
"The entire internet."
"The dark web."
"And every major social media platform."
"Upload complete, sir."
"It is expected to reach the entire global network within thirty seconds."
Banner opened his mouth as if to speak.
In the end, he simply sighed.
"The military is going to lose its mind after this."
Kara answered before anyone else.
"No matter what they decide to do..."
"We'll deal with it."
Ross was about to say something.
But Xiao Han had already turned toward Banner.
"He's yours."
Then, with a meaningful smile, he added,
"After all..."
"He's your father-in-law."
Banner adjusted his cracked glasses, took a deep breath, and walked toward Ross.
Banner stopped only a few steps away.
Ross remained suspended in midair by invisible telekinetic force.
His face was pale with rage.
Yet he continued glaring at Banner.
His eyes contained anger...
Resentment...
And an almost imperceptible trace of fear.
The entire base was silent except for the distant wail of emergency sirens.
Banner clenched his fists...
Then slowly relaxed them.
He remembered Betty.
He remembered the streets Hulk had destroyed.
He remembered Ross's relentless pursuit and his cold-blooded orders.
"You know, Ross..."
Banner finally spoke.
His voice was hoarse.
"I've imagined this moment countless times."
"I wanted you to experience what it felt like..."
"To be hunted."
"To be cornered."
Ross widened his eyes.
He couldn't say a word.
Banner slowly shook his head.
Then he turned toward Xiao Han.
"Xiao."
"Let him down."
Xiao Han raised an eyebrow but asked no questions.
With a flick of his finger...
Ross dropped heavily onto the ground.
His uniform was instantly covered in dust.
Struggling to his feet, Ross stared at Banner in disbelief.
"You..."
"That's it?"
Banner removed his cracked glasses and wiped them with the corner of his shirt.
"I'm not Hulk, Ross."
"I don't solve problems with violence."
After a brief pause, he continued,
"But remember this."
"If you ever send people after me again..."
"Or continue those dangerous gamma experiments..."
His voice suddenly became heavy.
Faint green veins began surfacing beneath his skin.
"Then the one standing before you next time..."
"...won't be me."
Ross's face instantly turned deathly pale.
He understood exactly what that meant.
Next time...
It would be Hulk paying him a personal visit.
Banner sighed helplessly.
"Let's go."
"It's over."
Wanda smiled as though she'd expected this all along.
"See?"
"I told you."
"Dr. Banner's too soft-hearted."
Kara, however, looked thoughtful.
"Sometimes..."
"It takes more courage to spare an enemy than to kill one."
Banner gave a bitter smile and followed the others.
Just as they were about to leave...
Ross suddenly shouted from behind.
"Banner!"
"Betty..."
Banner stopped walking.
But he never turned around.
"Tell her..."
"I'm doing fine."
"Leave?"
"No."
"I won't let him off that easily."
Xiao Han's sudden words left Banner completely stunned.
-------------------
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