This was the influence of the name Zod Heath.
Zod didn't deliberately stall or leave Ross hanging. On the contrary, he received Ross very warmly.
Ross couldn't hold it in and got straight to the point. Since he'd come here today, he'd already handed the initiative to Zod, so stop playing politician games. Let's talk plainly. What did Zod want in exchange for turning him into the Hulk?
These past few days, Zod had also been thinking about what position to put Ross in.
The military?
Impossible. His path in the military was already completely blocked. Zod Heath had asked around. The military had no intention of letting Ross climb again unless Zod Heath handed over a few War Machines.
As if. War Machines were far too valuable. There was no way Zod Heath would casually give them away. He'd rather throw money at them than give away War Machines.
Then Zod thought of where Ross ended up in the original storyline.
Secretary of State.
After the street battle between Hulk and Abomination, Ross not only didn't get demoted, he even became Secretary of State. Zod had no idea how he pulled that off, but it was something worth learning from.
As for turning Ross into Red Hulk and stuffing him into Deathwing?
That would be a complete waste of talent.
Better to make Ross the Secretary of State. That would help Zod far more.
Ross lay on the operating table. Zod put on multiple layers of protective gear. He wasn't afraid of gamma radiation, but to prevent his own cells from mutating again because of gamma exposure, he wore the suit anyway.
Massive gamma radiation poured onto Ross. In an instant, Ross felt a pain worse than death. His immune system was shattered on the spot. Gamma rays killed huge numbers of cells, spawned cancer cells, and under such high-intensity radiation, half his body began to liquefy. It looked disgusting.
Zod felt that the reason Blonsky's Abomination was so weak was probably because he hadn't absorbed gamma radiation. After all, he'd only been injected with Hulk Serum.
At the same time, this kind of transformation required an extremely strong will. If you passed out, it was a failure. Ross clenched his teeth. Even though he looked awful, he didn't give up, because Zod Heath was still standing right beside him. That meant everything was still within Zod Heath's control.
And that was true.
In Zod's eyes, the cells and immune system inside Ross's body actually recovered in a miraculous way, becoming even stronger. The only difference was that every cell now contained an extremely high concentration of gamma radiation. For an ordinary person, touching even a little would be like walking into the Chernobyl plant right after the explosion and taking a stroll.
A red color surfaced across Ross's body, then he rapidly swelled.
He became Red Hulk!
Unlike Hulk, Red Hulk didn't grow stronger the angrier he got. Instead, the angrier he became, the more heat energy he produced, and the higher the temperature rose. At the same time, Red Hulk could absorb radiation energy, usually gamma energy. He could even absorb other types of energy, like cosmic radiation. The more energy he absorbed, the stronger he became.
Zod used psychic power to strengthen Ross's mind, preventing a Hulk personality from developing, and he also planted a thought-wave as insurance.
Ross was thrilled. He could feel power flooding through him. The restraints of a mere operating table, to him…
Red Hulk struggled twice, then realized the metal table didn't move at all. He used more force. The handcuffs and shackles still didn't react.
How was that possible? I'm Red Hulk now!
Ross fought with all his strength, struggling for a long time, and still couldn't shake the table.
"It's useless, Ross. This is a new alloy I made. Even Hulk can't smash it," Zod said.
Ever since gaining electromagnetic force and gravity, even Magneto could fuse metals, let alone Zod.
Inside a magnetic field, metal was like vividly visible molecules. Once he mastered manipulation at that microscopic molecular level, Zod could even manufacture vibranium out of thin air.
Adamantium wouldn't be indestructible in front of him either, because Zod could casually rearrange its molecular structure.
Even original kryptonite alloy, the alloy Zod had brought from the DC universe, was no longer something he couldn't replicate due to missing key materials. He had already recalled the molecular structure of that key new material and produced it with ease.
This operating table was made of vibranium plus original kryptonite alloy. Even if it were Green Scar… Green Scar might still be questionable. But for most of the Hulk family, once they were locked onto this table, they simply could not break free.
Red Hulk calmed down. Or rather, as expected of Zod Heath, a super genius. The new alloy he made was something even Hulk couldn't break out of. Had Hulk truly become outdated?
At Zod Heath's command, the operating table instantly dissolved into countless nanorobots, and Red Hulk regained his freedom.
Then the nanorobots reassembled into a massive machine, with electricity crackling around its "head."
"What is that?" Red Hulk felt uneasy.
"An electromagnetic generator. It's to prevent you from suddenly turning on me," Zod said calmly.
After all, he couldn't exactly just punch Ross into the floor out of nowhere. The fact that he was personally dangerous needed to be exposed as little as possible. Using electromagnetic force and gravity was enough to solve everything.
"So you're saying this thing can stop me?" Ross looked eager to try.
"If I were you, I wouldn't be stupid enough to challenge a researcher who can control magnetism and gravity," Zod said. "But you can try."
Zod even "invited" him, while pretending to put on a pair of gloves formed by nanorobots. Fooling someone like Ross, who didn't understand the mechanics, was easy. Just make him think the gloves were what controlled electromagnetic force.
Ross didn't want to challenge Zod out of recklessness. He wanted to prove to this arrogant genius that Hulk's power was stronger than Zod imagined.
Red Hulk reached out with one hand, aiming to grab Zod Heath, and saw Zod Heath's lips curl upward.
A dazzling white light flashed. Stray arcs of electricity burst from his body like serpents, whipping up a violent gale that surged in all directions, rippling the air itself.
A moment later, the electric light condensed, forming a ball of plasma filled with destructive aura.
The energy was so intense that the scattered shockwaves tore at the nearby space, twisting thin, winding black distortions.
Red Hulk didn't understand what was happening. Just as he raised his hand to take it head-on, a strange sensation struck him. The air really was different now.
He chose to dodge cautiously, avoiding the slow-falling plasma and watching it sink into the ground.
Bzzzzzz!
A harsh vibrating hum shook the earth as the plasma disappeared beneath the surface.
Zod traced an eerie arc with his five fingers, then clenched his fist hard.
In an instant, the ground stopped trembling, but this entire stretch of space had already become completely different.
It had become his private territory.
/-\
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