Chapter 85 Do You Know Tony Stark?
"Who are you?"
Looking at Bruce Banner, arms crossed and looking like a wronged little girl, Finney felt a bit cringe.
When the Hulk was shirtless, he exuded muscle and ferocity, but with Banner, shirtless, he just looked like a thug, a sleazy old man.
Unfortunately, Finney couldn't conjure clothes for him, and simply replied, "Hulk's friend."
Hearing Finney mention Hulk, Banner's expression instantly changed. Looking at Finney, who was 'possessed' by evil spirits, he finally vaguely remembered some news he'd unexpectedly seen after arriving in New York.
"You're that…what…Knight!"
"…"
Finney's mood worsened. He could have remembered something like "Silver" or "Divine Punishment," but he only remembered the word "Knight." He'd even called himself a mage when he was befriending Hulk.
"Do you remember what happened before?"
Finney asked, not caring about his address. He was curious if Banner still remembered Hulk's actions.
Banner clutched his head, seemingly trying to recall, but after a long while, he shook his head and said, "I can't remember anything from before. What did that guy do?"
"His name is Hulk,"
Finney frowned, correcting Banner's form of address.
This seemed to touch a nerve with Banner. He sat on the ground and roared at Finney, "He's a monster, a monster who ruined my entire life!"
"You ruined his life too!"
Finney stared at Banner. The two shared one body, but Hulk could only emerge a handful of times, and each time it was accompanied by danger.
Seemingly unwilling to argue with Finney any longer, Banner sat up and said softly, "I don't know who you are, but I'm leaving. Goodbye."
Seeing Banner about to leave, Finney casually used a 'burst spell' to clear away the chicken nugget rolls on the ground, then followed behind him, asking, "Where are you going?"
"I don't think this has anything to do with you."
Banner was unusually wary of Finney. This strange attire, and the fact that he could befriend a monster who could catch cannonballs with his bare hands—he was clearly no ordinary person. He only wanted to rid himself of the Hulk and return to a peaceful life, and didn't want much contact with Finney.
"But the Hulk inside you is related to me."
Finney wanted to be friends with the Hulk for two reasons: first, his simple personality, so there was nothing to worry about; and second, his strength.
This super-experience source—someone who could fight five Mordos to a draw—wasn't someone Finney was unwilling to give up easily.
Moreover, in the original storyline, the Hulk was able to live a peaceful life on Sakaar after leaving Earth, so Finney thought it would be good to have the Hulk appear continuously if possible.
However, he didn't understand gamma rays. If he made a mistake and ended up with the Hulk's consciousness, Banner's body would be finished.
Banner stopped and turned to look at Finney, saying, "Listen carefully, I don't care who you are, please don't follow me, and I won't let that monster out again."
"You can't do it,"
Finney shook his head, looking at Banner. "I bet you've found someone who told you there's a way to cure you, right?"
Banner didn't answer, just stood there warily, hugging himself.
"And I also suspect you've done some experiments, maybe even made some progress, which is why you're saying this, right?"
Finney continued to approach Banner.
"Or rather, you came to New York this time to find that person, right? Bruce Banner, or, Mr. Green!?"
"Who are you?"
Banner took a few steps back in fright, his intuition telling him that Finney couldn't possibly be the Mr. Blue he'd been in contact with.
"Do you believe in the future, Dr. Banner!"
Finney slowly floated into the air, his cloak billowing in the wind, his silver armor gleaming in the sunlight. His deep voice sent a chill down Banner's spine in the sweltering heat.
He suddenly remembered news reports that Finney was a messenger of God, a divine representative descended to earth. He had scoffed
at such claims before. Now, a flicker of doubt crossed his mind, but with seven doctorates, he wouldn't easily change his mind.
"What exactly are you trying to say?"
Banner asked, trying to remain calm. Years of study had not only prevented him from easily angering others but also made him more thoughtful in the face of adversity.
"I want to save Hulk and you,"
Finney said condescendingly. He intended to stabilize Banner's situation first; Ross's fate was currently unknown, so there was no time for further pursuit.
"Ha!"
Banner sneered, looking at Finney. "Do you want to capture me and study me like those people?"
"While it's not what you think, if I wanted to capture you, you wouldn't be able to escape."
This wasn't Finney's boast. Hulk was now a friend; he could easily be lured away with 'Violet Chicken Nuggets,' and Banner, with his small frame, wouldn't stand a chance against ten of them.
"Then tell me how you plan to save us!"
Banner asked, taking a deep breath.
Because of his years on the run, he hadn't had time to follow the media or stay informed, so he knew very little about Finney. It was only recently, during his time with Betty, that some accidental encounters revealed Finney's existence.
"You are symbiotic. Perhaps one day you can merge into one, or perhaps you can separate,"
Finney said, looking at Banner. Actually, Banner had always been focused on eliminating Hulk, never considering transferring him away—or perhaps he had, but hadn't succeeded.
But Finney felt that if Banner could eventually merge with Hulk, he should also be able to separate them.
"What's your plan?"
Banner asked excitedly. He was willing to pay any price to get rid of the Hulk, especially since he had even attempted suicide.
"I might be able to merge you, but separating you might require some more thought,"
Finney replied. He vaguely remembered that in the original storyline, after Thanos' snap, Banner spent several months in gamma rays before merging with the Hulk.
Banner, of course, wouldn't choose to merge with the Hulk. At this point, he hadn't joined the Avengers, hadn't been to other planets, and hadn't experienced any trauma or hardship. He still hoped to return to being an ordinary person.
"Then what do you want me to do?"
Banner asked again. He wouldn't easily believe Finney's words, but he couldn't find a way to get rid of him. Besides, he was truly desperate. He wanted to grasp even the slightest hope.
This question stumped Finney. Taking the Hulk back to Kamar-Taj probably wouldn't work. Unless you were a sorcerer, you couldn't stay there for long, and even for sorcerers, not everyone could go to the Holy Land.
As for bringing Banner home, that was even more unreliable. Although he trusted that Hulk wouldn't harm him, he might harm others.
Judging from previous events, Hulk's mental state wasn't quite fully developed yet; when his anger erupted, leaving him at home would be dangerous.
Besides, Banner had a criminal record with the military and was constantly wanted. Having Banner around would be like having a GPS tracker, making it extremely difficult to conceal his identity.
So, after thinking for a long time, he finally asked,
"Do you know Tony Stark?"
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(End of Chapter)