Facing such a strong Zhou Yi, what more could Bruce Banner say? His greatest reliance, the Hulk, had been defeated by this very man. If the invincible Hulk couldn't defeat Dawn Knight, how could he, a powerless researcher, possibly do so?
Moreover, he had already heard the full story from Jennifer, and the entire reason stemmed from his own oversensitivity. Thinking of this, and then of Times Square, which was almost reduced to ruins by their battle, Bruce Banner's mouth curved into a bitter smile.
"I'm very sorry, Dawn Knight. It's all my fault. I apologize for my previous recklessness and foolishness!" As he said this, Bruce seemed to hear the Hulk from deep within him let out an unwilling and helpless growl.
For Zhou Yi, this was exactly what he wanted. He had defeated the angry warrior Hulk with force, and at the same time, he had morally subdued the intelligent and wise Bruce Banner, making him apologize personally. This was enough for him.
"I accept your apology, Mr. Banner. My promise still stands. I will be on your side until you make your choice."
Hearing this, Bruce Banner's face immediately showed surprise and delight. He knew what Zhou Yi's assurance meant: it meant that no one could force him to make a choice he didn't want to make. He was still free, and nothing could take away his freedom.
At this moment, he genuinely thanked Zhou Yi and truly felt sorry for his previous actions. He didn't voice these thoughts, but Betty, standing beside him, seemed to sense his emotions. She took Bruce's hand and smiled gently at him.
The unspoken understanding between them created a feeling that everything was understood without words. Although they hadn't communicated, they had already reached a common decision in their hearts. They owed a favor, and they had to return it.
Coulson, who hadn't expected Zhou Yi to say such a thing, still had a look of unexpected astonishment on his face. He had prepared many arguments, but now, because of Zhou Yi's single sentence, he had to abandon most of them. This made him cast a resentful glance at Zhou Yi; a 'bad friend' was probably like this.
However, no matter how much resentment he harbored, he couldn't actually complain to Zhou Yi. Because it was a matter of their inherent positions: Zhou Yi was a Superhero, and he had to consider Bruce Banner's personal freedom. Coulson, on the other hand, was an Agent, and his mission was everything. This was an inevitable conflict, so he was unwilling to use the name of friendship to make Zhou Yi accommodate him. Because that would only tarnish their friendship.
Friendship was not so cheap in his heart. So Coulson was very clear about how to choose.
"Mr. Banner, we should find an opportunity to talk. Do you think now is a good time?" This was something Bruce Banner had already foreseen; he knew that such matters couldn't be avoided. Rather than avoiding it, it was better to resolve it now while he had a strong backing. So he held Betty's hand and nodded forcefully.
"Yes, we can talk now!"
"It seems like something important is about to happen, but it doesn't require my presence. Should I leave? After all, the more secrets you know, the sooner you die. It's always like that in movies and comics." The little spider, still hanging upside down, indicated that the current situation seemed unsuitable for him to stay. But to leave now, he wasn't really confident. Because of Zhou Yi's presence, he felt a heavy pressure in his heart.
You see, compared to Dawn Knight, he was not just a little bit inferior in both ability and experience. Dawn Knight was a universally recognized Superhero, while he lived a miserable life in New York City, with a mixed reputation and being wanted by the Police. Thinking of this, the little spider's eyes were full of tears.
"Of course, we never had the idea of restricting anyone's freedom!" Coulson said, also expressing his view to Bruce Banner. However, Bruce just smiled at his statement, because he had long seen clearly what kind of virtue these Government departments possessed.
But the little spider hadn't reached such a level of enlightenment, and it didn't concern him anyway. All he wanted was a reason to leave, and since Coulson had given him such a reason, he naturally ran away quickly.
For him, standing with a monster-level guy like Dawn Knight was simply too oppressive. And if he accidentally angered him, his small arms and legs wouldn't be enough to take two hits. The little spider was well aware of the power of his own mouth. So he made a very wise choice; at this moment, it was indeed best to leave.
No one would stop the little spider from slipping away. Bruce didn't have the ability, and besides, they still had to thank the little spider for bringing Betty safely. Coulson had been briefed by his superiors and wouldn't interact too much with the little spider at this time. As for Zhou Yi, he knew the little spider's true identity, and certainly had no reason to do such a thing.
So the little spider escaped quite smoothly. However, this was also because many people didn't focus on him, after all, compared to the Hulk, the little spider wasn't that important.
"Mr. Bruce Banner. I think I should introduce myself first. I am Agent Phil Coulson from S.H.I.E.L.D., responsible for handling this emergency. And that includes how to handle your problem!"
"Handle me?" With a backing, Bruce wasn't so easily intimidated. "I'm sorry, I don't understand what you're saying. What do you mean by 'handle'?"
"Mr. Banner, do you know how much damage you caused this time?" Coulson didn't directly answer his question, but asked a seemingly unrelated one. And as soon as this question was asked, Bruce Banner fell silent.
This was an unavoidable question. As a person with conscience and justice in his heart, Bruce couldn't absolve himself of all the mistakes the Hulk had made. The Hulk was his other identity, so naturally, he also had to take responsibility for the Hulk's actions.
Coulson saw what he wanted in his silence, and he said with a stern face.
"This time, the entire Broadway Avenue and even Columbia University suffered severe damage. We estimate the direct economic loss to be at least eight billion U.S. dollars. This doesn't include casualties. Not counting the fallen Soldiers, there were dozens of Civilian casualties. Many people lost their homes and jobs due to this sudden man-made disaster. Regarding all this, as the cause of everything, Mr. Banner, what are your thoughts?"
As a weak-willed person, Bruce Banner never had the domineering aura or realization of 'one general's success is built upon ten thousand bones'. When Coulson said these words, he consciously took all the blame upon himself.
Because Coulson was right; he was the cause of everything. If he hadn't come to New York, there would have been no Abomination, no Military coming, and no subsequent great battle. Without these, those losses, those lost lives, and those displaced people who lost their jobs would have been fine. They would have lived their ordinary but happy lives, unaffected by any disaster.
It was all because of him; he was the root of evil. Once this thought emerged, it couldn't be stopped. He even began to develop a sense of self-loathing, a pessimistic attitude that he wouldn't be at peace until he died to appease public anger.
Watching Bruce painfully clutch his head, Betty silently hugged him. She could only use this method to share his pain. The rest of them watched him in silence, waiting for him to make a decision.
Bruce seemed to have made up his mind and was about to speak. But Zhou Yi spoke first.
"Mr. Banner, before you speak, I think you should consider a question: Is this really your fault, or the fault of the Military's crazy super soldier program? The impact of this program is no longer limited to the Hulk's actions. Huiyao City is still clearing the monsters left over from the biochemical crisis, and it, like the Hulk, is a product of this program."
"So, in my opinion, the Military should be the real culprit. You don't need to take all the blame on yourself. Moreover, in terms of the damage caused, I admit I haven't done much less than you!"
This was an alternative form of comfort, and at the same time, it was telling him who was truly responsible. If the Hulk was guilty, then shouldn't the Military, who forced the Hulk to commit such crimes, be punished even more? After all, tracing it back to the source, even the Hulk's birth was inextricably linked to the U.S. Military.
Ever since he completely divested himself of his arms business, Zhou Yi had enjoyed undermining the Military's prestige. Of course, even without this reason, he often did such things. Rivals are adversaries, and the World Police and Superheroes were never really on good terms.
This was an ideological Breakthrough, but Bruce did not choose to use this excuse to shake off the guilt in his heart. Wrong was wrong, and as an intelligent person, he understood this very well. The Hulk's actions could not be simply pushed onto the Military. He needed another way to clear this guilt and achieve inner salvation.
So he posed this question to Coulson.
"If I join you, what do you intend to do to atone for everything the Hulk has done? How will you compensate for the damaged things and the injured people?"
Coulson pondered. On this issue, he could talk endlessly, painting everything in the best possible light. But he knew that would be useless. Bruce Banner wasn't a fool; he could discern the truth. So he chose to tell the truth.
"We will make the Military responsible for all the losses incurred this time and urge the Military to compensate all the victims. At the same time, we will also arrange medical treatment and other aid as much as possible. You must understand that we are, after all, just an intelligence agency, not a civil affairs department. We can only urge them; we cannot replace them!"
"That's not enough, far from enough!" Bruce shook his head; what he heard was far from what he had in mind. "If it's just like that, whether the Hulk joins you or not doesn't matter at all. These are things the Government is doing, not the price you are paying for me!"
"Mr. Banner, you must understand. If you join us, we can help you control the Hulk, so you no longer become that monster who only knows destruction. At the same time, our medical team can also decipher the problems on your body. We can save many people, and all of that can be counted as your merit!"
"You can also create more weapons, to create more slaughter and destruction. These also have to be counted against me!"
Bruce said these words, and this statement also meant that a rift had completely appeared in their communication.