Inside the Prismos Building.
Seeing the Hulk appear, Bant nearly choked on his water.
This wasn't part of the plan.
He genuinely hadn't expected Pierce to bring in Dr. Banner to deal with them.
Tony, who was also monitoring the situation outside, walked over and frowned.
"I know this guy. He tore up Manhattan pretty bad a while back. I wasn't in New York at the time."
"Not sure if they can handle this big fella."
Tony sounded worried.
Connors was definitely strong, and physically he seemed to be on the same scale as the Hulk.
But that other monster the Hulk had fought before was just as terrifying, and it still lost. Looking at it that way, Connors probably didn't stand much of a chance.
Out on the street in front of Prismos.
Connors and the Hulk were locked in brutal combat.
Both monsters were massive, each standing taller than a single story building. When they traded blows, every punch landed like an artillery shell.
The Hulk was incredibly powerful, but Connors was no ordinary lizard.
His body's genetic mutations granted him immense strength. And the variable device invented by Dr. Dongwu didn't just revert creatures to their prehistoric forms. It gave them power far exceeding their original states.
His scales could withstand heavy weapons fire, and his strength allowed him to lift dozens, maybe even hundreds of tons.
So in their first exchange, the Hulk didn't come out on top at all.
Connors swung his right arm with tremendous force, aiming a blow like a battle axe straight at the Hulk's throat.
BOOM!!
The ground shook as if an earthquake had struck.
The mighty Hulk was knocked down in a single hit. Connors immediately pounced like an apex predator going for the kill.
His claws tore through the Hulk's skin. His fangs sank into green flesh. Green blood flowed...
The sight left everyone watching utterly stunned.
Even Nick Fury was shocked.
"He's that strong?!"
But the pain only fueled the Hulk's rage, sending it skyrocketing!
Initially, his base strength might have been inferior to Connors. But at this moment, as his fury surged, the blood in the Hulk's veins began to boil.
Veins bulged all over his body, rising beneath his skin like coiling dragons.
"ROOOAR!"
The Hulk let out a furious bellow. In the next instant, he planted both feet against Connors' abdomen and kicked out with tremendous force, actually managing to send Connors flying backward.
The green behemoth crashed down vertically.
The ground shuddered.
The Hulk rose again and launched himself at Connors like a meteor.
BOOM!!
BOOM!!
BOOM!!
Fists larger than casserole pots rained down relentlessly on Connors.
Connors' body was tough enough to withstand cannon fire, yet the Hulk's fists brought him excruciating pain.
He roared and twisted around, throwing the Hulk off him.
Then the two titans clashed once more.
This time, Connors clearly felt the strain.
Before, he'd sensed his own strength surpassing the Hulk's. But now, they were evenly matched, and the Hulk's power was still climbing with his anger.
They traded blow after blow. Each impact felt like a missile strike from above.
The shockwaves radiating outward made it impossible to keep steady footing.
After several exchanges, Dr. Connors was visibly flagging. The Hulk grinned savagely, completely dominating the fight. Connors' arms were snapped and broken multiple times, and he was only holding on thanks to his powerful regeneration.
Soon, the Hulk had beaten Connors to the point where he could barely fight back.
He grabbed Connors by his elongated snout and slammed him repeatedly against the ground until the Lizard was nearly senseless. Then the Hulk leaped high into the air, soaring nearly a hundred meters up. His arms, thicker than century old tree trunks, clasped together as he plummeted down toward Connors with devastating force!
"Dr. Connors!"
Steve and Peter shouted simultaneously and sprinted toward the center of the battlefield in alarm.
As the Hulk's attack descended, Peter shot two web lines at Connors and yanked hard, pulling the Lizard out of the impact zone.
BOOOOOM!!!
The Hulk landed.
Following the thunderous crash, everyone felt the ground vanish beneath their feet.
The entire street collapsed inward in an instant.
That single punch had literally punched straight through the earth's surface!
"Hahaha! Hulk is strongest!"
The Hulk stood amid the ruins, beating his chest with his fists like a gorilla, flaunting his might.
In the wreckage, the others hadn't been hit directly, but the shockwave alone had done plenty of damage.
Nick Fury and Natasha especially felt like their eardrums had burst and their internal organs were about to shatter.
Such overwhelming power plunged everyone into despair.
Who could have guessed that after all their planning, they'd be dealt a crushing blow right at their own doorstep?
"Cough, cough..."
Steve pushed aside broken chunks of pavement and staggered up from the rubble.
When that meteor punch came crashing down, he had been the closest one to the shockwave.
He'd intended to block the blow for Connors with his shield, but Peter had webbed Connors to safety at the last second. So Steve had ended up taking the brunt of that impact almost point blank.
Right now, blood was trickling from his mouth and nose. His ears rang incessantly, and his vision was a blurry mess.
This monster reminded him of his first mission after waking from the ice, when he'd nearly died at the hands of Dr. Dongwu and his animal creations.
The current situation was just as dire.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Peter crawling out of the debris, hauling Connors with him. Connors had already reverted to his human form and looked utterly spent.
Peter wasn't faring much better. He'd been hammered by collapsing rubble while trying to shield Connors.
"You two alright?"
"Can't exactly say I'm fine. My back got smashed pretty hard..."
Peter winced through gritted teeth.
Nick Fury pointed to his own ears, indicating he couldn't hear a thing.
Natasha and Harry seemed to be buried somewhere in the wreckage.
A barely conscious Connors still clung to a shred of awareness. He closed his eyes and muttered, "Even if we were fine... we can't beat this giant. His power... seems limitless."
A pall of despair hung over them.
Steve knew he had to stand up.
He couldn't fall here.
He had to win this fight.
Peter thought to himself that he did know one other guy whose strength was terrifyingly immense... but...
He glanced back toward the Prismos Building. Just then, Steve had already secured his shield to his arm and started walking toward the Hulk.
"Wait, Cap..."
Peter called out.
But Steve didn't stop.
He said without looking back, "Spider-Man, you guys go do what needs to be done. Let the world know Hydra has taken over S.H.I.E.L.D. Rally forces to stand against them. I'll hold off this big guy."
"But Cap, you're no match for him!" Peter shouted, his voice thick with worry.
Steve just smiled faintly.
"Says who?"
"I can do this all day."
Seeing the unshakable conviction in Steve, Peter said no more.
Right now, all they could do was trust him.
"Dr. Connors, let's go do what we can do." Peter supported Connors with one arm and clutched his own injured back with the other, struggling to move away.
However, just as the two of them managed to crawl out of the collapsed crater, they were met by the cold, dark muzzles of several guns.
George Stacy had his pistol aimed right at Peter's head.
"Chief Stacy..."
Peter looked at him helplessly.
He had no strength left to fight the police.
"Out of options, Spider-Man?"
Stacy produced a pair of handcuffs and clicked them onto Peter's wrists. Then he grabbed his radio and spoke into it.
"Spider-Man has been apprehended. Transporting him to lockup immediately."
With a dark expression, George Stacy shoved Peter and Connors into the only remaining functional police cruiser.
Peter felt despair wash over him.
He had failed the Captain's sacrifice.
But then, after the cruiser turned a corner, it didn't head toward the precinct. Chief Stacy gripped the steering wheel and asked in a profoundly irritated tone.
"Where to?"
"What? Chief, you..."
"Shut it!"
"Once this is all over, you'd better give me one hell of an explanation for what's going on!"
Hearing that, Peter finally understood. George Stacy had chosen to trust him after all. A wave of warmth and relief flooded through Peter, and a renewed sense of belief surged within him.
"I will!"
He snapped the handcuffs apart and climbed out through the window.
"Please take Dr. Connors to the Hardy Foundation."
Outside Prismos.
Steve stood before the Hulk.
Compared to the towering green giant, he looked like a mere child.
But Steve clenched his fists tightly.
"Tiny thing, get lost!"
The Hulk, basking in his victory, would never tolerate a puny creature like Steve provoking him.
At the same time, Pierce's voice crackled over a loudspeaker. "Dr. Banner, kill Steve Rogers immediately!"
But the Hulk only grew more furious. He stomped the ground hard, turned around, and roared at the agents nearby.
"I'm not Banner!"
"Banner is a pest!"
Seeing that the Hulk couldn't be controlled, Pierce, still far from the battle, frowned deeply.
The Hulk was simply uncontrollable.
He was already formulating plans to eliminate Banner. But not right now. He'd wait until Banner changed back, then obliterate him with the Helicarriers' firepower.
For now, the Hulk clearly intended to vent his earlier rage on Steve.
"Hulk will smash you into paste!"
He raised his colossal fist and brought it crashing down toward Steve.
Steve braced himself, raising his shield with both hands.
CLANG!!
It felt like a mountain had slammed into him, instantly sending him flying backward.
This time, his trusty Vibranium alloy shield had failed to fully block the Hulk's strike.
The shield itself was indestructible, even tougher than Vibranium, but it didn't absorb impact nearly as well.
Of course, Newton's third law applied. The Hulk's fist also felt the pain from striking such an unyielding object.
But that only served to make him angrier...
Steve felt dizzy and disoriented, his vision going black. Yet he still struggled to rise.
Just then, a familiar voice sounded beside his ear.
"Leave this big guy to me, Cap."
It was Bant.
/-\
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