"Where is he?" General Ross demanded as he burst into the operations command center, addressing the team of elite operatives busy at their stations.
"General, the target was spotted at a gas station 200 kilometers outside Philadelphia, but we've lost his trail. However, we intercepted an email he sent!" someone immediately reported to General Ross, and this was the information he was most interested in.
"That email—what does it say? Show it to me!"
At General Ross's command, the contents of the email were displayed before him. He glanced at it and immediately recognized what it was: Bruce Banner's experimental data from before the incident—or rather, the cause of everything that had happened to him.
"Why would he send this out?" Everything about this situation felt strange and abnormal to General Ross. A man who had been in hiding for five years suddenly reappearing—it all seemed suspicious. And to risk so much for a single data file? That made him certain there was more to the story.
"Where is this email being sent? Does anyone know?" he asked the elite team currently working to decrypt the source, and he quickly received an answer.
"The recipient is Mr. Blue. The email was sent to Columbia University."
"And his identity? Who exactly is this Mr. Blue?" General Ross pressed, a bad feeling already settling in his gut.
"We're investigating and have already found results. Mr. Blue is Samuel Sterns, a professor of cell biology at Columbia University!"
"A cell biology professor? What's he up to?" General Ross quickly reviewed everything that had happened recently: Bruce Banner's sudden appearance, his academic connection to this Mr. Blue, and his willingness to take risks for experimental data. Everything quickly led him to a likely conclusion. "Damn it, he wants to cure himself!"
The thought sent General Ross's temper flaring. For him, the Hulk was his creation, his most perfect product to date. He would never allow Bruce Banner, this thief, to destroy his life's work so easily.
He immediately issued an order.
"Everyone, prepare yourselves. We'll depart for New York within two hours. Contact the National Guard and police there and have them keep a close watch on Mr. Blue. Bruce Banner will definitely go after him, and we must stop him before he can do anything. Do you understand?"
Seeing General Ross's agitated and somewhat furious expression, his assistant hesitated before asking, "General, what about the new guy?"
This was a problem, as General Ross hadn't anticipated the emergence of another giant. It was good news, meaning the Hulk's anomaly could be replicated. But it was also bad news, as they were completely unprepared to handle another Hulk.
The Hulk's destructive power was astonishing. Even now, they weren't entirely confident they could capture the Hulk. Their persistence stemmed solely from General Ross and the U.S. Military behind him, their obsession with the Hulk's displayed power.
"For now, focus on Bruce Banner. If something goes wrong with him, then make the other one our target."
After some thought, General Ross still considered Banner his primary target. They had invested too much preparation into him to abandon all their efforts because of a single variable.
"Yes, sir!"
With the order given, the soldiers moved with extraordinary speed. They diverted all available personnel and weapons and boarded military aircraft bound for New York within two hours. All of this was being closely monitored by another group.
"Sir, General Ross and his team are moving out," Nick Fury, the one-eyed director of S.H.I.E.L.D., reported immediately from the Helicarrier. Just as Ross had been tracking Bruce Banner's movements, Fury had been monitoring Ross's actions.
Of course, their goals were the same. Just as Ross coveted the Hulk's power, Fury also coveted the Hulk. This was an incredibly powerful being, and if he could control him, Fury was confident he could counter any threat in the world, including the Dawn Knight.
Just as Zhou Yi had always been wary of S.H.I.E.L.D., he remained deeply suspicious of Zhou Yi himself. Anything he couldn't control was worth guarding against—this was a principle he had developed over years as an Agent. Moreover, Zhou Yi's power, with its unknown origins, was far more unsettling to him than the Hulk's, which stemmed from a lab accident.
If Zhou Yi's power hadn't been so overwhelming, and if their relationship hadn't been at least somewhat cordial, he would have acted against Zhou Yi long ago. Instead of taking such measures, he was merely having his subordinates make contact with him. The reason he hadn't approached Zhou Yi directly yet was that he hadn't fully committed to a plan regarding the Dawn Knight.
"What's their target?" Nick Fury asked, and his subordinate immediately provided the answer.
"New York, Columbia University. We just intercepted military communications. They're demanding police and security forces cooperate with their operation, securing everything around the campus. Furthermore, they're searching for someone: Dr. Samuel Sterns, a professor at Columbia University."
"Looks like he's finally found his target. General Ross didn't disappoint after all—I thought he'd lose him for another five years! Coulson, how are things on your end?"
Coulson, who had approached from behind, heard the question and smiled faintly.
"We're ready to take over all his assets the moment we get the order. I've also called in reinforcements; he can enter the field at any time."
"Leave the reinforcements to you. To be honest, he's the one I trust least!" Nick Fury waved dismissively, delegating the task.
"I've always thought you were being overly cautious, sir. He's actually quite reasonable."
"This isn't caution—it's necessary vigilance. Phil, things aren't as simple as they seem. With people like him, I never hesitate to view them with the utmost suspicion. I don't believe anyone would help others purely out of altruism, without expecting anything in return. Not in the past, and not in the future."
Nick Fury, his face grim, began to warn his trusted subordinate. He had already noticed a shift in his subordinate's mindset, which was increasingly diverging from that of a proper Agent.
"What about Captain America?" Coulson ignored Fury's warning. Having reached his position, he knew what principles he had to uphold. As a subordinate, he couldn't openly defy Fury, but he could certainly add a little friction.
"He's an exception." Fury shot Coulson a fierce glare, shook his long trench coat, and turned to leave. "The *only* exception!"
Watching Fury's retreating back, Coulson smiled and murmured to himself:
"I know Captain America is an exception, but whether he's the *only* one... that's another story entirely!"
Two massive organizations now revolved around one man, while that man himself remained blissfully unaware of the storm brewing around him.
At that very moment, Bruce Banner remained unaware that his true purpose had been exposed. He continued to do everything in his power to enter the bustling metropolis of New York City.
All of this was to find the man he called Mr. Blue, who he believed could help restore his body to its original state. Of course, now it wasn't just him; his cousin Jennifer shared the same goal.
However, Jennifer, one of the parties involved, saw things differently. Having never experienced the agony of being hunted by the U.S. Military like Bruce Banner, she didn't view her formidable power as a burden or a disease that needed to be cured, as Bruce claimed.
In this era of rampant superheroism, she saw it as an immense blessing—an opportunity to become a superhero herself.
Clearly, her perspective didn't resonate with Bruce Banner, who had been tormented by this problem for years. Although his consciousness was replaced by the Hulk during transformations, Bruce retained all his memories. He remembered all the destruction the Hulk had caused, which only strengthened his resolve to eliminate the creature.
He firmly believed that the Hulk's power was far too dangerous for the world, especially when uncontrolled. As the Hulk's successor, Jennifer retained nearly complete rationality after transforming, but Bruce still disapproved of her keeping her powers. He wanted to erase all traces of the Hulk from the world, naturally including the She-Hulk born from it.
Bruce was resolute on this matter, and so was Jennifer. One of the things most women dream of is being the center of attention, and being a superhero clearly offered that. Given such an opportunity, Jennifer had no intention of abandoning her abilities.
After numerous arguments with Bruce, who held the opposite view, she made a choice: to escape from him. With her current powers, escaping from Bruce, who was still in his ordinary human form, was effortless. After she secretly slipped away, Bruce didn't even realize what had happened.
He assumed she was in the gas station restroom, but too much time passed—so much that he began to feel something was wrong. When Betty returned alone, he realized the situation had escalated.
Jennifer had vanished, and he didn't even know where to start looking for her. He couldn't report her missing, nor could he openly search for her, because he was still a wanted man.
"Lost and helpless" didn't begin to describe his state of mind. Chaos, worry, and fear swirled within him, a tempest of emotions that threatened to unravel his composure.
Only Betty could understand him, but even she could offer little assistance in this matter. Helplessness became the only word that could capture his situation regarding Jennifer.
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