Under the cover of night, Jennifer fled frantically with Bruce and Betty in tow. Since she was carrying two people, she couldn't scale buildings like a monkey, swinging from hand to foot. Yet, relying solely on the power of her leg muscles, she could effortlessly leap seven or eight stories high.
This allowed her to move with lightning speed, outmaneuvering the army units blocking the streets. Fortunately, General Ross had made thorough preparations, sealing off all nearby roads and deploying a fleet of helicopters to secure air superiority. Otherwise, he might have lost his target again.
The situation now was that Betty was sprinting and leaping ahead, while helicopters converged from all directions behind and around her, tightening the encirclement. The more Jennifer ran, the more she realized she was trapped in a closing net, the perimeter constricting with every step.
Even Jennifer, who had never had any dealings with the military before, now understood that if she continued like this, she would have nowhere left to run. So she quickly shouted to Bruce, "Bruce, what do we do now? There's nowhere left to escape!"
Bruce, having also never been to New York City before, naturally didn't know where to go for safety. However, drawing on his years of experience as a fugitive, he came up with a practical escape route.
"Go there, hide in the crowd," Bruce said, pointing in the direction of the famous Broadway Theatre.
The Broadway Theatre was located on Broadway, the most bustling street in New York City. This avenue ran north-south through the entire length of Manhattan, stretching for a full twenty-five kilometers. Towering skyscrapers lined the street, housing the renowned Wall Street Stock Exchange, as well as iconic American landmarks like Madison Square and Times Square. Most striking of all, Broadway was home to numerous world-famous theaters.
As the Broadway Theatre grew and flourished, it achieved unparalleled success in theatrical performance, leading modern people to often overlook the street's original meaning when they mention Broadway. Instead, they have merged it with the art of theater, making it a symbol and representative of the enduring allure of world theater. Every day, countless Americans and foreign tourists flock to the area to enjoy world-renowned musicals and plays.
Bruce was unfamiliar with New York City's geography, but he was well aware of Broadway's far-reaching fame. Tens of thousands of tourists, many of them foreign, passed through the area daily. With such a crowd, even the arrogant U.S. government would hesitate to act rashly. International public opinion alone was enough to crush any politician who dared to take responsibility.
So, Bruce's plan was simple: have Jennifer help them blend into the massive crowd. If the military tried to force their way through, Jennifer could create some commotion and chaos—a perfectly acceptable outcome.
Jennifer realized what Bruce was thinking, and as a lawyer, she greatly appreciated his idea. "Hold on tight!" she yelled to Bruce, then tightened her grip on the still-unconscious Betty. With a powerful leap, she shot through the air like a cannonball, tracing an exaggerated arc as she landed in the neon-lit Broadway Theater.
Of course, everyone else entered through the doors; she crashed through the roof. The immense force easily tore a massive hole in the top floor, through which she calmly slipped.
The helicopters tailing her naturally witnessed this. They also spotted the prominent lion's head emblem on the building.
The Broadway Theater is an almost universally recognized landmark in America. Soldiers operating under special orders dared not act rashly around such an iconic structure.
"Sir, the target has entered the Broadway Theater. We can't continue the pursuit." They immediately reported the situation, and General Ross frowned upon hearing the report.
"Send in the police first to cordon off the area and conduct a systematic search. Our men will secure all exits and the rooftop. Find a good excuse, and be careful to calm the foreigners' nerves. Don't cause a scene."
General Ross would have liked to be more forceful, ordering his men to detain everyone present. But he knew it was impossible. In a place like this theater, you never knew who might be in the audience. It could be the head of a major corporation or even the current mayor of New York City. Even as a US Army lieutenant general, he couldn't afford to offend such influential figures. Besides, the embassies of various countries wouldn't let it slide.
So, he had to choose a more cautious approach—one that also happened to be the most likely way for the target to escape.
Meanwhile, as Jennifer led Bruce and the others into the top-floor attic of the theater, the manager's office, a voice suddenly emerged behind them.
The voice's sudden appearance startled Jennifer and Bruce. When they turned around and saw the person speaking, their hearts began to race even faster.
This was an opponent no one wanted to face. The mere sight of this person put immense pressure on Jennifer and Bruce, their faces immediately turning grim.
Seeing their grim expressions, Zhou Yi smiled and said, "Don't worry, Mr. Bruce Banner. I'm not aligned with the military."
Though Zhou Yi explained this, Bruce, ever vigilant, refused to trust him easily. He carefully placed Betty on his back and slowly retreated, asking, "Then why are you following us, Dawn Knight?"
Hearing this, Jennifer also sensed the Dawn Knight's hostile intentions. She subtly shifted her position, placing herself between Zhou Yi and Bruce.
"A certain organization asked me to find you," Zhou Yi explained. "They share the military's goals but are more moderate. They want to talk with you."
"And what's your role? The muscle if negotiations fail? The perfect person to control the Hulk?" Bruce retorted sharply. These power-hungry individuals, desperate to obtain the Hulk, had forced him into isolation and even harmed his girlfriend. Everything that had happened had ignited a burning rage within him.
If Samuel's potion hadn't truly suppressed the Hulk, Bruce might have transformed by now.
"Calm down, Mr. Banner. I merely struck a deal with them. How I carry it out is my own affair." Seeing Bruce and the She-Hulk's wary stances, Zhou Yi spread his hands, trying to appear harmless. "In fact, I'm on your side."
"No one is on my side, Dawn Knight!" Bruce's voice rose. "The military, the government, or whatever organization you represent... they just want a monster like the Hulk to weaponize. To them, I'm nothing more than an experiment—a living weapon."
This was the first time Jennifer had ever heard Bruce speak so weakly, so despairingly. As his sister, she couldn't fathom the depth of despair that had led to such thoughts, but she understood him and chose to support him.
She made a decision almost instantly.
"Bruce, run!" she suddenly shouted, then lunged forward and threw her arms around Zhou Yi, carrying him toward the building's exit. Her movements were so abrupt that Zhou Yi didn't even have time to process what was happening before he was swept away.
When he tried to resist, he realized it was futile. Jennifer held him so tightly, perhaps unaware of her own strength, that she was using her full force. The result was that alarms began blaring from Zhou Yi's Dawn Armor, warning of critical stress.
The Dawn Armor, refined over generations, represented a technological leap. In energy-rich conditions, it could withstand pressures of tens of tons. Yet now, this cutting-edge technology faced an overwhelming challenge. The armor, designed to resist such immense forces, couldn't even withstand a She-Hulk's crushing embrace.
The steadily increasing force began to disintegrate the external nanometal. Even though the nanometal was self-repairing, its repair speed couldn't keep up with Jennifer's destructive force.
What frustrated Zhou Yi even more was that he wasn't here to fight. He had only come to prevent an accident from escalating. From any perspective, he had no reason to become an enemy of Bruce and his group. Without any necessity, he truly didn't want to provoke Bruce, a man who was already down on his luck.
In his eyes, Bruce was just an unlucky good-natured fellow, hardly a villain deserving of condemnation. Naturally, the same applied to the people around him. Zhou Yi had followed them all the way from Columbia University, gaining a general understanding of their nature.
It was precisely this understanding that made him abandon any thought of struggling. The She-Hulk was exerting herself recklessly, and any resistance on his part might accidentally injure her. Such a consequence would be the worst possible outcome for everyone.
He could only let the She-Hulk hold him, her immense strength pressing down on him as she began to freefall.
A deafening explosion shook Bruce's ears, and he knew exactly what it was. This knowledge only fueled his fury.
Jennifer had faced an almost invincible enemy alone to protect him. And what had he done? Scuttled in a corner like a rat, fleeing in all directions. To make matters worse, Betty had been accidentally injured by the military while defending him. All of this weighed on his heart, crushing him with guilt and despair.
He began to hate himself for choosing to eliminate the Hulk. If the Hulk's power had still been there, he might have stood a chance. But now, it was too late for regrets.
Clutching the unconscious Betty, he lowered his head and burst through the office door. He couldn't betray Jennifer's sacrifice; fleeing was the only thing he could do. As he ran, he prayed. He hoped Jennifer would be safe, but the thought of her opponent filled him with despair.
*Why did it have to turn out this way?*