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"Hulk! Get us out of here!"
Seeing Dr. Banner, who had fainted uselessly earlier, transform into the Hulk, Gwen's face lit up with irrepressible joy.
Gwen knew very well that the current Hulk was no longer the mindless monster bent only on destruction.
In fact, among all the Avengers, besides Natasha, the ones who got along best with Hulk were Gwen and Harry, who didn't mind his childlike personality.
With Hulk here, she had a good chance of communicating with him and getting him to carry them to safety.
However, the relieved smile had just appeared on Gwen's face when...
BOOM!
Another loud crash.
Right in front of the roaring Hulk, two massive mechs, each a head taller than him, smashed through the wall and stood before the group.
But...
When I say "stood," it's because these two Veronica armors, clearly designed to counter the Hulk...
Started sparking violently with dazzling electrical arcs the moment they appeared.
Before anyone could react to the dramatic entrance of these two Veronicas, the mechs twitched violently and then collapsed straight down.
Clang! Faceplates hit the floor.
This sudden turn of events plunged the room into a bizarre silence.
Only Hulk, who had been covered in dust by the mechs' violent entry, stared blankly for a moment. Then, grinning, he raised his massive green foot and gave each of the fallen Veronica armors a stomp.
Thud! Thud! With two stomps, the heads of the armors were half-buried into the floor.
The entire lab shook slightly under the force.
"ROAR—HULK—"
Hulk roared in excitement, thinking he had "defeated" the two enemies that popped up to scare him.
But unexpectedly, his roar triggered a massive explosion of electrical arcs from the two fallen mechs.
A shockwave carrying a massive amount of electricity spread rapidly from the armors.
In an instant, countless sparks exploded all around the lab.
The electronic devices worn by S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, the guns in their hands, the surrounding lights, and even the armed helicopters outside—all malfunctioned and exploded amidst flashing arcs.
More importantly, the sonic gun in Tony Stark's hand also exploded into fragments.
Centered on the lab, everything within a radius of several kilometers was plunged into darkness. Only the fires from the exploding helicopters provided flickering, dim light.
"Go!"
A low shout in the darkness.
The next moment, Hulk's massive figure smashed through the wall. With just a few leaps, he disappeared into the distance amidst the shaking ground.
When the lights finally came back on, Gwen and the others were nowhere to be seen.
The leaders, "Nick Fury" and "Tony Stark," exchanged cold glances before simultaneously ordering:
"Pull back!"
...
On the other side.
Having escaped temporarily under the cover of night, the four quickly found a place to hide.
Fortunately, although Harry had just suffered a sonic attack, once free from it, Venom's powerful regenerative abilities quickly healed his "minor issues" like ruptured eardrums and burst capillaries.
The only one who needed carrying was Dr. Otto, who was unlucky enough to take two tranquilizer darts at the last moment and was still unconscious.
After leaving the vicinity of the lab, although they knew they shouldn't linger...
Harry and Gwen, having survived the ordeal, slowed their pace, their faces etched with undisguised fatigue.
More importantly, Hulk, who hadn't turned back into Dr. Banner, didn't seem inclined to run anymore.
With his inherent combative nature, following them instead of turning back to smash all the enemies into pancakes was purely because of his bond with Gwen and Harry—he worried about his friends' safety in a crisis.
But now that they were temporarily safe, he was throwing a bit of a tantrum.
He kept stomping his feet, compacting the ground beneath him. Seeing this, the two teenagers felt helpless but didn't bother with pointless persuasion.
They leaned against the wall behind them, exhausted, feeling the subtle vibrations under their feet, silent for a long time.
"What was that just now..."
"An EMP."
A cool female voice suddenly cut through the night, answering Gwen's question.
Both of them straightened up quickly, looking vigilantly towards the source of the voice.
A figure slowly emerged from the shadows.
Although covered in dust and looking a bit disheveled, who else could it be but Black Widow, Natasha Romanoff?
Seeing the familiar red hair, Gwen relaxed first and let out a long breath.
"Natasha..."
But just as her joyful greeting left her mouth, she was stopped by Harry, who remained vigilant.
Harry didn't relax like Gwen. Instead, he entered full Venom mode.
Then, using Venom's raspy, deep voice, he asked bluntly:
"How do you prove you're Natasha!"
This scene made Hulk behind him glare angrily, but Natasha didn't get mad. Instead, she looked somewhat relieved.
The next moment, Natasha pulled a sharp dagger from her waist and sliced her own arm without hesitation.
As blood flowed, the exposed skin on her arm remained pale, showing no sign of turning green.
Only then did the highly tense Harry relax slightly, slowly retracting the Venom symbiote.
"Sorry, Natasha..."
"It's okay. I've seen those monsters that can disguise themselves too..."
Saying this, although Natasha was comforting Harry, her own expression darkened slightly.
"Glad I made it in time to save you..."
"The EMP attack at the end... was that you?"
"Yes..."
Hearing this, Harry's last worry vanished. But Natasha's next words plunged them back into silence.
"Unfortunately, Clint and Tony have both been..."
"Then... what about Cap and Mr. Rhodes...?"
"I don't know. I haven't been able to contact them yet. But since Tony was captured, Rhodes is probably..."
Hearing this, Gwen instantly thought of her completely paralyzed suit and fell silent again.
Looking at the two worried teenagers, the unconscious Dr. Otto, and the Hulk grinning foolishly at her...
Natasha forced herself to rally. While quickly bandaging her arm, she said softly:
"Let's go. We need to leave this place first! We have to find a way to contact Luca!"