Once Lin Huai understood what Nick Fury was up to, he immediately took action.
Relying on the plot knowledge in his memory and a simple divination, he easily pinpointed Bruce Banner's next location: Culver University, Virginia.
As per his usual routine, Lin Huai performed a safety divination for himself before heading out. The pendulum didn't swing wildly; it just rotated gently counterclockwise, indicating some risk on this trip, but nothing major.
On the Stark Industries private jet, Tony was enthusiastically fine-tuning a new suit of armor, several mechanical arms dancing nimbly around him.
Looking at him, Lin Huai spoke up: "Tony, Obadiah is already dead. You don't really need to get involved in these dangerous matters anymore. Pepper is still waiting for you."
He paused, his voice dropping lower.
"The Erosion will only get fiercer from here on out. The Monsters we'll have to deal with will become more terrifying, and even... we ourselves might become Monsters. This is the trial the Fool has given me, not yours."
Tony stopped his adjustments, the mechanical arms freezing in mid-air.
He turned and stared at Lin Huai. Gone from his caramel-colored eyes was the usual air of frivolity.
"Are you scared?"
Tony's voice was calm. "Where's the calm, collected director from Stark Tower?"
The corner of his mouth quirked up. "You were the one who called me 'brother' first. Now you're backing down?"
After hearing this, Lin Huai fell silent.
His tense shoulders relaxed, followed by a broad smile spreading across his face, his gaze sharpening once more.
"You're right."
"I am a Seer, brother."
...Culver University.
Lin Huai wandered alone on campus. The afternoon Sun was warm, and the surroundings were filled with energetic, youthful students.
His mood improved considerably as his fingers deftly shuffled a new deck of tarot cards. Sponsored by Mr. Stark, they were made of pure silver, their intricate and mysterious patterns.
He didn't idle; he walked straight toward his destination.
It was a rather old academic building, one wing of its laboratories long since sealed off.
Lin Huai stopped by a dust-covered window and peered inside. In the lab, a bespectacled man with a gentle demeanor was locked in a tight embrace with a woman.
Bruce Banner, and his ex-girlfriend, Betty Ross.
Lin Huai's gaze settled on the pair, then he drew a card from the deck.
[Strength].
He held the card up, comparing it to the scene through the window—it was a perfect match. On the card, a serene woman was gently yet firmly closing the jaws of a male lion with both hands.
The woman, the Beast, the restrained claws and fangs.
Lin Huai coughed twice, the sound jarringly loud in the quiet corridor.
"Ahem."
Startled, the couple inside the window quickly separated.
"Although I'm a bit sorry to interrupt your intimate moment," Lin Huai's voice came clearly and calmly through the glass, "but Mr. Banner, if you don't restrain yourself soon, you're probably about to lose control, aren't you?"
Upon hearing this, Banner's face changed dramatically. Instinctively shielding Betty behind him, he stared warily at the stranger outside the window.
"How do you know that?"
Lin Huai pushed open the unlocked back door of the laboratory and walked in.
"Hello, let me introduce myself," he nodded at Banner, putting on a professional smile. "I'm a rather accurate Seer."
"I'd like to ask, Mr. Banner, are you currently in the job market? Our team can help resolve those messy entanglements with your previous employer after your departure."
He paused, speaking with certainty. "Additionally, the military has already surrounded the building outside. You should seriously consider my offer."
No sooner had the words left his mouth.
"Woo—Woo—"
The sharp wail of sirens approached from afar. From all directions came the roar of military helicopter rotors churning the air.
General Ross's encirclement had closed in.
Bruce Banner's face instantly turned pale. This sudden warning, followed immediately by the realized ambush, left him frozen stiff with shock.
"Let's go!"
He snapped back to reality, grabbing Betty's hand and dashing toward the other end of the lab without a second thought, searching for an exit.
Yet Lin Huai remained standing in place, as if this scene, terrifying to anyone else, was merely the opening act for him.
Watching Banner's back tremble violently from fear and a skyrocketing heart rate, he calmly said to the stunned Betty Ross:
"Don't be afraid. Grieve for his birth."
Before the words faded, Banner let out a suppressed, agonized roar. His body began to expand in a way that defied physics, his skin, muscles, and bones groaning.
"BOOM—!"
The laboratory wall burst outward from within by a savage force. A green behemoth appeared before all the soldiers amidst a cloud of dust and debris.
The Hulk was born.
"Open fire! Weapons free!!!"
General Ross's hysterical roar came through the comms channel.
A dense web of fire instantly converged, blanketing the green figure. Bullets striking the Hulk vanished like mud into the sea, the pain they inflicted only serving to fully ignite his fury.
The Hulk let out a deafening roar. Shielding Betty behind him with one hand, he casually grabbed a massive piece of lab equipment nearby and hurled it like a baseball, accurately smashing into the armored vehicle with the heaviest firepower.
Amidst the violent explosion, the entire university campus became a battlefield.
Lin Huai leisurely walked out through the hole in the wall the Hulk had created. He glanced up at the chaotic battlefield, then turned and entered a nearby academic building, quickly ascending to the rooftop with a clear view.
No sooner had he steadied himself than a quinjet came screaming in, rapidly descending, its hatch opening mid-air.
A knowing smile curled at Lin Huai's lips as he spoke softly into his earpiece: "Tony, see that? Our competitor has played his trump card."
A figure clad in a red, white, and blue uniform leapt down like a hawk, the iconic star shield gleaming in the firelight.
Captain America, Steve Rogers.
Steve didn't pause upon landing. Moving with superhuman speed across the battlefield, he used his shield to precisely block and deflect stray bullets heading toward civilian areas. His goal was clear: not attack, but containment.
"Cease fire! You'll hit civilians!!!" Steve roared into the comms channel, but Ross's troops paid him no heed.
Seeing the Hulk's fist about to smash into a troop transport filled with soldiers, Steve surged forward, slamming his shield hard into the ground!
"CLANG—!"
The vibranium shield collided with the Hulk's fist! A terrifying shockwave erupted from the point of Impact, tearing up a thick layer of earth!
On the rooftop, Lin Huai leaned against the railing alone, quietly observing everything below.
He watched the figure in the blue and white uniform, time and again using his shield to block the green giant's violent attacks. He watched Steve protect civilians while trying to communicate with the Hulk, but the Hulk, due to the relentless pursuit, saw only the furious of one betrayed by the whole World.
Jarvis's calm report came through the earpiece, meant for Tony: "Sir, the target's gamma radiation readings are continuously climbing. His Strength is still increasing."
"He's not a Monster, Tony," Lin Huai whispered into his earpiece.
"He is a tragedy."
"And the other one," his gaze turned to the unyielding blue figure, "is a legend."
"Now, tragedy and legend have met."