The echoes of the incantation faded in the air; the battle was over.
Inside the mobile command vehicle, General Ross stared with bloodshot eyes at the screen, which displayed the massive corpse of the "Abomination" form. All his hopes and the capital for his comeback had now become a pile of lifeless, rotten meat.
"Seal off the scene! Get that corpse back! Now! Immediately!" he roared into the communicator like a defeated dog.
Ross's soldiers acted immediately upon receiving the orders, attempting to build a defensive line centered around the corpse, but another group of faster-moving men in black had already surrounded the body, forming a human wall.
The two sides faced off with guns drawn, the atmosphere tense.
Hulk turned back into Banner, held tightly in Betty Ross's arms. Feeling her real body heat, his nerves, which had been constantly strained because of "Hulk," finally relaxed, and he tasted a long-lost sense of peace.
Lin Huai calmly watched the standoff between the S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents and Ross's troops. He knew that this Sequence 7 Beyonder corpse would surely be coveted by others. The characteristic separation had already begun within the body; based on the corpse's integrity, it would take nearly two hours. That was too long and held too many variables; he had to speed it up.
The distinct roar of a helicopter came from the sky. The cabin door swung wide, and a Black Brine Egg in a black trench coat, escorted by several elite Agents, landed directly in the center of the two opposing sides.
Nick Fury had arrived in person.
Without even glancing at the soldiers who were at each other's throats, he walked straight to General Ross's command vehicle and tapped on the bulletproof glass.
"Ross, come out and talk." His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an unquestionable authority.
Ross stepped out of the car with a grim face. Fury slapped a data tablet against his chest: "Your soldier, Bronski, illegally injected the Military-sequestered Super Soldier Serum. You illegally used heavy Military weaponry in the city center, causing astronomical property damage... Shall I go on? Or do you think you can keep your position if these 'achievements' are reported as they are to Capitol Hill?"
Each sentence hit Ross's face like a heavy hammer. He looked into Fury's cold, single eye and finally could only wave his hand.
"...Take your people and get out of here." Ross's voice was hoarse and dry, as if he had aged ten years in an instant.
Having settled the trouble with the Military, Fury turned to Lin Huai. His gaze swept over the massive corpse before landing on Lin Huai, getting straight to the point: "I'm taking this corpse."
"Deal," Lin Huai replied bluntly. But then he changed the subject, his tone calm, "But the 'thing' inside is mine."
Fury gave him a deep look and nodded.
Having received permission, Lin Huai wasted no more time. He walked to the Abomination's corpse and extended his hand, palm down, hovering over its chest. He channeled his spirituality, directing a high-intensity spiritual shock into the corpse to disrupt its overall stability.
Under the catalysis of this power, the Beyonder characteristic within the remains seemed to be pulled by an invisible gravity, gathering, condensing, and precipitating at an astonishing speed.
Lin Huai's eyes snapped open, and his right hand plunged directly into the cold chest. While Tony and the others watched in shock, he pulled something out.
It was a clump of translucent crystal emitting a grayish-black glow, with a grayish-black wolf head on it.
The Sequence 7 Werewolf Beyonder characteristic of the Prisoner Pathway.
"Done." Lin Huai quickly placed the characteristic into a prepared lead box. He looked up at Fury, "The body is yours, the spirit is mine. We're even."
The S.H.I.E.L.D. transport plane carried away the massive remains, leaving only the long shadows cast by the setting sun on the post-war ruins.
Lin Huai called out to Steve, who was about to leave, and Banner, who had just been "invited" onto the plane by Tony. He fished out two blank silver cards specially made by Stark Industries from his pocket.
Standing there, he closed his eyes in the chilling evening wind. His spirituality spread out like countless invisible hands, touching every fragment of residual information on the battlefield—Hulk's rage, Steve's star shield, the Werewolf's madness, and the affectionate cry that pierced the finale.
Using his fingertip as a pen and spirituality as ink, he channeled his core insights from the battle, drawing two distinct symbols in the air above the cards—the scales and sword representing [Justice], and the infinity symbol representing [Strength].
In his silent depiction, light and shadow flowed like mercury across the surface of the cards, finally weaving and solidifying into two lifelike images.
"These are gifts for you, blessings from the Fool." Lin Huai's voice was somewhat ethereal. He first handed the [Justice] card to Steve, praying in low Hermes Language:
"When the star shield of the old era shines in the new century; you hold the line with a mortal body; and personally deliver the final 'Judgement'... Justice is your weight."
Steve took the card, feeling a heavy resonance called "responsibility."
Lin Huai turned and handed the [Strength] card to Banner, who had a complex look in his eyes:
"You once wanted to kill the Beast in the cage, not knowing it was also your helpless self; when the fire of rage burns away the poison, remember the sound of her voice calling your name... Love and reconciliation are the foundations of your strength."
Banner took the card with trembling hands. A long-lost sense of peaceful warmth radiated from the card, giving his heart, which was constantly restless due to Hulk's presence, a moment of tranquility.
"Rest well, heroes." Lin Huai looked at them, "If you need any consultation, you can find me at Tony's Malibu mansion; I'm usually there."
That night, on the Stark Industries private jet. After carefully studying all the data on the [Strength] card, Tony finally couldn't help but lean in toward Lin Huai: "Hey, what exactly is that grayish-black crystal? Its energy structure is simply... it violates every law of physics I know!"
"It's the solidification of that Werewolf's 'concept,' Tony. Think of it as a fragment of 'rules.' Do you understand it that way?" Lin Huai replied.
"I don't understand it at all. How about you lend me this thing for a few days of research? With my talent, I should be able to figure it out," Stark replied solemnly, pointing to his own head.
Lin Huai ignored him; this map was a bit small.
"Then what about this card? Jarvis's scan shows no change in their molecular structure. How did you do it? Can just chanting make the image change? I wanted to ask when you made them for me and Pepper last time, but I was held up by those idiots in Congress." Seeing that Lin Huai didn't respond, Tony didn't get angry—he was used to it. His curiosity instantly exploded as he continued to ask.
Lin Huai was just about to find a random excuse to brush him off when an encrypted communication request came in.
On the screen was Agent Hill's serious face: "Mr. Lin, Mr. Stark, Director Fury wishes to formally visit you both tomorrow morning to have an open and honest discussion regarding the aftermath of this incident and a new 'cooperation model'."
"No problem, but it has to be after our barbecue party."