Chapter 10: Lessons from the Battle
Watching the Hulk stand there roaring with savage fury, Lance Ryder shifted his gaze to Betty Ross.
Her eyes were wide with disbelief.
In that instant, the final trace of hope in Lance's heart vanished.
He couldn't help but admire General Ross.
What a ruthless strategy.
Everything was unfolding exactly according to Ross's plan.
Even Betty Ross's sudden appearance hadn't disrupted it.
Instead, Ross had simply used the opportunity to show her the true face of the Hulk.
A clever move.
Even an ordinary person could see that Betty Ross was undergoing a violent emotional transformation.
For Lance, the current situation wasn't entirely bad.
But based on his understanding of Betty Ross, the scene unfolding before them still wasn't enough to make her give up on Bruce Banner.
Women were often driven by emotion.
Many believed they could guide a lost man back onto the right path.
If the Hulk showed even the smallest trace of humanity, Betty would likely become even more determined to stand by him.
Perhaps even more desperately than before.
Lance remained hidden in the shadows, carefully observing the battle that was about to erupt.
On one side stood the Hulk, a creature of immense and growing rage.
On the other side stood the United States military, armed with the most advanced modern weapons available.
For Lance, the confrontation was extremely valuable.
He had been away from Earth for decades.
He understood that modern weapons had advanced tremendously, but he had never witnessed their true battlefield capabilities.
Watching how the Hulk endured these weapons—and how the military responded—would help Lance better understand both sides.
It would allow him to judge his own strength more accurately.
And if he ever faced a similar military encirclement in the future, this knowledge might save his life.
The battle began quickly.
The Hulk's terrifying appearance alone caused some soldiers to retreat in fear.
One young soldier, clearly unprepared for what he was seeing, fell backward in panic.
His rifle discharged accidentally.
That single gunshot shattered the fragile calm.
"Fire!"
Soldiers at the front instinctively pulled their triggers.
A storm of bullets rained down on the Hulk.
General Ross reacted immediately.
"Alpha Squad—attack."
He did not order the tanks or artillery to fire.
Those were last resorts.
Heavy bombardment might drive the Hulk away, but it would never kill him.
More importantly, Ross wanted to capture him alive.
Alpha Squad had already prepared their positions.
They opened fire from the south side, maintaining significant distance from the Hulk.
The ammunition they used struck the Hulk harder than the standard rounds fired by other soldiers.
The goal was simple.
Force the Hulk north.
Deeper into the wooded area where special equipment had already been prepared.
But the Hulk did not move exactly as Ross expected.
Driven by instinct, he veered slightly off course.
The deviation wasn't large—
But it was enough to prevent Ross's carefully prepared trap from working perfectly.
"Where's the fifty-caliber? Get it in position!"
At Ross's command, an armored vehicle equipped with a .50-caliber machine gun roared forward from behind the command vehicle.
Within moments, it reached the Hulk's flank and began firing relentlessly.
The barrage forced the Hulk to shift northeast, gradually pushing him closer to the intended path.
The pain was real.
Bullets slammed into the Hulk's body like relentless hail.
They didn't break his skin—
But the impact still hurt.
And the pain only fueled his rage.
Suddenly, the Hulk slammed both fists into the ground.
Using the rebound of his massive strength, he hurled himself toward the armored vehicle.
The vehicle was struck and rolled violently across the ground.
Yet somehow, it managed to land upright again.
For a brief moment, the Hulk seemed to realize something.
Instead of continuing north, he abruptly turned west.
He sprinted toward the edge of campus.
Beyond the outer fence lay the road—
And beyond that, the Hudson River.
If he reached the water, he could escape.
But the campus was already filled with soldiers.
From a nearby patch of woods, another squad emerged.
They immediately opened fire.
The Hulk ignored the bullets and charged straight toward them.
His goal was simple.
Destroy the soldiers blocking his path.
Then escape into the river.
For all his brutality, the Hulk was far from stupid.
But before he could reach them—
A sharp pain struck his back.
The armored vehicle he had overturned earlier had returned.
It rammed into him and continued firing at close range.
This time, the Hulk truly exploded with rage.
He leapt backward more than five meters.
Landing beside the armored vehicle, he grabbed it with both hands.
Then he swung it like a giant club.
Several soldiers managed to dive out of the way.
Others were not so lucky.
The vehicle smashed into them with devastating force.
Some were crushed instantly.
The bloody scene unfolded directly in front of Betty Ross.
Even she had never imagined things would escalate to this point.
Now that soldiers had been killed—
The military would never withdraw.
But the chaos wasn't over.
More soldiers appeared in the southwest.
The Hulk seized another armored vehicle and charged forward.
The massive machine smashed through several transport trucks, flattening them and pushing them across the ground for more than ten meters.
The sight was terrifying.
For many soldiers, fear finally appeared in their eyes.
No matter how confident the American military claimed to be—
Most of its soldiers were still human.
Heavy casualties could break morale quickly.
General Ross saw it immediately.
So he changed tactics.
"Blonsky."
"It's your turn."
"Understood, General."
From the soldiers positioned in the southern jungle, a lean U.S. Army major stepped forward.
His name was Emil Blonsky.
He dropped his rifle and grabbed a specialized grenade launcher from a nearby soldier.
Two grenades exploded against the Hulk's body.
For the first time, the blasts cut into his skin.
Blood began to seep out.
The Hulk grabbed a torn armored door from the ground and held it up as a shield.
Blonsky seized the moment.
He moved like lightning.
Grenades launched one after another.
Some exploded behind the Hulk.
Others struck directly against the metal doors he held.
None of them caused serious damage.
But they forced the Hulk backward.
Before anyone realized it—
Blonsky had already closed the distance.
Another grenade fired straight through the gap between the two armored doors.
It slammed directly into the Hulk's chest.
The explosion forced the giant back.
Blonsky leapt forward instantly.
He stepped on the Hulk's knee, launched himself upward, and slammed his own knee into the Hulk's jaw.
Then he stomped down on his throat.
The massive creature staggered back several steps before collapsing onto the ground.
But Blonsky wasn't finished.
He had already emptied his grenade launcher.
So he drew his pistol.
He aimed directly at the Hulk's most vulnerable points—
Eyes.
Ears.
Nose.
And fired continuously.
Even the Hulk could be blinded if a bullet struck his eye.
But the Hulk's defense was monstrous.
He squeezed his eyes shut and turned his head slightly.
Bullets struck his eyelids—
But could not penetrate.
Watching from afar, Lance Ryder analyzed the situation carefully.
In his judgment, Blonsky's current physical ability was roughly comparable to Captain America shortly after receiving the Super Soldier Serum.
Lance had seen Steve Rogers transform from a frail recruit into a powerful super soldier.
Over time, Rogers had grown even stronger.
Blonsky was different.
His enhancement came from a derivative version of the serum created from Captain America's blood.
It granted him immediate strength, but his long-term potential was limited.
And Rogers possessed something else.
The vibranium shield.
That weapon dramatically increased his combat effectiveness.
Still—
Blonsky's transformation was considered successful.
At least he had survived the process.
If the military continued refining the formula, they could soon create an entire squad of soldiers like him.
But there was a problem.
The supply of Super Soldier Serum was extremely limited.
Over the years, the U.S. military and private contractors had conducted countless experiments.
Many organizations had obtained fragments of the formula.
As a result, the remaining serum had become incredibly valuable.
Sometimes it was cheaper to build advanced military equipment than to create another super soldier.
Two F-22 fighter jets might cost less.
Blonsky's real advantage lay in his agility.
He moved like a nimble monkey around the Hulk.
Even swinging massive armored doors, the Hulk struggled to land a direct hit.
From the command vehicle, General Ross watched with satisfaction.
But he knew the fight couldn't continue like this.
He issued a new order.
"Blonsky. Lead him to the sonic cannon."
The sonic cannon was one of the specialized weapons Ross had borrowed from Stark Industries.
And it had been rented for only one day.
The cost was astronomical.
If either of the two sonic cannons were damaged, Ross would pay dearly.
Blonsky understood the danger.
Even with his agility, the Hulk was terrifying.
One direct hit would reduce him to paste.
So the moment he received the order, he turned and ran.
His speed was incredible—
Faster than many cars.
But the Hulk chased him relentlessly.
After only a dozen seconds, Blonsky realized something terrifying.
If this continued, he would be caught before reaching the trap.
"Forget me!" he shouted.
"Prepare to fire!"
At that exact moment—
Two trucks burst out of the forest.
Mounted on them were the sonic cannons.
Soldiers rushed to the control panels and activated the weapons in seconds.
The trap was ready.
And the Hulk was running straight toward it.
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