Chapter 14: A Display of Power
The wreckage of the attack helicopter crashed to the ground, its flames still burning fiercely.
As if triggered by the explosion, dark clouds gathered overhead.
Rain began to fall.
At first, it was only a light drizzle.
But soon the rain grew heavier, and when the drops struck the burning wreckage, thick black smoke rose into the air.
For some reason, the Hulk stared at Betty Ross, still held in Lance Ryder's arms.
He subconsciously took a step forward.
That single step was enough.
Lance's wand immediately pointed at him.
Magic surged through the air.
As the rain fell, countless droplets gathered in front of Lance, forming a shimmering curtain of water.
The barrier thickened rapidly.
Within seconds, the water froze solid.
An ice wall rose between Lance and the Hulk.
The Hulk looked toward Betty—
But his view was completely blocked.
A wave of frustration surged inside him.
He clenched his fists and let out a furious roar.
Behind the ice wall, Lance calmly raised his wand again.
The wand spun through the falling rain.
Dozens of droplets froze instantly—
Transforming into sharp ice spikes, each nearly thirty centimeters long.
More and more formed above Lance's head.
Soon, hundreds of icy spikes spun in the air like a swirling storm.
The rotating blades of ice formed a deadly vortex.
Their target was clear.
The Hulk.
As time passed, the number of spikes continued to grow.
A rising cloud of spinning ice gathered overhead, slowly drifting toward the Hulk's position.
Everyone watching the scene widened their eyes.
If things continued like this, it was obvious what would happen next.
The mysterious mage and the Hulk would soon clash directly.
The Hulk's anger grew stronger.
Especially when he noticed the hundreds of spinning ice spikes hovering above him.
He bent his legs slightly.
Preparing to attack.
But the moment he shifted his weight—
He slipped.
The Hulk realized the ground beneath him had frozen into a thick layer of ice.
And its surface was incredibly smooth.
At the same time, an intense chill spread up through the soles of his feet.
For a moment, even his massive body felt strangely out of sync.
It wasn't just the ground.
Above him, the falling rain was still transforming into more ice spikes.
And the rain striking his body had grown colder.
For a brief moment, the Hulk felt as though the entire world had turned against him.
Then—
A voice called out from behind the ice wall.
"Put me down."
It was Betty Ross.
The Hulk froze.
His attention shifted.
His eyes fell on General Ross, standing among tanks and armored vehicles in the distance.
All their weapons were aimed directly at him.
Something twisted painfully inside his chest.
Without hesitation, the Hulk made his decision.
He bent his knees.
Then he launched himself into the air.
In a single leap, he shot across the battlefield—
And disappeared into the distance.
The moment the Hulk fled, Lance's ice spikes surged forward.
A massive river of ice five meters wide shot across the sky, chasing after him toward the Hudson River.
Moments later, the Hulk plunged into the water and escaped.
The ice spikes followed him down—
Disappearing into the river as well.
Then Lance Ryder vanished.
The spectacular river of ice had captured everyone's attention.
And when the crowd finally recovered—
Only Betty Ross remained standing in the rain.
Father and daughter faced each other across the battlefield.
Neither spoke.
Betty Ross refused to lower her gaze before her always-authoritative father.
Eventually, General Thaddeus Ross sighed deeply.
His daughter's life, he realized, had turned out better than that of her mother, who had passed away years ago.
For now, Ross did not rush to confront Lance Ryder.
Instead, he intended to review every piece of information about him once again.
And perhaps—
Learn more about him through Betty.
Betty Ross owned more than just a campus apartment.
She also had a small villa on the Upper East Side.
Now that villa was filled with U.S. soldiers.
Under General Ross's orders, they searched through every document connected to Bruce Banner's experiments.
Ross already understood something important.
Lance Ryder might be able to help.
But only to a limited extent.
For Ross, Bruce Banner—the Hulk—remained the key to creating an army of super soldiers.
Still, the file currently in his hands was not about Banner.
It was about Lance Ryder.
From his supposed birth in the Netherlands…
To kindergarten.
Primary school.
High school.
His application to Empire State University.
Even detailed evaluations written by professors.
The file was extremely thorough.
Too thorough.
Ross knew perfectly well that everything he was reading only existed on the surface.
Something far deeper was hidden beneath it.
As a military politician, Ross always weighed risks against rewards.
If capturing Lance Ryder could help him produce more super-powered soldiers—
He would not hesitate to send troops after him.
But studying a mage was another matter.
Dissection?
Injecting him with Super Soldier Serum?
Neither approach was likely to reveal the secrets of magic.
Still…
Ross couldn't help considering the possibility of building a team of mages.
But controlling someone like Lance Ryder would not be easy.
He didn't even know where to begin.
Unless Ross could capture him in a single decisive strike—
There would be no room for compromise afterward.
Compared to the Hulk, Ross understood far less about Lance.
Ross's eyes finally settled on his daughter.
"Betty," he asked quietly, "how much do you really know about him?"
Betty glanced at the photograph of Lance Ryder in the file.
Her face remained expressionless.
"He's a mage," she said calmly.
"You already know that."
Ross frowned slightly.
"That's not what I mean. How did you meet him?"
"And why did he come to New York?"
"You don't actually believe he came here just to study, do you?"
Ross tried to sound like a concerned father.
But inside, he was deeply unsettled.
From Betty's words, it was clear she had known about Lance's identity from the beginning.
He hadn't deceived her.
Which meant Lance likely hadn't approached her deliberately.
Ross's mind raced.
Ever since Tony Stark publicly declared himself Iron Man, more and more individuals with extraordinary abilities had begun appearing.
And Ross still hadn't even reported today's events to the White House or the Pentagon.
That alone would create trouble.
Betty snorted softly.
"Daniel is much harder to capture than Bruce."
"And do you really think he's the only one like him?"
Ross straightened immediately.
"What do you mean?"
"Is there someone else behind him?"
Betty's words made perfect sense.
A powerful mage did not simply appear out of nowhere.
Unlike super soldiers, who could be produced through experimentation, a true mage required years of training.
If someone stronger stood behind Lance—
Ross would have to reconsider everything.
Recruitment.
Bribery.
Negotiation.
Money.
Power.
Fame.
Anything could be offered.
If Lance could help him create a team of mages—or capture the Hulk—
Ross would accept the deal.
And the key to all of it was sitting right in front of him.
His daughter.
Ross took a deep breath.
"Betty," he said gently, "I need you to tell me where he is now."
He wasn't talking about Lance Ryder.
He meant Bruce Banner.
Although the Hulk had escaped, Ross knew Betty might still understand where Banner would go next.
Betty turned away without answering.
But her expression had become serious.
She didn't know exactly where the Hulk had gone.
But she knew something else.
She knew where Bruce Banner would likely appear next.
Ross noticed her reaction immediately.
He understood his daughter too well.
She wouldn't reveal anything directly.
But if he investigated her past activities—
The documents she had researched.
The people she had contacted—
Sooner or later, he would uncover the clues.
Still, Ross chose not to reveal his plan.
Instead, he continued speaking calmly.
"You understand the consequences if he's allowed to wander freely through the city."
"If he loses control again."
"He won't hurt people without reason," Betty replied sharply.
"If you and your soldiers hadn't interfered, none of this would have happened today."
Ross shook his head.
"It's impossible for us to allow such a dangerous threat to roam freely in the United States."
"Especially this close to Washington."
"This isn't just about me."
Betty knew that was true.
But she also knew something else.
"You chased him across the world," she said bitterly.
"You forced him back here."
Ross sighed.
"Because we both know things can't return to the way they were."
His voice softened.
"Betty… you're not young anymore."
"I don't want to interfere in your life."
"But I hope the person you spend it with is someone… normal."
"And we both know that person can't be him."
Ross said nothing more.
He took his raincoat from his adjutant and stepped outside into the rain.
But the moment he entered the vehicle, his expression hardened again.
"Two things," Ross ordered.
"First—investigate everyone Betty has contacted in the past few days."
"Phone calls, internet activity, letters. I want everything."
"Second—dig deeper into Daniel Zhou."
"Find everything about him that doesn't appear in these official records."
"I want to know who's standing behind him."
Ross admitted that Lance Ryder had tremendous value.
But in his mind, no one could stand against the power of the U.S. military.
If today's battle had taken place overseas—
He would have already ordered tanks and heavy artillery to fire without hesitation.
Perhaps even stronger weapons.
Not nuclear bombs.
But intercontinental missiles were not beyond reach.
Mages were powerful.
But their bodies were not as durable as the Hulk's.
A single armor-piercing round could kill them.
Compared to the Hulk—
Lance Ryder was far easier to control.
And once control was achieved…
Ross would decide what came next.
Recruitment.
Threats.
Coercion.
Or, if necessary—
Complete elimination.
🤗If you enjoyed this chapter, please add it to your collection and
keep supporting the story 💖✨