Chapter 16: A Tacit Understanding
"General, there's something you may not know yet."
Lance Ryder calmly held his teacup and glanced toward the neighboring house.
"The chief of the 67th Precinct of the New York Police Department lives right next door."
"If Dr. Banner actually comes looking for me, I can always ask Captain George Stacy for help."
"After all… Bruce Banner is still officially a wanted criminal."
Lance spoke casually, but the meaning behind his words was clear.
The moment General Ross heard the name George Stacy, he understood that Lance's statement was true. A simple investigation would confirm it easily.
And Ross also caught the deeper implication.
Lance wasn't talking about the Hulk.
He was talking about Dr. Bruce Banner.
Clearly, Lance already knew the Hulk's real identity.
If Bruce Banner truly appeared here, and the next-door neighbor happened to be a senior police officer—even if only a precinct captain—the consequences could become extremely troublesome.
Ross didn't bother asking how Lance had learned Banner's identity.
There was no point.
If Betty Ross had spoken even a few words, Lance could easily have learned everything.
Another clever bastard, Ross thought bitterly.
Where does Betty keep finding these people?
In reality, it would be nearly impossible for the Hulk himself to appear here.
Even if the Hulk had the intelligence to find Lance's house, his enormous size alone would immediately attract attention the moment he stepped onto a city street.
The police or military would respond instantly.
So if anyone came here—
It would only be Bruce Banner.
And no matter what happened, the military's secret experiments could not be exposed publicly.
Even a local police captain discovering the truth could create serious complications.
The subtle threat Ross had tried earlier had clearly failed.
Before visiting Lance, Ross had already ordered a thorough investigation.
He wanted to determine two things.
First—whether powerful magical forces stood behind Lance.
Second—Lance's personal background, including finances, politics, and social connections.
If threats failed, then persuasion would follow.
In truth, Ross had always preferred persuasion first.
But the problem was simple.
The things Ross could offer were money and power.
And after the investigation, it became clear that neither was likely to tempt Lance Ryder.
Lance's family background in the Netherlands was far from ordinary.
Though they lived quietly, they had deep connections with the Dutch government and significant ties in the financial world.
During World War II, the family had suffered persecution under communist forces.
After the war, they received substantial compensation.
That compensation helped them rebuild their wealth.
Even more importantly—
They maintained strong connections with Jewish financial networks.
Because of that, money and political influence would hardly impress Lance.
Ross had tried subtle threats.
Now that those had failed, only one option remained.
Cooperation.
Even if Ross personally disliked the idea.
And there was another reason.
His daughter, Betty Ross.
"You'd better make sure you can protect yourself," Ross said slowly.
"But Betty…"
He sighed and shook his head, looking genuinely worried.
"Even if the Hulk doesn't come looking for her…"
"What if she goes looking for him?"
"I hope you understand."
"General, you misunderstand something."
Lance interrupted calmly.
"Betty and I have already broken up."
"The moment she left me that day to find Bruce Banner, everything between us ended."
Ross looked genuinely surprised.
"Then why did you—"
"It was just coincidence," Lance said flatly, cutting him off again.
Both men understood perfectly well that they were acting.
Ross knew Lance had broken up with Betty.
Once Bruce Banner appeared again, any relationship between Lance and Betty would naturally collapse.
But Ross also knew the break wasn't absolute.
After all, Lance had still appeared on campus and saved Betty during the battle.
In Ross's eyes, there was still some connection between them.
For Lance, however, the situation was simple.
Betty Ross and General Ross were two separate matters.
Lance wanted closer contact with the U.S. military.
But he had no intention of using Betty Ross to achieve it.
If Ross wanted to connect the two matters himself—
That was Ross's choice.
"Whether you've broken up or not doesn't really matter," Ross said after a moment.
"At the very least, you're still friends."
"And you'll likely be classmates again soon."
"So considering that relationship…"
He paused deliberately.
"I'd like you to keep an eye on Betty for the next few days."
"That shouldn't be a problem, right?"
Lance hesitated briefly.
"The semester starts in a few days," he said at last.
"I suppose I can look out for her until then."
Ross nodded.
"Good."
"For the next few days, I'll stay away from her."
"She doesn't want to see me anyway."
He stood up immediately.
"That's all for now."
"If you need anything, you can contact me directly."
Ross left a small card on the coffee table.
It contained nothing but a phone number.
No name.
Standing at the door, Lance watched as Ross's military vehicle drove away.
He knew this matter was far from over.
The Hulk would return eventually.
And it wouldn't take long.
Both he and Ross understood that.
A silent agreement had already formed between them.
They would cooperate—at least until the Hulk situation was resolved.
Just as Lance turned to go back inside, he noticed someone peeking from the neighboring doorway.
It was Gwen Stacy.
Their eyes met.
Lance smiled gently.
Then he stepped back inside his house.
Gwen remained standing there, curious.
She had many questions.
Partly because Lance was her new neighbor.
But mostly because of the three military vehicles that had just appeared outside his home.
Hadn't he said he was just a student from the Netherlands?
So how had he suddenly become involved with the U.S. military?
Meanwhile, General Ross sat in the back seat of his vehicle, deep in thought.
The conversation with Lance had revealed something important.
They had reached a mutual understanding.
But Ross still couldn't determine exactly what Lance Ryder wanted.
And Lance had carefully avoided revealing anything.
Still, Ross believed the situation might eventually work in his favor.
One Emil Blonsky.
One Lance Ryder.
If those two could cooperate—and perhaps obtain some equipment from Stark Industries—
Dealing with the Hulk might become far easier.
At the very least, it would create an opportunity.
The pressure from the White House and the Pentagon was growing.
Many people were already watching closely.
Watching what?
The battle that had taken place at Empire State University the previous day.
Both Bruce Banner and Lance Ryder had connections to Ross's daughter.
Some people were even joking about it.
An old lover.
A new lover.
And the father standing in the middle.
It had become quite the spectacle.
Just then, Ross's phone rang.
He considered ignoring it.
But after a moment, he answered.
"General Ross."
A deep voice came through the receiver.
"Hello, General."
"This is Nick Fury."
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