Chapter 20: The Water Giant
The wide street had already fallen into chaos.
Countless abandoned cars blocked the entire road. Drivers had fled their vehicles and were running desperately toward safer areas.
Gunshots echoed from distant intersections.
The entire scene looked like the aftermath of a disaster.
In the United States, whenever a major incident occurred, there were always opportunists who took advantage of the chaos—looting stores, smashing windows, and creating even more trouble.
But right now, the police had no time to deal with any of that.
Their full attention was focused on the monster rampaging through the streets.
Meanwhile, millions of people across the country watched the situation unfold on television.
Nearly everyone stared at the screen in disbelief.
Emil Blonsky, now transformed into the monstrous Abomination, had nearly destroyed an entire block.
Yet now he was trapped inside a massive sphere of water, floating several meters above the ground.
The creature stood over three meters tall and weighed at least half a ton.
And yet the water sphere held him suspended in midair, completely defying gravity.
No matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't break free.
With no solid ground beneath his feet, Blonsky had nothing to push against.
Every attempt to escape only sent him drifting helplessly inside the sphere.
Even worse, the water continued seeping into his body through his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.
If it had been anyone else, their internal organs might already have been crushed by the pressure.
Watching the once-ferocious monster thrash helplessly inside the floating sphere, many viewers couldn't help laughing nervously.
The towering creature looked ridiculous.
A terrifying giant reduced to a struggling clown.
Inside the White House, the President of the United States watched the broadcast alongside the Vice President, the Secretary of State, and several senior officials.
After speaking briefly with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the President finally released a long breath.
The situation seemed to be under control.
And, more importantly—
It was the U.S. military handling the crisis.
That meant the disaster was less likely to damage his public approval ratings.
If anything, it might even strengthen them.
"Mr. President," the Secretary of State asked quietly, "is that soldier currently on active duty?"
Although his voice was low, everyone in the room heard him clearly.
All eyes turned toward the President.
Before he could respond, the Secretary of Defense spoke first.
"Yes," he said calmly.
"That's an active-duty Army major."
"Why? Are you interested in meeting him?"
The Defense Secretary was one of the few people in the room who knew Lance Ryder's real identity.
After everything that had happened, Lance had just given the U.S. military an incredible public relations victory.
If someone exposed his true identity now, the military would be the one embarrassed.
The Secretary of State's question wasn't innocent.
In American politics, even allies competed for influence.
"It would be an honor to meet him," the Secretary of State replied with a polite smile.
"He resolved this crisis quickly. Surely he deserves recognition."
His gaze drifted toward the President.
"He certainly deserves a reward," the Secretary of the Interior added immediately.
Several other officials voiced their agreement.
The President remained silent, watching the enormous water sphere on the television screen.
Inside it, Blonsky struggled like a trapped animal.
Gradually, the room fell quiet.
At the edge of the meeting, several representatives from the Joint Chiefs of Staff exchanged faint smiles.
Anyone familiar with American politics understood the situation perfectly.
Although the President was the Commander-in-Chief, only a small number of military units were directly under his personal command.
Those forces were useful for specialized operations—assassinations, covert missions, or small tactical deployments.
But large-scale military operations relied on the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
They were the ones who truly directed the United States' military power.
Even the Secretary of Defense had limited authority in that area.
By law, the Secretary of Defense had to be a civilian.
Even a former general had to be retired for five years before taking the position.
Their role focused more on administration—recruitment, training, logistics, and military procurement.
Operational command remained elsewhere.
So if the soldier on television truly belonged to an active military unit—and the Joint Chiefs had no record of him—
That meant he might belong directly to the President's personal authority.
Which made the Secretary of State's question even more interesting.
The struggle behind the scenes was simple.
The U.S. military already possessed the most powerful armed forces on Earth.
But now there was a new factor.
Superhuman power.
Many political factions were uncomfortable with the idea of such power being controlled exclusively by the military.
They wanted influence over it themselves.
But whether the President would allow that—
Was another question entirely.
Of course, Lance Ryder knew nothing about the political battles unfolding in Washington.
All his attention remained focused on Blonsky.
Even though Blonsky appeared trapped, Lance could already feel the monster adapting.
Inside the water sphere, Blonsky had begun to change his tactics.
Instead of struggling blindly, he planted his feet firmly and started punching the water in controlled bursts.
Each strike created powerful vortices within the sphere.
Punch after punch.
More and more swirling currents formed.
Gradually, the water began slipping beyond Lance's precise control.
Blonsky might look like a mindless brute, but he was far from stupid.
Faced with a real challenge, he quickly calmed down and began analyzing the situation.
Before, he had simply fought the water itself.
Now he had identified the real enemy—
Every drop surrounding him.
Water continued pouring into the sphere from the broken fire hydrants along the street.
But people watching closely noticed something strange.
The massive sphere was shrinking.
At the same time, Blonsky's movements were becoming more deliberate.
His punches and kicks followed a pattern now.
No longer wild rage.
A sense of tension spread through the crowd.
Something was about to change.
On the ground, Lance Ryder could feel Blonsky's resistance clearly.
But a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
Everything was still under his control.
In truth, the entire battle was partly a performance.
Although Lance's strength had declined after returning to Earth, his experience and understanding remained intact.
Unless he faced enemies wielding the Infinity Stones, very few opponents on Earth could truly threaten him.
Blonsky certainly couldn't.
The Abomination was completely within Lance's grasp.
Still, Lance deliberately allowed the situation to appear difficult.
His expression tightened.
It looked as if he were struggling to maintain control.
Then—
With a deafening crack, Blonsky finally shattered the water sphere.
Thousands of droplets exploded outward like razor-sharp projectiles.
The water arrows punched through building walls.
Cars on the street were shredded instantly.
Anyone watching turned pale.
The power behind the attack was terrifying.
Blonsky roared and lunged toward Lance.
His massive fist shot forward.
Lance answered with a punch of his own.
But just before their fists collided—
Countless droplets rushed toward Lance, forming a thick layer around his body.
In an instant, a three-meter-tall water giant appeared.
The giant wrapped around Lance completely.
Blonsky's fist slammed directly into the giant's massive arm.
For a moment, everyone feared the water giant would collapse immediately.
But instead—
Blonsky's fist passed straight through it.
With a splash, the water giant reformed behind him.
Blonsky's attack had struck nothing but empty space.
If his body hadn't already adapted to extreme conditions, the sudden loss of resistance might have dislocated his arm.
But something else was wrong.
Blonsky suddenly felt an icy chill spreading through his body.
It felt as if something had been taken away from him.
The sensation was familiar.
The same thing had happened earlier during Lance's first attack.
Now it had happened again.
Blonsky finally realized—
Somewhere during the battle, Lance Ryder had already set a trap.
"Damn it!"
Rage surged inside him.
He spun around and launched a furious assault against the water giant.
Punch after punch.
Kick after kick.
Water splashed everywhere.
But it made no difference.
The water giant absorbed endless streams of water from the broken hydrants nearby.
Every time Blonsky tore off an arm or shattered a leg—
The giant rebuilt itself instantly.
Under normal circumstances, Blonsky might have retreated from such a frustrating opponent.
But tonight was different.
Tonight—
There would be no retreat.
High above the battlefield, General Ross, Bruce Banner, and Betty Ross watched the fight unfold clearly.
If Ross hadn't seen the wand in Lance's hand earlier, he might have assumed Lance was a mutant with control over water.
But Lance wasn't a mutant.
Many mutants possessed only a single ability.
Used repeatedly, such powers could become extremely dangerous.
But they were also easier to counter once understood.
That was one reason mutants had become increasingly rare in recent years.
"Blonsky is about to lose," Bruce Banner suddenly said.
Ross and Betty both looked at him.
Banner explained calmly.
"Have you noticed something?"
"Water keeps flowing into the giant."
"But the giant itself isn't growing."
"In fact… it's shrinking."
Originally, the water giant had been taller than Blonsky.
Now the opposite was true.
Betty and Ross understood immediately.
Both were accomplished scientists.
They knew the power of water pressure.
Then—
With a thunderous boom, the water giant's fist collided directly with Blonsky's.
The shockwave blasted outward across the street.
Cars were slammed against nearby buildings by the force.
At that moment, the battle had reached a turning point.
The water giant now possessed strength equal to Blonsky's.
And the situation was finally becoming clear.
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