Helen Cho and Bruce Banner were actually quite close.
Back when she had still been developing the Regeneration Cradle, she had consulted Bruce more than once on various academic problems.
After all, in the field of organic biology, Bruce Banner was one of the very best.
Of course, Bruce Banner held a total of eight doctorate degrees.
He wasn't just an expert in organic biology—he was equally exceptional in seven other fields as well.
The man was absurdly brilliant.
Helen Cho was a proud woman by nature. That was a common trait among top-tier genius scientists. She didn't even think much of Tony Stark.
But Bruce Banner?
She genuinely admired him from the bottom of her heart.
In Helen's eyes, Bruce Banner was far more impressive than Tony Stark.
And more than that, Bruce was humble, polite, and incredibly well-mannered.
To her, he was the perfect image of what a scientist should be.
But for some unknown reason, Bruce Banner had suddenly vanished seven months ago.
He stopped appearing at any events in their circles.
He stopped contacting anyone.
Helen had even looked into it and discovered that Bruce wasn't going to work anymore.
She had asked his fiancée, Betty Ross, about him too.
But even Betty had no idea where Bruce had gone.
That worried Helen deeply.
Purely as a friend, of course.
During that time, Helen had tried contacting Bruce herself, but she had never managed to reach him.
Then, three months ago, Bruce suddenly got in touch with her through anonymous emails. In those emails, he asked her a number of questions about nanobiology and whether it could be used to repair damage at the genetic level.
He had also asked whether, after further improvement, the Regeneration Cradle could eventually accomplish true gene-level repair.
Helen still didn't know the full story, but at that point, she already understood one thing very clearly:
Bruce Banner had to be sick.
And not with an ordinary illness, either.
It had to be some kind of extremely rare genetic condition.
Back then, Helen had been powerless to help him.
The Regeneration Cradle was still only a prototype. At its current stage, it could only operate at the cellular level.
Gene-level repair was completely out of the question.
She couldn't help Bruce at all.
But now...
Everything was different.
Beep...
Beep...
Listening to the ringing tone through the phone, Helen silently prayed.
Bruce...
Pick up.
Please pick up.
This time, I might actually be able to help you!
"Sorry, the number you have dialed is currently unavailable. Please try again later..."
But as always, the call never connected.
Helen could only shake her head helplessly and put her phone away.
Then she opened her computer and sent Bruce Banner an email.
"Bruce, I've gained a new ability. It's difficult to explain, but I can now solve problems that go beyond the scope of conventional medicine."
"If you're able to, contact me."
...
Pfft!
Vietnam.
Inside a filthy, cramped rental room, Bruce Banner was typing rapidly at his keyboard.
Deep, complex, nearly incomprehensible academic papers flashed across his laptop screen.
They were in German, no less.
Only a terrifying genius like Bruce Banner could read that stuff without blinking.
Then suddenly—
A new email notification popped up.
Bruce never received Helen's phone calls.
He hadn't for a long time.
Because that old number was already abandoned.
He had thrown away that phone too.
After all, his future father-in-law had been chasing him far too aggressively.
Bruce Banner had already discarded his old identity completely.
So anyone who could still send him an email at a time like this had to be someone he had personally contacted in secret before.
Without hesitation, Bruce opened the email.
The moment he read it, his spirits lifted.
Dr. Cho had made a breakthrough.
Bruce knew Helen Cho well. She wasn't the type to make empty claims or exaggerate for effect.
She was practical.
Brilliant.
And absolutely the real deal.
If she said something like that, then it meant she was seriously confident.
Bruce was instantly tempted.
But he didn't dare respond so easily.
He knew better than anyone that even the smallest trace could be picked up by his future father-in-law.
He needed to meet Helen Cho.
Just not yet.
...
"Bruce... please."
After sending the email, Helen sat in front of her computer, waiting anxiously for a reply.
Five minutes passed.
Then ten.
The screen remained completely still.
Nothing.
In the end, Helen could only shake her head and get up.
Hopefully this wouldn't end like the last few times—her message disappearing into silence, with no answer at all.
"Sorry, sir, Dr. Cho is unavailable right now. You can't go in."
"Sir, forcing your way onto private property is illegal."
"Sir, if you keep this up, I'm calling security!"
At that moment, a commotion broke out in the lobby outside.
Helen looked up and saw her young assistant desperately trying to stop a bespectacled man who looked refined and educated.
"I'm sorry. I'm truly sorry. But I really have something extremely urgent."
"I deeply apologize for the inconvenience, but if there were any other way, I would never have come to disturb you."
The man was very polite, not the thug or violent troublemaker Helen had instinctively imagined. He looked more like a scholar than anything else.
Maybe he really did have an emergency.
"Jennifer, it's alright. Leave this to me."
Helen walked out, dismissed her assistant, and came to stand before the bespectacled man.
"Dr. Cho, I sincerely apologize for appearing before you in such a rude manner. But my employer truly has an urgent matter and desperately needs your help."
"Please forgive the disturbance."
The man bowed his head apologetically.
Employer?
Only then did Helen realize there was another man standing at the entrance.
A bald giant.
His build was so exaggerated it was almost unreal, like a wall of flesh and muscle.
Helen couldn't help freezing for a moment.
She had never seen anyone with a body that massive before.
For a second, she even had the absurd thought that he might collapse the building just by walking in.
"Dr. Cho, I'm Wilson Fisk."
Even the giant's tone was calm and courteous, completely at odds with his imposing, gangster-like appearance.
"I'm deeply sorry for barging in like this, but I truly have no other choice."
"Mr. Fisk, please. Come inside and speak."
Helen could tell he genuinely had something urgent, so she didn't waste time and led both men into the reception room.
"Dr. Cho, please forgive my rudeness."
The moment they entered, Fisk got straight to the point.
"The situation is critical, so I have no choice but to skip the usual greetings and pleasantries. My fiancée is sick. It's urgent. I need your help."
"I've conducted some investigations and learned that over the past half month, you've created several miracles."
"If there is anyone in this world who can save her... I believe it can only be you."