Seeing the bloodstains on Carly's clothes, Banner grew nervous and stammered, "I—I wasn't doing anything, I was just about to go to sleep."
"Bullshit!" Carly grabbed him by the collar and roared, "You goddamn junkie! If I find out you're using my clinic to do drugs, or even worse, cooking meth in here with my medical equipment, I'll blow your brains out!"
After yelling, she shoved him back and ran upstairs. Banner, bewildered, watched as she returned moments later, lugging a shotgun.
"Move it, you bastard!" she growled, pointing the weapon at him. "Now I know why someone called earlier asking for a surgery—this was all a setup, right? You lured me out to take over my clinic and steal my equipment!"
With a gun aimed at him, Banner's heart rate spiked. He raised his hands quickly and shouted, "Wait! Carly, wait! I don't know what you're talking about! I didn't do anything! You can check the lab—nothing's missing!"
Click-clack!
The shotgun was cocked. Banner swallowed hard and fought to stay calm. He absolutely could not transform in the middle of this overcrowded favela.
If the Hulk came out here, a single crash could collapse an entire building. Who knew how many innocent people would die—or be left homeless in a place already stricken by poverty?
What Banner didn't know was that his rising heart rate had also alarmed Blonsky, watching from two kilometers away.
He hadn't told Carly about Banner's transformation ability—only instructed her to secure a blood sample discreetly.
He considered radioing a warning, but quickly realized that if Carly slipped up now, Banner would surely bolt.
Luckily for him, Banner was genuinely a good person. Feeling his pulse surge, he quickly said, "Okay, okay! I'll explain! I was... I was just testing my own blood."
"You little bastard! You're sick and you apply for a job in my clinic without telling me?"
Carly pretended to be furious, marching toward the lab and glancing inside. "What exactly is wrong with you?"
But even as she raged, she no longer pointed the gun at him.
Banner exhaled in relief and moved slightly—only for Carly to immediately lift the shotgun again. "Stay right there!"
"Alright, alright, I won't move," he said, hands still raised. Thinking fast, he added, "I've been in the rainforest too long. I was worried I might've picked up parasites or something. I don't have the money for a real hospital, so I was just running a few tests."
Carly followed his gaze to the microscope and finally lowered the gun completely.
With the tension easing, Blonsky watched through the hidden camera and issued the next order over the radio.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Gunshots suddenly rang out, and Banner instinctively ducked. Carly dropped to the floor, aiming her shotgun at the window.
"Go upstairs and see where the shooters are!" she whispered.
More gunshots followed. "You're the one who did surgery, right? You've been targeted," Banner said, panicked. "Who the hell's after you?"
"Hell if I know. I get paid, I don't ask questions."
In truth, there had been no surgery. The shots were coming from Blonsky's team of six.
Dragging her 200-pound frame, Carly crawled into the storeroom, pushed aside a table, and lifted a wooden board to reveal a tunnel entrance.
Banner, stunned by the hidden escape route, hesitated until he saw Carly dive in without a second glance. Realizing she didn't care if he ran or not, he scrambled in after her.
He resealed the entrance with the table and wooden board. Carly had already crawled 8–9 meters ahead.
"Wait! Wait for me!" Banner hissed.
But a few meters later, Carly collapsed, panting hard. Hearing the sound of things being smashed upstairs, Banner started to panic. "Move, Carly! If we don't hurry, we're dead!"
"Shut up, you idiot!" Carly snapped. "These gangsters don't have time to search every corner for a hidden tunnel. The local gang that controls this area will clash with whoever just tried to kill me.
Just lie low. I'd escape now if I could, but this tunnel was built by my late husband—and he died before finishing it. As for me, I'm too damn fat to dig anything. Took me days just to run a ventilation pipe!"
Banner cursed her in his head, but he had no choice. He focused on calming down and listened to the chaos above.
He didn't notice the faint smell beginning to spread through the tunnel.
Back in the clinic, Blonsky's men had retrieved the test tube containing Banner's blood. They sealed it in a portable refrigeration box, and three of them quickly left with it.
The other two smashed a decoy tube of normal human blood in the drawer and flipped over the desk, trashing the lab to cover their tracks.
A few minutes later, when Blonsky reported that locals were approaching, they left.
"Carly! Carly!"
The local gang, carefully entering the clinic, began shouting for her.
In the favela, Carly—known for her greed and surgical skills—was considered valuable. No one would harm her unless absolutely necessary.
Banner opened his mouth to respond, but Carly whispered sharply, "Say nothing, idiot. I don't want anyone knowing there's a tunnel here. What if it's a trick?"
Startled, Banner realized she had a point and gave her a look of admiration. Gradually, as the adrenaline wore off, he drifted off to sleep.
Hearing his soft snores, Carly finally moved. Still crouched, she turned to look at him.
Had Banner been awake, he would've seen the gas mask she now wore—and the backpack she'd grabbed earlier.
That was why she'd dove into the tunnel so quickly. She'd reached the bag, donned the mask, and opened a canister of gaseous anesthetic. Then she'd pretended to collapse from exhaustion.
Now, seeing Banner fully asleep, Carly carefully placed the canister beside her leg, moving it as close to Banner's face as possible.
Time passed. After over two hours of inhaling the gas, Banner's snores grew louder. Carly, finally confident, turned over and held the glass vial directly under his nose.
Even the Hulk's powerful constitution couldn't resist such a concentrated dose. Banner was completely unconscious.
Carly took a transmitter from her pocket and pressed the button.
Fifteen minutes later, the back entrance of the tunnel opened.
A soldier in a mask stepped in and looked at Carly. "Damn... you were right. Upping the dosage worked. If we'd known it was that easy, we wouldn't have needed to tear apart the clinic."
______
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