Senju Haruto thought for a moment before deciding to accompany General Ross to Wakanda.
On one hand, it was for the sake of his sign-in.
On the other, Haruto was genuinely curious—he wanted to see for himself how General Ross would handle this situation.
After all, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Ross wasn't just any ordinary figure. He held one of the highest positions of power, and at one point, he had brought the Avengers under control with the Sokovia Accords.
In pursuit of the Hulk, he had indirectly created the monster known as Abomination.
And now, he had the ability to transform into the Red Hulk.
Yes, Wakanda might indeed be one of the most powerful nations in the Marvel universe, armed with vibranium technology that far surpassed anything the rest of the world had.
But still…
As "Thunderbolt" Ross—one of the military's top figures—Haruto refused to believe Ross didn't have his own hidden arsenal of black-ops technology.
And Ross wasted no time proving it.
He grabbed the communicator strapped to his chest and called in "Soldier One."
Haruto stayed silent.
Ross hadn't explained anything, but Haruto knew one thing for sure: the person about to walk through that door wasn't going to be ordinary.
Otherwise, Ross wouldn't have given him such a designation—Soldier One.
Could it be a soldier enhanced with the super-soldier serum? Haruto wondered.
In The Incredible Hulk, Ross had given Blonsky injections of such a serum.
Strictly speaking, it had been a replicated version of the formula used on Captain America.
Its advantage was that the amplification wasn't as extreme, meaning ordinary soldiers could withstand it.
The tragedy only came about because Blonsky's ambition and cruelty far exceeded that of a normal man.
The downside, however, was clear—this serum's enhancements could never reach the level of Steve Rogers.
In other words, what was happening here was another clash between Wakanda's vibranium technology and America's attempts at duplicating the serum.
Once Haruto realized what might unfold next, a faint spark of anticipation stirred within him.
Roughly three minutes later, the door opened and a man in full military uniform stepped inside.
He was massive, at least two meters tall, his muscles coiled tight and solid. Even without any serum, his physical condition alone was nearly perfect.
"General Ross!"
The man saluted Ross, completely ignoring Haruto.
Haruto didn't mind in the slightest.
"Show him your strength," Ross ordered, nodding with satisfaction before pointing to the wall behind Haruto.
The entire conference room had been built from reinforced steel, serving as a safe zone aboard the Helicarrier Stennis.
At Ross's command, Soldier One gave a crisp acknowledgment and moved like a predator released from its cage.
In less than two breaths, he darted past Haruto, fist clenched, and drove it forward with crushing force.
BOOM!
The impact rang out like an explosion. The steel wall caved inward, forming a massive C-shaped dent.
At its deepest point, the indentation sank nearly half a meter compared to the surrounding surface.
Judging from raw destructive power alone, Soldier One's strike looked even more exaggerated than Captain America's.
"This is Soldier One," Ross explained calmly. "He's been injected with an improved version of the super-soldier serum. It significantly boosts strength, speed, and reflexes."
"But the drawback is obvious—it causes permanent brain damage. He's left with almost no capacity for thought, existing only to follow orders."
From a humanitarian perspective, it was a failure.
But from a military standpoint…
What better soldier could there be than one who obeyed commands without question?
That was precisely why the existence of this serum had never been made public.
In fact, even within the military, officially, it had never "existed."
"Why didn't you use these kinds of soldiers when you were trying to capture the Hulk?" Haruto asked, curious.
He had always suspected Ross had plenty of secret tech tucked away. What puzzled him was why Ross hadn't deployed it.
Ross drew in a deep breath. "No particular reason… well, aside from the second flaw."
"Once injected, the process is extremely risky. If the subject can't handle the pain, they suffer brain death. Out of the first hundred participants, only twelve survived."
"Sending them after the Hulk…" Ross exhaled slowly.
Yes, Soldier One's power was impressive, but compared to the Hulk, it was still lacking.
Ross couldn't bring himself to sacrifice them so carelessly.
Besides, in his view, capturing the Hulk hadn't been worth such a gamble back then.
Later, the military had produced the same serum variant that Blonsky had used.
Each of these enhanced soldiers was a rare, invaluable asset.
This time, however, Ross was willing to deploy them to Wakanda.
Because vibranium's value far outweighed the risk.
At least in Ross's eyes, if Wakanda truly had as much vibranium as Haruto claimed, its worth surpassed even that of the Hulk.
After all, there was no guarantee the Hulk's blood could ever reliably create Hulk-like soldiers. For all Ross knew, they'd just end up producing another Abomination.
For this mission, Ross was clearly willing to put everything on the line.
"How many of these soldiers do you have prepared?" Haruto asked casually.
"About six," Ross answered without hesitation.
The rest of his men had been outfitted with the most advanced combat systems available.
This was just meant to be an initial investigation of Wakanda. Ross didn't anticipate any real problems.
"I see."
Haruto nodded lightly, his anticipation for what was to come only growing.
At that moment, the familiar chime of his system echoed in his mind.
Congratulations, host! You've successfully boarded the Helicarrier Stennis!
Commencing sign-in sequence!
Please do not exit midway!
1%…
"…The trigger was Soldier One?" Haruto frowned slightly, guessing at the cause.
Meanwhile, Soldier One brushed past him again, retreating back to Ross's side.
To him, Ross was the only authority. If Ross gave the word, he would have executed Haruto on the spot without hesitation.
"Don't worry," Ross said firmly. "This mission will succeed. Once we bring back the report confirming Wakanda's vibranium deposits, taking control of the region will only be a matter of time."
His expression was stern, as though he had navigated situations like this countless times before.
Haruto gave a faint nod, mentally calculating when the Stennis would reach Wakanda's shores.
Then—
Congratulations, host! Sign-in complete!
Reward acquired: The Heart-Shaped Herb!
"…The Heart-Shaped Herb?"
Haruto blinked in surprise.
If he remembered correctly, its origins lay in Wakanda.
It was a rare plant capable of massively enhancing strength, agility, and reflexes.