As a general, General Ross considered his self-control to be exceptional; he believed he had mastered the ability to conceal his emotions.
But Nick Fury's sudden betrayal still made him curse repeatedly, his desk rattling loudly under his fist.
"Hulk is my prey! If I can't succeed, then no one else can!"
After two years of repeated failures in capturing the Hulk—enduring attacks from the Military, Congress, and the public—General Ross had come to view the Hulk as his personal property.
It could be said that General Ross's career and fate had become inseparable from the Hulk.
It was no exaggeration to say he was nurturing a threat just to maintain his own importance.
Although he had failed time and time again, humiliated repeatedly by the Hulk, this only strengthened his conviction—
The Hulk's power was exceptionally great; the Military needed the Hulk, and the prospects of capturing him were enormous.
Before Banner became a monster, he had been Ross's prospective son-in-law. No one understood Banner's talent and character better than Ross.
If S.H.I.E.L.D. truly attempted to recruit him with a gentle approach, the chances of success were extremely high.
This was something General Ross would never allow.
Comparison only made things worse. If S.H.I.E.L.D. were to recruit the Hulk effortlessly, what would Ross's billion-dollar expenditures and the lives of countless soldiers lost to the Hulk amount to?
A joke?
Absolutely unacceptable. He would never let such a thing happen.
"Have Captain Bronski come here!"
"Yes, sir."
Captain Bronski—destined to become the future Abomination—was originally a veteran in his forties, deeply obsessed with personal strength.
But time spares no one, and his "old age" of forty had inevitably weakened his combat capabilities.
This was something he absolutely could not accept.
During the pursuit of the Hulk in Brazil, he had witnessed the Hulk's destructive power firsthand, fueling his obsession with strength even further.
General Ross saw this and lured him into accepting an injection of a neutered version of the Super Soldier Serum.
With Captain America's success as precedent, the Military had never stopped developing the Super Soldier Serum.
Unfortunately, they had never succeeded; this weakened version had significant flaws and was eventually sealed away.
If the original serum magnified the good in Captain America's heart, then the neutered version magnified the evil in Bronski's heart.
Combined with Bronski's obsessive hunger for power, it drove him into madness, eroding his sanity over time.
During the battle in the forest park, Bronski provoked the Hulk on purpose, only to be kicked so hard that his organs ruptured and his bones shattered.
An ordinary person would have been paralyzed for life.
Yet Bronski recovered completely in less than a day—further amplifying his dark impulses and intensifying his desire for the Hulk's power.
Unfortunately, General Ross never noticed any of this. He had an unreasonable confidence in his ability to control his men.
Bronski arrived quickly, becoming excited the moment he learned that the Hulk's location had been found.
While General Ross raced against time, S.H.I.E.L.D. was also moving fast.
Shortly after Bruce Banner and Betty arrived at Gebang College, Natasha—fully armed and protected by heavy covert backup—began her "solo" first contact with Banner.
Today, Natasha wore a floral dress and had her hair down, giving her the appearance of a gentle, well-behaved girl.
At first glance, she looked like an innocent student, not an Agent capable of snapping a strong man's neck in seconds.
One has to admit: what Zhang Wuji's mother said was absolutely true—the more beautiful a woman is, the more deceitful she can be!
"Mr. Bruce Banner, Ms. Betty Ross, it's a pleasure to meet you."
The moment Natasha spoke, both Banner and Betty became wary.
But her disguise was convincing, so they didn't react violently.
Banner: "Who are you?"
Natasha raised her hands. "I am an Agent from the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division. I'm here to talk."
Agent?
The moment the word left her mouth, Banner and Betty's pupils contracted—they nearly ran.
"Relax, relax. If I intended to harm you, I wouldn't have come alone."
Natasha kept her hands raised and even took a few steps back to show sincerity and lack of hostility.
"You're really alone?"
Banner and Betty scanned their surroundings. Seeing no suspicious figures, their tension eased slightly.
Men always had more patience with beautiful women. Although Banner remained wary, Natasha's "fragile girl" persona gave him a surprising sense of security.
Once basic trust was established, Natasha calmly explained her identity as a S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent and the purpose of her visit.
"Strategic… what Division?"
Banner and Betty were confused. They had never even heard of such an organization.
Natasha didn't rush; she patiently described S.H.I.E.L.D.'s structure and functions.
After her explanation, the two finally had a basic understanding.
When Banner learned that S.H.I.E.L.D.'s logistics department had discovered his location through the S.H.I.E.L.D.-encrypted network, he was stunned. He had never known the network belonged to a secret international agency.
He believed most of what Natasha said.
"What?"
When he learned Natasha's intention was to recruit him, he even wondered if he was hallucinating.
The past two years had been suffocating.
He was a man with seven PhDs. In a normal life, he would have been a professor at a prestigious university.
Instead, he was hiding in a Brazilian favela, working as a bottle packer—his frustrations unimaginable.
Yet even then, he lived in constant fear—of the Military finding him, or of the monster inside him breaking loose.
Banner: "Aren't you worried about the other me?"
Natasha: "Hulk? We know. Not long ago, he protected Betty, didn't he?"
Banner scratched his head anxiously. "You don't understand! I can't help getting angry. And when I get angry… Hulk comes out!"
His voice trembled—filled with fear, dread, and hatred.
Natasha smiled softly. These few minutes of interaction told her enough about his personality.
Rimuru had been right—Bruce Banner was a kind and incredibly reasonable person.
Prejudice truly blinds people.
Before Rimuru suggested it, almost everyone's instinct regarding the Hulk was to capture him, fight him, or kill him. Very few ever thought of recruiting him.
Natasha smiled. "Aren't you trying to control him? For two years you've been controlling your emotions. Every time you transformed, it was because General Ross forced you, wasn't it?"
Hearing this, Banner became emotional, his eyes turning damp.
Finally…
Was the government finally trying to understand him?
"Bruce!"
Betty's tear-filled eyes trembled; she couldn't hold back her emotions.
Besides Banner, Betty was the biggest victim of the gamma accident.
She had been separated from the man she loved deeply, caught between father and lover—an agonizing dilemma.
She hadn't known how Banner had lived these past two years, but after escaping together, she understood.
"Betty…"
Banner held her hand, overwhelmed, causing his wristwatch to beep urgently.
He hurried to take deep breaths to calm himself.
Natasha grew nervous, but when Banner stabilized his emotions, she let out a quiet sigh of relief.
This gave her new confidence in Banner's emotional control.
Recruiting him might actually be possible.
Banner said anxiously, "You see how unstable my emotions are. I can't get angry or excited. Do you S.H.I.E.L.D. still want to recruit me?"
Natasha extended her delicate hand with a gentle smile, warm as a spring breeze. "Of course."
Banner, excited, slowly extended his hand. His palm was sweaty, so he awkwardly wiped it on his clothes before reaching out again.
Finally, one male and one female hand—one Black and one White—clasped firmly together.
"Success!"
At that moment, Natasha, Nick Fury (who had been secretly monitoring everything), and many Agents were all overwhelmed with emotion.
But before their smiles had even faded—
Banner's head suddenly exploded, blood splattering onto Natasha and Betty.
Natasha and Betty could only watch helplessly as Banner collapsed from the sniper shot.
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