Bruce Banner's words were like a massive boulder smashing into a calm lake, instantly stirring up a thousand ripples.
Everyone present, including the high and mighty Jack, was stunned.
They got the wrong person?
What kind of joke is this?!
Are you f***ing messing with us?!
Barry, who had been casually tossed onto the ground by Jack, was the first to react, screaming as he scrambled away.
"No! My Lord Jack! Don't listen to his nonsense!"
"He's lying! He is Bruce Banner!"
"I saw him with my own eyes! That's his face! It can't be wrong!"
Barry's voice became sharp and piercing with fear, bordering on hysteria.
He was terrified that Jack would believe this man's lies and, in a fit of rage, slaughter him instead.
However, facing Barry's accusation, which was practically pointed right at his nose, Bruce Banner's expression remained terrifyingly calm.
He didn't even spare Barry a glance, as if he were just a mad dog barking at his feet.
He simply looked quietly at Jack, adjusted the glasses on the bridge of his nose, and spoke with the unique weariness and helplessness of a scholar.
"Sir, I understand your job is difficult."
"But even arresting people requires following basic law, doesn't it?"
As he spoke, under everyone's astonished gaze, Bruce Banner deliberately reached into the pocket of his dust-covered lab coat.
This movement instantly made the surrounding Gifters tense up.
One by one, they subconsciously tightened their grip on their weapons.
Even Jack's eyes narrowed slightly, flashing with a hint of danger.
However, what Bruce Banner pulled out was not a weapon, but a rolled-up... magazine?
It was a scientific journal that looked quite old, with the words "World Science Weekly" printed on the cover.
"This is a journal that was just released last quarter."
Bruce Banner opened the magazine, pointed to a section on the cover, and handed it over.
"My recent paper on 'The Effect of Emotional Fluctuation on Gamma Radiation Mutants' was published right here."
The nearest Gifter, a man with bull horns, took the magazine skeptically.
He looked down.
He saw a black-and-white photograph clearly printed on that section of the cover.
The man in the photo wore glasses, had curly hair, and possessed a refined scholarly demeanor.
It was Bruce Banner himself, standing right in front of them!
"Boss! The picture is him!"
The Gifter shouted in surprise and excitement.
The surrounding pirates immediately burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! Is this guy an idiot?"
"He actually provided evidence himself to prove his identity?"
"What a bookworm, he must have read until his brain turned to mush!"
Barry was even more excited, his face flushed red, as if he could already see the wonderful life awaiting him after claiming the reward.
"My Lord Jack! Look! He admitted it himself!"
Jack snorted coldly, his expression full of disdain and cruelty.
He was already too lazy to waste any more words on this ant.
However, Bruce Banner acted as if he hadn't heard the surrounding mockery at all and continued speaking calmly.
"Please look closely at the author's signature."
Author's signature?
The bull-horned Gifter paused, subconsciously shifting his gaze from the photo to the text beside it.
Below the photo, the author's name was clearly printed.
[Author: Dr. David King]
David King?
Not Bruce Banner?
The Gifter was dumbfounded.
He rubbed his eyes and looked closely again.
That's right, it was David King!
"B... Boss..."
His voice was stammering.
"The name written here... isn't Bruce Banner..."
What?!
The surrounding laughter abruptly stopped.
Everyone looked utterly incredulous, like ducks whose necks had been squeezed.
How is that possible?!
The photo is clearly the same person, so why is the name different?!
[Ding! Astonishment value from Jack +588!]
[Ding! Astonishment value from the Beasts Pirates Gifters +225!]
[Ding! Astonishment value from Barry +350!]
...A string of system notifications rang out in Mordred mind.
Mordred, hiding behind the identity of Bruce Banner, slightly curved his lips.
Success!
Jack's mind, filled with alcohol and slaughter, was clearly incapable of processing such "complex" information.
His brows furrowed tightly together, forming a ferocious scowl.
"What the hell is going on?"
He snatched the magazine from his subordinate, his large, copper-bell-like eyes glaring fixedly at the photo and name printed on it.
The photo is this person.
The name is not this person.
What the hell is going on?!
Watching Jack's constipated expression, Bruce Banner finally revealed his intentions.
He sighed softly, looking at everyone present with an expression reserved for the mentally challenged.
"I already told you, you have the wrong person."
"The person you are looking for is the scientist Bruce Banner."
He pointed at the signature in the magazine.
"And I am called David King."
"As for why we look alike..."
Bruce Banner spread his hands, looking completely innocent.
"Perhaps we are long-lost brothers? Who knows."
"Therefore, since this is a misunderstanding, may I leave?"
You're looking for Lu Xun, but what does that have to do with me, Zhou Shuren?
His words were well-reasoned, supported by evidence, and perfectly logical.
As if he truly were just an unlucky scholar innocently caught up in trouble.
However, these words falling into Jack's ears were nothing short of adding fuel to the fire.
Misunderstanding?
Leave?
Is this guy messing with me?!
"Bastard!"
Jack completely lost his patience.
This bookworm's word games made him incredibly annoyed.
His massive hand suddenly clenched.
Crack!
The World Science Weekly magazine was instantly crumpled into a ball of scrap paper.
"I don't care if you're called David King or Bruce Banner!"
Jack let out a beastly roar, the enormous sound wave shaking the loose stones on the ground until they jumped.
He extended a thick, muscular finger, nearly poking Bruce Banner's nose.
"Big Brother Queen wants this face of yours!"
"As long as I bring this face back, the mission is complete!"
"As for what your real name is, let Big Brother Queen worry about that himself!"
Simple.
Brutal.
Unreasonable.
This was Jack's style of doing things.
Logic and evidence were all just bullshit in his eyes!
He only believed in his own fists and the orders of his superiors!
"That's right! My Lord Jack!"
"We don't care what he's called, just grab him and take him back!"
The surrounding Gifters immediately caught on, rubbing their hands together and revealing cruel smiles.
Barry, the opportunistic informant, shouted even more excitedly.
"My Lord Jack is wise! Stop wasting words on this brat! Arrest him!"
Killing intent boiled in Jack's blood-red eyes.
He violently waved his hand.
"Grab him for me!"
"Dead or alive!"
With a single command, over thirty Gifters, like hungry wolves pouncing on prey, instantly charged toward the thin figure in the center of the clearing!
The T-800 standing behind Bruce Banner flashed a red light in its eyes.
It instantly stepped forward, blocking Banner's path.
Its cold, mechanical body was like an insurmountable peak of steel.
However, Bruce Banner reached out and gently placed his hand on the T-800's shoulder.
"Stand down, big guy."
His voice was still calm.
But if one listened closely, they would detect a subtle... tremor hidden within it.
"Warning: Host heart rate is increasing."
The T-800's mechanical voice sounded in Banner's ear.
"Shut up," Bruce Banner muttered quietly.
He slowly raised his head, looking at the pirates surging toward him like a tide.
His face began to turn pale.
A fine layer of cold sweat also seeped out onto his forehead.
He raised his hand, covering his chest, and his breathing became rapid.
"I... I advise you not to do this."