Chapter 142: Hulk Fights Rhino Man
Bang! Clang! A bullet struck Aleksei's body, then bounced off and fell to the ground.
"Hmm~" Aleksei straightened up, turned around, and looked at the patrol officer who shot him. "Was it you who shot at me?"
Crunch~
Aleksei twisted his wrist and slowly walked towards the patrol officer.
Just as the officer tried to flee, Aleksei tore out a nearby tree and hurled it at him. Smash! The tree trunk pinned the officer's legs, preventing him from moving any further.
"Ah!" The officer screamed in pain, trying to push the tree away, but his strength was nowhere near enough.
"Who gave you the courage, bug?" Aleksei stood next to the officer with a look of disdain. He decided to tear the officer apart.
Suddenly, something flashing flew from the distance. Thud! It struck Aleksei on the head. Aleksei's head merely tilted before he looked up at the object flying through the air. The object finally revealed its full form: a shield, which was caught by someone not far away.
"Do all criminals look like this now?" The newcomer was none other than Captain America, Steve Rogers. Steve scrutinized the Rhino Man, Aleksei, feeling that he really couldn't keep up with the times. Were people this strange now?
"Captain America?" Aleksei said, confused. He had seen Steve on the TV news and never expected Captain America to actually be alive. He previously thought the TV was lying to him.
"I'm glad you recognize me, but even if you do, I can't let you go," Steve said.
"Haha~" Aleksei laughed heartily. "Just you? You absolutely can't beat a Rhino~"
"A Rhino?" Steve frowned.
Suddenly, Aleksei charged, moving his thick legs and crashing towards Steve. Steve instinctively raised his shield to block. The moment the horn on Aleksei's head touched the shield, Steve felt a tremendous force that sent him flying into the air. Fortunately, Steve was experienced. He reacted immediately, rapidly tumbling in mid-air, and finally landing in the most stable posture. He knelt on one knee, his left fist on the ground, holding his shield high. Then, Steve slowly stood up and said, "I can't keep up with the times."
"Haha! Is that all the strength Captain America has?" Aleksei mocked. "I bet it's watered down."
Steve silently took a breath and rushed toward Aleksei. He stepped on Aleksei's left leg, using that point of leverage to leap high into the air. Holding his shield, he aimed for the back of Aleksei's head—a known weak point on a human body.
Thwack!
The sound was like iron clashing against iron. Steve's attack had no effect. Instead, Aleksei suddenly lifted his head, his hard skull hitting Steve's abdomen. Pain instantly surged through him. Steve gritted his teeth, preparing to land.
"Old people should stay in a nursing home, so they don't break any bones." At the critical moment, Tony Stark quickly arrived, grabbing Steve and gently placing him on the ground.
"Stark, why are you here?" Steve asked.
Tony pointed at Aleksei and said, "If a troublesome rhino suddenly appeared in your neighborhood, wouldn't you want to drive him back to the zoo?"
"Rhinos love freedom!" Aleksei's sharp hearing caught Stark's words.
"Yes, but you're domesticated, not wild," Tony said, opening his face mask.
"Roar! Rhinos do not tolerate mockery!" Aleksei charged at Tony, intending to rip apart Stark's armor and then savagely tear Stark to shreds.
Tony's face mask immediately closed. He flew into the air, continuously firing repulsor rays from his palm, impacting Aleksei's body. These repulsor blasts didn't harm Aleksei, but they thoroughly irritated him.
"So annoying!" Aleksei felt as if he was surrounded by buzzing mosquitoes—they weren't biting, they were just harassing him.
Bang!
Aleksei headbutted straight into the school building, disappearing without a sound, as if he had vanished.
"Did that rhino go in to eat grass?" Tony said, landing on the ground.
Boom!
Just then, Aleksei burst out again, holding an iron pipe. Tony was about to fly up when Thud! The iron pipe struck his chest, sending him flying towards the school gate fence.
"Stark, are you okay!" Steve quickly threw his shield, blocking Aleksei's path, then rushed to Tony and helped him up.
"I'm fine for now," Tony said, telling Jarvis to check the damage level of the armor. Aleksei's attack just now completely dazed him. It felt like being hit directly in the chest by a high-speed car. That was a feeling he had only experienced with one person.
"Alright, little Rhino, we'll find you a suitable friend, but he has a serious anger management problem," Tony said, cupping his hands over his mouth and shouting, "Green Baby!"
"It's the Hulk!" The Hulk, of equal stature to Aleksei, made his entrance. Dr. Banner had been staying at Tony's Stark Tower recently and came along with Tony after hearing about the situation here.
The Hulk had barely landed when Aleksei, who hadn't even had time to react, had the Hulk's fist land squarely on his face. Aleksei instantly felt like he was hit by an ox and flew toward where Tony had been lying.
Tony's eyes widened instantly. He grabbed Steve beside him and flew into the air. Boom! Aleksei's massive body created a crater in the ground.
"Okay, it was the Hulk," Tony naturally realized that the Hulk did this deliberately to retaliate against him.
"Hmph~" The Hulk raised his head, slightly smug.
Aleksei shook his head and slowly stood up. "Do you want to test the power of the Rhino horn too?" With that, Aleksei extended his long rhino horn, its sharp tip aimed at the Hulk. He charged!
The Hulk stood his ground confidently, showing no intention of dodging. Just as Aleksei was about to collide with him, the Hulk stretched out his strong, powerful hands and gripped Aleksei's rhino horn, intending to snap it off. However, the Hulk underestimated Aleksei's strength. He failed to grab the horn properly, and the tip plunged into the Hulk's chest.
Fortunately, the Hulk reacted quickly and increased the strength in his hands. The rhino horn stopped after sinking barely two centimeters, but green blood slowly began to flow out.
"Hulk!" The Hulk's anger levels started to rise rapidly.
Aleksei, not to be outdone, roared, "Rhino!"
"Look, how perfect they are for each other," Tony said, now relaxed, joking with Steve beside him.
"What if the Hulk loses?" Steve worried.
"Don't worry, Green Baby never loses." Tony knew the Hulk fairly well. The Hulk treats giant Chitauri beasts like child's play.
Sure enough, as the Hulk grew angrier, the power between him and Aleksei gradually stabilized. Now, Aleksei wanted to pull the horn out but couldn't retract it, and he couldn't push it in further either. The Hulk was in the same situation: he couldn't allow Aleksei to pierce him, but he was unwilling to let Aleksei go. The two remained in a standoff.
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