Support me and be 30 chapters ahead of webnovel:
patreon.com/Draco_
For every 5 Patreon memberships I receive, I'll release 15 chapters all at once. Your support means a lot to me.
*****
"What about Betty!?"
Banner pressed on with his questions. Perhaps worried that Finy might not know who he was talking about, he added a hurried explanation: "She's General Ross's daughter. She was at the university earlier, wearing a white coat. She's... she's very beautiful."
"I know who she is," Finy replied, rolling his eyes. "After she saw you send her father flying, she went running off in tears to check on him. She seemed fine, physically at least."
Hearing this, the tension in Banner's chest eased slightly, but a heavy sense of gloom remained. Even if he could somehow rid himself of the Hulk, he felt the weight of the realization that the two of them might never be able to truly be together again.
"Actually, it's hard to say for sure if he's even dead."
Finy hadn't personally confirmed Ross's death, and he wasn't certain if a single slap from the Hulk was enough to kill the man outright. In the Marvel universe, black-market technology was everywhere; it was entirely possible that the military had some way to stabilize him.
In the original timeline, Phil Coulson had been stabbed through the heart and was "dead" for quite some time, yet they had managed to bring him back through sheer scientific willpower. Who was to say the military didn't have a few tricks up their sleeve as well?
Banner, however, assumed Finy was simply trying to comfort him. He offered a bitter smile but remained silent. He knew the sheer magnitude of the Hulk's strength; how could an aging man like Ross possibly survive such a direct impact?
Having finished their meal, Finy didn't want to linger. He had, after all, technically "played hooky" to sneak out here.
And while Banner was emotionally exhausted, he forced himself to stay focused. He understood all too well how catastrophic it would be if his blood samples fell into the wrong hands.
Through Banner's explanation, Finy finally confirmed the identity of "Mr. Blue." He was a professor of cellular biology at Culver University: Dr. Samuel Sterns.
Throughout the journey, Banner remained somber. Although Ross had spent years hunting and persecuting him, the man was still the father of the woman he loved. It was a tangled web of emotions that he found impossible to put into words.
Finy didn't exactly have a knack for playing the therapist, so he didn't say much. Besides, he felt a small measure of responsibility for the situation; after all, if it hadn't been for his intervention, the Hulk might not have sent Ross on an unscheduled flight.
Before long, the two arrived at the Culver University campus.
Finy's striking appearance immediately drew the attention of several young women passing by. This made Banner, who was desperately trying to stay inconspicuous, extremely uncomfortable, and he instinctively put some distance between himself and Finy.
"Hello there, handsome! I don't think I've seen you around here before. What department are you in?"
One of the girls finally summoned the courage to strike up a conversation. This was a stroke of luck for Finy, who had been wondering how to navigate the sprawling campus. He flashed a polite smile and replied, "Hi. Actually, I'm here looking for someone."
"I'm trying to find a professor, but I only know his name. Where would be the best place to look?"
"What's his name? He might be my advisor!"
"Samuel Sterns. I believe he's a PhD in the Cellular Biology department."
A flicker of disappointment crossed the girl's face; clearly, Sterns wasn't her advisor. She thought for a moment, then shook her head. "I don't know him personally, but if he's in Cellular Biology, you should check over that way."
She pointed toward a specific cluster of buildings. "That's the Biology Department's research wing. There's a directory right by the entrance with photos and contact info for all the professors. I hope that helps!"
"Thank you!" Finy said, offering her a grateful nod.
"I'm Katy," the girl said, extending her hand, clearly hoping to keep the interaction going. Finy had no such intention—she wasn't really his type—but he politely shook her hand and smiled. "I'm Billy."
After waving off the girl (who had tried to leave him her number), Finy regrouped with Banner, who had been hiding in the shadows. Together, they made their way toward the research wing.
Following the directory, they quickly located Samuel Sterns' lab.
Since Finy didn't want to draw any unnecessary attention, he decided to let Banner handle the initial contact. Meanwhile, Finy quietly activated Incursio and engaged its invisibility mode.
By now, Banner had learned to simply accept Finy's strange abilities. His main concern now was finding out whether Samuel Sterns had actually gone through with duplicating his blood.
"Hello, Dr. Sterns. I'm Bruce Banner."
Banner intercepted Samuel Sterns as the professor was walking down the hall, head down and arms full of textbooks.
Sterns looked up at Banner with a confused expression. Given his age, Banner clearly wasn't one of the students.
"Or perhaps I should use a different name. Hello, Mr. Blue."
As soon as that alias was spoken—a name that was supposed to be known only to the two of them—Sterns' face transformed. A look of pure shock and excitement washed over him. He gasped, his voice trembling with energy: "Mr. Green!?"
Seeing Sterns' unbridled excitement, Banner worried about making a scene. He quickly grabbed the professor's arm and whispered, "I have some things I need to ask you, and this isn't the place to talk."
"Follow me!"
Sterns seemed more than eager to comply. He had never truly expected to meet the legendary Bruce Banner in the flesh.
Finy followed silently behind them, slipping through the door as they entered Sterns' private laboratory.
"I can't believe I'm actually seeing you! I had honestly begun to doubt if you even existed!"
Once inside the safety of the lab, Sterns became a whirlwind of energy. He talked incessantly, rattling off theories, speculations, and ideas to a weary Banner.
While they spoke, Finy wandered around the lab. When he saw the glass cabinets lined with rows upon rows of blood bags, he let out a soft, heavy sigh.
Without warning, he deactivated his invisibility and stepped into the center of the room, interrupting their conversation.
"It's you... the God's Punishment Knight!"
Unlike Banner, who lived under a rock, Sterns was well aware of current events. He recognized Finy instantly. His excitement turned to a mix of awe and terror. "You... why are you here!?"
"Go take a look in the back," Finy said, ignoring Sterns and speaking directly to Banner. "He's stored up a lot more than I anticipated."
If he hadn't wanted Banner to see the evidence for himself, Finy would have vaporized the blood bags the moment he found them.
Banner's expression hardened. Because of Sterns' constant rambling, he hadn't even had a chance to bring up the subject of the blood yet, and he certainly hadn't expected Finy to find it so quickly.
Ignoring the confused and frightened Sterns, Banner ran toward the back of the lab where Finy had pointed. He threw open the cabinet doors, and when he saw the massive stockpile of blood, his face turned a ghostly shade of pale.
"All of this... is this my blood!?"
In an instant, Banner forgot all about his own cure. The only thing that mattered now was destroying these dangerous samples before they could cause any more harm.
"The samples you mailed me were always so small!" Sterns explained, looking at Banner with wide, expectant eyes. "I had to concentrate them to create more. I'm still not sure which is more potent—the Gamma radiation or your actual blood. Through a process of trial and error, this experiment has limitless potential!"
He stepped closer, his voice rising in pitch. "This could win us the Nobel Prize!"
"No! No, it has to be destroyed! Right now!"
Banner looked at the blood bags with pure horror. If he had known Sterns was going to do this, he never would have sent a single drop.
"But why!?" Samuel Sterns looked genuinely heartbroken.
"Enough talk. Let's get started," Finy said, cutting off Banner's attempt at an explanation. Outside, the sun was beginning to set, and he really wanted to get home before it got too late.
Sterns looked at Finy and felt a surge of fear. The overwhelming pressure radiating from the Incursio armor, combined with the legendary stories he'd heard in the media, made him too terrified to argue.
Meanwhile, at a secret military installation...
Blonsky, who had just completed his second round of injections, was currently pinning a woman against a wall by her throat. He growled at her, his voice a rasping, monstrous snarl:
"Where is he? Tell me! Where is he right now!? I can get revenge for your father!"
(End of Chapter)