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*****
Finny looked at Hulk with surprise. Hulk had eaten over a hundred chicken wraps in the afternoon, followed by a full dinner eaten by Banner. Finny, on the other hand, had barely eaten anything, yet these two just kept eating non-stop.
However, seeing Hulk's pitiful expression, Finny didn't say much. He couldn't guarantee other things, but when it came to keeping someone well-fed, he was confident.
With a wave of his hand, he summoned some 'Violet Chicken Wraps' and handed them over. Hulk, wearing only a pair of pants, sat on the snowy mountaintop and began to eat.
Due to the time difference, it was morning in the Himalayas. The rising sun painted the sky a beautiful shade of red.
Finny watched Hulk, who was staring blankly at the sun while munching on food, and suddenly realized he didn't actually know much about him. He couldn't help but ask, "Hulk, do you know Banner?"
Hulk turned his head, glanced at Finny, and lowered his head dejectedly. "Banner, hates, Hulk."
"Hulk, also, hates, Banner!"
"Hulk, likes, Mage. Has food."
Hearing this, Finny felt inexplicably happy. It was like a pet being clingy to its owner—it gave him a sense of accomplishment.
Finny stood up, patted Hulk on the shoulder, and said, "Mage likes Hulk too. When there's a chance in the future, I'll take you to play in space."
Hulk showed a look of anticipation, but then became despondent again. "Hulk, sleepy. Banner, won't let Hulk, come out."
"Don't worry. If he doesn't let you out, I'll beat him up!"
Finny wanted to keep Banner around primarily for Hulk. Otherwise, what use was a chest-haired old man to him?
"Mage, good friend!"
Hulk mimicked Finny's gesture and tried to pat him on the shoulder as well.
Finny originally wanted to dodge, but fearing it might affect Hulk's mood, he had to steel himself and accept Hulk's large hand.
Fortunately, Hulk was simple, not stupid. Although the two pats drove Finny at least five centimeters into the ground, at least he wasn't injured.
"What does it feel like when Banner is out?"
Finny continued to question Hulk. He wanted to understand their situation clearly to prepare for solving this problem in the future.
"Dark."
After thinking for a long time, Hulk finally gave this reply.
"Dark?"
Finny was puzzled. Did this mean that when Banner was in control, Hulk was actually conscious?!
"Then do you know what Banner does?"
Finny continued to ask.
Hulk first shook his head, then nodded, showing a conflicted expression. He punched the ground hard, startling Finny, before saying angrily, "Hulk, can't explain clearly."
"It's okay, it's okay."
Finny waved his hand dismissively. He looked at the large crater Hulk had punched into the ground, swallowed hard, skipped the topic, and started asking about other things. "Then is there anything you like to do?"
"Fight!"
Hulk clenched his fists and bumped them together, saying proudly, "Hulk, very strong. Like, fighting!"
After finishing, he seemed to think of something else. He pointed to the wrapper of the 'Violet Chicken Wraps' on the ground and added, "This, also like."
Finny naturally knew the power of the 'Violet Chicken Wraps'. So far, he hadn't met anyone who truly disliked them.
However, hearing that Hulk's favorite thing was fighting was somewhat unexpected. He wondered if Hulk liked fighting simply because he could only appear when there was a fight.
Finny chatted idly with Hulk like this for about ten minutes until he could clearly see Hulk's eyes getting sleepier and sleepier.
"Are you changing back?"
Seeing Hulk's state, Finny asked worriedly.
"Banner, wants out."
Hulk's face showed grievance and reluctance, seemingly wanting to stay longer. He stood up and roared angrily at the sky.
But immediately after, he fell weakly, kneeling on one knee and supporting himself with his hands to keep from collapsing.
"It's okay, go back for now. I'll call you out again."
Finny hurried over to support Hulk, persuading him as he looked at his weakened state. Currently, he had no way to keep Hulk in control indefinitely.
But he had a vague guess about a solution.
Hearing Finny's words, Hulk finally stopped resisting. After giving Finny a lingering look, he collapsed on the ground. His body shrank bit by bit, reverting to Banner's appearance.
Looking at Banner's naked body, Finny felt he was far less pleasing to the eye than Hulk just now.
When Banner regained consciousness, his first sensation was cold. Although he usually felt cold after transforming back, it had never been this intense.
Opening his eyes and seeing the snow-capped mountains, he was stunned. fortunately, Finny was right beside him, so he hurriedly asked, "Where is this? How did we get here?"
"The Himalayas. I brought you here."
Finny replied lukewarmly. Compared to Banner, he definitely preferred Hulk.
Although shivering from the cold, Banner immediately remembered the laboratory incident and asked urgently, "What happened to the blood samples? Are they finished?"
"Yeah."
Finny nodded. Seeing Banner's lips turning purple from the cold and worrying he might get sick, he immediately opened a portal to his room and said, "Let's leave here first."
As the saying goes, the first time is strange, the second time is familiar. Banner was no longer that surprised by the sudden appearance of the fire ring in the air. Feeling the warmth radiating from the other side, he scrambled through without a second thought.
Finny followed closely behind. Back in the room, he deactivated 'Incursio', found some old clothes from the closet for Banner, and said, "I'll find you a hotel later. Tomorrow, I'll take you to Tony Stark's place and let him arrange a place for you first."
"With him around, you won't have to worry about being wanted for the time being."
Besides being Iron Man, Tony was now also a consultant for S.H.I.E.L.D. Protecting Banner wouldn't be difficult for him. Moreover, once Nick Fury found out, he would inevitably help in secret.
"What happened at the campus later?"
Banner had no objections to Finny's arrangement for now, but he was more concerned about what happened after he transformed into the Hulk.
"I took care of the soldiers who came to catch you, finished dealing with the blood, took Hulk to the mountains for some food. Nothing much."
Finny's concise explanation made Banner increasingly suspicious.
Actually, he wasn't completely devoid of memories after transforming into the Hulk. It was just that most of those memories were of hail of bullets and explosions, memories he didn't want to recall.
"Don't worry, with me here, Hulk won't mess around."
Seeing Banner's worry, Finny said grumpily.
Banner relied on Hulk's power when facing danger, yet simultaneously loathed and feared that very power. This contradictory psychology tormented him.
Banner remained silent. Recalling everything that happened today, he felt incredibly depressed. His last hope was gone, and he truly didn't know what to do in the future.
Moreover, the lesson he learned from Samuel Sterns made him afraid to trust anyone easily again.
(End of Chapter)