Although Hulk gave no response, Bruce Banner continued negotiating. Still, nothing worked.
Hulk completely ignored the "bright future" Bruce painted for him. Not even Bruce's proposal of splitting control of the body—one day each—could persuade him. Hulk knew full well he couldn't even speak properly, let alone articulate a full wish to Shenron. So even the fantasy of making his own wish was meaningless. And once the fight ended, if Bruce regained control due to sleep or exhaustion, Hulk would be locked away again, powerless to return.
So the so-called wish was nothing more than a pie in the sky—ultimately, it would be Bruce making the wish.
And Hulk already knew what Bruce would wish for: his own eradication.
This ordeal made one thing very clear to Bruce—Hulk had a mind of his own, and he could refuse to come out. That realization made Bruce even more uneasy. In his eyes, Hulk was nothing but an unstable beast.
If Hulk made a wish to erase Bruce, or worse, used the Dragon Balls to split the two of them permanently, no one would be able to stop the green monster from rampaging.
So if Bruce couldn't use the Dragon Balls to destroy Hulk, then he would have to rely on past research or contact Mister Blue to find a way to eliminate the green cells altogether.
Just as Bruce was about to give up on the Dragon Balls altogether, Xu Xialing finally sprinted ahead and cut off his path.
"Let's see you run now."
Bruce stopped, realizing he was now sandwiched. He gritted his teeth and made a decision: if Hulk wouldn't come out willingly, he'd force him out.
Bruce had experimented before—he once tried to shoot himself in the head, but Hulk spat the bullet back out.
Xialing launched her chain dart again, aiming for Bruce's chest, while Shang-Chi circled from behind, ready to block any escape.
What they didn't expect was that Bruce didn't dodge this time. Instead, he thrust his chest forward, aiming straight at the sharp tip of the dart. A direct hit would create a gaping wound—fatal, even.
To Xialing's shock, Bruce threw himself at her attack head-on.
The entire audience gasped. What was going on with this guy? During the chase, he'd just seemed like a fit, desperate man—quick and enduring, but not beyond human limits.
Happy Hogan blurted out in disbelief:
"At that speed, the organizers can't possibly intervene fast enough. He's dead for sure."
But just as the chain dart ripped through his shirt and touched skin—BAM—Bruce's body turned green and bulked up massively.
Right before everyone's eyes, he transformed into the Hulk.
As Hulk took over, Bruce's internal consciousness actually smiled—his gamble had worked. Threaten death, and Hulk would take the wheel.
CLANG!
Xialing's dart bounced off Hulk's now-invincible chest like it had hit reinforced steel.
Xu Xialing and Shang-Chi stood frozen at the sight of the hulking behemoth before them.
"Holy—"
In the audience, Happy shouted:
"He's that green monster! I knew it—these science types are never simple!"
The vampire clan also narrowed their eyes at Hulk's menacing aura. Clearly, none of the contestants were pushovers. Had Elder Selene not advanced so dramatically, she'd have been completely outclassed.
Soren sneered over at the members of the Golden Dagger Club. From what he knew, their boss was weaker than some of the wolf pups.
Sure enough, Sean and his companions from the Golden Dagger Club looked pale—done for, their boss was finished.
…
But then came the real surprise.
Instead of attacking, Hulk did nothing. He didn't try to snatch anyone's ticket either.
He simply reached down to his waist, pulled off the gold coin that represented Bruce's entry ticket, and tossed it to Shang-Chi.
He didn't give it to Xialing—she had just stabbed him, and that left Hulk a little salty.
Shang-Chi, still ready to flee, stared in confusion at the coin that landed at his feet. Was this really… a ticket?
He hesitantly picked it up.
And the audience was dumbfounded.
They'd all expected Hulk to go wild. Instead, he just… handed over the ticket?
Only Betty understood what was happening.
Hulk was preventing Bruce from getting a wish. That explained why, back at the school, he had thrown the Dragon Ball away the moment he transformed. Betty had assumed it was to stop the military from grabbing it—but no. It was to sabotage Bruce.
No wonder Bruce had said afterward that he was in big trouble.
Having thrown the coin, Hulk withdrew. Bruce took control of the body once more.
"Xialing, don't run. He gave us the ticket."
Hearing her brother's call, Xu Xialing froze in place. She understood every word—but strung together, that sentence made no sense at all.
Clap—Clap—Clap
A slow applause echoed through the trees. Selene emerged, smirking.
"Wonderful. That was truly wonderful."
"But your good fortune ends now."
Before anyone could react, Selene struck.
One moment, Shang-Chi was holding the ticket. The next, he was flying through the air—and the gold coin landed in Selene's hand.
BOOM!
Selene had hit him with such force, it felt like a speeding truck had rammed into him. Shang-Chi's internal organs twisted from the impact.
PUH!
He crashed hard, spitting out a mouthful of blood. Before he could recover, Selene stepped on his chest, pinning him down.
Just moments ago, Shang-Chi had been celebrating his lucky gain.
Now, that joy was gone.
Xialing, too, stood in stunned disbelief. Last time they fought, Selene hadn't shown this kind of power.
…
(End of Chapter)
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