Betty stepped forward and gave Bruce Banner a warm hug upon his return, then said:
"I'm just glad you're safe."
"You didn't see the other two matches. That guy Tony straight-up bombed people with aerial bombs. It was terrifying."
Bruce Banner was surprised.
"Tony Stark is one of the participants?"
Betty nodded.
"Yes, the same Tony Stark who tried to stop you on campus before."
Bruce hadn't encountered Tony during the competition, only the other three. Aside from the woman who arrived last with her unique abilities, the other two hadn't seemed special to him.
Still, if Tony Stark gathered all the Dragon Balls, he probably wouldn't make a reckless wish.
"So it was him. That means he has a good chance of winning the finals."
Betty nodded in agreement.
"He's the favorite. The other finalist, Selina, has already lost to him once."
Bruce nodded—just as he'd suspected. Then he asked:
"Where's the back office? I need to use one of their computers."
Betty pointed toward the area staff frequently entered and exited.
"Over there. Do you want me to go with you?"
Bruce glanced over and replied:
"Wait here. Don't go anywhere—I'll be back soon."
Betty nodded and quietly waited in the audience section.
Bruce entered the backstage area where many staff members were working and quickly spotted a free computer.
"Excuse me, may I use a computer to send an email?"
A staff member recognized him as one of the contestants and said:
"There's an available computer over there. Go ahead."
"Thank you."
Bruce walked over, plugged in a USB drive, and immediately began composing an email.
"Mr. Blue, all the data is here. It's time we meet."
After sending the email, Bruce removed the USB and returned to sit beside Betty.
Betty looked up and asked:
"All done?"
Bruce nodded.
"Handled."
What he didn't know was that S.H.I.E.L.D.'s logistics division had been monitoring the internet for the keywords "Mr. Blue" and "Mr. Green." The moment Bruce sent the message, it was flagged, and the IP was traced back to Greyburn College.
Their search quickly identified Dr. Samuel Sterns from the Department of Cellular Biology.
Betty then took out her phone, switched to selfie mode, wrapped an arm around Bruce's neck and said:
"Smile for the camera."
With Bruce's cooperation, she snapped a picture.
Afterward, she asked:
"Bruce, you didn't make it to the finals, meaning your goal here has failed."
"What do you plan to do next?"
Bruce looked at her and said:
"After the competition ends, the organizers will send us home. I need to go to New York to meet someone."
"He might have a way to solve the Hulk issue."
"He's an online friend of mine, very talented in cellular research."
Betty nodded and held Bruce's hand.
"Then I'll go with you."
…
Elsewhere.
While Bruce Banner was calm, Tony Stark confident, and Selina preparing strategies, Xu Xialing and Xu Shangqi were under a cloud of gloom.
The members of the Golden Dagger Club didn't know how to comfort their boss. Everyone knew how much Xu Shangqi had sacrificed to get a ticket, but the outcome was clearly not what he had hoped for.
Xu Shangqi finally broke the silence.
"Xialing, what should we do next?"
Xu Xialing clenched her teeth.
"Prepare for the next Dragon Ball battle. This time, we need to gather the Dragon Balls before anyone else."
Xu Shangqi was stunned.
"Wait, are you saying the Dragon Balls will appear again?"
Xu Xialing looked at him and explained:
"I was the previous Dragon Ball holder, not this tournament's official holder. It even said that in my introduction."
"Last time, John Wick got the wish. He traded with me for the Dragon Balls."
"I used the token he left behind to get my invitation this time."
"And the gap between the two tournaments was just over a year—maybe even just one year."
"So, after this wish is made, we have about a year until the Dragon Balls resurface."
"That means we need to spend the next year preparing to collect them and to fight in the next competition."
Hearing her explanation, Xu Shangqi finally understood. He glanced at the others who had competed and said:
"If the contestants this time were this strong, what makes you think we'll stand a chance next time?"
Xu Xialing was momentarily speechless.
The last tournament had been easy—John Wick hadn't faced any major threats. Had she realized the power of the Dragon Balls sooner, she could've claimed them herself.
But this time? Things were very different. Vampires, Iron Man, and that big green monster...
Xu Xialing couldn't even imagine what kinds of contestants would appear next time. Maybe even aliens?
After some thought, she said:
"Let's go find Father. With his strength, none of the other contestants would stand a chance."
Hearing this, Xu Shangqi instantly rejected the idea:
"No way. Absolutely not."
"If he finds out about the Dragon Balls, there's no way he'll play fair in any competition."
"He'll definitely cause trouble."
"You have no idea the kind of missions he had me do when I trained under him."
"He's the biggest danger of all. Not even Smith Dole could keep him under control."
Xu Shangqi had an instinctive aversion to Xu Wenwu. Though they were father and son, ever since their mother died, all he'd felt from him was relentless, punishing training.
Xu Xialing looked at him with disdain.
"So what if it's killing?"
"So that's why you ran away back then? You even left your own sister behind?"
"Xu Shangqi, I really look down on you."
(End of Chapter)
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