The werewolf squad was still working hard to evacuate civilians when a young man from the next street over — spotting Bulma's elegant outfit — got a greedy look in his eyes and decided to take advantage of the chaos to rob her.
Bulma had just helped a passerby back onto their feet, urging them to leave quickly, when the man stepped in front of her, pulling out a knife.
"Hand over everything valuable you've got."
Bulma stared at him without hiding her disgust and drew her laser gun, aiming it directly at him.
He looked at the gun and chuckled.
"Sweetheart, you think I'm scared of your little toy? Hand over your valuables, or I'll carve up that pretty face of yours."
Bulma didn't hesitate — she pulled the trigger.
Biu!
A beam of energy shot out, vaporizing the man on the spot.
Bulma blinked in surprise. "I thought I set it to the lowest power."
She checked the weapon — it was indeed at minimum output.
Two members of the werewolf squad, having seen what happened, abandoned their evacuation work to stand guard right next to Bulma. Even when she told them to go help others, they refused to leave her side.
…
Smith Dole blocked Hulk and the Abomination's attacks, smiling.
"Good. Keep going. Show me your real strength."
Then, with a kick to each, he sent both monsters flying into opposite buildings, crashing them through walls and into the shops inside.
From a safe distance, two soldiers in a jeep shook off their dizziness from the shockwave. One grabbed the radio.
"General, God's on the scene — he's holding off two Hulks at once!"
Up in the helicopter, Ross watched the footage being streamed in.
Seeing Smith single-handedly suppressing both green giants, Ross frowned. "Has Smith Dole gotten stronger?"
Betty, also watching, explained, "Bruce was injected with a large dose of suppressant. It didn't kill the Hulk, but it reduced a lot of his power. In the lab, it even forced the Hulk back."
Ross nodded — that would explain Smith being able to handle two at once.
Betty's own thoughts wandered. Smith had returned to New York so quickly… she wondered what Selina had wished for in the end. She hadn't really cared that Bruce failed to use the Dragon Balls to erase the Hulk — over time, she had seen that the Hulk wasn't as mindless as people believed, and he cared for her safety. Maybe Bruce accepting the Hulk and learning to coexist with him was a better path.
And clearly, Dr. Blue's research had failed — this new monster could very well be one of his mistakes.
Ross, seeing Smith keep both in check, ordered, "Pull back, maintain a safe distance, and record everything. I want full footage of this fight."
He knew how destructive a clash like this could be — Broadway wasn't some deserted forest where the damage could be ignored. Lowering the helicopter, he wanted to observe firsthand — and maybe, if Smith could subdue both Hulks, take them into custody for a clean resolution.
…
Back on the battlefield.
Hulk and the Abomination burst back out of the rubble. Hulk ripped off the last scraps of cloth hanging from him and roared, charging at Smith. The Abomination attacked alongside him.
Thud!
Smith sidestepped, letting the two crash into each other. They both turned and roared at one another in anger.
Smith smirked. "Is this all the strength you've got? You're disappointing me."
The words were quiet but cut through clearly, reaching both monsters' ears.
Hulk's rage spiked. He grabbed two cars — one as a shield, the other to smash down at Smith.
Smith's eyes flared, beams slicing into the attacking car's fuel tank.
Boom!
The car exploded into a fireball — but the flames didn't hurt Hulk at all. He swung the "shield" car toward Smith.
Bang!
Smith fired a ki blast, shattering the car — just as a stone sphere hurtled toward him with a piercing whistle. The Abomination had ripped it from the street and hurled it with tremendous force.
Smith turned and shattered it with a punch. Hulk's sneak attack came in slow to his eyes.
Boom!
He pivoted and drove a kick into Hulk's chest.
The force shattered multiple ribs and dented Hulk's chest, blasting him clear out of the street. Hulk smashed through one storefront wall, tumbled through another building on the next block, and only stopped after collapsing a third.
All of that happened in an instant — the Abomination's second stone sphere was still in his hand.
"And you," Smith said, suddenly in front of him. He snatched the stone and slammed it down onto the Abomination's head.
Crack!
The rock shattered to dust, flattening the monster to the ground.
It looked brutal, but the Abomination wasn't seriously hurt — more stunned than damaged. Hulk, meanwhile, was already getting back up, the dent in his chest rapidly popping back into place.
(End of Chapter)
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