"S.H.I.E.L.D. higher-ups? Me? Didn't S.H.I.E.L.D. just disband two days ago?" Banner asked, puzzled.
"Barring any unforeseen circumstances, S.H.I.E.L.D. will be reorganized before the end of the year, and I'll be the director of the new S.H.I.E.L.D."
Banner: ???
How did the director position just become yours?
However, if Qingshui really could become the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., that would be a good thing.
He had originally worried that without S.H.I.E.L.D., that behemoth, Ross and his people would come looking for trouble again.
With Qingshui taking charge now, he should be able to provide him with better protection.
As for taking a position within S.H.I.E.L.D. itself...
"This 'Minister of Technology,' let's just forget about it." Banner took off his glasses and shook his head.
"If you're worried about losing control, I could try to see if it can be resolved." Qingshui touched the Eye of Watt on his chest and said to Banner.
"Really?" Banner was a little excited, but quickly calmed down.
He had tried countless methods: yoga, meditation, sitting cross-legged, chanting scriptures, and even attempted poisoning himself, jumping into a river, and leaping off a cliff, but none had succeeded.
In the field of scientific research, he had overcome countless difficulties, but when it came to the Hulk, he still hadn't found a solution.
Desensitized by failure, he no longer wanted to be disappointed as he once was, not even daring to get emotional, constantly suppressing his inner feelings.
Fortunately, he had a good temper and had learned meditation and chanting, so his self-restraint was quite strong.
"Why don't we try it and see?" Qingshui reached out and opened a portal in front of him, appearing before Banner.
The latter wasn't too surprised by this.
He had known about Qingshui's magic last month and had even researched it out of curiosity, but hadn't found any conclusive results.
"Last time you asked me if magic could control the Hulk, and at the time I said it still needed research. As for now, with this, I have a fair bit of confidence." Qingshui stepped out of the portal, holding up the Eye of Watt hanging on his chest, showcasing it to Banner.
"This thing is..."
"The Eye of Watt, a magical artifact I created. On Earth, its value should be among the two most valuable artifacts, and even in the entire universe, it's considered a top-tier divine artifact."
Banner put his glasses back on, examining the exquisitely crafted item that looked like an antique replica made just last week—in fact, the Eye of Watt was indeed made just last Sunday, and it was indeed modeled after the Eye of Agamotto, an ancient artifact that was thousands of years old.
Banner didn't understand magic, but hearing Qingshui speak so highly of it, he couldn't help but feel a renewed sense of hope.
"Are you sure? If the Hulk comes out, you should have enough time to open a portal and escape, but these devices in the lab on this island..."
"They're not worth much, maybe two or three hundred million. Some of them are retired equipment from Osborn, so they're not top-tier." Banner pushed up his glasses, silent.
Two or three hundred million dollars isn't much?
Not top-tier, but still first-class experimental equipment. The whole world probably couldn't even gather a hundred units. All that money combined is enough to build a skyscraper in a prime city center in America.
"As for confidence, I can't speak in absolutes, but if the Eye of Watt also can't solve your problem, then the chances of anything else in the entire universe being able to solve your problem are probably..."
If even an Infinity Stone, representing the strongest power within a single universe, couldn't solve Banner's problem, especially the Mind Stone, which seemed most appropriate, then there really wouldn't be any other way.
Unless he could get a few more Infinity Stones.
Gather five or six Infinity Stones, then install them on the Infinity Gauntlet and snap his fingers.
It could change the entire universe, let alone just the Hulk.
Of course, the exact outcome still needed to be tried first.
What if it succeeded?
"Um... so what should I do now? Are you going to draw a magic circle or something for me to sit on?" Banner asked curiously.
"No need, you just need to relax and not resist." Qingshui shook his head, formed hand seals to cast a spell, opened the Eye of Watt, and began to invade Banner's mind using the power of the Mind Stone.
A soft yellow light entered Banner's eyes. In a certain moment, Banner felt a strange sensation wash over him, tugging at his consciousness.
"This is..." Banner looked around in a daze.
Beneath his feet was a vast, desolate land. At the edge of the horizon, he could vaguely discern the blurry silhouette of a city, yet it was ethereal and elusive.
This represented Bruce Banner's calm yet lonely inner world, his desire to reintegrate into human society, but also his anxiety about potentially harming others, leading him to self-imposed exile.
"This is your mental world, your inner self. There is no time, no space, no matter, no reality. Everything is formed based on your own memories and perceptions. If you subjectively believe that time, space, and matter exist, then time, space, and matter will exist here."
Qingshui appeared beside Banner and spoke.
Compared to the solid form of Banner, Qingshui looked much more ethereal, like a ghost that could dissipate with a gust of wind.
This was because he had only projected a wisp of his consciousness here.
"So, this is the manifestation of my personal will? If I die one day and completely lose my sense of self and mental will, everything here will cease to exist?"
Banner pondered.
"Not exactly."
Qingshui shook his head.
"From a magical perspective, death is not the end. Your mental will may not come to an end. If your spiritual power is strong enough, you can still exist as a spirit, free from the constraints of the real dimension. If not, your soul and mind will still exist, merely returning to a state of peace. This place will still exist, but it won't be as it is now, based on your perception. Instead, it will revert to its original state, becoming chaos without time or matter, without reality, rather than nothingness.
Because in this universe, your mind, your mental will, everything you've left behind, it all truly existed. Even if your soul disappears, it's the same. Mind and soul are intertwined, closely related, yet independent of each other."
Banner glanced at Qingshui.
"You sound like a philosopher right now."
"I'm not. Many mages seem to speak cryptically and idealistically, but that's actually just because mages have truly made many studies in this area, genuinely felt the existence of souls and minds, and created magic related to them."
Qingshui shook his head.
"It sounds like magic is another form of science."
"Yes, magic and science are both just ways for humans to explore the essence of the world and understand the truths of the universe. Magic isn't truth, and neither is science, but both are methods to approach truth."
"Alright, let's stop discussing magic for now. Don't forget why we're here. Where's Hulk?"
Banner looked around, took a few steps, and spread his hands.
"Hulk is right here."
"What?"
Banner quickly reacted, then pointed to himself.
"I thought this was a kind of dissociative identity disorder, that my consciousness and Hulk were separate."
"Even if it's dissociative identity disorder, it's still you, isn't it? Think about what I just told you?"
Qingshui said to Banner.
"Everything here is formed based on my perception, so…"
Banner mumbled and closed his eyes.
The next instant, a tall green figure emerged from Banner's body, curiously looking around, then at Qingshui, and finally brought its large face close to Banner.
"Hulk…"
Banner stared blankly at the green giant before him.
He and Hulk had coexisted for a long time, but when Hulk appeared, Banner would disappear, and when Banner's consciousness manifested, Hulk would recede.
So Banner had never truly seen the being who caused his current predicament in this way before.
"Banner, weak. Hulk, strong. Hulk doesn't like Banner."
Banner read the disdain in Hulk's large eyes.
"What should I do now?"
Banner swallowed, asking Qingshui.
"Do what you want. Don't forget how you just made Hulk appear."
Qingshui lightly said to Banner, then slowly disappeared.
Outside, Qingshui, who had withdrawn his wisp of consciousness, looked at Banner before him and raised the Eye of Watt in his hand.
The flow of time in Banner's inner world was not synchronized with the outside, as it was defined by Banner's self-perception. However, once a wisp of Qingshui's will entered Banner's inner world and was anchored using the Mind Stone as a bridge, the time flow within became synchronized with the outside.
Otherwise, it might have been like Tsukuyomi, where three days and nights passed inside while only a moment passed outside, or a day passed inside while ten years passed outside.
The reason Qingshui withdrew his wisp of will now was because a conflict was about to occur in Banner's inner world.
Not a physical conflict, as it was a mental world.
Rather, it was a conflict of will, of mental perception.
Hulk was Banner, and Banner was also Hulk; it was hard to say who would win or lose.
Although Banner was one of the most intelligent and knowledgeable humans on Earth, with a profound understanding of the world, logically, in the realm of perception, Banner should be superior to Hulk.
But Hulk was also unreasonable; he could break through anything with sheer force, smashing and destroying everything when he got angry.
One must remember that Hulk's limits were actually determined by the limits of Hulk's emotions.
Even Qingshui couldn't predict the outcome between the two.
Moreover, because the essence of both was the different mental wills of the same person, Hulk was almost more like Banner's alternate personality. The most likely outcome for the two was an endless struggle until they were mentally exhausted.
In that case, Bruce Banner would transform from one of the smartest people in the world into an imbecile, or even worse, potentially becoming mentally ill.
Of course, if things were truly headed that way, Qingshui wouldn't have taken such a risky step.
The yellow light from the Mind Stone grew even brighter. Qingshui formed a hand seal, guiding the power of the Mind Stone. Using the traces left by the consciousness he had projected earlier, he re-entered the mental world, strengthening Banner's mental power while simultaneously weakening Hulk.
With the almost infinite mental energy of the Mind Stone assisting and supporting him, Banner could suppress Hulk and sustain the struggle indefinitely.
As long as Hulk was suppressed from the start, and continued to be suppressed through his initial bursts of power, breaking his momentum, then Banner's victory was only a matter of time.
And that time wouldn't be long.
A few minutes later.
Sensing that Banner's mental world had returned to calm, Qingshui stopped what he was doing.
As the Eye of Watt closed, the colored light from the Mind Stone quickly faded.
Banner slowly opened his eyes, the confusion in them rapidly receding.
"Now, have I gained control over Hulk? Can I control him at will?"
Banner looked at Qingshui and asked.
"Why don't you try it and see?"
"How do I try? Can I just turn into Hulk whenever I want?"
As soon as he spoke, with a thought from Banner, his body rapidly expanded, transforming into Hulk. His clothes ripped apart with a tearing sound, leaving only a pair of stretched-out, elastic shorts.
"Whoa, this is... a strange feeling. I feel so powerful."
Banner looked at his hands, squeezed his fists, then controlled his body to spin around.
As a result, due to his large size, he accidentally knocked over an instrument nearby.
"Oh... no, Watt, tell me the price of this flow cytometer."
Banner covered his forehead, looking at the shattered instrument.
"I'm not sure, but the market price should be between three and five million. Don't worry, you don't have to pay for it. If you really feel bad and want to compensate, don't forget you're now the chief scientific advisor for Osborn Corporation, earning tens of millions annually. And once you join S.H.I.E.L.D., you'll get another salary."
"Uh... I completely forgot I get paid here too."
Banner scratched his head, looking at another petri dish that had fallen to the floor after he accidentally bumped it.
"I should be able to change back."
The next second, Banner transformed back into his scrawny appearance.
Only, he was naked, revealing his backside.
Banner's old face flushed red, and he used the torn cloth to cover his private parts.
"I'm going to change."
"Bring a few extra outfits. We'll find a place to test your current state later."
Ten minutes later, in an ice field in Antarctica.
A backpack containing a few changes of clothes was tossed into a corner. Banner looked at the Vibranium blade mounted on the Electrolight Armor, then at the rapidly healing wound on his arm.
"It's the first time I've seen Hulk get hurt. Has Hulk gotten weaker?"
"It's not entirely because you've gotten weaker. This blade is very sharp. You worked for the military, so you must know about Vibranium."
Qingshui said, looking at the compiled data in his hand.
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