"What tricks are you trying to pull now, you little bug?"
His voice was hoarse, having lost its former power.
"No, I'm not here to pull tricks. I'm here to admit my mistake."
William's expression was incredibly sincere, even tinged with apology.
This opening line stunned Abomination.
"I made a grave mistake yesterday."
William continued, "I thought what you wanted was revenge, another showdown with Hulk. I tried to tempt you with your most primal desires, which was disrespectful. I was wrong."
He looked directly into Abomination's eyes and said, word for word, "I only realized today that what you truly want isn't a beastly brawl."
"What you want is to 'win.' Not to win as 'Abomination' the monster, but to win honorably as 'Emil Blonsky,' the once most elite soldier, and reclaim everything that belongs to you."
"And what is a soldier's most important weapon? It's not muscle, it's not bone spurs; it's discipline, self-control, and absolute mastery over one's own power!"
Abomination's breathing stopped at that moment.
William's words were like a key, precisely inserted into the deepest, most secret lock within his heart.
"So, I brought you this."
William pulled out a tablet computer.
"A brand new insurance product. I call it… 'Form Stability and Self-Control Assurance Policy.'"
"Its function is very simple."
William's voice was full of magic.
"It can't make you stronger; on the contrary, it can turn you back into a 'normal person.'"
"It can grant you a right, a right to freely change back from the 'Abomination' form to the 'Emil Blonsky' human form."
Boom!
This sentence unleashed a storm in Abomination's brain more violent than any physical impact.
Change back?
Change back to human?
This thought, he didn't even dare to entertain in his deepest dreams.
"You… you think I'd believe such nonsense?"
Abomination's voice trembled.
He tried to use anger to mask the tumultuous waves within him.
"S.H.I.E.L.D. can't solve this problem, General Ross can't solve this problem, and you? What makes you think you can?"
"Give up my power? Let me turn back into that fragile mortal? You're insulting me!"
"I'll say it again, it's not about giving up, it's about control!"
William's voice suddenly rose.
"Imagine, Mr. Blonsky! You can change back into human form, walk out of this damned cage, have a cold beer on the beach, feel the sea breeze on your skin… You can eat, sleep, and think like a normal person!"
"And when you need power, when you need to face your nemesis, you just need a thought, and Abomination will return!"
"Bringing your calm mind and tactical thinking as a human to command this powerful body! You will no longer be a slave to power, but its Master! A truly perfect Super Soldier!"
William's description unfolded like vivid scenes in Abomination's mind.
Yes… control… He had always thought he was pursuing greater power.
But looking back, from the moment he defied orders and injected the second dose of Super Soldier Serum, he had been out of control.
He was driven by power.
Enslaved by anger.
Eventually, he became this monster that even he loathed.
If… if he could really change back… "What's the price?"
Abomination's voice asked hoarsely.
He wasn't a fool.
He knew there was no free lunch.
"The price is the 'safety catch' of this policy."
William finally showed a businessman's smile.
"You have the 'right to use' the transformation and reversion, while I, or rather my company, retain the ultimate 'authorization.' This ensures you won't 'go off' at an inappropriate time."
"Like suddenly wanting to sneeze while shopping downtown and then destroying half a block. It's a safety mechanism, for your good, and for everyone's good."
William pulled out his phone from his pocket.
"This contract, once you sign your name, it will take effect immediately."
"The choice is still yours. Will you continue to be an angry and impotent Beast trapped in a cage, or become a Superman who can control his own destiny and command two forms?"
Dead silence.
The entire hall fell into absolute dead silence.
Abomination stared intently at the unremarkable man.
His chest heaved violently, and in his terrifying eyes, madness, doubt, longing, fear… countless emotions fiercely battled.
The temptation to return to human form and the humiliation of surrendering the "ultimate control" of his power, like two giant Beasts, fiercely tore at his soul.
Abomination did not speak, nor did William urge him.
Only the heavy, bellows-like breathing of the giant Beast echoed in the empty circular hall.
He thought of General Ross.
That man, using honor and duty as bait, had led him step by step into the abyss.
General Ross needed a compliant knife to deal with Hulk.
He needed "Abomination" the weapon, not "Emil Blonsky" the person.
When he was defeated by Hulk and lost his usefulness, he was discarded and imprisoned like a broken weapon, without mercy.
He then thought of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Those men in black suits, polite but colder than General Ross's Military.
They treated him as a "high-risk asset," measuring his value and threat with data and reports.
They moved him from one prison to another, stronger prison, nothing more.
They all wanted his power.
But no one had ever asked him, Emil Blonsky, what he wanted.
They all treated him as a monster.
Ironically, he himself had gradually accepted this designation.
He roared, he destroyed.
He filled the emptiness in his heart with anger, and covered his deep-seated fear with violence.
Fear that he could never go back.
Fear that he would forever be this ugly form that even he loathed.
Then, he thought of Hulk.
Bruce Banner.
That coward!
That weakling who didn't even dare to face his own power!
But… Abomination's mind for the first time entered a territory he had never explored.
Although Banner would be dominated by Hulk, he… always had times when he turned back into Banner.
He could walk in the sun, talk to people, wear normal clothes, eat a normal meal.
And what about me?
I, Emil Blonsky, Captain of the Royal Marines.
A battle-hardened warrior.
Yet I can only be forever trapped in this monster's shell, trapped in this damned cage!
I thought I was stronger than him because I accepted this power, I craved this power.
But in the end, he was the free one, and I was the true prisoner.
Between him and me, who is the real monster?
This thought, like a lightning bolt, cut through his chaotic mind.
He suddenly looked up at the man standing casually outside the observation wall.
This little bug, this glib liar.
This insurance salesman… He saw through his deepest desire from the very beginning.
He didn't treat him as a monster that needed to be controlled, but as a client who needed "risk management."
This was absurd.
But it was, damn it, the only chance he could grasp.
As for that so-called "ultimate authorization," that so-called "safety catch"… what of it?
A collar that could let him out of the cage was better than shackles that would lock him in forever!
"How do I know… you're telling the truth?"
Abomination's voice was terribly hoarse.
This was no longer a question, but a confirmation bordering on a plea.
The smile on William's face finally became a bit more genuine.
The fish had taken the bait.
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