The reversal happened in an instant. One second, everyone was celebrating the successful recruitment of Banner to S.H.I.E.L.D.; the next, they watched him get shot in the head and collapse in front of everyone.
They could even see the faint smile still lingering on Banner's face…
BANG!
Nick Fury, who had been monitoring the mission's progress, slammed his hand on the table. His expression turned pitch-black.
"Team A, move in NOW! Sweep every inch of the area! Find the sniper!" Fury barked.
"Yes, sir!"
—xXx—
On-site.
The moment they received the order, the agents of Team A jumped into action.
Even without Nick Fury's orders, murderous intent was already boiling inside them.
Recruiting Banner was an extremely high-risk mission—a job that put all their lives on the line.
But high risk meant high reward; completing the mission would earn them a special commendation, a promotion, and a fortune.
If the mission had been hopeless from the start, that would be one thing. But they'd been seconds from completing it when someone interfered at the final moment.
Now, every agent was seething.
As the team was conducting a thorough sweep, Nick Fury's expression suddenly shifted.
"Agent Romanoff, fall back immediately! NOW!"
He ordered Natasha to retreat without hesitation.
Even compared to the rational Banner, he feared the Hulk when the beast snapped.
But it was already too late.
A deafening roar erupted as Banner's body—freshly shot in the head—began to swell. His muscles bulked up, turning greener and greener. His shoes, socks, and shirt tore apart instantly, leaving only his pants miraculously intact.
Grayburn College, a large institution filled with students and faculty, had already fallen into chaos the moment the gunshot rang out.
The sudden appearance of the green monster only intensified the panic.
It was life or death—order meant nothing. Shoving, trampling, accidents… the entire campus had devolved into complete disorder.
"RAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" Hulk roared at Natasha, the shockwave whipping her clothes and making it nearly impossible for her to keep her eyes open.
Faced with the Hulk, Natasha froze completely—mind blank, body locked.
No one could truly understand the terror of the Hulk without facing him firsthand.
His enormous height, explosive muscles, absurd strength, and savage expression spelled absolute defeat—a matter of life or death.
Banner had always worked desperately to suppress the Hulk; despite being over two years old, the Hulk's intelligence remained extremely low.
He was like an easily irritated child with an overwhelming instinct for destruction, acting purely on impulse.
That bullet to the skull had been agonizing. Destruction—that was the only thought in Hulk's mind.
Destroy everything in front of him!
The moment he saw Natasha, the simple-minded Hulk immediately assumed she had lied to him.
In Hulk's eyes, there was no such thing as chivalry. Without hesitation, he swung a massive punch at her.
However, as an elite agent, Natasha's adaptability was extraordinary.
Even with her body frozen in fear, at the critical moment she rolled awkwardly out of the way.
Boom!
Hulk's punch missed, obliterating the wall behind Natasha, sending bricks flying and filling the hall with dust.
"Shit!!"
Snapping out of her daze, Natasha bolted down the narrow corridor without looking back, Hulk chasing her relentlessly.
In seconds, the hallway was reduced to rubble. Hulk charged like an out-of-control tank at full speed—wherever he hit, destruction was guaranteed.
Everything happened fast. As Hulk began his relentless pursuit, Betty finally snapped out of the shock of seeing Banner's head wound.
Seeing Hulk throwing blows at Natasha and destroying everything in his path, Betty screamed "BRUCE!" trying desperately to reach the man inside.
But Hulk's rage would not be soothed so easily.
The fact that he had even managed to avoid punching her was already a miracle.
The chase continued, Natasha turning from professional spy to world-class escape artist, constantly dancing on the edge of death.
Back at S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick Fury ordered Team B to engage and attempt to support Natasha, while he sprinted toward the containment cell where Arthur was locked.
Natasha had already fled too far from Team B's deployment point.
And against the Hulk, no agent was reckless enough to charge in.
—xXx—
As Natasha fled for her life, Blonsky—the one who had just blown Banner's head apart—received new orders.
[Good work. S.H.I.E.L.D. agents are heading toward your location. Retreat immediately.]
"Understood. I successfully lured Hulk out. Requesting permission to begin the Hulk capture plan," Blonsky said into his earpiece while withdrawing.
General Ross replied:
[Denied. I have another critical mission for you…]
He briefed Blonsky on Mr. Blue's identity and ordered him to immediately apprehend Mr. Blue and seize Banner's blood sample and all research data.
Blonsky was initially resentful that Ross wasn't letting him capture Hulk, but upon hearing that Mr. Blue had the blood samples and data, he was instantly tempted.
After two injections of the Super Soldier Serum replica, Blonsky had already developed an addictive craving for it.
"I understand, General. I'm heading there now."
He licked his lips, a sinister smile spreading across his face.
S.H.I.E.L.D. agents had been brutally crushed by the Hulk, the recruitment plan had failed miserably, and Mr. Blue's research was now within his grasp…
Everything was unfolding in a favorable direction, and Ross was more than satisfied; even the ongoing chaos was a spectacle pleasing to his eyes.
—xXx—
Nick Fury practically sprinted out of the command room, his long coat billowing behind him as he stormed down the metallic corridors of the Helicarrier. Each heavy step echoed his urgency. He needed help immediately. Natasha was being chased by an unstoppable force, and even fifty agents wouldn't be able to keep her alive for long.
That man—he was now the only variable that could turn this inevitable massacre into a chance of survival.
Fury rounded a corner with long, forceful strides, approaching the armored cell door. Two agents stood guard, tense and unsure how to react to Fury's intensity. He didn't say a word as he passed them, pressing his hand to the security panel.
The door slid open.
Fury froze.
The room… was completely empty.
Cold air drifted out, carrying an unsettling silence. Fury narrowed his eye and stepped in cautiously, as if expecting Arthur to be hiding somewhere—but there was nowhere to hide.
Nothing. No movement.
Except for one detail.
Below the containment platform was a crack in the floor. As if the entire structure were a stick of butter, and someone had sliced through it with a hot knife.
The fissure cut straight through the lower decks, all the way to the exterior of the Helicarrier—like someone had simply tunneled their way out into the open sky.
Fury remained perfectly still for two seconds.
Only two.
Then he exploded:
"SON OF A—!"
He punched the containment glass.
One of the nearby agents swallowed hard.
Fury ran a hand over his head, breathing deeply, trying not to shoot someone just to regain control of the situation. When he finally looked up, he noticed something stuck to the inner glass of the cell.
A piece of paper.
Simple.
Taped to the glass.
Fury approached slowly, almost afraid to read what it said. And when he reached it, he saw the quick, confident handwriting:
"If you chase me or keep watching me,
you'll get a very special gift before Christmas.
And yes… I already know about the situation in New York.
I'm heading there now."
Fury read it once. Twice. Three times.
And for the first time since the shot hit Banner, he exhaled long—not in irritation or exhaustion, but in relief.
Because the Ripper was already on his way…
Which meant Natasha had a real chance of surviving.
And in that moment, that was all that mattered.
Fury took a step back, staring at the hole leading out into open sky. S.H.I.E.L.D. had lost Banner, the mission was a complete disaster, and the Hulk was destroying everything he touched…
But if that green monster encountered the Ripper before reaching Natasha…
Perhaps the worst could still be avoided.
(End of chapter)
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"Hmph. If you really want to be useful, then entertain me, try to throw those pathetic power stones at me. Let's see if even your insolence can amuse a king."