Chapter Forty-Two: The Follower

"Doctor, they have left."

"Have people been sent to tail them?"

"Two squads, fourteen combatants in total, including two Guyver-type Zoanoids, along with a few ordinary informants tracking the two of them. To ensure nothing goes wrong. Based on reports from the scene, they indeed seem to be trying to avoid something, except there is no surveillance whatsoever around them."

"General Ross hasn't stationed any agents by her side after all. It seems he never expected his daughter to disregard his words entirely. Which direction did they head?"

"Brooklyn, though their exact destination is unknown."

"Keep following them. We might be facing a tough battle very soon, so do not let your guard down."

"A tough battle?"

With that, Lynn pulled up the surveillance feed from the lounge. In the footage, Banner could be heard uttering the words "Mr. Blue." Combining this with what Lynn had heard him say at the fried chicken restaurant earlier, it was evident that Bruce Banner had originally planned to meet his internet acquaintance today—that very same Mr. Blue.

"Indeed. Have Jekutor and Sanguclus ready. I am going to gather some data. Hmm, maintain the tracking and notify me the moment they stop. I will set out with the two of them."

"Do you need to go in person, Doctor?"

"It is best that I go myself. If I am not mistaken, we are about to enter a new event, and I fear there will be high-intensity combat."

"I will go prepare the combatants immediately. I hope they will be enough."

"Those vampires salvaged from the subterranean crypt of Nosferatu should come in useful. Although some of them have not finished the modification process, they have already accepted your parasites, so deploying them into combat should pose no problem."

Having arranged everything, Lynn walked into the laboratory. He had gathered sufficient data from Dr. Banner and needed some time to digest it.

"Do it, Kara."

---

Meanwhile, Banner and Betty were driving along the road toward Brooklyn.

"Tell me, Banner, have you ever met this internet acquaintance of yours?"

"We've been talking for a long time. Judging by his conversation and insights, he should be a remarkably wise scientist, and he genuinely has a way to solve my problem. To solve the problem between me and the Hulk."

"Is that really true?"

Betty could not help but recall what Kara had said to her before leaving.

"Our top strategist says Banner's body has no genetic disorders. Perhaps he doesn't think there is anything wrong with Banner's physical condition at all; from a biological standpoint, he is quite healthy. Maybe he just suffers from some hysteria and imagines he has a certain genetic disease. You can try staying by his side to improve all this, or visit a psychiatric hospital."

Betty had seen the Hulk. The Hulk had even carried her dashing through the Amazonian jungles and across the sheer cliffs of Colombia. Those were the most memorable days of her life.

Furthermore, the Hulk did not frighten her. Although it sounded somewhat strange, Betty felt as though the Hulk was also Bruce Banner, and not some stranger who had seized control of his body, as Banner claimed.

"Banner, you remember what happens every time you turn green, right?"

"Ah, I remember. I become fierce and irritable. To be honest, I don't like that feeling."

"Is that so? I actually think you're quite all right. Just like an innocent child, it reminds me of my college days."

The latter part of Betty's sentence was spoken in a barely audible murmur. Banner seemed to have missed her words due to the noisy street outside, and he asked with a puzzled expression, "Betty?"

"Oh, it's nothing. Where should we turn next?"

"Right at the intersection ahead, then cross two major avenues and we'll almost be there."

Betty Ross did not seem intent on explaining further. Banner disliked the Hulk and regarded it as a disease, and Betty respected his choice. Yet Kara's voice kept echoing in her mind.

Just as Betty and Banner were heading toward the laboratory of "Mr. Blue," Lynn was not idle either. After organizing his recent harvests, he had formed some preliminary concepts in his mind.

Feeling satisfied, Lynn nodded and walked toward the central zone of the laboratory, where the combat laboratory was located—many parameters were tested right here. However, Lynn's enterprise could not afford excessive expenditures, so there were no high-level high-pressure testing facilities here.

---

At that moment, Jekutor and Sanguclus were sparing. Sanguclus launched wave after wave of merciless attacks with the high-frequency blades in both hands, but most of them were neutralized by Jekutor's cushioning shell, failing to inflict any effective damage.

"Their preparation for this period has been quite good, Doctor. Sanguclus's modification is also a success, and the output of the high-frequency blades has exceeded the theoretical output. Your technological trials on them have been entirely successful. Do we need to tell them to stop warming up?"

"Do it. Bring the troops and come with me. We are moving out."

---

On the other side, Thaddeus had finally waited for Bruce Banner. By now, the technicians at Oscorp had injected several soldiers with their replicated Super Soldier Serum, and General Ross now possessed a squad of super soldiers.

Blonsky, acting as their team leader, was fully armed, but the surrounding technicians clearly wore grim expressions. The effectiveness of this serum had indeed been achieved. However, during the injections, they distinctly felt a change in the temperament of the soldiers, and these Oscorp technicians appeared deeply worried about such an outcome.

"Have our soldiers been enhanced?"

"General Ross, with all due respect, this enhancement serum is still in the Phase III trial stage, and we haven't yet ascertained certain..."

"Have they been enhanced or not? Do not make me ask a second time."

Clearly, General Ross did not care about those so-called side effects. He only needed combat power to help him capture the Hulk. Once the secrets of gamma energy were in his hands, he could develop earth-shattering weapons.

"Yes, they have all been enhanced."

Seeing this, the Oscorp technicians said no more. Norman Osborn and the board of directors were not paying them to run their mouths. Since Thaddeus had already approved this live-subject test and the concoction had been injected, saying anything further would be useless.

"Good. Notify Blonsky and have him deploy with his super soldier squad, along with the weapons provided by Stark Industries."

Judging by General Ross's tone, victory was certain this time.

---

"Are you ready? To be honest, I'm not entirely certain of the outcome myself. The restoration of your cells has only remained at the theoretical level, and this is the first time I'm actually letting my formula act upon your body."

Bruce Banner was currently lying on Samuel's autopsy table, bound from head to toe with restraints.

"I'm going to inject the serum now. The process will be somewhat stimulating, so you must endure it!"

With that, Samuel pressed the activation button, and a large volume of the formula surged through the injection tubes distributed across Banner's body.

Very soon, he experienced immense pain from the process. After all, Samuel's machine had not been designed with any comfort in mind—this was entirely a crude experimental apparatus, and the injection pressure was even driven by a modified industrial oil pump.

"What's wrong with him? He looks like he's in agony."

"I told you, this process is bound to be a bit stimulating. A sufficiently large dose of the antidote needs to be injected simultaneously to deal with the green cells inside his body."

As if responding to his words, Banner's body began to change. His limbs expanded rapidly, his muscles growing two or three times larger, and the somewhat frail scientist began to transform—transforming into the Hulk.

At the same time, a massive roar echoed through the room.

"Don't let it interrupt the process, hurry up and do something!" Samuel yelled loudly as he looked at the serum that had not yet been fully injected.

Betty rushed forward to soothe the Hulk, trying to calm him down.

"It's okay, big guy. It's alright, isn't it? No one is going to hurt you. We're just giving you a shot here, and in a little while, we'll leave and go to the beaches of Hawaii."

"Betty?"

It seemed to work. The Hulk slowly calmed down, perhaps because the pain of the serum was masked by the transformation process, or perhaps because the rapid cellular healing during his transformation forced the needles right out.

Fortunately, however, the serum injected into his body finally took effect.

His green torso gradually shrank, and Banner's body reverted to its original form. It seemed the antidote had truly taken effect, as if the Hulk had vanished.

"Did it work?" Samuel was more excited than Banner and Betty. He couldn't help but feel a surge of profound joy, an unnatural smile spreading across his entire face.

"It worked, Betty. I'm cured!"

Banner looked ecstatic. He tightly embraced Betty before him, then glanced down at his bare upper body and released her with a helpless smile.

"Uh, sorry, you know—after getting big, there are always some bizarre troubles."

"At least your pants are fine. Get up, let's get out of here."

Betty disliked the environment here; it gave her a deeply oppressive feeling...

"Wait? Are you leaving? Hold on, hold on, can you do me a few favors before you go?"

"Do you want money? If so, I need to make a trip to the bank." Betty spoke up first.

"What I want is no small sum. Can you afford it? Compared to money, I actually want something else..."

Before he could finish, Samuel's laboratory suddenly exploded, and a flood of soldiers poured in, led at the vanguard by the super soldier squad commanded by Blonsky.

Their movements were extremely swift. Bolstered by the Super Soldier Serum, Blonsky reached Banner in the span of a single breath, knocking him down with a single punch while the other soldiers subdued Betty and Samuel.

"No! Banner!" Betty glared at Samuel. "You bastard, you planned this from the very beginning?"

"Me? What are you joking about? I haven't the slightest idea who these people are!"

At that moment, Blonsky was already beating Banner savagely, attempting to force the Hulk out. He rained punch after punch onto Banner's face, watching as Banner's face gradually became bruised and battered, yet he gained nothing further.

The Hulk refused to come out.

"Damn it, where's that green guy? I didn't come here for this—you jerk, bring him out!"

"He won't come out. I cured myself."

Once Blonsky had the situation under control, General Ross made his appearance. Seeming in high spirits, he looked at the subdued Banner before him, as well as Betty, who had been arrested by his own soldiers.

"My daughter, you really are still entangled with him. You've betrayed my trust once again. How could you get so close to this freak? Send them both to the chopper, soldiers!"

Following that, Ross's regular soldiers took custody of Betty and Banner from the super soldiers.

General Ross surveyed the surrounding environment, located a button, and pressed it. The tightly closed roller shutters rolled upward, exposing bags upon bags of blood preserved inside.

"As for this fellow, eliminate him, tidy up the experimental data here, and then withdraw. Take the blood samples here with you. Blonsky, you handle these arrangements."

Having assigned the tasks, General Ross departed.

However, they failed to notice that every single one of the super soldiers under his command was trembling, as if suppressing something within themselves.

As the helicopter started up, Ross left with the spoils of war in his eyes and his own daughter, leaving behind Blonsky with his squad and the remaining soldiers.

Simultaneously, there were army soldiers scattered throughout the entire block, along with a crowd of onlookers.

Clearly, this unannounced military operation left many baffled. Some troublemakers who had never witnessed such a display remained on the spot to watch. Meanwhile, the smarter ones had already started driving away, and those moving out from Staten Island and Manhattan hurriedly fled the scene.

When the military made such a massive display, only terrible things could happen.

At that exact moment, Lynn happened to witness these unfolding events.

"Where are the combat squads that were sent to tail them beforehand?"

"They are on standby. However, the military blockaded the site midway. They were questioned when they refused to withdraw. I didn't let them act rashly; Banner and Betty have already been boarded onto the helicopter. Should we shoot them down, Doctor?"

Lynn stood in a nearby block, with combatants waiting in the shadows behind him. Bathed in the light of a streetlamp, he watched the ascending helicopter and shook his head.

"No need. Have them go immediately and clean up the military's..."

Bang!

The surrounding crowd and military soldiers turned back in unison, only to see a green humanoid figure leap out, beginning to smash cars and nearby buildings into pieces wildly. Even the bystanders who had not yet been dispersed fell victim to the chaos.

"Order them to act immediately. Go capture Samuel Stern for me..."

"Is he the person Betty and Banner contacted at the very beginning?"

"Yes."

Kara immediately issued the order.

Meanwhile, Ross's soldiers had just raised their weapons, preparing to shoot and kill the civilians who were crowding too close to the blockade zone and refusing to leave, when they were startled by an explosion from behind.

Turning around, in that very fraction of a second, they heard gunfire, and then their vision went black as they collapsed to the ground.

Lynn's combatants had received their orders and immediately intended to push inward to search for Samuel Stern. Lynn wished to seize that fellow; in terms of danger and value, he was far greater than the Abomination...