Homelander's little scheme had sounded very clever in his own head.
Unfortunately for him, once the correct answer was announced, he was slapped in the face—again.
[Congratulations to player Erik Lehnsherr for answering correctly and earning 4 points]
[Player Tony Stark, player Natasha Romanoff, and player Bruce Banner also answered correctly and each receive 1 point]
[Player Homelander answered incorrectly and loses 1 point]
Tony Stark chuckled. "Haha! The right answer was right there, and you still picked wrong? Homelander, you're really disappointing."
Homelander's face darkened. He shot Tony a glare but said nothing.
After the question concluded, the light screen began playing the follow-up footage.
As expected, the Hulk was heading straight for Betty. Judging from the Hulk's route, General Ross quickly deduced this and immediately contacted his daughter, warning her to stay alert.
However, he learned from her that Bruce Banner's biological father, David Banner, had already been captured—though based on earlier information, it seemed the man had turned himself in.
Meanwhile, the Hulk continued bounding closer and closer to the city. Along the way, two fighter jets intercepted him.
These advanced aircraft were far superior to the armed helicopters from before. During the aerial struggle, the Hulk leapt onto one of the jets and was carried high into the sky.
General Ross ordered the pilot to take the Hulk beyond the atmosphere.
In the end, the pilot was the first to give out. The Hulk also fell from the sky—but luckily, he plunged into the ocean rather than splattering into green paste. The jets then unleashed a barrage of bombs on the impact point.
Predictably, it was completely useless.
The Hulk traveled through underwater pipelines and emerged directly in the city center, roaring skyward.
At that moment, a helicopter approached. Just as the Hulk bent down to grab a chunk of rubble and hurl it, his sharp eyes caught sight of Betty inside the helicopter.
He froze.
His attack halted instantly.
By then, military vehicles and soldiers were converging from all directions, surrounding the Hulk. Their weapons were useless against him, but the sheer scale of the encirclement was overwhelming.
In the end, it wasn't firepower that made the Hulk surrender—
It was Betty.
Or rather, love.
Outside the video, Erik Lehnsherr sneered. "Bruce, I don't even know how to judge you and your girlfriend. If she truly wanted to help you, she should've helped you escape the military—not sabotage you again and again."
Bruce Banner stared blankly at the screen and murmured, "Betty didn't have any other choice. She genuinely wanted to help me."
Natasha Romanoff shook her head. "She's even more naive than the Betty from my world."
Tony Stark frowned. "Honestly, surrendering was his only option at that point. If he fought the military inside the city, how many innocent people would be caught in the crossfire? If the Hulk had avoided the city from the start, he might've had a real chance to escape."
Homelander sneered. "The root of all this is simple—he's just too stupid."
At this point, the players had more or less learned to tune out his toxic remarks.
Back in the future footage, the Hulk responded to his girlfriend's call and reverted to his normal form. That made his oversized shorts look especially ridiculous—and even stranger was the fact that the obviously ill-fitting garment somehow stayed on his waist instead of falling off.
No one knew what was holding them up.
Bruce Banner had been captured, and things had escalated badly. Following the usual trajectory, it seemed likely that he would spend the rest of his life locked in laboratories, serving as a living test subject for countless scientists.
After his imprisonment, David Banner requested to see his son—this had been one of the conditions of his surrender, and General Ross agreed.
At this moment, the video paused, and a new question appeared:
[What is David Banner's purpose in meeting Bruce Banner?]
[A: Help Bruce escape from prison
B: Absorb Bruce's energy
C: Use the Hulk to take revenge on General Ross
D: Kill Bruce to prevent him from being dissected and studied]
Tony Stark's eyes flicked around before he turned to Bruce Banner. "Bruce, what do you think the answer is?"
Bruce Banner let out a cold laugh and remained silent. He already had his answer.
David Banner was a complete madman, obsessed with acquiring power. Would he really come out of kindness to save his son?
Erik Lehnsherr said gravely, "From my perspective, what David intends to do is painfully obvious."
Homelander planted his hands on his hips and laughed. "I've got to say—your father-son relationship is really something!"
The remark was pure mockery, but Bruce Banner couldn't be bothered to respond.
Soon, the countdown began. After a brief hesitation, everyone hit the buzzer. Erik Lehnsherr was the most eager—he was only one point behind Natasha Romanoff. If he answered correctly again, he could overtake her.
However, luck wasn't on his side this time.
The right to answer went to Homelander.
After glancing at Bruce Banner, he made his choice. "I pick B."
Tony Stark and Natasha Romanoff exchanged looks and selected B as well. Bruce Banner and Erik Lehnsherr followed suit.
The correct answer was revealed—just as expected.
Everyone was right.
Homelander, having won the buzzer, earned 4 points, while everyone else received 1 point.
"Haha! Bruce, I really have to thank you," Homelander laughed smugly. "Your future footage has earned me a ton of points. Maybe I'll win this game thanks to you!"
Homelander was getting carried away—but to be fair, he had earned the right to boast.
The scoreboard appeared on the screen:
Natasha Romanoff — 15 points (1st)
Erik Lehnsherr — 14 points (2nd)
Homelander — 9 points (3rd)
From deep in negative points at the start to third place now—it was no easy climb.
Tony Stark scoffed. "Nothing to be proud of. Third place is no different from last place. When the game ends, all scores get wiped anyway."
"Tony Stark, you're just jealous," Homelander lifted his chin, grinning.
"The game isn't over yet. I'm getting closer and closer to victory… You're not just jealous—you're afraid. Afraid I'll win and get my revenge on you all, right?"
"Don't worry, Tony Stark. I definitely will… take my revenge."
In the blink of an eye, Homelander's expression flipped again—his eyes blazing with malice as he glared at Tony.
Tony merely shrugged, utterly unconcerned. "Give it a rest, Homelander. Your threats don't scare anyone right now. Honestly, the only thing I'm afraid of is you pulling out your small dick and coming in less than a minute."
...
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