The next morning.
Just as Smith Dole was waking up, he heard the voice of his AI assistant, Dāi Dāi.
"Master, there's an incoming call from General Ross."
Hearing it was General Ross, Smith paused to think, then decided to accept. After all, Ross was one of his major clients.
"Put it through."
A moment later, a holographic projection appeared in front of Smith Dole, showing Ross's face.
"Smith, it's Ross."
Smith smiled and said:
"General Ross, what wind has blown you in so early?"
Ross, chewing a cigar and glancing through some documents, spoke:
"I'm preparing to capture a fugitive. But his power isn't just superhuman—it's far beyond that."
"That's why I need your help."
Hearing it involved someone beyond superhuman, Smith quickly deduced—wasn't that the big green guy?
Helping Ross capture the Hulk? That sounded like a losing deal.
Smith Dole immediately responded:
"General, you should be calling S.H.I.E.L.D. They're the ones handling superhuman affairs."
At the mention of S.H.I.E.L.D., Ross's face darkened. Over the past year, whenever he found promising candidates, S.H.I.E.L.D. would intervene under the excuse of handling "superhuman threats."
Now that he finally had a lead on the Hulk, he didn't want S.H.I.E.L.D. anywhere near this. They always stole the credit.
Let's not forget—the Hulk had appeared years before even Tony became Iron Man. Since Banner escaped in 2006, they'd had no solid leads.
Ross refused:
"I have no love for those people. This is military business."
Smith, though intrigued by the idea of sparring with the Hulk, suppressed his excitement and said:
"General, I'm a businessman, not a soldier charging into battle."
Ross didn't get angry at the rejection. He simply said:
"Then we'll handle it ourselves."
Once the call ended, Smith Dole shrugged.
"Things are getting interesting. I bet it won't be long before the Hulk shows up."
From his perspective, there was no need to follow Ross to Brazil—Bruce Banner would return to New York eventually.
If he really wanted a fight, the opportunity would come.
…
Elsewhere.
Ross hung up and immediately headed to a U.S. military base, dispatching a team of elite soldiers.
Each of them had a battle power score of 8—human limit. One man in particular, Blonsky, had even surpassed the 8-point mark, the only one in the squad to do so.
Ross looked at his team with satisfaction.
"Good. Let's move out, boys."
Aboard the helicopter, Ross explained:
"This is a capture mission. Here's the target and location."
"Orders are to take him alive. Use tranquilizers. Only shoot if absolutely necessary."
"Local police will assist, but we mustn't spook him."
Blonsky, reviewing the file in his hand, asked:
"Will he resist?"
Ross answered:
"The target is a fugitive from the U.S. government. He stole military secrets and is suspected of killing two scientists, one officer, one Idaho state trooper, and two Canadian hunters."
"So don't wait for him to fight. Tranquilize him and bring him in."
…
Meanwhile.
In London.
Victor's castle was fully sealed off—no sunlight could penetrate even during the day, yet the interior was well lit.
Selene entered holding an envelope and approached Victor:
"Father, this is a letter from the Assassin Brotherhood."
Hearing that familiar name, Victor paused for a few seconds before speaking:
"Didn't think they still existed after all these years."
Victor had lived for fifteen hundred years, and the Assassin Brotherhood had existed just as long. He'd had dealings with them in the past—originally, their headquarters had been in the British Isles.
The United States had only existed for about two hundred years, and the Brotherhood had relocated there later.
After interacting with them, Victor realized their ideology conflicted with his. Since they had no interest in becoming vampires either, he'd severed ties.
Victor accepted the envelope from Selene and asked:
"It's been over a hundred years. Tell me what's changed."
He opened the letter while Selene briefed him.
"The Brotherhood's current headquarters is in New York. Their leader is Smith Dole, codenamed 'God'—a household name in America, known as a superpowered hero with overwhelming strength."
"They currently oversee a global Assassin Brotherhood, the Capsule Corporation responsible for the battle power detectors, and other support companies like textile factories."
As she spoke, Selene pulled out a tablet and played videos showing Smith Dole in action—footage available online.
Victor was impressed:
"In just a century, they've changed this much."
"No wonder he calls himself 'God'—that power is terrifying."
He watched Smith flying, firing energy blasts from his hands, moving with incredible speed, and enduring powerful attacks with ease.
Victor understood clearly: he wouldn't stand a chance against this 'God,' even with the power of the night on his side.
Selene asked:
"So, why did they send a letter?"
Victor replied:
"The Brotherhood received intel about vampires. They're sending an Elder and a Judicator to investigate."
"They'll visit us soon, focusing on incidents involving vampires harming or killing humans, or keeping humans as blood slaves."
Selene's face twisted in anger:
"Slander. That's absolute slander."
"We vampires hardly interact with humans now. We even use synthetic plasma and cloned blood."
"Cloned blood is our clan's latest profitable enterprise. Why would we keep blood slaves?"
"As for harming humans—that's nonsense. Some elites in London even beg us to turn them, offering fortunes. We always refuse."
Victor smiled and said:
"Which is why those selling this intel deserve death."
"The Brotherhood aren't easy to deal with, but it seems they've stopped acting without warning—no more covert executions or framing people after the fact."
Selene looked puzzled, not quite grasping her father's words.
"Alright, prepare yourself. We're expecting guests."
…
(End of Chapter)
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