Blonsky opened the backpack and pulled out the laptop. As he flipped it open, a photo fell out.
He picked it up—it was of a woman.
"Looks like he's got a partner. This might be the target's girlfriend."
General Ross took the photo from Blonsky's hand and said, "This girl has nothing to do with the mission. He operates alone. They haven't had contact for years."
Clearly, Blonsky didn't know that the woman in the picture was Betty—Ross's own daughter.
Hearing the general dismiss the photo, Blonsky took a deep breath and said, "General, there's something I need to talk to you about."
"Today's target, Bruce Banner… he's not a normal man. He turned into a green monster."
"He threw a forklift at me like it was a baseball. Far more terrifying than your average Transcendent."
"General, you wouldn't believe it—his power level passed 150. The power level detector exploded because of it."
Ross froze, then turned back to look at Blonsky. "Wait, what did you say? It passed how much?"
Blonsky held up the now-ruined detector. "Over 150—assuming the device wasn't malfunctioning."
But instead of fear, Ross lit up with joy.
Bruce Banner was even stronger than he had imagined. Over 150—that was an incredible number.
"Looks like I need to talk to Smith Dole. I want to confirm whether it was a malfunction or if the device simply can't handle values above 150."
But Blonsky had a different concern. "General, if we're up against a Transcendent of that level… I'd like to know in advance next time. We could plan better."
Ross looked him in the eye. "You did very well today."
"This guy—before he transforms—a tranquilizer could've brought him down. We just missed our shot."
"All right. Time to head home."
Ross left first, followed by the rest of the team.
On the helicopter ride back, Ross dialed Smith Dole.
By now it was already evening. Earlier today, Smith had received a report from Mr. X—two Dragon Balls had landed in the hands of vampires, and the invitation for the coming battle had been delivered.
Seeing Ross's call now, Smith immediately guessed the operation had failed.
"General Ross."
"Smith, I need to consult you on something."
"Go ahead, General."
Ross asked directly, "Does the power level detector have a cap? What happens if it exceeds 150?"
As expected, Smith knew the Hulk must've blown out the detector.
"The first-generation power level detector caps at 150. If the reading exceeds that, it overloads and explodes."
"But don't worry—even if it explodes, it won't harm the user."
Ross followed up, "So it's the first generation. I take it you're working on a second?"
Smith chuckled. "Soon. Very soon."
He had no plans to release Gen-2 until he sold out the Gen-1 stock. There were still few individuals that could surpass its limits, and sales would ramp up closer to the big battle in New York.
"When it hits the market, let us know. The military needs upgrades too."
After that, Ross ended the call—his desire to capture Bruce Banner had only grown.
A power level over 150—that was nearly invincible. If he could capture and study him… even produce more controllable Hulks…
The thought thrilled him.
Ross resolved then and there to enhance his team's strength. Blonsky was the perfect candidate.
Following the failed capture and loss of the target, Ross and his team returned via helicopter to the Pentagon in New York.
Inside a weapons warehouse, surrounded by tanks, missiles, and fighter jets, Ross and Blonsky spoke in private.
"What I'm about to tell you is classified. Sensitive to me and to the entire military."
"You've heard of America's weapons research programs?"
"Back in WWII, they conducted experiments—biotech, to enhance humans."
Blonsky replied, "Creating super soldiers… like Captain America."
Ross stopped walking and looked at him. "Exactly."
"It wasn't just that—but yes."
"That experiment produced only one result. So I ordered them to go bold and try again."
"But the R&D team only wanted to build better weapons. We wanted better soldiers."
Ross continued, "Banner's work was just the preliminary stage—not ready for real use."
"He thought he was researching radiation resistance. I never told him the real objective."
"But he got too confident, experimented on himself… and either made a huge mistake—or got it exactly right."
"His body belongs to the United States military."
Hearing this, Blonsky asked, "You're saying that powerful Transcendent was created by an experiment?"
Ross looked at him seriously.
"We developed a serum with huge potential."
"And Bruce Banner, by using it on himself, became what you saw. A being with power exceeding 150."
Blonsky nodded, then asked, "So it wasn't a malfunction. But why is he on the run?"
"Wasn't he a military scientist?"
Ross answered, "He's a scientist, not a soldier."
"When things went wrong, he panicked—and made some poor choices."
Ross then looked at Blonsky and asked suddenly, "You're what—45?"
Blonsky wasn't sure why he was asking that but answered honestly:
"39."
Ross smiled. "That age—and still managed to break through a power level of 8. You're quite the talent."
He shrugged and added, "With your record, you could be a colonel."
Blonsky replied, "I prefer being on the frontlines. Without the battlefield, I wouldn't have broken 8."
Ross listened, then spoke after a pause:
"I can make you stronger."
…
(End of Chapter)
[Check Out My P@treon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!][[email protected]/euridome]
[Thank You For Your Support!]