Stark, who had been slouching, suddenly sat up straight and said, "Jarvis, open the panel."
"Yes, sir."
The car roof flipped open, lowering two screens that displayed footage from several cameras.
"Why is there only external footage? Since we knew Banner was looking for Dr. Stern, why was the preparation so crude?" Mike complained to Fury, "It's completely unprofessional."
"Due to certain reasons, we are in this current situation. Please bear with us," Fury's voice came through the communicator.
His words were vague, saying nothing at all.
It was as if he had something difficult to say.
In one of the surveillance feeds, U.S. Military soldiers had already arrived at Gebang Academy and were forcefully blockading all intersections.
Snipers were in position.
The assault team began to move.
On the other side, Bruce was completely unaware that his whereabouts had been exposed. He was currently conversing with Betty and Dr. Stern.
Dr. Stern believed that by studying Bruce's blood and applying the results to treat diseases, they could eventually win the Nobel Prize.
Banner, however, emphasized that this was an uncontrollable power. Regarding this, he had a personal and painful experience. Dr. Stern could not possibly convince him. However, Dr. Stern was a scientist with a very strong curiosity and an adventurous spirit—colloquially known as: having a death wish. People with a death wish usually don't give up until they hit a wall, and sometimes not even then. Banner could not convince Dr. Stern with a few words.
Looking at the surveillance footage, Mike's eyes lit up. He almost forgot that Dr. Stern, fearing that the blood Banner sent wouldn't be enough for research, had cloned a large quantity.
As long as he got the blood, this mission would be complete. It was practically a "money for nothing" kind of job.
Mike proposed the idea of "infiltrating and acquiring the blood" to Fury.
After a moment of contemplation, Fury said seriously, "In principle, I agree with your idea. I know your stealth is exceptional, but... once exposed or captured, your actions will be solely your personal behavior and have nothing to do with me or S.H.I.E.L.D."
Mike nodded.
In Mike's usual commissions, regardless of whether they were righteous or not, they were essentially illegal—thus, righteous deeds do not necessarily comply with legal requirements. If he were caught by the Police during a commission, would the employer be obligated to bail him out? Mercenaries are inherently a profession operating in a gray area, with high fees and high risks.
Uh... the system's fees are ridiculously low, forcing the worker to be "overpriced."
So Fury's words sounded unfeeling, but they were reasonable. After all, he wasn't a S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent; he was just doing a job for money, so there was no question of being abandoned.
"Also, as you know, Stern has created a lot of Hulk's blood. After you get one sample, can you destroy the rest?" Fury asked in a negotiating tone.
"That... is not part of the commission requirements, so, you'll have to pay more."
The communicator was silent for a few seconds.
Clearly, Fury had pressed the mute button and then cursed with all his might.
"Stark..." Fury's voice was as soft as if it had been treated with fabric softener and tumbled in a washing machine for half an hour. Coupled with Fury's big, rough, and dark appearance, it had an emetic effect.
"Alright," Stark said weakly, "How much?"
Two colors of energy emanated from the microphone.
"This works too?" Mike was convinced.
System notification:
[Nick Fury's commission: Destroy the remaining Hulk blood.]
[Commission: 100,000 U.S. dollars (after deducting fees, the system takes a 90% cut).]
[Mission description: This blood is potent, with a strong kick. Drink less.]
Mike took out the mask he had drawn from his system space, put it on, opened the car door, and with a few leaps, disappeared from sight.
Stark sighed, "He's as agile as a monkey. How did he train like that?"
Black Widow: "Rich people rely on technology; poor people rely on mutation."
Stark was stunned for a long time: "I always thought that was brilliant, Natasha, you're amazing."
Black Widow: "No, I just heard Mike say that and remembered it."
Mike easily infiltrated Dr. Stern's laboratory. There was a large quantity of Hulk's blood. Mike took a few bags and put them into his system space.
Then he installed several time bombs—Stark's product—in the place where the blood was stored.
Mission accomplished.
At this moment, the upstairs window had no curtains, just transparent glass, and Banner was carelessly facing away from the window.
Mike suddenly wanted to ask Banner how he had evaded Military pursuit all these years. By transforming into Hulk and charging out, or were the soldiers responsible for the pursuit too stupid?
At this moment, the sniper in the building opposite received the attack order.
Mike's heart stirred. He was supposed to destroy the Hulk's blood, so Abomination wouldn't be born. If Banner was captured, wouldn't he be aiding evil? Besides, Fury's intention for Mike to destroy the rest of the Hulk's blood was based on Banner being able to escape Military pursuit. Otherwise, if the person was captured, they could extract as much blood as they wanted.
Clang!
A tranquilizer dart made a hole in the glass.
Ding!
The kunai Mike threw collided with the tranquilizer dart.
"Damn it!" The soldier who fired instinctively knew he had hit, but a spark of collision appeared in his scope, and then the target turned to look at the window, his expression shocked.
Shocked for what? Couldn't he just duck or move away from the window? Mike was speechless.
The soldier opposite decisively fired another shot.
Mike could only waste another kunai.
Fortunately, Banner reacted, pulling Betty and the still-confused Dr. Stern.
The three of them hid behind a marble laboratory counter.
Banner saw the tranquilizer dart and the kunai on the ground, then saw Mike leaning against a shelf with one hand in his pocket.
"Who are you?" Banner was startled.
Betty and Dr. Stern were also startled.
"Who I am isn't important..."
As Mike spoke, Dr. Stern interrupted, "That's very important, isn't it?"
Uh... he was countered.
"Alright, it's very important, but I'm just not telling you."
Countered back!
Essentially, Mike was also one of those who loved to argue.
Dr. Stern was choked.
Mike: "You can probably guess who's outside."
Betty said sadly, "My father."
Mike said, "Bingo, you guessed right. He also brought a large number of fully armed soldiers, and their target is Mr. Banner. You have two hopes of escaping: first, me. Second, that big green-skinned guy you dislike."
Banner's expression changed. Clearly, he didn't trust Mike, whose identity was unknown.
"At this moment, the only one I can rely on and trust is Hulk," Banner thought with mixed feelings.
At this time, Banner had already been injected with the antidote developed by Dr. Stern. Of course, this antidote could not "cure" Banner; it only temporarily suppressed him, but he could not easily transform into Hulk as he normally would. —Before, you didn't care; now, you can't reach him.
Mike saw Banner's predicament, took out a bag of Hulk's blood, and threw it over.
Banner immediately understood Mike's meaning.
"Dear, you and the Dr. leave quickly. I'll go out and attract attention."
"Bruce..."
The two looked at each other affectionately, seemingly wanting to share a passionate kiss.
But was this situation appropriate?
"Ahem... just a reminder, this room has time bombs installed. I installed them. They're going to explode in a few minutes, so I strongly suggest you escape quickly," Mike advised kindly.