Having only recently developed his new abilities, Bruce hadn't yet mastered the technique of transforming, unable to transform at will like he did in the 'Avengers 1' storyline.
Passive transformation, on the other hand, required meeting the conditions of 'anger' or 'life being threatened'.
So… at this moment, he was so consumed by fear that he didn't feel angry at all, let alone enraged. The Tyrannosaurus Rex, however, didn't directly attack, nor did it trigger the 'life being threatened' condition.
With no signs of transforming into the Hulk, Bruce Banner trembled like a leaf, watching helplessly as the enormous Tyrannosaurus Rex approached him.
'Hiss, hiss~.' Lowering its massive head, Da Bai curiously leaned in front of Bruce and sniffed him.
Having eaten its fill half an hour ago, Da Bai wasn't about to casually kill other creatures. Plus, Bruce Banner was also human, with many similarities to its master… In short, Da Bai was merely curious about the suddenly appearing Bruce and had no intention of harming him.
"Don't eat me, don't eat me, God save me~." Smelling the fishy stench emanating from Da Bai's nostrils, Bruce became even more terrified, mumbling and instinctively praying.
The furniture in the wooden house was all moved in by Shi Xiaolei from the real world, and the bedding Bruce Banner was using was also something he had once slept on.
Although it had been cleaned thoroughly, over time, it had inevitably picked up some of Shi Xiaolei's scent—thanks to the sheet wrapped around him, Bruce Banner not only fortunately passed Da Bai's inspection but also, to a certain extent, gained Da Bai's initial trust.
"…" After several seconds, Bruce opened his eyes.
The enormous Tyrannosaurus Rex was still in front of him, but the distance wasn't as close as before.
Confirming that he hadn't been bitten and that the other party didn't seem to be attacking, Bruce finally stopped holding his breath and let out a long sigh of relief.
"You scared me to death, I thought I was going to die."
Surviving this ordeal didn't mean the crisis was completely over. Worried that Da Bai might suddenly lash out and change its mind about attacking him, Bruce forced himself to stand up from the ground with wobbly legs, extremely cautiously.
But just as he was about to sneak away, Da Bai suddenly wagged its tail and turned its gaze back to him.
Like being caught by a teacher for slacking off in class, Bruce quickly stopped moving and stood rigidly in place.
'Grrr~.'
Although he had the physical enhancements from the Hulk, he had been lying down for four days after all. His stomach was already empty; he hadn't noticed it before due to fear, but now, with a rumbling sound, Bruce suddenly felt a pang of hunger.
His limbs grew even weaker, and he was being stared at by the massive Tyrannosaurus Rex… 'Perhaps it will eat me before I find something to eat.' Feeling his current situation, the glimmer of hope that had just arisen in Bruce's heart immediately vanished, and his mood plummeted to rock bottom.
Da Bai had no idea what the little human in front of it was thinking.
Being very close, it heard the rumbling from Bruce's stomach, and Da Bai suddenly remembered its master's past actions—in the game, when a character was hungry, a 'grrr' sound effect would also appear.
Whenever this happened, Shi Xiaolei would always control the game character to pull out prepared food from its backpack and eat it.
For Da Bai, who had accompanied Shi Xiaolei for a long time, the memory of this sound was very clear, and it had even formed a conditioned reflex.
So Da Bai moved.
It strode its thick legs into the river and unhesitatingly attacked several sabertooth salmon that happened to be swimming by.
If it were Bruce, it might take a lot of effort to deal with these sabertooth salmon, which were all above level 100, but for Da Bai, who was max level and also a native creature,
killing these sabertooth salmon was incredibly simple.
With just one bite, it killed these sabertooth salmon. Then, holding their bodies, Da Bai stood up and shook its head, tossing them onto the shore, where they landed in front of Bruce.
"Huh?" Never expecting such a development, astonishment overwhelmed his fear. Looking at the sabertooth salmon lying in front of him, and then looking up at the Tyrannosaurus Rex standing in the water, Bruce couldn't help but gape.
"Roar~!" As if responding to Bruce's question, Da Bai also opened its mouth and roared.
"Is this really for me?" With a hint of disbelief, Bruce stared at Da Bai as he slowly squatted down and picked up a sabertooth salmon.
Da Bai showed no signs of anger; instead, it lowered its head again, repeated its previous action, and tossed a few more fish onto the shore.
Finally confirming the reality before him, Bruce's mood brightened considerably.
Not being eaten by the Tyrannosaurus Rex, but instead receiving a gift from it—such a fantastical and wonderful turn of events dispelled most of Bruce's fear, and along with it, his perception of Da Bai greatly improved.
'Perhaps I can try to build a relationship with it?' Suddenly, this thought popped into his mind, and then, the more Bruce thought about it, the more necessary it seemed: 'A Tyrannosaurus Rex has appeared, which means this is definitely not Earth. Hmm, I don't know if there are other dangers. If I can find a bodyguard, it should be of no small help for my next actions…'
On one hand, he wanted to curry favor with Da Bai to prevent it from attacking him; on the other hand, he also wanted to do a good deed and win it over to be his bodyguard… Having been carried in by Shi Xiaolei while unconscious, he didn't know where he was, nor did he know that Da Bai actually had a master. From Bruce's perspective, it wasn't strange for these thoughts to arise.
Thinking of it, he did it. Bruce gathered the sabertooth salmon that Da Bai had thrown onto the shore and piled them up. Then, to find a tool to start a fire, he once again climbed into the small wooden house through the window.
And wouldn't you know it, he actually found a small knife and a lighter that Shi Xiaolei had brought in.
Suppressing the hunger in his stomach, Bruce spent nearly half an hour building a bonfire on the beach outside the house, and around the bonfire, he stuck several wooden skewers threaded with fish meat.
Seeing this scene, Da Bai also unconsciously drooled—not long ago, Shi Xiaolei, Connie, and 2B had a barbecue out here. Although the cooking process was different from in the game, and the grilled steaks and fish fillets weren't as perfectly shaped as in the game, it had to be said that grilled food with seasonings was much tastier than the roasted meat in the game. Having had the good fortune to taste it once, Da Bai had deeply remembered that flavor and had a lasting impression of bonfire grilling as a cooking method.
Believing that Bruce could also make equally delicious grilled fish, Da Bai excitedly came ashore and, full of anticipation, lay down on the beach about two meters away from the bonfire.
Its massive head watched the flickering flames, and its throat unconsciously made rumbling sounds, coupled with the drool flowing from between its sharp teeth… Seeing Da Bai's reaction, Bruce felt even more convinced that his idea was correct, and his movements became even more nimble.