The second time is always easier than the first.
Hours later, Bruce, once again lifted into the sky by the giant eagle, was no longer as panicked as he had been the first time.
With his arms bent, he clutched the giant eagle's large talons, which were wrapped around him, as if holding onto the safety bar of a roller coaster.
As he soared through the air, feeling the wind on his face and watching various dinosaurs roam the forest by the stream below, he felt an excitement akin to visiting a prehistoric creature theme park in an amusement park.
The nearly twenty-kilometer distance passed in a flash.
Soon, the giant eagle carried the two of them to the 'base' Shi Xiaolei had mentioned, landing in the spacious plaza.
"Good boy." Jumping off the giant eagle, Shi Xiaolei took a few pieces of fresh, succulent meat from the nearby food box to feed it, then stroked the feathers on the eagle's neck and patted it twice gently: "Alright, go play."
"Coo-coo." Lowering its head, the giant eagle lightly nudged Shi Xiaolei's chest with its beak, cooed softly twice, then flapped its wings and left the plaza.
Turning to face Bruce Banner, Shi Xiaolei pointed to the small building on one side of the plaza: "Want to go sit over there?"
"I'll follow your lead." Bruce Banner readily agreed, as a guest should, and watched the giant eagle fly away, a hint of envy on his face: "It looks so majestic."
"It's alright, haha." Shi Xiaolei chuckled: "In terms of appearance, it truly is the most beautiful one."
Species like Tyrannosaurus Rex, Allosaurus, and Velociraptor were essentially only advantageous because they were 'better fighters,' while a few ancient mammalian creatures such as saber-toothed tigers, dire wolves, and thylacoleos didn't quite fit modern aesthetic standards.
If one were to pick the most visually appealing original creature from the game 'ARK: Survival Evolved,' only the unicorn, of which there was only one on the entire map, could compare to the Argentavis.
When Shi Xiaolei played the game, he did capture a unicorn, but he didn't realize how rare it was at the time, thinking he could find it as easily as a regular Equus if he just looked hard enough.
As a result, he accidentally got it killed during an exploration trip.
Thus, among the many pets he had tamed, the giant eagle became the undisputed most handsome one.
"You've tamed a lot of dinosaurs? I encountered a white Tyrannosaurus Rex earlier; if I'm not mistaken, it's your pet too, right?"
"You mean Big White." Shi Xiaolei replied with a smile as he led Bruce Banner into the house: "That guy I raised from a young age; I've been taking care of it since the moment it hatched from its egg."
"...Are you a biologist?"
"Hmm?" Opening the fridge to get two cans of coffee, Shi Xiaolei was a bit surprised by the sudden question: "Why do you ask?"
"Although I'm not an expert in biology, and I know even less about ancient creatures, I'm guessing that the technology to hatch dinosaurs must be more difficult than hatching chicken eggs, isn't it?" Bruce replied as he took the canned coffee Shi Xiaolei tossed him and popped open the tab.
Hatching eggs in the game was really simple, but... precisely because it was too simple and couldn't be explained by real-world scientific theories, Shi Xiaolei felt that discussing this topic would be too tedious and probably something an ordinary person like him couldn't explain clearly, so he didn't elaborate.
"Haha, it's actually not as difficult as you think." Shi Xiaolei casually brushed it off and immediately changed the subject: "If you're interested in learning more, there will be plenty of opportunities later.
For now, let's talk about your plans, Dr. Banner.
What do you intend to do next? Continue hiding here with me, or…?"
Honestly, Bruce Banner hadn't expected Shi Xiaolei to ask that, or at least, hadn't expected him to be so straightforward, immediately returning the choice to him.
It wasn't that Shi Xiaolei's previous attitude hadn't been gentle enough, but because when they had just landed in the plaza, Bruce Banner had already seen the surrounding high-tech Tek structures...
As a scientific researcher, the moment Bruce Banner saw those buildings, he had a misconception, thinking that this wasn't just a 'survival base' as Shi Xiaolei had previously described, but rather a scientific research base established primarily for the study of ancient creatures, with supplementary life support functions.
Since it was for scientific research, and moreover, involved biological projects, how could he, a mutated human, be easily let go?
Bruce Banner subconsciously assumed that Shi Xiaolei would restrict his activities, and even considered the worst possibilities.
But now, Shi Xiaolei was acting so unconstrained, giving him the choice... The subsequent developments he had imagined in his mind were so far from the current reality that it was no wonder Bruce Banner found it surprising.
"..." Staring into Shi Xiaolei's eyes, Bruce Banner couldn't help but confirm: "You mean, if I want to, I can leave here?"
"Of course." Shi Xiaolei shrugged: "The situation back then was a bit tricky, and due to the urgency, I brought you here.
Now, several days have passed, and the military's lockdown has been lifted... I'm not a slave owner, so of course, I won't restrict your coming and going."
Observing Shi Xiaolei's expression and confirming that he wasn't trying to trick him, Bruce Banner breathed a sigh of relief and began to ponder.
Shi Xiaolei didn't disturb his thoughts, just waited quietly.
After about two or three minutes, Shi Xiaolei received Bruce Banner's answer.
"I want to leave here."
Although he didn't know where this place was, a little thought… given the types of plants and animals found here, if it had ever been discovered, it would surely have caused a huge uproar, attracting countless reports and attention.
Following this logic, he could deduce that this must be a secret, unknown place.
In other words, hiding here would certainly allow him to avoid the military's surveillance and not worry about being discovered by them.
However, this was only his first transformation, and he hadn't yet experienced the predicament of being 'long-term hunted by the military.'
At this time, Bruce Banner hadn't truly realized the kind of vortex he had been drawn into, and didn't have much real sense of the seriousness of the situation.
To put it simply, he wasn't yet like he would be later when he fled to Mexico, prioritizing 'evading military pursuit.'
Wanting to meet his girlfriend, seek psychological comfort from Betty; wanting to find a way as soon as possible to eliminate the changes caused by the experimental accident in himself... With too many concerns in his heart, and his state of mind far from the point of 'giving up everything,' Bruce Banner's choice was actually not difficult to understand at all.
"Alright then." Shi Xiaolei nodded and promised: "The way in and out of this place is a bit special, and I don't know how to explain it to you.
In any case, please wait patiently for two days, no more than three days at most, and then I'll send you off from here."