Leo completely ignored General Ross. Please — the guy was a side character at best. An ordinary human like him didn't deserve even half of Leo's attention.
Grabbing the howling Banner, Leo teleported away instantly. No way he was letting Ross profit from this situation.
The Hulk was a priceless asset — and Leo planned to make good use of him.
But before leaving, Leo gave General Ross a slow, chilling smile.
From Ross's point of view, that grin was pure provocation — and mockery.
"Hmph, just you wait!" Ross snarled, humiliated. He turned toward his shaken soldiers and shouted, "Retreat!"
The mission that began with thunder ended in a whimper — a total failure.
At Tony Stark's Malibu Villa, Leo suddenly appeared out of thin air and tossed the still-dazed Banner straight into the swimming pool.
Splash!
The cold water shock finally snapped Banner out of his pain-induced daze.
"Oh! F***!"
He thrashed for a moment, then surfaced, glaring at Leo. "Who the hell are you? And why did you throw me in here?"
Even in his confusion, Banner didn't back down. Lately, his courage had grown — mostly because if danger came, the Hulk came out. Not even death would save him.
"Who I am isn't important," Leo said, pulling on a fresh shirt. "Right now, I'm your savior. So behave."
He really needed some nanotech-level Vibranium fabric — ordinary clothes just didn't last when you kept hulking out.
Banner blinked. Savior? That made sense — the Military was hunting him, and this man had just saved him from their grasp.
"Yes," he thought, "he must be my savior."
The irony was completely lost on him — the "savior" standing in front of him was also the one who'd caused half his misery.
Leo's ability to hit someone and then have them thank him for it was truly legendary.
Banner mimed zipping his mouth shut, indicating he'd stay quiet.
Leo raised an eyebrow. "U.S. humor?"
Before he could say more, a familiar voice chimed in:
"Wow, Leo, didn't know Asians were this strong. Looks like it's over twenty centimeters when it stands up, huh?"
Tony Stark had arrived, Pepper Potts beside him. Jarvis must've alerted him the moment someone warped into the villa.
"Pepper, turn around. Now."
Tony's expression darkened instantly. Damn it — he'd been outclassed again!
Even Pepper looked a little… intrigued.
Leo smirked. "Ahem, Tony, don't be insecure. It's genetics, nothing you can do about it."
"Get lost! I'm not insecure, damn it!"
Tony was clearly insecure. His ego took a direct hit.
Leo burst out laughing. "Don't get mad, I wasn't even talking about you. Why so defensive?"
"You—!"
Tony, the undisputed king of sarcasm, was actually being out-talked. Pepper quietly covered her mouth, trying not to laugh. Finally, someone was giving Tony a taste of his own medicine.
"Ahem." Leo cleared his throat, suddenly serious. "Don't worry. I'm not here to pick a fight."
"I don't believe a single comma you say. Get to the point," Tony shot back flatly.
"Fine." Leo crossed his arms. "You know this guy, right?"
Tony glanced at Banner. "Yeah. The Hulk. Dr. Bruce Banner."
"Good. Then let him stay here with you for now. He'll help with your Iron Man armor research."
Tony froze. "What? Here? Are you insane? He's a walking time bomb!"
He waved his hands frantically. "He could wreck the whole villa! No way!"
Banner's shoulders slumped. "So, it's true. Maybe I really am cursed. The world can't tolerate me…"
The despair in his tone made his pulse spike, and the green glow began to return to his eyes.
"Banner, calm down," Leo said firmly. "Others might not accept you — but I'm not afraid. You're not alone. Tony will accept you too."
"Yes! Yes, of course! Welcome!" Tony blurted, forcing a grin.
Banner narrowed his eyes. "Really? You weren't so welcoming five seconds ago."
"Oh, come on," Tony said quickly. "You know how infuriating Leo is. I was just venting because of him."
Classic Tony — defending himself while throwing Leo under the bus.
Banner chuckled weakly and the green faded from his eyes.
Tony exhaled in relief. "God, that was close…"
It's easy to invite a god — but impossible to send him away.
"Tony, your face keeps changing colors," Leo teased. "You practicing Sichuan opera or something?"
Tony clenched his jaw. "I'm fine."
Leo grinned wider. "Heh, since I've already annoyed you this long, I'll give you a discount prophecy — only half price. Might save your life later."
Tony's sarcasm died instantly. "...How much?"
"One hundred million U.S. dollars," Leo said smoothly. "No bargaining. I'm honest with everyone."
Tony groaned, but he'd seen too much weird stuff lately. "Fine! A hundred million. Talk."
Pepper and Banner stood there, dumbfounded. One hundred million? For talking?
Leo leaned closer. "Be careful of your good uncle, Obadiah Stane. He's already retrieved your original Iron Man armor — and he's planning to get rid of you to seize control of the company."
The words hit Tony like a lightning bolt.
"Impossible! He's been with my family for decades! He's loyal—"
"You can know a man's face," Leo interrupted, "but never his heart. You're the junior; he's the elder. Do you really think he enjoys taking orders from you?"
Tony froze. The doubt crept in despite himself.
Leo shrugged. "Believe me or not — that's up to you."
He turned toward the balcony, watching the sunset. "Anyway, I've got better things to do. Wanda's waiting."
Tony stood there, still reeling. The next day, he'd announce Stark Industries' withdrawal from weapons manufacturing — and Leo knew it was the perfect time to buy low.
Because that was what he truly cared about.