Chapter 105 Finney's Tactics
The Hulk's greatest strength lies in his power, making his fists the most potent weapon. Without any powerful weapons, the evolution of 'Possessed' practically makes Finney invincible.
However, while he has evolved 'physical resistance,' it's not physical immunity. If hit too many times, Finney still can't withstand it.
Through these battles, Finney has also discovered that the Hulk's strength fluctuates greatly.
The key lies in whether he's angry.
When the Hulk is angry, his strength increases rapidly. Before evolving 'physical resistance,' Finney dared not approach the Hulk in this state.
The Hulk in his normal state is significantly weaker; in fact, the more lucid the Hulk, the weaker he becomes, and the less power he can unleash.
This factor, combined with the 'physical resistance' evolved from Possessed, gives Finney hope of defeating the Hulk head-on.
His plan is simple: keep the Hulk at his lowest strength, then amplify his own power and fight the Hulk head-on.
The main difficulties of this plan lay in two aspects: first, how to keep Hulk in his weakest state, and second, how to ensure his own safety during a direct confrontation.
Ultimately, it was just a sparring match; Finney couldn't use the same methods he used against Abomination on Hulk. Hulk might not be able to hold back, but Finney couldn't afford to kill him!
The 'Possessed' evolution solved the self-preservation problem. After several days of deliberation and testing, Finney also found a way to weaken Hulk.
Back at Banner's villa, Banner had fully adapted to his new life, or rather, was quite comfortable, his figure noticeably fuller than before.
This made Finney feel that everyone around him seemed to be gaining weight.
"Is this really worthwhile?"
Banner suddenly asked in the room. After this period of transformation, Banner had begun to doubt whether Finney's actions were truly effective.
"At least if he ever loses control, there'll be someone to handle him,"
Finney replied. He knew Banner could read some of Hulk's memories, so he hadn't expected his actions to escape Banner's notice.
Banner fell silent at this. In fact, besides Finney, he was even helping Tony research the 'Hulkbuster Armor,' offering suggestions on many of its components.
All this was to prevent Hulk from going berserk one day.
With a sigh, Banner unbuttoned his shirt, thought about something infuriating, and then transformed into Hulk, leaving Finney watching with awe.
How could he be so skilled after such a short time?
Compared to Banner, Hulk actually preferred his current life. He had food, drink, and someone to fight alongside him. Apart from not being able to go out every day, he was already very happy.
This time, Finney brought Hulk to a new battlefield, the place where he had fought the Iron Monger.
The low temperature wouldn't harm Hulk, but it would help him stay conscious, and because of his 'ice resistance,' he wouldn't be affected.
The cold wind and snow didn't bother Hulk; instead, he looked forward to the battle. Because of his 'physical resistance,' Finney had recently changed tactics, no longer seeking to completely evade attacks.
This kind of combat, where both sides could land blows, was Hulk's favorite.
"Here, eat something first."
Before the battle began, Finney summoned several 'Violet Chicken Wraps' and handed them to Hulk, beginning his 'weakening tactic.'
Hulk looked at Finney suspiciously, but without thinking much, he took them and started eating.
While Finney wouldn't actually put anything in the 'Violet Chicken Wraps,' their inherent ability to maintain a pleasant mood was a weakening effect on Hulk.
Then, Finney stared at Hulk eating the chicken wraps, mentally unleashing the 'Golden Grand Evolution Technique,' muttering,
"Power reduced by one-fifth!" "Speed reduced by one-fifth!"
"Physical defense reduced by one-fifth!"
"Reaction time reduced by one-fifth!"
"Maintain a pleasant state for five minutes!"
This was the maximum effect Finney could achieve by using 'weakening' on Hulk after testing.
Then he continued to chant to himself:
"Strength doubled!"
"Speed doubled!"
"Endurance doubled!"
"Reaction time doubled!"
This was also the best effect he could achieve on himself. These 'weakening' and 'amplification' consumed a lot of Finney's mana.
In fact, using 'Golden Grand Evolution Technique' to enhance oneself or weaken an enemy is not a simple matter, because it requires a very deep understanding of oneself and the opponent.
For example, although Finney said 'strength doubled,' to truly make this idea succeed, he had to be clearly aware of how much strength he possessed.
For instance, he clearly knew that his limit was to lift an object weighing one ton, so doubling his strength meant making him think he could lift two tons.
This was the case when he helped Skye equip 'Demon Possession'. He knew everything about Skye, her strength, endurance, physique, etc., so he was able to amplify her.
The same applies to enemies. If you're unfamiliar with them, it's difficult to make your plans succeed unless you can directly reduce their strength to the level you want, or directly amplify your own power to the desired level.
Unfortunately, he can't do that yet.
Therefore, so far, he rarely uses this on enemies or himself, because his strength is constantly changing, and sometimes he's unsure of his limits.
Fortunately, through this period of battle, he has gained a detailed understanding of Hulk, which allows him to weaken him successfully.
Hulk, eating his chicken nugget wrap, didn't feel anything wrong with him; he just felt unusually happy today.
Finney was also 'happy' on the side. After preparing so much, he was finally going to win. He didn't believe he couldn't win, even after all this cheating!
Finney didn't let Hulk continue eating. After a few bites, he immediately started sparring.
The battle began, and Hulk finally felt something was wrong. He felt like he couldn't muster any strength, and even when he wanted to roar angrily, his shouts came out weakly.
Finney, on the other hand, seemed exceptionally spirited, as if he'd been injected with adrenaline. Attacks he used to dodge at the first sight of him were now met with direct, head-on resistance.
What should have been an exciting battle for Hulk was instead made extremely difficult by Finney's underhanded tactics.
Hulk felt utterly powerless, yet even so, he couldn't explain why he was happy about it; this contradictory feeling tormented him.
He wanted to be angry, but couldn't!
"Ah!"
Hulk roared.
"Thump!"
Finney seized the opportunity to deliver a direct punch, then continued his attack.
Left hook, right hook, left straight punch, right kick!
A fluid combo left Hulk somewhat dazed, flying backward with a deep look of confusion on his face, as if wondering, "Is this really the mage I've been fighting all along?!"
Finney didn't dare give Hulk a chance. The weakening effect of the 'Golden Grand Evolution Technique' wasn't absolute; as his consciousness became chaotic, he could feel the power amplification disappearing.
If Hulk recovers, his first victory, which was practically within his grasp, might slip away!
If nothing unexpected happens, the sixth skill will likely come from an older anime series, but it should be quite famous for its time!
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(End of Chapter)