Happy's face twitched, and he forced a smile, bowing slightly.
"May I ask if you are Dr. Banner and Mr. Bernard? I am Happy Hogan, Mr. Stark sent me to pick you both up and take you to New York."
He carefully scanned the two men.
One of them looked like a Professor who would teach at a university.
The other... well, that was Bruce Banner, the genius from Caltech.
Bruce, he understood, the news said he was the Hulk.
But Adam? Who was this?
Banner nodded somewhat awkwardly: "Yes, thank you, Mr. Hogan."
Adam silently glanced at Happy, his eyes as still as an ancient well.
Then, he turned and called out to his wife, Kevin, inside the house. Soon, his wife and children came out, dragging suitcases.
Seeing Adam's calm eyes, Happy's heart suddenly skipped a beat for some reason, and he instinctively took half a step back.
This man was definitely not simple!!
"OK... the plane is ready, we can depart at any time." Happy swallowed, quickly stepping aside to clear the path.
The two exchanged a look and silently walked ahead.
During the journey to New York, the atmosphere in the plane was very quiet.
Happy was restless, constantly peeking at the two big shots in the back seat through the rearview mirror.
Banner held a tablet, his fingers rapidly typing on it. The screen was filled with dense formulas and data.
Was he writing a paper?
No, it looked more like a report.
As for the other, Adam and his wife had been silently looking out the window since they boarded the plane.
His expression was calm, as if he was contemplating something.
Happy felt the atmosphere in the cabin was a bit awkward.
He cleared his throat, trying to find a topic to break the silence.
"Uh... Mr. Bernard, would you like something to drink? Lafite, or whiskey?"
Adam turned his head, his gaze falling on Happy.
Happy tried to maintain his smile.
"Just a few glasses of Water for us, thank you." Adam's voice was calm, but Happy heard the weariness in it.
"Alright, alright!" Happy felt as if he had been granted a great pardon, and quickly got up to pour Water.
Banner looked up, seeing the tired Adam, hesitated for a moment, but still asked a question.
"Are you alright?"
Adam shook his head, not speaking, just taking the Water Happy offered and taking a small sip.
Was he alright? He didn't know.
Just a few hours ago, he was an ordinary man with a Happy family.
He was a husband, a father, a respected teacher.
But now, everything was shattered.
But the ironic thing was, Leon hadn't even made a move.
Of course, most importantly, he saw the terrified eyes of his wife and children.
As a husband and father, he knew he had no choice.
To protect them, he was willing to give up everything, including his own dignity.
So, he surrendered.
He was now a soldier under Leon, a rookie who had just joined and still had to write a five-thousand-word report.
"Actually, you don't need to worry too much." Banner saw the silent Adam and tried to comfort him.
"Although Mr. Leon's style of doing things is quite direct, he is not a tyrant. At least, he promised to help me control the Hulk, and he did."
Adam was surprised for a moment, then looked at Banner, his eyes full of curiosity: "You seem to know him well."
"No, I don't know him at all." Banner smiled bitterly and shook his head.
"I probably haven't known him much longer than you. I only know that he possesses power we cannot comprehend, and he is doing something huge that we cannot imagine. We are just one part of this big thing."
He paused, lowering his voice.
"You know? Sometimes I even feel that in his eyes, we, including Tony Stark, and his brother Thor, are just part of his plan.
He is gentle and polite because he is well-bred, but deep down, he doesn't truly see us as equals."
Adam's heart sank.
Plan.
This analogy made him feel absurd.
Yes, how could a god treat mortals as equals?
"So, are we going to meet the other team members now?" Adam's voice held self-mockery.
"Yes." Banner nodded.
"To hand in our first assignment."
The two looked at each other, both seeing helplessness and bitterness in the other's eyes.
Happy listened, completely confused, what plan, what assignment?
Why were these two big shots speaking so mysteriously?
He only knew that his boss, Tony Stark, knew the Sun god from Norse mythology.
Although it took him a few days to believe in the existence of the Sun god, that was enough.
The plane streaked across the night sky, flying towards the sleepless city, known as the center of the World.
A few hours later.
After a winding journey, they arrived at the top floor of Stark Tower.
The morning Sun had just gilded New York.
Tony, dressed in a bathrobe and holding a cup of coffee, was already waiting there.
"Welcome to New York, Bruce Banner, you look well."
Tony's gaze swept over Banner, then fell on Adam, his eyes curious.
"It seems this is Mr. Adam Bernard, pleased to meet you. Although, the way we met is rather unusual."
Adam nodded calmly, not speaking.
His wife and children were already settled, so he was no longer worried.
Tony didn't mind, shrugging and stepping aside to clear the path.
"Your new offices are ready, and of course, the lab, with the same access as me. As for your assignments, just upload them to Jarvis. Mr. Leon will see them."
He seemed to want to say something else, but in the end, he just sighed and patted Banner's shoulder.
"Bruce, welcome back. This World, I'm afraid, is going to get crazier than before."
...Texas, Highway 66.
To Leon's question, the three looked at each other, their lips trembling, unable to utter a single word.
Leon was not in a hurry. He extended a finger, and a faint golden light lit up.
"Since you don't want to speak, I'll just see for myself."
He gently tapped the driver's forehead with his finger.
"Ah!!"
The driver let out a scream, his eyes instantly rolled back, and his body twitched violently.
Confused memories were extracted from his mind by Leon.
A few seconds later, Leon withdrew his finger.
The driver was already foaming at the mouth, having met Mephisto as he wished.
His two companions beside him also followed suit, after all, good brothers live and die together.
Leon's face showed an expression of understanding.
As he knew from the plot, Blackheart, in defiance of his father Mephisto, was searching for an ancient scroll called the Contract of San Venganza on Earth.
This scroll sealed a thousand fallen souls.
He wanted to use this power to establish his own hell on Earth.
And these three small fries were the cannon fodder he sent to find clues.
"What a boring family drama." Leon chuckled inwardly.
He had seen the drama of a demon prince killing his father too many times in various novels and movies.
However, Mephisto did pique his interest.
As a lord of the Hell dimension, this old devil held quite a few good things in his hands.
Perhaps, he could find an opportunity to visit Hell?
Just as Leon was pondering, he suddenly raised an eyebrow, tilted his head, and looked at the empty space in front of him.
The surrounding air had imperceptibly become cold and viscous.
An evil aura had appeared at some unknown time and quickly enveloped this wasteland.
A thin layer of frost began to condense on the ground, which had originally been scorched black by Hell Fire.
The Moon in the sky was also obscured by a layer of bloody mist.
At the same time, a disgusting voice sounded in Leon's ear.
"What a rare guest, taking stray lambs from my pasture without my permission. Prince of Asgard, since when did you become interested in the souls of Hell?"
....
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