The buildings lining the street formed rows, and no skyscrapers disrupted the skyline. The limited collapse of the area was, in a way, a blessing.
Three mortar teams, concealed in the city's corners, packed their weapons and swiftly boarded vehicles for evacuation. Frank remained, issuing orders. "Bypass the area remotely as planned. If any problems arise, abandon your equipment immediately and disperse!"
"Understood!" came the unified reply. Nine shells directly pummeled the Abomination, forcing his head down.
If such an attack had struck the Hulk, he likely would have doubled in strength by now, fueled by rage. However, though the Abomination lacked the Hulk's escalating power, his constitution was still astonishingly potent. Roughly ten seconds after the last shell, the Abomination crawled out of the crater. Many of the spines on his back were broken, and green, viscous blood flowed from wounds across his body, a gruesome sight. Hong Fei aimed at the crater, his index finger on the trigger.
As the Abomination's head emerged, he immediately activated the Eyes of Death. A crimson crosshair locked onto the Abomination's left eye. After nine consecutive overlapping marks, Hong Fei pulled the trigger. Thump.
Nine muffled sounds followed as nine 40mm armor-piercing grenades burst forth, arriving instantly. The first three hit precisely, but they didn't break the eyeball. The middle three followed, causing the Abomination's eyeball to cave inward as blood vessels burst. The final three finished the job, and with a few squelching sounds, the eyeball exploded completely, the projectiles penetrating through. The Abomination clutched his eye and howled in pain, a shrill sound that made one's skin crawl. The Hulk was momentarily stunned. Hong Fei said, "Frank, aim at the Hulk, fire, and then run." Boom!
The shell hit the Hulk, fragments whistling through the air, and flames instantly covered him completely. In the distance, after firing, Frank didn't hesitate. He turned and sprinted away at full speed. General Ross, on the helicopter, was jumping with anxiety. "Wrong target! Order him not to attack the Hulk!"
Roar! Amidst an angry roar, the Hulk leapt high from the flames. Following the sound of the cannon, he reached the vicinity of the mortar in just a few jumps. With a few slaps, the mortar tube was flattened into a heap of scrap metal.
Across the battlefield, the Abomination watched the Hulk depart, and the monster lost its appetite for a fight. Nine direct hits had left the Abomination a bloody mess, and its healing factor was slowing down. General Ross's methods were, it seemed, not to be underestimated. Lingering any longer could spell disaster. The Abomination winced, closing its left eye, and turned away from the Hulk. With a mighty leap, it scrambled up the side of a building, using its massive palms to gain purchase.
General Ross didn't hesitate. He abandoned the Hulk and ordered the helicopter to pursue the Abomination. His daughter, Betty Ross, might have wanted the Hulk, but it didn't change his mind. Based on the shelling results, the Hulk was clearly far stronger than the Abomination. However, the Hulk's upper limit remained unknown. The angrier he got, the stronger he became, which left General Ross unsure how to handle him. The Abomination was different.
After nine shells, it appeared badly injured, with an eyeball blown out. General Ross could use similar or greater firepower to capture it. Bronski, after mutating, had displayed a violent, bloodthirsty, and evil temperament, but he didn't seem to have lost his sanity. In General Ross's eyes, this meant Bronski could be tamed. Why was General Ross so determined to chase the Hulk? It was all for the Super Soldier Program, of course.
As the helicopter banked to follow the Abomination, a hard gleam entered General Ross's eyes. On the ground, Hong Fei, seeing the helicopter turn away from the Hulk, aimed at its tail without hesitation. The grenade shattered the tail rotor. The main rotor's torque immediately sent the fuselage spinning.
"Officer, we've lost the tail rotor! We have to make an emergency landing!" the pilot shouted. The helicopter slammed into the ground. Everyone inside was knocked unconscious, but thankfully, there was no explosion.
By this time, Hong Fei had already slung the grenade launcher over his back and was leaping rapidly between the tall buildings. His speed was even a bit faster than the Abomination's, and he caught up in a few moments. A city block away, Hong Fei followed closely behind the Abomination. As they neared the city's edge, a bright beam of light suddenly cast down from the sky, enveloping the Abomination. Another helicopter had arrived. Hong Fei frowned. He held the gun tight in his hand, and stepped onto the edge of a rooftop.
As his body took flight, the Eyes of Death instantly opened. After aiming, Hong Fei saw the markings on the helicopter's exterior: a circle enclosing an eagle. He aimed at the tail rotor and fired immediately.
A large cluster of sparks burst forth, and the helicopter began spinning as it descended toward the ground. Hong Fei stowed his gun and continued his sprint.
At this point, someone finally discovered that besides the military, there was another faction present. General Ross woke up to the calls of his soldiers.
Hill arrived on the scene, pulled out her ID, and flashed it in front of him. "General Ross, were those your people who just fired the cannon?"
Hearing the question, a wary General Ross didn't immediately admit it. He stood up with the support of his subordinates, frowned, and asked, "Did you find out who fired the cannon?"
The soldier he was staring at lowered his head and stammered, "General, there's been no answer to internal calls. We just sent someone to check, only to find they've already disappeared."
General Ross's eyes widened, and he felt a bad premonition. Hill heard everything clearly and immediately furrowed her brows. "General Ross, so you're saying the people who just fired the cannon weren't arranged by you?"
"You heard him; it's not clear yet. Maybe they were, maybe they weren't, but don't discuss this with me now." General Ross brushed her off and turned to roar, "Immediately deploy more helicopters! We must track him down!"
Hill shook her head. "General, I don't recommend sending more helicopters. Someone is targeting us."
As she spoke, she pointed to the helicopter in the sky that was spinning downward, trailing fire and thick smoke from its tail. General Ross turned to look and was stunned for a moment before immediately changing his tune: "Notify the fighter jets to take off immediately!"
Then he looked at Hill. "Who are you?"
"S.H.I.E.L.D., New York Branch Chief, Maria Hill."
General Ross said solemnly, "I know this agency. What are you doing here?"
"As you can see, rescue."
"This is a military operation. You should stay away."
Hill said calmly, "I agree."
But now I suspect that the mastermind behind the previous shelling on the outskirts of New York is also involved in this incident.
"I imagine few people would dare to fire cannons in the city, and the weapons and shells they use are of the same model. I believe someone is still hidden in the city, taking down our helicopters."
General Ross's face darkened. He had just been shot down, after all.
"You can go investigate that, but we'd better not interfere with each other. Goodbye, Miss Hill."
With that, General Ross turned to leave. He loudly ordered, "Where are the fighter jets? Get them in the air to find his location! Get me a car right now!"
Hill also turned to leave the area.
An agent followed her, hurrying to catch up. "The drones are up. They are heading southwest out of New York."
"They?"
"Yes, we found another guy."
The agent handed Hill a tablet. The footage showed the Abomination as the undisputed protagonist, its massive size and the destruction it caused to the tall buildings undeniable. Each jump covered dozens of meters, its speed impressive.
But in the corner of the video, a block away, a tiny black dot was also leaping rapidly across the rooftops.
Whether it was a few meters or dozens of meters, he could cross the distance easily. Sometimes when encountering obstacles, he would turn to bypass them, but even so, he remained within two hundred meters behind the Abomination.