"Where?" Nick Fury stood up immediately after hearing Coulson's words, his eyes flashing with excitement.
The Hulk was the second most powerful being he'd ever encountered—and the only one more powerful was a woman he'd met decades ago.
Even if the Hulk's strength didn't quite match hers in Fury's estimation, it was still unmatched by anyone else—utterly unrivaled so far.
Not even the silver-haired woman who had humiliated them so thoroughly over the past few days could stand against her.
It was precisely because of this understanding that Fury was so eager to bring the Hulk under his command.
In his mind, securing the Hulk would give him the ultimate trump card to challenge Loren.
How could he not be excited?
"On Fifth Avenue," Coulson replied. "We're currently battling a new yellow monster. The entire street has been reduced to hell on earth—countless casualties. We can't even get an exact body count yet."
He paused, voice grim. "According to reports from the front… General Ross's daughter, Betty, was killed in the attack."
"What?!"
Fury's expression darkened instantly at the news. Without another word, he bolted toward the base's helipad.
"Betty was the apple of old man Ross's eye—that's why he's been obsessed with capturing the Hulk all these years.
First, he's always wanted to build a super-soldier team to defend the country.
Second—and more importantly—it's because of his daughter. Betty was in a relationship with Dr. Banner.
Ross never approved of their relationship, so for years he tried everything to talk her out of it.
Nothing worked. And now… if he believes Betty died because of the Hulk?
That man will snap. And when Ross snaps, no one knows what he'll do."
Fury turned sharply. "Prep the helicopter—we're intervening directly. And call Tony and Stephen. Their first mission just arrived."
"Yes, sir!" Coulson nodded and immediately began rallying personnel.
Just as they scrambled to locate the Hulk…
…peace reigned at Morgan Manor, where Loren sat undisturbed.
"Right A!"
"I can't bear it!"
"Right 2!"
"I can't bear it!"
"King bomb!!"
"…"
"Tifa, are you cheating? How come all the big cards keep ending up in your hand?"
Upstream, 2B frowned at the weak hand she held, suspicion flickering in her eyes.
"Sister 2B," Tifa pouted, "you smile when you win but accuse me the moment you lose. I won't play with you anymore!"
"Don't be mad—I was just joking! Let's go again. I'm sure I'll beat you this time."
"You said that last game too. You've lost six times in a row! You've already gambled away all your bedtime lollipops for the week—and your allowance! Let's call it quits!"
2B shook her head stubbornly. "It's fine. I'll just overdraw until next week. I refuse to believe I can't beat you. Alice—deal the cards!"
"I'm afraid I can't, Sister 2B," Alice said, her tone suddenly serious. "There's been an anomalous incident near Fifth Avenue. Its impact has reached Level A per the boss's classification. I'm afraid your new mission has just begun."
The moment Alice's voice rang out, Loren—who had just been conducting research in the laboratory—immediately stepped out with an excited look on his face.
"Boss, what's wrong? Did something happen?"
Seeing Loren suddenly emerge from the lab, 2B and Tifa dropped their playing cards and hurried over, visibly nervous.
After all, in the past, once their boss started an experiment, he wouldn't reappear until it was finished.
This time, he'd only been in the lab for less than two hours.
It was absolutely impossible for him to have completed the new research task so quickly—especially since this project involved creating a brand-new version of a general-purpose combat robot.
It had taken him over a week to build them. An upgraded, modified model would surely take even longer.
Yet here he was, walking out early for the first time ever.
That could only mean something serious had happened—something their boss considered extremely urgent.
Hearing their concerns, Loren nodded silently, though his eyes sparkled with unmistakable joy.
"2B, go to Fifth Street immediately," he said. "There's a massive fight breaking out between the green and yellow monsters. Haven't you always wanted an opponent on your level? Those two are perfect—and their power even exceeds yours."
He paused, his tone turning serious. "Just join the fight. Whether you win or not isn't important. Winning would be great, but losing doesn't matter. What matters is that you participate—and this time, you have my permission to go all out."
"I can go all out? Really? Then… can I kill them?"
"The yellow one? Do as you please. The green one, however, is still useful—he can't be killed just yet. Besides, with your current strength, it won't be easy. That guy becomes terrifying when he snaps."
Loren tossed her a specialized syringe filled with a potent neurotoxin. "Take this super neurotoxin with you. If things go south, use it. It won't kill him, but it'll put him into a deep sleep."
He added with quiet confidence, "This formula is a hundred times stronger than the original. It won't kill the Hulk, but it'll paralyze him—or knock him out cold."
"Got it! I'm off!"
2B caught the syringe without hesitation, leapt into the air, and shot toward Fifth Street like a streak of light.
"Boss," Tifa said, watching 2B vanish into the distance, "since this mission is so dangerous, let me go help Sister 2B!"
"She'll be fine," Loren replied calmly. "With her vibranium body, even if she can't win, she can escape unharmed. I only said it was dangerous to make her take it seriously. Lately, she's been coasting—getting a little too cocky. She needs a reality check."
"I see," Tifa said with a knowing smile. "If 2B knew about your good intentions, she'd probably pester you all night again."
"I know," Loren sighed. "So keep it a secret—from her and from me."
He turned to leave, then added over his shoulder, "You and Alice monitor the situation. Call me only if you hit a real snag. Otherwise, don't disturb me—I need to get back to my nanotech research."
With that, Loren disappeared back into the laboratory, locking the door behind him like a mad scientist consumed by his work.
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