While busy working on two games, Bruce Banner, who was packing and preparing to leave Brazil, ran into trouble.
For some reason, General Ross seemed to have discovered his hideout somewhere in Rocinha.
Unexpectedly, a well-trained team quietly moved in to arrest him.
Alerted by the approaching gunmen, Banner acted quickly: he twisted the bedsheet into a makeshift rope, climbed out the window, and jumped.
As soon as he landed, he sprinted wildly.
Thanks to the "drug" Xu Dan had given him, he could run as fast as he wanted, without worrying about his heart rate—or the risk of turning into the Hulk.
When the soldiers kicked open Banner's room and saw the window wide open, they realized immediately that the target had fled.
They ran to the window, and at a glance, spotted Banner escaping. They quickly alerted their ground units via radio.
A soldier held his gun, and Banner felt genuine fear.
Although the weapons were loaded with tranquilizer rounds, capture would bring the same fate.
The soldiers pursued relentlessly. Banner, desperate, knew the only person who could help him now was probably Mr. Xu Dan—a man he had never met.
He pulled out his old antique phone and dialed a stored number.
…
New York.Antarctic Game Headquarters.
Xu Dan was still furiously coding when the phone beside his right hand rang.
"Banner?" he said, recognizing the number he had memorized the day he found it.
On the other end, Banner gasped urgently, "Mr. Xu Dan! Gauze… General Ross… they're hunting me!"
"Chasing you?" Xu Dan asked, understanding immediately.
He hadn't expected General Ross to make a move now. Glancing at the work in front of him, he sighed.
"Banner, don't worry. Ross doesn't want to kill you. Just keep running. Even if they catch you, it's okay—I'll send someone to rescue you immediately."
Hearing Xu Dan's steady tone, Banner finally felt a measure of relief.
After ending the call, Xu Dan opened his contacts and found a number he hadn't dialed in a long time.
It was the phone he had assigned to Goenitz—because without mobile communications in modern New York, it was practically primitive.
"Hello, my Lord," came the rigid, formal voice. Goenitz never called anyone "Boss," no matter the organization.
"Go to Brazil and save someone," Xu Dan ordered.
"Yes, my Lord."
Goenitz didn't ask any questions. That was loyalty.
Xu Dan transmitted Banner's personal information to Goenitz's phone and finally felt relieved.
There was nothing more to worry about—Goenitz had always been reliable.
He set the phone aside and returned to work.
—
Banner felt some strength return to his body and continued running as fast as he could.
But human stamina has limits. He was being pursued by an entire squad led by a seasoned agent.
In addition, several off-road vehicles were tracking him, making escape extremely difficult.
Looking at the dense forest outside Rocinha, he decided to hide there.
At least vehicles couldn't follow him, and deep inside, wireless signals would weaken, disrupting the squad's coordination.
…
Emil Blonsky, an agent from Croatia in his forties, had spent half his life on missions. His combat experience was exceptional, and General Ross had personally tasked him with capturing Bruce Banner.
For someone like Blonsky, catching Banner would normally be simple.
But Ross's orders included two constraints:
First, do not shoot Banner—only use tranquilizers.
Second, do not provoke him. Why? No one knew.
The first was manageable; the second was absurd. How could they "not provoke" someone while trying to capture him?
Still, Ross was a general. Blonsky had no choice but to obey.
He led his squad into the dense forest, but their tranquilizer rifles were nearly useless among the trees. Hitting Banner now required a marksman.
Their only option: shadow Banner silently, conserving energy, and wait for him to tire.
General Ross, sitting in his car, was already frazzled.
He had hidden the truth about Banner from his soldiers. They didn't know what terrifying being they were chasing.
If Banner transformed, the squad would be crushed instantly.
The first covert capture attempt had failed, but Ross refused to give up.
He kept the squad on Banner's trail.
But Banner could transform at any moment. Ross's anxiety spiked. One transformation and even tanks wouldn't help.
He stared at the monitor, tracking every soldier's vitals. One casualty would mean Banner had snapped.
After the long chase, Ross was sweating, but Banner still hadn't fought back.
"What's going on? Has he… Impossible. Absolutely impossible!"
"Blonsky! Report! What's the situation?"
"General… shhhh—"
At that moment, the wireless signal cut out.
Ross's heart raced. Dense forest interference was one thing—but another, far more terrifying possibility loomed.
"Damn it! That Bruce guy… is he crazy?"
He barked orders at the soldiers in the car:
"Restore communication immediately! Contact the forward team—no excuses!"
"Yes, General!"
Ross jumped out of the vehicle, glaring at the forest, hatred in his eyes.
"Blonsky's useless. Not even Banner can catch me!"