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The problem was that while the idea was good, the execution was disastrous.
Unlike Ryan, Peter didn't have the ability to produce organic webbing; instead, he used a Web-shooter modified by Ryan. Consequently, the strength of his webbing was far inferior to Ryan's organic silk.
Peter's Web-shooter was sufficient for binding ordinary people or average superhumans, but thinking it could restrain an absolute powerhouse like the Hulk was nothing short of wishful thinking.
No matter how much webbing Peter shot, the Hulk could tear through the strands wrapped around him with a single pull!
Furthermore, Peter's constant annoyance with the webbing infuriated the Hulk. In his rage, the weakened state caused by the antidote completely vanished, and he regained his normal level of strength!
With his strength restored, the Hulk's power and speed increased dramatically!
Unaware of this change, Peter and Harry suffered greatly for it!
The enraged Hulk first used a chaotic, flailing style—a 'fool beats the master' tactic—swinging his arms so fast they left afterimages, swatting away the scurrying Peter with a single backhand.
Immediately after, he spread his arms wide, his eyes glaring at Harry, who was backing away in confusion since he lacked a Spider-Sense!
Then... "Hulk..." The Hulk took a deep breath and slammed his palms together: "Slash!"
Swoosh——
Instantly, a highly compressed shockwave erupted from between the Hulk's palms and swept toward Harry!
Facing this supersonic strike, Harry had no time to dodge. He was hit dead center by the shockwave, his entire body letting out a pained roar within the blast!
Seeing that his self-created air slash was effective against Harry, the Hulk's eyes lit up.
He began repeatedly opening and closing his palms, firing off one air slash after another at Harry, keeping him trapped within the control zone of the vacuum blades!
For Harry, the physical Impact of the Hulk's air slashes was secondary; it was the high-frequency sonic waves within the shockwaves that were truly killing him!
Peter could faintly see the Venom Symbiote beginning to peel away from Harry's body!
Getting back up after being swatted away, Peter saw his best friend in such agony and immediately shot out a web, hoping to pull Harry out of the shockwave's range.
But his webbing was blown away the moment it touched the shockwave, unable to reach Harry at the center of the blast!
"You guys are treating my words like background noise, aren't you? Did I not just tell you that the best defense is a good offense? If you want to save someone, attack the enemy first. Which part of that did you not understand!"
At that moment, the one minute was up, and Ryan emerged from the dust just as he finished dealing with the Abomination.
Just as Peter was panicking, Ryan's stern yet reassuring voice rang out.
Following that, with a loud 'thud,' the shockwaves came to a screeching halt.
The Hulk, who was still clapping his hands, was sent flying sideways by Ryan's Rider Kick, crashing violently into a building!
Ryan pointed at Harry, who was kneeling on the ground gasping for air, and then at Peter, who had just recovered from his panic, and said coldly: "I'll deal with you two later!"
With that, Ryan dashed into the building where the Hulk had crashed!
Soon, the heavy, dull sounds of objects hitting the ground and the Hulk's miserable screams echoed out from the dark hole in the building!
Outside, Peter and Harry flinched every time they heard the Hulk scream!
The two looked at each other and swallowed hard.
I... our performance was so disappointing to Big Brother; surely he won't deal with us like that later... Fortunately, the Hulk's screams didn't last long, falling silent in less than half a minute.
Then, Ryan emerged dragging the unconscious Hulk by one leg, like he was hauling a dead dog.
For Ryan, who had absorbed part of the Abomination's power and whose original strength was already on par with the Hulk's, the Hulk in his normal state posed no challenge at all.
Moreover, he wouldn't give the Hulk a chance to grow stronger through rage; a series of Hulk Smashes had sent the Hulk into a baby-like slumber!
However, Ryan didn't absorb the Hulk like he did the Abomination.
First, because the Abomination's abilities originally came from the Hulk, absorbing the Hulk wouldn't provide a significant boost in power.
After all, the Symbiote copies an enemy's superpowers; it doesn't just stack and gain the full strength of every enemy it absorbs.
Second, in some settings, the Hulk's power comes from the One Below All (OBA), a transcendental entity. He didn't want to risk becoming the OBA's new host by absorbing the Hulk... And there was one more reason: the Hulk's other half, Dr. Banner, was a genius.
Parker Industries was in its early stages and short on staff; he could bring this multi-disciplinary genius scientist under his wing.
But while Ryan thought this way, someone else didn't want the Hulk to be taken away—in fact, they didn't want him to leave at all!
As soon as Ryan dragged the Hulk out of the building, he found that the area had been surrounded by the army.
The soldiers who had vanished and hidden during their battle with the Hulk and the Abomination had all come out now that the fight was over.
Peter and Harry stood back-to-back, warily watching the surrounding soldiers.
They were kind, but they weren't stupid. The Military deliberately waiting until now to appear definitely meant they had ill intentions!
At that moment, General Ross stepped out from the army with a triumphant smile, pointing at the Hulk in Ryan's hand and speaking in a commanding tone:
"Alright, hand the Hulk over to me. He is Military property!"
"Also, you, and you two—because of your reckless destruction in the city, you need to come back with us for a Military inspection!"
Hearing this, Peter and Harry immediately bristled!
This was treating them like tools!
They did all the work, and now they were supposed to go back and get whipped? Did they look like idiots?
Ryan looked at General Ross, who was staring fixedly at him, Peter, and Harry, the greed in his eyes barely concealed.
Ryan tilted his head, glancing at the night sky where the news helicopters had vanished at some point, replaced by Military gunships.
Ryan smiled.
"It seems General Ross had this planned all along, clearing out the crowds and the media in advance..."
General Ross said nothing, only sneering coldly. He acted as if he already had the Hulk and the three members of the Spider Family in his pocket!
"But I just don't understand... why are high-ranking officials like you so stupid?" Ryan's expression turned indifferent.
"How can you be so dumb that you can't see your own limitations, daydreaming all day about grasping power you can't possibly control?"
General Ross frowned, a faint sense of foreboding rising in his heart. But because he believed these so-called Superheroes were just a bunch of weak hypocrites, his tone remained forceful:
"I am performing my official duties. I don't know what you're talking about, but if you don't give me the Hulk today and come back with us for inspection, you will be wanted criminals in America!"
Hearing this, Ryan lifted the Hulk with one hand, a cruel smile slowly spreading across his face: "Wanted criminals? I don't like that title. I much prefer being called... a Tyrant!"
Whoosh——
Splat——
With a flick of Ryan's hand, the Hulk instantly turned into a green blur. Before General Ross could even react, he was smashed against the tank behind him, exploding into a spray of tomato juice!!!