Titan, Hulk (Part 1)

Tri-Wing Building.

"Five hundred and forty million? Thirty million per unit in annual upkeep and maintenance costs?" Nick Fury's remaining eye fixed on Phil Coulson, who stood before him.

Phil Coulson glanced at his superior, whose dark face revealed no emotion, and kept his mouth tightly shut.

"The energy source is diesel!" At that, Nick Fury finally failed to maintain his expression. What did he need an energy source that was practically obsolete like diesel for? Even if the data and actual tests looked decent, that could not change the fact that it had little future potential. How was he supposed to bluff—no, request funding from the higher-ups?

"Actually, the energy supply does not rely entirely on diesel. There is still a High-Density Battery at its core," Phil Coulson added quietly.

"Do you think Hebron has better Energy Technology?" Nick Fury ignored his subordinate's addition and asked thoughtfully.

"There is no doubt about it. Hebron and Stark Industries are about to join forces in the energy sector. That is no secret within certain circles. I believe they must possess Energy Technology no less advanced than Stark's Arc Reactor. Otherwise, why would someone as proud and sharp-tongued as Big Spender bring Hebron aboard?" Phil Coulson answered without hesitation.

"What technology do you think it is?" Nick Fury asked again.

"Possibly Nuclear Fusion? Or some other technology. But whatever it is, they must have mastered the manufacturing technology to miniaturize it, just like Big Spender has."

"That mysterious Black and White Iron Man." Nick Fury immediately understood the implication in his subordinate's words.

"Then why did they use diesel instead of better technology?" Nick Fury could not understand it. If they were researching New Energy, that was understandable, but why were they still messing around with crude oil-based energy? Did they have so much R&D funding that they needed to burn it?

To make up for losses and turn waste into profit?

Phil Coulson very much wanted to say that, but thankfully he held himself back and did not blurt out his thoughts. He knew his superior had probably considered that possibility as well, but it was one thing for the superior to think of it himself and another for Coulson to say it aloud. He was already buried in enough trouble. If he provoked him further, he felt he might be assigned some extremely dangerous mission the next moment, or sent on an extended trip to some miserable place.

"Can we crack the technology?" Nick Fury shamelessly asked a shameless question. Of course, for someone at his level, whether he cared about saving face was a very flexible matter.

"We have already blown up two units. Clearly, Hebron Technology's anti-theft measures are extremely thorough. It will take us at least three to five years to crack it." Phil Coulson had done his homework before coming.

"So in other words, 1.08 billion USD bought us nothing but a pile of scrap?" Nick Fury did not feel bad about the 1.08 billion USD itself. What hurt was that the money had not yielded value commensurate with the cost.

"Scrap is worth quite a bit too."

Phil Coulson's deadpan joke earned him a vicious death glare from his Captain.

"For the first batch, procure ten units." Nick Fury wanted to wave his hand grandly and place an order for fifty or a hundred units, but they really were too expensive. And considering that this was most likely not even Hebron's best technology, he felt even more helpless. Did S.H.I.E.L.D. have technology better than the Iron Titan Series? Of course it did!

At any cost, with the various strange items and researchers stockpiled by S.H.I.E.L.D., they could piece together creations superior to the Iron Titan, or even the Mark Series Armor. However, those creations would be difficult to mass-produce and might carry hidden risks that no one could foresee. Nick Fury could not casually take that risk.

As things stood, ten Iron Titans, plus the two previously scrapped units, had already cost over six billion USD. And that was only the bare-unit price. Once purchased, they would certainly need weapons installed, and that would obviously have to be handled by Hebron Industries. Given that company's greed for money, it would undoubtedly be another considerable expense.

On top of that, the carrier under construction had used a huge amount of Hebron's alloy materials, another expenditure of more than six billion USD. That brought the total to over ten billion USD. S.H.I.E.L.D. did have a great deal of funding, but it also had a great many expenses.

"Can we get Stark involved?" Nick Fury looked at Phil Coulson, who had always been responsible for dealing with Tony. The only reason Hebron could demand exorbitant prices and force them to pay through gritted teeth was because Hebron was the only company on the market willing to negotiate a limited sale of this technology. If there were another competitor, negotiations would undoubtedly be much easier.

"I do not think Stark would be willing to get involved. Once he decides on something, it is difficult to change his mind. He insists that his Iron Armor is not for sale." Phil Coulson shrugged.

An Army Base.

The door opened, and a man and a gray-haired old man in military uniform strode inside.

"General, I have taken part in many missions, and I have failed before. But never once has a failure been as absurd as this one! What exactly is he?" Emil Blonsky asked the old man anxiously.

Thaddeus Ross stopped and looked at Blonsky. "Soldier, do not pry into him."

"I mean no offense. I just feel that I cannot simply let this go. If there is another mission to capture him, please make sure to include me." Emil Blonsky straightened up and looked at Ross with a face full of longing.

General Ross studied Blonsky for a moment. Seeing the determination and desire in his eyes, he smiled with some relief. "Come with me."

The two arrived at the base's equipment depot. As Ross walked ahead, he said, "This matter is sensitive—for you, for me, and for the military as well. I have read your file. Given your rank, I think you should know that the military once had a weapons development project—the Super Soldier project! A product of biotechnology."

"I have heard of it," Blonsky said.

"To a certain extent, the drug developed to enhance soldiers' physiques was a success. But we were not satisfied. We wanted to create stronger soldiers," General Ross said.

"That man?" Blonsky suddenly understood.

"That's right. The man we tried to capture last time was one of the original researchers. I admit that I concealed many things from him at the time, making him believe he was merely researching methods of radiation resistance. He was very smart, but smart people are always too confident. He applied that immature technology to himself. He did not die, but he became a monster." Ross shrugged. "Actually, I do not care whether he is a monster. I only want to capture him. He is military property, understand?"

"With all due respect, he will not be easy to capture." Thinking of that violent monster brimming with strength, Blonsky frowned tightly.

"Fortunately, I have just acquired something good." Ross tilted his head at Blonsky, signaling him to follow.

The two eventually stopped deep within the equipment warehouse. Under Blonsky's stunned gaze, Ross lifted the tarp covering the enormous object before them.