Hulk had not suddenly wised up. He had simply met opponents who could truly challenge him.
His past enemies had all been too weak. He had never needed technique; charging in and smashing wildly had been enough. The problem was that this did not work against the Indominus Rex and the others. In both strength and defense, they outclassed him.
During that time, Hulk had been taught a lesson by the dinosaurs every day. To win, he had begun learning how to fight and use his head.
Hulk had never been stupid. He simply disliked thinking. After all, he was one of Doctor Banner's personalities.
After a while, Hulk seized an opening and darted behind the High-Temperature Giant. Then he leaped like a cannonball, landing behind the giant's neck.
"Neck. Weak spot."
Hulk grinned, gripped the Adamantium Hammer with both hands, and brought it down with all his might.
"Aaargh!"
The High-Temperature Giant let out an agonized scream. His enormous body crashed to the ground, throwing up clouds of dust—Hulk had smashed his cervical spine clean through.
An ordinary person would have died or been gravely injured from a broken neck, but the High-Temperature Giant had been injected with the Extremis Virus. His wound glowed with dazzling red light and rapidly healed.
Seeing this, Jessica hurriedly shouted, "Hulk, watch out! He can heal himself!"
"Know."
Hulk jumped onto the High-Temperature Giant's back and swung the Adamantium Hammer furiously. Bang, bang, bang... He shattered the giant's spine section by section, destroying it far faster than it could heal.
The High-Temperature Giant knew he was finished. Resolve flashed in his eyes as he frantically raised his body temperature, intending to take Hulk and half the city down with him.
That had been his reason for coming to America in the first place.