The Price of Losing His Daughter and His Position

"Now, right now, immediately! Launch an attack and capture that monster!"

In the command room, Ross shouted furiously at General James.

Just moments ago, the helicopter they'd sent out had been blown up, and Banner had forcibly taken his daughter into the camp. He still didn't know what had happened to her.

In theory, the military had a strict hierarchy, and subordinates had to obey their superiors.

Although Ross was a high-ranking officer in the military, he was only a lieutenant general for now.

In front of a general, he had to keep his head down.

But this time, he'd finally worked up the nerve to ask his daughter, Betty, to persuade Banner, just as she had the last time.

He had no choice. This time, the Red Hulk had thoroughly trashed his base and taken away one of his best men.

Bronksky in particular had even brought his own rations, betrayed them completely, and become one of Banner's trusted subordinates.

He wanted to strike back hard and capture Banner again.

Although Banner had spared his life, that didn't mean he'd stop trying to capture him.

As if! Banner was his ticket to climbing the ranks. How could he possibly give up just like that?

But reality was much less pleasant than the idea.

For one thing, his forces had just suffered a devastating blow and weren't strong enough. For another, The Masters wouldn't allow it.

The Masters already knew what had happened. Banner had been constantly talking about the Blood God, but they hadn't taken him seriously. They'd assumed the Hulk had gone crazy after mutating into the Red Hulk.

But when they noticed that the soldiers who followed Banner had also received the so-called blessing from him, The Masters fell silent as one.

No matter how powerful Banner was, The Masters wouldn't have cared. In the end, he was just some nobody. What could he do, overthrow the heavens?

But the appearance of the blessing meant they could no longer afford to dismiss Banner. Perhaps there really was a god behind him.

That made Banner an Emissary of God.

Naturally, they couldn't treat an Emissary of God like a monster and lock him in a cage.

He had status now, too. Both sides had to maintain some decorum.

Otherwise, if they angered the Blood God, no one wanted to find out what the consequences would be.

"Ross, watch your language. He isn't a monster. He's a precious citizen of our country, an envoy sent by the Blood God. How dare you slander him by calling him a monster?"

General James shot Ross a warning look, and Ross's expression shifted.

Things had changed. Banner was no longer a lab animal for him to toy with.

Now, Banner had powerful backing.

If they treated him the way they had in the past, it wouldn't be Banner coming over to crush Ross's head. It would be Ross taking eight bullets in the back and killing himself to atone to the Emissary of God.

"Then what do you suggest we do? My daughter's been taken, and the emissaries we sent were killed. Are we just supposed to stand by and watch?"

Ross held back his anger and spoke in a low voice.

"Wait a little longer and see what the people upstairs say. And don't worry about your daughter. Banner, as an Emissary of God, is so powerful—who knows, she might even enjoy herself.

"As for those emissaries, don't worry. Dying for their country was an honor. I promise their families will receive compensation this time. That should satisfy you, right?"

There was no problem money couldn't solve. If there was, then it just meant they hadn't offered enough. Surely the families would be delighted that their sons or husbands had died for their country.

And as for Ross's daughter? Hmph. Serving the Emissary of God was her honor. Plenty of people wanted to offer themselves, but weren't lucky enough to get the chance.

Besides, Ross still had his other equipment working. He could just have another child.

"Then how long exactly are we supposed to wait? Is there a definite timeline?"

Ross stared at General James, trying to find some sign of wavering or guidance in his eyes.

General James said nothing. Faced with Ross's pressing gaze, he didn't give an immediate answer. Instead, he slowly walked to the center of the command room and stared at the battle map, with its complicated situation and potential threats.

His silence seemed to freeze the air. The only sound in the entire command room was the faint hum of the equipment.

"Brrring!"

Just as Ross was about to lose his patience with the atmosphere in the command room, the phone rang. General James quickly picked it up, his gaze still fixed on the battle map, though his expression turned unusually grave.

"Hello, this is General James."

A low voice came from the other end of the line. General James's brow furrowed more and more, and every so often he nodded to show he understood or agreed.

A few minutes later, he hung up and turned to face Lieutenant General Ross, his eyes showing both resolve and helplessness.

"Ross, things have changed." General James's voice was calm and firm. "Orders just came down from above. Given the power the Emissary of God has demonstrated and the 'blessing' he gave our soldiers, we need to reassess our strategy."

He took a deep breath and continued, "They're ordering us to immediately stop all hostile actions against the Emissary of God and try to establish a line of communication, so we can resolve the current crisis peacefully.

"At the same time, they've said they'll send a senior representative to speak directly with the Emissary of God."

At that, Ross's face turned livid. He could barely control himself. "What about my daughter? Are you just going to leave her there as a bargaining chip?"

He roared, his voice full of anger and helplessness.

"Ross, I understand how you feel right now. But the decision has already been made. As for your daughter, we'll do everything we can to communicate with the Emissary of God and secure her safe release.

"But until then, we can't do anything that might escalate the conflict. Given how unstable you are, and to avoid provoking the other side, you're relieved of your post."

Ross clenched his fists, his nails nearly digging into his palms. He tried to rein in his emotions, but he could hardly hide the anger in his voice.

"Relieved of my post? Just because I didn't do what you wanted? You're abandoning me and my family like this? Tossing me aside like a piece of trash?"

"I'm sorry, Ross. Times have changed. We've never overlooked your abilities or your contributions, but at this critical moment, we need to use other means to achieve our goal."

Seeing Ross fall silent, General James reassured him, "Don't worry, Ross. I'll do everything I can to bring your daughter back safe and sound. After that, who knows? You might even get promoted."

General James had casually dangled a carrot in front of Ross, but he failed to notice the pair of eyes behind him, burning with fury.