The Intruder

"Marvel's Magnetic Field Rotation"

This wasn't the first time Bruce Banner had met Natasha. As the base director, she was the one who handed over the task to their team hunting artificial vampires. She was also in charge of overseeing Captain America's defreezing process. Working under the same roof, they saw each other all the time and had some interaction.

To be fair, Bruce Banner thinks Natasha is beautiful and charming, and even Hulk is very fond of her, but Banner doesn't want to get involved with her—because you don't know if the side she presents to you is a facade, or if she has ulterior motives for getting close to you.

Using the power of the dual-drive, he merged with the Hulk to create the incredibly powerful Doc Green. Although Nick Fury didn't explicitly state it, Banner could easily guess that he wanted to utilize Doc Green's power and Bruce Banner's intelligence.

So what are some ways to get him to obey?

Money and status?

He has seven doctoral degrees; he could easily make money doing research and selling patents. He was only holed up in the factory before because he didn't want to expose himself. As for status, he has no interest in that.

Respect and honor?

Similarly, his high level of education makes him a well-known figure; at least in many United States high schools, his portrait is featured on the honor walls of renowned scientists.

All that's left is a feeling.

Conspiracy theories are very popular, especially after Hulk was born from Bruce Banner's body. He spent several years on the run, which made him very sensitive and subconsciously repulsed by the approach of strangers.

His vigilance was especially heightened by the presence of a beautiful female agent like Natasha.

Furthermore, his relationship with Betty had only recently ended, and there was still a chance for them to rekindle; he didn't want to give up on his ex-girlfriend.

Although, because of General Ross, there was no longer any possibility for the two of them.

Just as the atmosphere between the two became somewhat awkward, a piercing alarm suddenly sounded, startling Bruce Banner so much that he spilled some of his coffee.

"What happened?!"

Upon hearing the alarm, Natasha's expression immediately sharpened. She used her communicator to inquire with the base's security personnel; as the base's temporary supervisor, she needed to know what had happened.

"He's a Mutant, his whole body is engulfed in flames, and he can fly... Ah!"

With a scream, there was no more sound from the communicator.

After slightly adjusting the communicator's frequency band, Natasha said, "Activate the base's automatic defense system."

Two seconds after the alarm sounded, the agents throughout the base grabbed their weapons and began a defensive counterattack, relying on muscle memory honed through countless training sessions... even as their enemies were engaged in a struggle with S.H.I.E.L.D.. security personnel on the base's perimeter.

However, the true strength of this base lies in the automated defense system designed by Wei Xiuming. Once activated, unless the enemy uses spatial equipment or possesses powerful Mutant, ordinary human armies will find it difficult to penetrate the base. Furthermore, it will release drones to counterattack intruders, relieving pressure on the main body of the base as much as possible. Activating this system requires an order from the base commander.

For a Mutant with fire control abilities, activating such a large-scale operation is a waste of their potential.

But for Natasha, this was a necessary measure, better safe than sorry—because Captain America had just recently been thawed here, waiting to awaken from nearly seventy years of slumber, and it was hard to say that the other party's target wasn't him.

After all, this is the only successful case since the Super Soldier Program came into being, making it very valuable for research.

Before leaving Stark's villa to take over the base, Nick Fury privately gave her an order—that Captain America's safety must be guaranteed, even at the cost of the base.

In the air surrounding the base, a person bathed in flames hovered at high speed, dodging the dense barrage of anti-aircraft missiles and artillery shells launched from the base.

He doesn't have the ability to fly; he achieves flight by using the working principle of an airplane engine to throw out flames generated by his superpowers at high speed.

Although flying is not one of his abilities, compared to Tony Stark's current Iron Man suit, he has more control over flight. After all, even the best human-computer interaction cannot compare to the body's own neural responses.

While tossing anti-aircraft missiles around, the fire man occasionally unleashes flames from his hands to shoot them down, confining the high-temperature particles into bundles, creating a visual effect comparable to laser weapons.

The anti-aircraft missiles failed to achieve the desired results; instead, one after another, the targets were reduced to flying fireworks in the air. Then, drones were deployed, remotely controlled by agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.. trained in aircraft piloting. They were assembled into flight formations and launched an organized attack.

Meanwhile, the fire man continued to fly freely in the air, performing various difficult maneuvers to evade the drones' attacks. When there was no way to avoid them, he flew directly towards several of the drones.

Usually, before they even get close, the drones are damaged and lose control due to the high temperatures emitted by the other party, circling erratically before crashing to the ground.

"This isn't right."

After forcefully breaking through the outer perimeter of the base, the fire man kept circling in the air, not getting any closer to the main body of the base, but instead drawing the base's firepower. This made Natasha realize something was amiss.

Was the high-profile attack on the base of one of the world's largest intelligence organizations merely a show of power and a way to amuse them?

"Seal off all access routes within the base," Natasha ordered once again.

A command activated a preset program in the base's main control system. One after another, alloy doors fell, sealing off and cutting the entire base's corridors and rooms into separate spaces. Power was instantly cut off, preventing the enemy from opening these gates through program intrusion or circuit sabotage.

The ventilation ducts were also blocked, turning these spaces into sealed containers. If intruders didn't have the means to break down the walls or cut open the alloy doors, their first problem would be lack of oxygen.

In a small room divided by a corridor, three figures appeared out of nowhere.

Each of them was a tall, muscular man, his body encased in some kind of stone material. He walked at the very front, and if the S.H.I.E.L.D.. launched a counterattack, his broad body would serve as their most powerful shield.

Behind him stood a beautiful blonde Caucasian woman. She stopped and looked around the space illuminated by emergency lights and flashing warning lights. She said to the third person, "Colonel, our infiltration plan has failed."

The conspicuous fire man outside was just bait. After opening up the outer defenses of S.H.I.E.L.D.., she began to draw S.H.I.E.L.D..'s attention, while the three of them used her invisibility ability to sneak in. Although it was only optical invisibility and could not prevent footsteps from being heard, the noisy alarms provided them with good cover.

After the gates fell, they no longer needed to remain invisible, as their plan to infiltrate the base had failed, and they had no choice but to force their way in.

The man the blonde woman referred to as the colonel was an old man, his body hunched over with age, sitting in a wheelchair, his eyes half-closed, it was unclear whether he was asleep or awake.