Living Together

When Banner saw Oaks use Nature Magic to rapidly grow a vast patch of saplings, he nearly transformed again.

"This is what a Druid is?"

Banner pointed at the lush green saplings before him, gesturing wildly.

"Celtic Mythology was real?"

"It was an experimental accident, just an experimental accident, though the abilities are indeed very similar.

Maybe I should make a trip back to Ireland. Perhaps I might discover something."

Oaks gave a light cough and crooked a finger. Tiny vines rose beneath Banner's feet, wrapping around them and weaving themselves into a pair of vine sandals.

"They're not very comfortable, but they're still much better than going barefoot, right?"

Banner fell silent for a moment, then nodded heavily.

"Science truly has no boundaries. Oaks, you're incredibly fortunate to possess power you can fully control."

He had no choice but to believe it, because he couldn't explain it.

Just as he had no way of explaining Hulk.

"Uh... how do we get out of here? How far are we from a human city?"

Banner knew that in Hulk form, he would rush toward human settlements with monstrous speed and strength before changing back.

But now, even if Oaks could turn into a bird and fly, he couldn't carry anyone...

Huh? If he turned into a leopard, Banner could ride him, and they wouldn't be slow either, would they?

"Dr. Banner, are you thinking something rude?"

Oaks's mouth twitched. One look at the gleam in Banner's eyes told him exactly what he was thinking.

Forget it. No chance. Goodbye!

No one was going to ride a noble Druid!

"We'll take a boat out."

Oaks waved his hands, and a mass of thick vines grew out, quickly forming a crude hull.

Then the vines rapidly hardened. Banner climbed aboard and tugged at them, but couldn't move them at all. They were as hard as logs.

"What a convenient ability. It's just like something out of a cartoon."

"It only works well in forests. Outside, I can't use it so freely."

Oaks shrugged, shifted into bear form, and dragged the vine boat toward the nearby river by the long vine at its bow. Banner followed him over.

"Roar—"

Oaks's roar nearly scared Banner green. A moment later, the water rippled, and half a head emerged above the surface.

"A crocodile!"

Banner pressed a hand to his chest. Oaks's roar had summoned a crocodile?

The enormous Brown Bear Oaks had become stared at the crocodile for a while. Then it slowly swam to the front of the vine boat, opened its jaws, and bit down on the towing vine before looking back at them.

"Let's go, Dr. Banner."

Oaks shifted back into human form, jumped onto the vine boat, and beckoned to Banner.

"With this caiman pulling the boat, we should reach a human city by tonight—you definitely won't want to spend the night in the rainforest."

"..."

Banner carefully climbed onto the vine boat. He had already gone numb to the effects of Oaks's so-called "experimental accident."

He could even command wild animals? Fine, whatever he said went.

"Set off!"

The caiman truly swam very fast. Before the sun set, they arrived at their destination.

This was where Oaks had his experimental equipment delivered: Manaus, a paradise for adventurers, the largest city in the Amazon River basin deep within the Amazon Rainforest, and the capital of Brazil's Amazonas state.

"Ah-ha, there are actually Nokia and Siemens factories here, and a duty-free zone too. Not bad at all."

Having finally returned to human society, Banner was in high spirits. With Oaks around, he no longer had to worry about suddenly losing control and transforming.

"I've been here a few times, but this is a Brazilian free trade zone. If you want to hide your identity, this isn't a good place."

Oaks and Banner now arrived at the hotel Oaks had booked. After enjoying hot showers, changing clothes, and filling their stomachs, they retrieved Oaks's experimental equipment and returned.

After three days of testing, they finally gained some insight into Banner's blood.

"Dr. Banner, how do you view Hulk's existence?"

After using pure plant essence together with Nature Magic to attempt to purify Banner's blood, Oaks discovered that the activity of Banner's blood cells had indeed been suppressed.

Once the Nature Force was exhausted, the blood activity would recover, but it remained somewhat calmer than before.

However, this only applied when the blood was outside the body.

They also tried injection and oral administration. The two methods produced similar effects, differing only in how quickly they took effect. Yet they shared one thing in common: once the Nature Force contained in the medicine was exhausted, the blood activity would rapidly return to normal.

"Have you ever considered controlling your current condition?"

"I want to get rid of him, not control him!"

Banner was happily examining his purified blood sample beneath the microscope. At Oaks's words, he blurted out without thinking.

"He has brought me far too much misfortune!"

"But based on the current research, I can tell you with certainty that Hulk is an independent consciousness distinct from Bruce Banner."

Oaks shrugged. Banner was deeply resistant to Hulk now, but there was nothing to be done about that.

After all, Hulk had hurt his girlfriend, Dr. Betty, and his father-in-law, General Ross, had always coveted Hulk's power and never stopped hunting him.

"As for the abnormalities in your blood, I can find a way to help you suppress them. At most, you'll need to drink more of the special medicine I prepare. But an independent personality on the mental level is something you'll have to resolve yourself."

As the Nature Force in the sample he was observing ran out, Banner's expression turned helpless. Oaks took out a large bottle of emerald-green medicine and handed it to him.

"Dr. Banner, while your blood is in your body, some trigger guides it to rapidly regain activity. I believe that is Hulk's dormant consciousness—

Much like how the subconscious mind handles breathing, heartbeat, and metabolism."

Banner sighed, pulled his gaze away from the microscope, and accepted Oaks's medicine.

"I've realized that too, but I truly can't accept coexisting with him yet!"

"Perhaps these medicines will let you calmly experience what coexistence feels like.

I can't stay here for too long. I have an intern at my shop, and if everything sells out, he won't know how to restock."

After making a small joke, Oaks smiled and patted Banner's arm.

"Take one capful of this medicine every day. It should keep your blood activity suppressed.

But if you encounter an extreme situation, such as a threat to your life, Hulk will still come out on his own."

"Ha, the subconscious instinct for self-preservation."

Banner shrugged and sighed.

"When I fled to the Arctic Circle, I tried to kill myself by putting a gun in my mouth out of despair. Hulk immediately came out and even spat the bullet back out.

From then on, I vaguely understood... I just couldn't accept it."

"Thank you, Oaks... You've given me new hope!"

Banner looked earnestly at Oaks, stood, and gave him a solemn bow.

"I think I should seriously reconsider how I coexist with Hulk."