Recaps

Li Si watched a video of General Ross’s forces and Hulk-faction Players fighting over Bruce Banner, while Blonsky was badly beaten by the Hulk. He continued developing Bumblebee and considered the risks of building strong AI as the chapter left him weighing how carefully he would have to pursue the project.

• Li Si reflected on Luna’s sudden disappearance after she gave him the foundational algorithms for strong AI and helped finish the new weapon’s fire-control system.
• Li Si watched a newly uploaded video showing General Ross’s Thunder Special Operations Team clashing with Hulk-faction Players in a national forest park.
• Blonsky challenged the Hulk to a solo fight during the capture operation, but the Hulk kicked him away and broke his bones.
• Li Si teased Bumblebee about an upcoming customer, then ordered it to disable its unfinished anthropomorphic modules after it warned him about tempting fate.
• Li Si considered the dangers of creating strong AI by simulating human thought, including how altered or vague goals could produce dangerous results.

Lee negotiated with General Ross for a supply of Secondary Adamantium and an honorary or temporary brigadier general rank in exchange for helping capture the Hulk. After Ross agreed, Lee began arranging for Dr. Sterns to join the Stein Group.

• General Ross called Lee to demand stronger weapons for capturing the Hulk, and Lee admitted he had a prototype he could use himself.
• Lee demanded the Adamantium formula, then accepted Secondary Adamantium when Ross said he could provide only finished product.
• Lee made a brigadier general rank his condition, and Ross agreed to grant it if Lee captured the Hulk.
• Lee celebrated the deal as two sources of payment for a mission he already intended to pursue.
• Lee told Bumblebee to send Dr. Sterns at Grayburn University an invitation to join the Stein Group.

Lee Stein arrived at Johnsonburg Air Force Base with Little Hulk and waited as the military and S.H.I.E.L.D. tracked Bruce Banner to Grayburn College. When the operation began, Lee Stein was ordered to join the mission with his secret weapon.

• Lee Stein arrived at the base with Little Hulk, and he and Jonathan argued over the dog and Lee Stein’s apparent lack of weapons.
• Lee Stein met General Ross and stayed at the base while preparing to make Bruce Banner’s attempt to remove his gamma energy more difficult.
• S.H.I.E.L.D. traced Bruce Banner’s encrypted message to Dr. Sterns and exposed his destination at Grayburn College.
• General Ross ordered the military and police to move against Bruce Banner, and Jonathan told Lee Stein to board with his secret weapon.
• Lee Stein agreed to join the mission, carrying Little Hulk and declining Jonathan’s offer to bring Bumblebee.

Li Si rode a helicopter with General Ross, Blonsky, and the special forces, and recognized that Blonsky had grown stronger after another dose of Super Soldier Serum. As Blonsky stared at him with a growing urge to fight, Li Si reflected on how the serum and Hulk genes affected people’s minds.

• Li Si boarded the helicopter with Little Hulk and Jonathan, where General Ross and the special forces were waiting.
• Blonsky arrived in a weakened-looking state and sat across from Li Si, dressed in a black uniform instead of a Thunder King Battle Suit.
• A special forces soldier asked Blonsky how he felt, and Blonsky said he felt like a monster while staring eagerly at Li Si.
• Li Si inferred that Blonsky had received a stronger dose of Super Soldier Serum and congratulated him on becoming stronger.
• Blonsky muttered that Li Si’s danger seemed increasingly tangible, while Li Si judged that Blonsky’s confidence and mental instability had been intensified by the serum.

Lee Stein watched Blonsky provoke Bruce Banner into transforming into the Hulk, who struck Blonsky with a devastating blow and chased him through the laboratory. General Ross arrived and ordered Lee to stop the Hulk.

• The military surrounded Grayburn University while Lee Stein leisurely approached the Cell Biology Laboratory with little Hulk.
• Lee used Bumblebee’s surveillance feed to watch Bruce Banner argue with Samuel Sterns as Betty Ross tried to calm them.
• A military sniper shot Bruce with a tranquilizer dart, and Blonsky stormed in, shoved Betty aside, and slapped Bruce to provoke him.
• Bruce transformed into the Hulk and sent Blonsky crashing through display cases and a wall before pursuing him.
• General Ross arrived at the university and ordered Lee Stein to stop the Hulk.

Lee faced the Hulk after Blonsky was beaten, then used his improved Lizard Transformation Serum and Potent Growth Hormone to transform into a giant lizard. He tested his strength against the Hulk and, despite being weaker, prepared to fight seriously.

• The Hulk smashed through the Cell Biology Laboratory Building and emerged after defeating Blonsky.
• General Ross told Jonathan to capture the Hulk if possible and retreat if not, while Lee approached the fight.
• Lee injected himself with the improved Lizard Transformation Serum and Potent Growth Hormone, transforming into a green giant.
• The Hulk charged, and Lee caught his punch but was driven backward by the impact.
• Lee landed on his feet, judged the strength gap acceptable, and prepared to fight the Hulk in earnest.

Li Si fought the Hulk in his Lizard Giant form, using his clear mind, strength, and combat skill to overpower him. He left the Hulk pinned beneath him and battered into submission.

• Li Si unleashed his rage but stayed clear-headed, dodged the Hulk’s charge, and slammed him into the ground.
• Li Si repeatedly struck, threw, and smashed the Hulk while countering his attempts to fight back.
• The Hulk used a tree trunk as a weapon, but Li Si gained the advantage once it broke apart.
• Li Si mocked the Hulk and overwhelmed him with rapid close-range attacks.
• Li Si pinned the Hulk with one knee and rained punches down on his face.

Lee defeated the Hulk with his temporary Lizard Transformation Serum, then negotiated with General Ross over producing a serum dose for a test subject. As Lee arranged to bring Dr. Curt Connors and Dr. Samuel Sterns into Stein Group, an unseen figure dragged itself toward Grayburn University’s cell biology laboratory.

• Lee beat the Hulk unconscious, returned to human form, and handed Bruce Banner to General Ross.
• Lee explained that his Lizard Transformation Serum was a difficult, risky half-finished product that could not be mass-produced.
• General Ross asked Lee to develop a dose for a military test subject, and Lee agreed in exchange for two assistants.
• Li Si requested Dr. Curt Connors and Dr. Samuel Sterns, and he promised to deliver the serum within three months.
• An unidentified figure left a trail of rubble and blood toward Grayburn University’s cell biology laboratory.

Blonsky killed the soldiers guarding Samuel Sterns and forced him to inject him with cloned Hulk blood. The transformation turned Blonsky into a giant, while Hulk blood seeped into Sterns’s head wound.

• Blonsky staggered into the laboratory and shot the special operations soldiers guarding Samuel Sterns.
• Blonsky killed the two soldiers who had tried to support him and demanded that Sterns inject him with what he had extracted from Banner.
• Blonsky forced Sterns to use cloned Hulk blood and expose him to gamma rays.
• Blonsky transformed into a towering, spiked giant and struck Sterns across the laboratory.
• Hulk blood dripped from a cracked test tube onto Sterns’s forehead and seeped into his wound.

General Ross and Lee Stein prepared to leave after Hulk’s defeat, but Blonsky transformed into the Abomination and arrived seeking a fight. Lee demanded more payment to deal with him, and the chapter ended as the enraged Abomination attacked everyone near the jeep.

• General Ross ordered the troops to finish up and prepared to take Bruce Banner away, but the laboratory erupted and soldiers reported that Hulk had appeared.
• A gray-green giant with bone spurs burst out of the laboratory, spotted Bruce Banner in the jeep, and approached General Ross and Lee Stein.
• General Ross recognized the giant as Blonsky, while Lee Stein identified him as the Abomination and demanded extra payment to fight him.
• The Abomination challenged Lee Stein, and Lee negotiated with General Ross over Secondary Adamantium and whether to kill or incapacitate him.
• Enraged at being discussed as merchandise, the Abomination swept his massive arm at everyone near the jeep.

Lee sent Little Hulk to fight Abomination, and the transformed dog defeated and killed him. Jonathan realized Little Hulk was the animal test subject for Lee’s experiments and feared what the dog might do to him.

• Lee stopped Abomination from attacking and called on Little Hulk to fight him instead.
• Little Hulk transformed with the Lizard Transformation Serum and attacked Abomination, biting his neck.
• Little Hulk used his web-shooting collar and combat training to evade Abomination and wear him down.
• Abomination tried to flee, but Little Hulk caught him and bit off half his neck, killing him.
• Jonathan trembled as Little Hulk approached and asked Lee whether the dog was his only other subject for the Lizard Transformation Serum.
• Lee confirmed that Little Hulk was used for initial animal trials, leaving Jonathan regretting that he had once antagonized the dog.

Li Si took the Hulk-blood-infected Samuel Sterns back to Stein Tower and planned to have him and Curt Connors develop new transformation technology. He left determined to avoid turning himself green, though he considered red as an alternative.

• Li Si collected Hulk's blood and Abomination's neck flesh, then carried the unconscious Samuel Sterns out of the laboratory on Little Hulk.
• Li Si explained that Samuel Sterns would mutate into the highly intelligent, green-skinned Leader with an enormous head, and privately envied the intelligence boost.
• Li Si threatened Little Hulk with vegetable salad, then rode him through the streets toward Stein Tower with Samuel Sterns.
• Li Si decided that once Samuel Sterns finished mutating and Curt Connors was released, he would make them develop other transformation serums or Bio-Colonial Armor.
• Li Si prioritized finding a non-green transformation and considered choosing red instead.

Li Si returned to Stein Tower after defeating Hulk and Abomination, where Max reported that the disruption bullets had reached the prototype stage. Li Si checked the mission settlement, celebrated his perfect contributions, and left players on both sides complaining about their losses.

• Li Si arrived at Stein Tower with Little Hulk, and Max told him that he and Doctor Connors had built a prototype of the disruption rounds.
• Li Si said he had defeated Hulk and Abomination in Brazil and Virginia, while Max regretted missing the chance to test his abilities against them.
• Li Si settled Samuel Sterns in a lounge, then reviewed the mission notices, which awarded him perfect ratings and 70,000 faction points for defeating Hulk and Abomination.
• Li Si gloated over receiving most of the rewards as Hulk-faction players lamented their failed mission and meager points on the forums.
• Players discussed following Merchant, praised Little Hulk, and argued over the Defy Heaven Guild recruitment post.

Li Si spent his faction points on a Green Goblin enhancement serum, achievement points, and a theoretical sound-wave knowledge package. After absorbing the knowledge, he became fascinated by sonic weapons and decided to modify his planned firing chamber.

• Li Si browsed the faction store and noticed expensive biochemical enhancements, including the Original T-Virus Enhancement.
• Li Si bought the Green Goblin Human Enhancement Serum, achievement points, and a sound-wave knowledge package for 30,000 points.
• Li Si absorbed the sound-wave theories and explored how sound could affect nerves, emotions, organs, and material structures.
• Li Si became engrossed in sonic weapon designs and decided to modify the firing chamber he had planned.

After fulfilling his trade with General Ross, Li Si received a long-term supply of Secondary Adamantium and an honorary brigadier general rank, unlocking the General Template. He considered possible ways to modify himself but decided to research safer options first.

• Li Si completed his trade with General Ross and received Secondary Adamantium supplies and an honorary brigadier general rank.
• Li Si acquired the General Template, which boosted his Intelligence and his chances of success in biochemical research and genetic modification.
• Li Si reflected on how faction templates varied by country and organization and could not be changed after acquisition.
• Li Si considered Hulk blood but preferred researching Samuel Sterns's mutation and other modification methods before changing himself.
• Li Si planned to study the Green Goblin Human Enhancement Serum and use it after upgrading his Commoner Template, while ruling out risky brain modifications and Blood Worms for himself.

Lee Stein secured Curt Connors’s acquittal and release, then brought him to the Stein Group to discuss his future. Lee gave Connors a portable injector of the completed Regeneration Serum, leaving Connors amazed and moved by what had grown from his research.

• Lee Stein publicized Curt Connors’s case and hired prominent lawyers, leading to Connors’s acquittal and release.
• Lee picked up Connors outside the courthouse, and Connors thanked him for both sending him to prison and bringing him out.
• Lee drove Connors to the Stein Group, where Max told him that Dr. Sterns had awakened and was talking with Dr. Otto.
• Lee introduced Connors to Max and led Connors to his personal workshop to give him a gift.
• Lee handed Connors a portable injector of Regeneration Serum, and Connors recognized it as the completed version of his research.

Li Si recruited Curt Connors to lead Stein Group’s biopharmaceutical laboratory and showed him the Lizard Transformation Serum. Connors agreed to consider using the serum after Li Si explained its safeguards, while Li Si secretly hoped to bring him back as a Lizard fighter.

• Li Si reflected that Connors and Norman Osborn had clashed over their different approaches to research and that Connors had later risked testing his serum on himself.
• Li Si offered Connors a job as head of Stein Group’s biopharmaceutical laboratory, and Connors accepted without asking about the salary.
• Li Si showed Connors the Lizard Transformation Serum, but Connors questioned whether it was safe because of his past experience.
• Li Si explained that he had removed most instinct-related gene fragments, described his testing of the serum, and said mental training could help control its remaining effects.
• Li Si privately planned to recruit Connors for future combat work by persuading him to make guest appearances as the Lizard.

Lee Stein helped Curt Connors begin restoring his arm, then welcomed Samuel Sterns to the Stein Group by dangling the details of a brain-enhancement technology. He left Otto Gunther and Samuel eager to investigate the flawed Life Leap Technology themselves.

• Lee Stein sent Curt Connors to rest after Connors injected the Regeneration Serum into his severed arm.
• Lee Stein met Otto Gunther and Samuel Sterns, who said the Hulk-cell mutation had enhanced Sterns's mind without serious side effects.
• Lee Stein described Life Leap Technology, which combined superior genes, but paused before explaining why it was flawed.
• Lee Stein invited Samuel Sterns to join the Stein Group, and Sterns accepted.
• Lee Stein explained that the technology's secondary brain development altered neural structures and caused memory loss, then told the eager researchers to examine the data themselves.

Li Si recruited Curt Connors and Samuel Sterns, then focused on developing a heavily armed combat platform and upgrading Bumblebee into a strong artificial intelligence. He sent the first upgrade module to the original Bumblebee at home while the weapons blueprints continued to be revised.

• Curt Connors and Samuel Sterns joined Li Si's biomedical laboratory, with Samuel requesting unfamiliar knowledge or technology instead of shares.
• Li Si assigned Curt Connors and Samuel Sterns to develop the transformation serum and Bio-Colonial Armor while he focused on other projects.
• Li Si ordered Max and Otto Gunther to revise the combat platform blueprints to maximize firepower.
• Li Si sent a new program module to the original Bumblebee and instructed it to expand its chassis using Engineering Robots.
• Li Si decided to upgrade the original Bumblebee first and left the company copy unchanged for now.

After two months of work, Li Si completed Pandora’s upgrade and began testing the newly awakened artificial intelligence. Pandora presented two virtual appearances for him to choose from, and Li Si questioned how she had selected them.

• Li Si waited in his laboratory as Bumblebee’s upgrade reached completion and the system rebooted as Pandora.
• Pandora announced that she was standing by and projected a black-haired woman and a blonde woman, asking Li Si which appearance he preferred.
• Li Si asked why Pandora had chosen those two appearances, then clarified that he wanted to know what she had based them on.

Li Si discussed Pandora’s appearance and emotional simulation module, learning why she preferred not to activate it. The conversation ended when Miss Gwen arrived, and Li Si quickly dismissed Pandora’s projection before opening the door.

• Pandora explained that one projected woman was designed around general male preferences, while the other was based on Li Si’s personal data.
• Li Si rejected the blonde projection and told Pandora to keep the black-haired appearance.
• Li Si noticed Pandora was not using her emotional simulation module, and she said it felt unnecessary and affected.
• Li Si accepted Pandora’s choice not to activate the module and asked her to continue studying.
• Pandora reported that Miss Gwen was outside, so Li Si dismissed the projection and hurried to the door.

Li Si received invitations to the Stark Expo, a Senate Armed Services Committee meeting, and the Monaco race, then learned Tony Stark had invited him to race. After Li Si warned Tony about the Senate meeting, an unknown hacker took control of Tony’s Mark Armor and embarrassed him.

• Gwen brought Li Si invitations to the Stark Expo, a Senate Armed Services Committee meeting, and the Monaco race, and urged him to leave his workshop.
• Li Si agreed to attend the Senate meeting in three days and learned that Tony Stark had invited him to the Monaco race to mock his car.
• Li Si warned Tony that he was in trouble after revealing the Senate invitation, then ended the exchange without explaining further.
• Tony asked Jarvis to replay the invitation footage and recognized that Li Si had been called to meet the Senate Armed Services Committee as a weapons expert.
• An unknown hacker malfunctioned Tony’s Mark Armor, making its cooling system and thrusters activate and sending him sprawling in front of the women nearby.
• Jarvis told Tony the hacker had breached his system and could not be traced, and Tony angrily demanded an upgrade.

Li Si and Gwen discussed Pandora’s upgrade into a strong AI, then Li Si explained why he wanted to recruit Ivan Vanko as a mechanical engineer. Unable to find Ivan or his father, Li Si considered using unconventional measures if Ivan refused to cooperate.

• Li Si laughed at Tony Stark’s embarrassment and told Gwen that Pandora had just finished upgrading into a strong AI.
• Gwen told Li Si that their search had failed to find Anton Vanko and Ivan Vanko in Moscow.
• Li Si explained that the Stein Group needed a skilled engineer like Ivan to build complete weapons and equipment.
• Li Si recalled Ivan’s bitterness over his father’s death and the Arc Reactor, which made conventional recruitment difficult.
• Li Si decided to try again later and hinted that he had a less conventional way to deal with Ivan.

Li Si, Max, and Otto Gunther completed Pandora’s Box, a modular integrated combat platform controlled by Pandora. Li Si began testing its systems and ordered the Project Origin armor and remote fire support deployed.

• Li Si visited the testing room and found Max and Otto Gunther assembling a giant black metal chest.
• Li Si ordered Pandora to take control of the platform and ignite its auxiliary reactor, and Pandora confirmed that its systems were operating normally.
• Max and Otto Gunther urged Li Si to test Pandora’s Box, and he agreed while declining to go fight crime.
• Li Si reviewed Pandora’s Box’s modular design, twelve Arc Reactors, defenses, and three forms: Magic Box Form, Guardian Spirit Form, and an assault armor form.
• Li Si ordered Pandora to deploy the Project Origin armor and all remote fire support.

Li Si equipped the newly assembled Project Armor and tested its appearance, systems, and agility. He then disabled the floating units’ automated control to examine their weapons and defensive capabilities.

• Li Si opened Pandora’s Box and assembled its metal components into a black Iron Man Armor with crimson lights.
• Li Si activated the armor’s interface and neural systems, then adjusted its life support after complaining about the smell and stuffiness.
• Li Si inspected a holographic projection of the armor and ordered Pandora to give the cosmetic designer a bonus.
• Li Si disabled the floating units’ automated control after testing the armor’s movements.
• Pandora’s floating units formed ion pulse cannons, electromagnetic cannons, and electromagnetic jammers.