Thunderbolt General

Inside The Pentagon, a middle-aged man sat at his desk, his hair graying, dressed in his military uniform.

Behind him hung a massive world map, with many locations marked by red circles. He puffed on a cigar, lost in a cloud of smoke, his brow furrowed as he scribbled something with a pen.

On the desk sat his nameplate: General Ross.

Ross, full name Thaddeus Ross, was born into a military family and graduated from West Point.

He was an outstanding leader, rising from second lieutenant to major, from colonel to general, with a record of distinguished service. During one operation, he led his troops with such thunderous efficiency that he earned the nickname Thunderbolt General.

True to his name, he was decisive and possessed sharp judgment—a man of iron and blood.

Yet, even a tough man has his tender moments; he met his wife, Karen, and they had a daughter, Betty. He cherished his daughter like a precious treasure.

Unfortunately, his wife passed away early on, leaving him to raise his daughter alone. Due to the demands of his work, he didn't spend much time with her.

As time passed, Betty grew up to become a brilliant scientist.

After the war, Ross began research into gamma weapons, and Betty joined the project. During their long tenure, Betty met Dr. Bruce Banner, who was also assigned to the gamma research program.

Bruce Banner was gifted but physically frail. Betty and Bruce fell in love at first sight, and their romance blossomed. Ross saw it all, and to be honest, he didn't like Bruce; he felt the man wasn't good enough for his daughter and wanted Betty to marry an officer.

But matters of the heart are not for parents to decide. As Bruce and Betty's relationship grew stronger, Ross felt his age and decided to let the young couple be.

However, all this happiness was soon shattered by a terrifying nightmare!

In an accidental incident, Bruce was exposed to gamma radiation and transformed into a horrific monster. This monster lacked reason; its mind was filled only with destruction, and it sought to annihilate everything in its path.

Betty was severely injured in the accident and remained in a coma for a long time. Remembering his daughter lying on that hospital bed, Ross swore he would capture that monster—he would capture that bastard, Bruce.

But capturing Bruce wasn't simple. After all, he was a smart man who knew how to hide his tracks and evade pursuit. From that day on, Ross began his long hunt for the Hulk.

His Hulkbuster Team was spread across the globe, constantly searching for traces of Bruce. Occasionally, Bruce would slip up—like when he lost his temper and turned into the Hulk, leading to news reports of a giant green monster.

By the time they arrived, Bruce had long since fled. Over the years, Bruce had run from the United States to foreign lands; no one knew where he was now.

Yet, after countless attempts to capture him, Ross was surprised to discover that Bruce was actually searching for a way to cure himself.

At first, Ross only wanted to capture Bruce and imprison the monster. But later, he gradually realized the terrifying power of the Hulk.

If he could replicate that power, he could create a formidable super-soldier. Once such soldiers could be mass-produced, they would become the military's most powerful armed force.

To capture the Hulk, Ross mobilized vast military resources, pulling elite soldiers from all over the world to form his Hulkbuster Team for the mission.

He sought out Tony Stark and reached an agreement with Stark Industries, purchasing a large amount of weaponry, including the newly developed Sonic Cannon.

Of course, he felt this wasn't enough. Even with troops and weapons, they couldn't find Bruce; it was as if he had evaporated into thin air, as if he had completely vanished from the world.

With no other options, Ross turned to S.H.I.E.L.D., hoping they could help. After all, S.H.I.E.L.D. was a world-class intelligence organization with 24/7 spy satellites and eyes everywhere—all of which could help him find his target.

After all, S.H.I.E.L.D. was everywhere.

To be fair, S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't want to help with this. Bruce had already fled abroad, and no one knew where he was hiding; finding him would certainly require a great deal of effort.

Moreover, the Hulk was no ordinary enemy; he was a complete monster. His terrifying strength could destroy an entire army in an instant, and S.H.I.E.L.D. had no desire to provoke such a creature.

Simply put, the Hulk was created by the military, so the military should be the one to deal with the mess.

Ross thought he had lost his chance, but to his surprise, S.H.I.E.L.D. called back quickly, and it was Nick Fury himself.

"General Ross." The face of a one-eyed black man appeared on the communication screen.

Ross puffed on his cigar and said, "Director Fury, regarding that matter, what has S.H.I.E.L.D. decided?"

"S.H.I.E.L.D. can assist you," Nick Fury said. "However, we will not send armed forces to participate in the capture; instead, we will provide you with intelligence and data."

Ross nodded. Everyone knew how terrifying the Hulk was; the military had exhausted its efforts trying to capture the monster, and it was a wise choice for S.H.I.E.L.D. not to get involved in this muddy water.

"We will send an operative who will coordinate with your capture mission!"

Hearing this, Ross frowned. Just one operative? Who could it be?

"Trust me, this person will definitely satisfy you." Nick Fury smiled mysteriously and then cut the connection.

Ross was baffled. If S.H.I.E.L.D. wasn't sending armed forces, why send an operative? Was he a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent or a military consultant?

Just then, a female officer walked over. "General, we found something you might be interested in."

"In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, there was a strange poisoning incident."

As Ross listened to the officer, he looked at the file in his hand. To be precise, this wasn't ordinary poisoning—it was gamma poisoning.

An elderly man had drunk a bottle of authentic Guarana Soda and then fell ill, exhibiting manic symptoms and babbling nonsense. Tests confirmed that his body contained gamma radiation elements.

"Where were these sodas bottled?" Seeing this, Ross was so excited he nearly bit his cigar in half. He stood up and asked.

"Porto, Brazil," the female officer replied.

Ross set down his cigar and said with a stern expression, "Send people to the bottling plant immediately and have them look for a white man!"

"Should we proceed with an arrest?" the female officer asked.

"No," General Ross replied in a low voice. "Don't alert the enemy yet; keep him under close surveillance. Remember, don't get discovered, or we'll lose his trail again."

As the female officer left, General Ross pulled out a photograph—a picture of a young, fresh-faced Bruce Banner. Ross sneered and used his cigar to light the photo on fire. "Hulk, this time I won't let you get away!"

Honestly, with all the death-defying stunts Ross has pulled over the years, how has he even survived this long?