Hulk and Abomination

Donnie had never harbored any grand dreams. While others carefully mapped out lofty ambitions for their lives, he had only wanted to become a truck driver and someday own a truck of his own. After graduating from college, he joined a transport company and spent two years traveling all over the place. At last, he saved up some money, took out a loan, and bought a small truck of his own. Donnie named it Optimus Prime.

For a time, his coworkers mocked him mercilessly.

"Oh, Donnie's lost it. He calls his new truck Optimus Prime!"

"If a minitruck is called Optimus Prime, then when you buy a big rig in a few years, are you going to call it Unicron?"

"Starting today, my ride will be called Megatron."

Everyone burst into laughter, chattering as they offered their own opinions on Donnie's actions.

Donnie refused to accept it and explained to his coworkers that although this was his first vehicle, he would be driving it for a long time. Even when he bought a new vehicle in the future, he would still call it Optimus Prime. It was a matter of sentiment. Others would not understand; only he understood it himself.

His coworkers remained unconvinced. Many asked him what kind of sentiment it was. Some childhood Transformers nostalgia? Donnie never answered. When pressed too hard, he would nod, then shake his head. So his coworkers continued to tease him from time to time, using it as conversation whenever they were bored.

At first, Donnie tried his best to explain and argue, but they always asked him about his "sentiment." After a while, he simply stopped explaining, because he knew his coworkers bore no ill will. They just wanted to talk and laugh. Donnie did not argue back and only listened with a smile. Gradually, his coworkers stopped bringing it up and tirelessly searched for new topics.

Another day began. As usual, Donnie set aside some time to maintain and wipe down his truck, without fail. He stubbornly believed that an excellent driver should regard his vehicle as a comrade who weathered storms alongside him, not as an ordinary tool.

He opened the door, started the engine, and headed out with a full load of fresh fruit. To keep the fruit fresh, and because this delivery was urgent, Donnie drove faster than usual. By the time he realized something was wrong, it was too late. A luxury car came speeding in from the side and slammed head-on into Optimus Prime's driver-side door, crushing it to pieces.

In the last thing Donnie saw, there was the other driver's flushed face and bleary, drunken eyes, gone in an instant.

It was a young man. He was definitely drunk. I won't have to pay for his luxury car, Donnie thought. Then he regretted the heavy damage to his beloved truck. It probably could not be fully repaired. Even if it could, so many parts would need replacing that it would no longer be the original vehicle.

His consciousness gradually blurred. Everything before Donnie's eyes became hazy, and his ears rang. He could no longer hear the screams and shouts of the bystanders.

The evening news reported, "At 3:07 this afternoon, a traffic accident occurred on Sunshine Avenue, resulting in one death. The perpetrator has been detained by the police. Residents are advised to pay attention to traffic safety when traveling."

When he opened his eyes again, he was in a completely unfamiliar environment, surrounded by unfamiliar faces and unfamiliar family. His parents gently picked up the newborn him, carefully soothing him with immense affection. Donnie stared wide-eyed, looking around at everything new and strange.

This was a new world, one with the legendary deeds of Captain America, as well as cities such as Gotham and Metropolis. After his initial shock, Donnie quickly calmed down. The most prominent aspect of his personality was adaptability. Since he was here, he would make the best of it. There was no use overthinking things.

In this life, his family also worked in transportation. The three of them lived frugally in difficult circumstances and managed to save a considerable sum. In the vast metropolis of New York, there were plenty of opportunities to make money if one was willing to work hard and endure hardship. They used a loan to make the down payment on a small house in New York. It was tiny, but enough to shelter them from the wind and rain—cramped, yet warm.

Donnie grew up in this new city and new family. They were not wealthy, but they were warm enough to make him content and cherish them all the more.

Until the day the family of three loaded up their truck once more and prepared to head out on a delivery, Donnie specifically came along to help.

"You little brat, what are you doing here? Your old man is still strong as an ox!"

Donnie laughed. "I think you're not even as strong as me anymore. I've been working out!" As he spoke, he struck a bodybuilder's pose, drawing a laughing scolding from his father and a soft chuckle from his mother.

But tragedy struck without warning.

It was a sudden disaster. Countless cries and the roars of monsters shattered all peace.

A massive figure suddenly appeared beside them and overturned the small truck that the three of them depended on for survival, as casually as kicking aside a toy in its path.

Everything darkened. The colorful world turned blood-red in an instant.

His head hurt...

Countless shrill screams and sobs sounded faintly in the distance, along with what seemed to be gunfire and artillery blasts.

In his daze, Donnie felt someone fiercely slapping his face and roaring something into his ear. He barely opened his eyes, and that tiny motion seemed to use up all his strength.

"...Wake up, hey! If you lie here, you're dead for sure... Kid, if you don't want to die, get up now!"

Donnie opened his eyes wide and looked blankly at the stranger before him, then rolled his eyes toward the surroundings that were familiar yet unfamiliar.

"I'm not dead...?" Donnie muttered softly.

"If you don't run now, you really will die! Those two monsters won't spare you just because you're injured! Get up and run!" the man shouted, desperately shaking his head.

"Run!" Someone else ran past them, shouting at them. But after only a few steps, he was struck by an enormous chunk of rock. His entire body shattered, blood spraying everywhere.

Donnie's face turned deathly pale, his mind roaring nonstop. One could not imagine how shocking this was for a city dweller who had lived in a peaceful environment. Many people felt sick just watching a bloody movie, let alone witnessing a whole person being smashed to pieces right in front of them.

The occasional beastlike roars tore at Donnie's nerves, warning him that this was a thoroughly dangerous place. Panicked people ran everywhere around him. Fragments of buildings, signs, and other debris littered the ground. Many vehicles had crashed into one another, while others had flipped over. It was clear that the mess would not be sorted out anytime soon. It was a scene straight out of the apocalypse.

The man barely managed to grab Donnie and drag him out.

"What exactly is going on?" Donnie asked. He wanted to turn around and see how his parents were doing, but he failed. He was badly injured, his face covered in blood.

His heart was filled with terror, and he felt as though something important had left him forever.

"Two monsters are fighting," the man said. "Monsters that came from who knows where. A lot of people are dead."

Donnie felt like he had gone mad. Everyone had gone mad.

With a tremendous crash, a colossal figure fell in front of the two of them. The ground split open, kicking up clouds of dust and countless tiny stones that sprayed in every direction. They struck Donnie's body, causing unbearable pain.

The night was dim, hindering his vision slightly. He could only vaguely make out a huge figure, perhaps three to five meters tall. Then came a roar as the monster howled at the sky.

Donnie's eyes widened. He clearly heard the monster roaring, "Hulk"!

It was Hulk!

Donnie's eyes slowly reddened, bloodshot veins spreading through them.

"Damn it!"

The man beside him was terrified as well, his body trembling.

"Run! Don't worry about me!" Donnie said rapidly. "My family is still in the truck. I have to save them!" He trembled in overwhelming fear. He was afraid of losing everything, afraid that the terrible thought in his mind would become reality.

The man's face turned ashen, but he said nothing. Stubbornly, he continued dragging Donnie away. Ignoring Donnie's cries, he hoisted him over his shoulder, turned around with difficulty, and moved forward step by step. He was a middle-aged man with bloody streaks on his face. Though terrified, he kept walking with unwavering determination. No matter how Donnie shouted and struggled, he refused to let go.

He had already checked the other two people in the truck. They could not be saved.

The prosperous city had become a field of ruins. Skyscrapers were battered and broken, vehicles lay scattered everywhere, and many people hid beneath cars, trembling as they prayed for divine mercy. In the distance, soldiers and civilians were mixed together in shadowy clusters, too afraid to approach. Armed helicopters circled cautiously overhead from afar, unwilling to get close. The surviving streetlights flickered continuously, as if trying to release their final light amid the chaos. It did give the survivors a tiny measure of comfort. By that faint light, Donnie and the man moved onward with difficulty and determination.

Hulk roared while pounding his own head, seemingly trying to clear his mind. He had no time to notice the insignificant bug in front of him, giving Donnie and the man time to escape.

But in the end, there was not enough time. Donnie was too badly injured, and the middle-aged man was too exhausted.

A similarly massive figure, though darker in color, suddenly leaped from the intersection and landed not far from them. It confronted Hulk and roared, "Hulk! I'm stronger than you now!"

Donnie felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar, a bone-deep chill shooting from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.

Abomination! Another monster!

The middle-aged man beside him unexpectedly calmed down and said to Donnie, "They're two villains, monsters! They've destroyed everything. They'll definitely go to hell."

Donnie saw his family's small truck lying overturned by the roadside. Before he could wipe away the tears that had appeared at some point, he pointed at it and shouted, "There! Even if I die, I want to die with my family. I can't lose them!"