Slaying the Abomination

Donnie also hated the Hulk, but he had to admit that a recovered Hulk was far beyond what the Abomination could match. The theoretical infinite strength alone was enough to terrify anyone.

The Hulk and Optimus Prime fought together, their relentless attacks forcing the Abomination to barely defend itself. What shocked it even more was the terrifying trend of both opponents growing stronger the longer they fought.

The Hulk was gradually recovering. Optimus Prime's body was continuously strengthened by Spark Energy. Though he still couldn't block the Abomination's heavy punches without taking damage, he could at least trade a few blows without too much loss. The price of this strengthening was Donnie's face turning deathly pale, the Spark rapidly dimming. But he refused to admit defeat, squeezing himself dry.

The Abomination took hit after hit, both shocked and enraged. It had been arrogant, looking down on the world, yet now it was being suppressed like this.

"Kill me? Impossible!" the Abomination roared, bloodlust flashing in its eyes as it went mad. The Hulk Serum spread further, making it stronger and larger.

The Hulk punched out, sending the Abomination flying over ten meters, battered and humiliated. Donnie seized the chance to have Optimus Prime charge in, using his new right arm to viciously pound the Abomination's chest. The wound that had never healed widened rapidly.

The Abomination screamed in pain and kicked Optimus Prime away.

"You're relying on the Hulk Serum you injected. Your power has a limit. When the serum runs out, you're as good as dead."

He waited for an opportunity, silently recalling memories from his past life, trying to estimate the Abomination's rough power ceiling.

"By my order, all units open fire! Tanks are authorized!" General Ross's cold voice rang out from the sky.

Betty was horrified. "Father, Banner is still down there! You promised me you wouldn't hurt him anymore!"

The soldier sending the message hesitated, looking at General Ross.

Ross was indifferent. "This kind of artillery fire won't hurt Banner. I'm targeting that new mutant who just appeared! I won't destroy one monster only to create another. I've made that mistake once before."

The usually domineering General Ross rarely explained himself. In his fight against the Hulk, he had ultimately created the Abomination, a grave sin. This time, he had sent the Hulk to deal with the Abomination, only to birth a new mutant monster.

"You all felt it. The energy that mutant burst out in that instant was terrifying. Mutants awakened in crisis tend to have higher abilities and greater threats. Whether his power is metal control or something else, he's undoubtedly a Level 4 Mutant."

General Ross had once witnessed Magneto's power firsthand—a magnetic field so vast it was despairing, like a god looking down on ants. Everything fell silent, not a blade of grass grew, and he possessed the might to casually overturn a supercity.

If the mutant turned out to be a moderate like Professor X, that might barely be acceptable. But who dared to gamble? At the spot where the small truck had been, two bloody corpses lay peacefully asleep. Given how carefully the mutant had placed them, even a fool could tell the dead were incredibly important to him.

Under these circumstances, who dared to bet they could win over this new mutant?

"General Ross, terminate your mission now. Order your troops to withdraw." A commanding voice suddenly came through the communicator, overbearing, leaving no room for defiance.

Ross erupted in fury. "To hell with that! What about these three monsters? And who the hell are you?"

"I have authorization from the Global Security Council, with approval from the five major powers. Do you want to see it, General? Don't try to act first and report later. You don't want to be charged with treason, do you?" the voice said.

General Ross ground his teeth, wanting nothing more than to smash the speaker's skull. Where were they when they could have stepped in earlier? Now, just as the fruits were about to be harvested! The Council clearly wanted to steal his achievement. If he handed it over, the Hulk would no longer belong to him, and his massively expensive Super Soldier Program would collapse. Ross could already see the prison sentence awaiting him in the near future.

And that suspected Level 4 Mutant—he'd have to let him go too.

"I can authorize giving you the Abomination. He was your soldier after all," the voice said, dignified and forceful, as if wielding immense power to decide life and death.

Ross's expression flickered with uncertainty.

On the scene, the Abomination was completely suppressed. Just as Donnie had said, once the serum ran out, its power stopped growing, and its threat plummeted. Under the combined assault of the Hulk and Donnie, it couldn't even defend itself.

The Hulk kept getting stronger. But Optimus Prime's strength had plateaued. Having already lost a lot of metal, and with the Changan Star Card's materials, Donnie found that no matter how much Spark Energy he used, Optimus Prime's body wouldn't change anymore.

Worse, the AllSpark's light was dim, nearly extinguished. Donnie's face was drained of color, yet veins bulged grotesquely on his forehead, writhing eerily, making onlookers fear his head might explode at any moment.

At this point in the battle, Donnie was swaying, nearing his limit. A vast amount of Spark Energy was wasted. Having just awakened and rushed into battle, his power was immature, and he severely lacked combat experience. He could only madly expend Spark Energy for comfort. His red eyes locked onto the Abomination like a ravenous demon, determined to kill it with his own strength at the final moment.

Ross couldn't sit still any longer. He refused to watch the Abomination die like this. Even if it died, it would be on his dissection table! Not everyone could take the Hulk Serum, survive, and undergo transformation!

At that moment, Ross's possessiveness swelled to its peak. His things—no one else could touch them. That was a general's resolve.

The Abomination was beaten to a pulp, covered in wounds. It tried to fight back, but was quickly knocked down again, adding more injuries. Gathering all its strength, it leaped up, trying to smash Optimus Prime from above. But Donnie reacted quickly, dodging in time. The Hulk grabbed the Abomination and pounded it mercilessly. Optimus Prime found a wound and struck viciously, severing one of the Abomination's arms as the crowd watched in stunned disbelief.

"My God, that monster is finished!" a survivor shouted in joy, tears streaming.

"Enough!" Ross roared in frustration, issuing orders. "Send the tanks in! Surround the Abomination! Don't let those two get close!"

The tanks rumbled forward, a dark mass advancing menacingly. They had been instructed that the green one wouldn't attack them. If the metal one made a move, they were to fight back with full force, killing the enemy and ridding the world of a potential threat.

Optimus Prime's battered appearance—missing limbs, tattered frame—gave the soldiers confidence. This metal giant was in terrible shape, especially since his body had thinned to half its original thickness.

"You win, Hulk, you win! Let me go now, or General Ross won't spare you. I'm his loyal soldier. He'll protect me."

The Abomination lay on the ground, panting. Seeing the situation turn bad, it surrendered without hesitation, cunningly invoking Ross. It earnestly claimed how loyal it was to Ross, how many tough missions it had completed for him, but never mentioned its slaughter of innocents or unauthorized attacks on the military. Shameless.

"Let me go. I know I was wrong," the Abomination kept saying. "Or General Ross will kill you." Its eyes showed a complex mix of humiliation and smugness.

The Hulk, with his low intelligence, was at a loss. Betty ran over, hugging him and crying loudly, flustering him.

Donnie gasped, a smile spreading across his face.

A flash of viciousness crossed the Abomination's eyes. It took that smile as a victory grin—the ultimate insult to a god among men. It would take revenge, crush this little insect with its own hands. But that was for later. It forced a somewhat simple-looking smile. "You win. You should go now. The military might turn on you."

Donnie sneered, his voice icy. "I'd rather turn on you. I told you, I won't let you off."

He was insane. He squeezed out the last of his Spark Energy, unleashing it all at once. The Spark blazed brightly, cutting through the darkness, surpassing any previous moment. This reckless, consequence-be-damned outburst bought him unprecedented, terrifying power. His AllSpark seemed to ignite!

Burn!

Burn!

A desperate, hysterical burn—a burn that would destroy itself to shine!

The battered Optimus Prime suddenly extended an arm, instantly assembling it into a massive blade. Countless visible streams of Spark Energy continuously coated the blade, layer after layer, seemingly endless. In the Abomination's horrified, despairing gaze, the blade sliced off its head, blood spraying three feet!

The world fell silent. People stared, their minds blank, unable to process.

Donnie sensed the AllSpark in his mind nearly shatter, silently extinguishing. It had burned too much of itself. The price was too high.

Faintly, he heard furious shouts. Donnie, gravely wounded and dazed, looked at the Abomination's corpse, muttered, "Worth it," and passed out.