Hulk Rampages! Competing in Rage? I've Never Lost!

Helicarrier, bridge laboratory.

The air was thick with an irritating smell of gunpowder.

This irritation was not merely due to their disagreements. It was more like an invisible mental toxin, constantly eroding the Avengers' sanity.

The scepter embedded with the Mind Stone lay quietly on the analysis table, giving off a faint blue glow.

"This is your shield?"

Steve Rogers held a Hydra-style energy rifle he had dug out of the armory and slammed it onto the table. "This isn't defense at all. It's a weapon of mass destruction! Fury, you're lying!"

"I'm not lying. I just... withheld some information." Nick Fury tried to explain, but his voice betrayed his guilt.

"Withheld information? You call this withholding information?" Tony Stark shut off the holographic display, his face full of mockery. "S.H.I.E.L.D. wanted to use the Tesseract to build nuclear weapons, and you're still lecturing us about the noble ideals of the 'Avengers'?"

The argument exploded instantly.

Tony attacked Fury, Steve attacked Tony, Thor mocked the savagery of Earthlings, and Natasha tried to mediate only to get dragged into it.

Only two people remained apart from the quarrel.

One was Bruce Banner. He had his head lowered, both hands braced on the table. His fingers trembled unconsciously, and veins bulged at his temples.

The other was Jiang Li. He sat atop a railing with a bottle of iced cola in hand, watching this group of "heroes" who were about to save the world as if he were enjoying a show.

Omnitrix, activate Mental Shielding, Jiang Li silently thought.

The black-and-green watch grew faintly warm. An invisible biological ripple shielded his mind, blocking out the Mind Stone's low-frequency interference.

"Everyone, although I hate to interrupt your tea party."

Jiang Li suddenly spoke. His voice was not loud, but it carried a chill that instantly cut through the noisy argument. "Have you noticed what someone's hand is doing?"

The arguing stopped abruptly.

Everyone followed Jiang Li's pointing finger.

They saw that the usually mild-mannered Dr. Banner was flushed red, and one of his hands had unconsciously gripped the Mind Scepter!

"Doctor..." Steve's voice tightened. "Put that thing down."

Banner froze. He looked down at his hand, then released the scepter as if he had been burned.

"I... I don't know what happened... I didn't mean to take it..."

"It's infrasonic waves."

Jiang Li leaped down from the railing and kicked the fallen scepter away. "This thing is broadcasting signals like a radio station, fanning your anger. Loki is probably laughing next door."

"That's impossible!" Tony retorted instinctively. "My sensors didn't detect—"

BOOM—!!!

A thunderous explosion instantly cut off everyone's conversation.

The entire Helicarrier tilted violently, as though it had been struck by a giant hammer!

The massive blast wave swept through the corridor, and flames instantly devoured one side of the bridge.

"Engine Three is down! Someone blew up the turbine!" Agent Hill screamed over the broadcast.

The violent shaking threw everyone off balance.

Natasha and Dr. Banner happened to be standing on a weakened section of floor. With a crack, they both fell directly into the maintenance area below.

"Banner!" Steve shouted.

"Forget him! Fix the engine first!" Tony's faceplate snapped shut, his thrusters firing at full power. "If this ship falls, half of New York will be finished! Steve, come with me!"

Captain America and Iron Man charged out.

Thor picked up his hammer and looked at Jiang Li. "I'm going to check on Loki!"

"Don't go, it's a trap!" Jiang Li tried to stop him, but Thor had already rushed toward the holding area.

"What a bunch of teammates who never listen to orders."

Jiang Li sighed. He sensed that heart-palpitating presence rising from beneath his feet.

It was the presence of a beast awakening.

The lower maintenance area.

The dim lights flickered on and off, while steam from ruptured pipes turned the place into a maze.

Natasha was pinned beneath a pile of debris. She struggled to pull out her leg, then looked up at Banner, who was curled up in a corner.

"Doctor? Bruce? Are you okay?"

Banner was curled up in agony. It seemed as though green insects were writhing beneath his skin, while his bones let out teeth-grating cracking sounds.

"Run... run..."

Banner raised his head. His once gentle brown eyes had turned a furious emerald green.

ROAR—!!

With the sharp sound of tearing clothes, the refined doctor vanished.

In his place stood a green monster nearly three meters tall, its muscles bulging like rock!

The Incredible Hulk was online!

With one swing of his hand, Hulk tore a heavy forklift in half as if it were paper. Then he turned, his killing intent-filled eyes locking firmly onto Natasha.

"Hulk! Smash!!"

Natasha's face went pale. She was a top agent, but before such pure, absolute power, any skill was a joke.

She turned and ran, trying to use the narrow pipes to shake Hulk off.

But Hulk was like an out-of-control tank, ignoring every obstacle in his path.

Boom! Boom!

Steel walls shattered before him like paper, and huge pipes were casually ripped apart.

The sense of oppression was like encountering an alien in a confined space.

Thud!

Natasha was forced into a dead end.

Hulk roared as he charged toward her, raising his enormous fist high. His shadow engulfed Natasha completely.

Is this the end? Natasha closed her eyes in despair.

Just then.

"Hey, big guy!"

A flippant whistle came from behind Hulk.

"Picking on girls isn't very gentlemanly. Though you don't look much like a gentleman. More like a giant green baby who forgot his pants."

Hulk froze, then abruptly turned around.

At the end of the corridor, Jiang Li stood there, rolling his wrists. There was not the slightest trace of fear in his eyes.

"ROAR!!" Hulk recognized him.

That red guy who had slammed him in Harlem!

New grudges and old debts, all settled at once! Hulk instantly abandoned Natasha and charged at Jiang Li, every step leaving a dent in the floor.

"Good."

Jiang Li watched Hulk charge toward him like a locomotive, a fanatical smile curling across his lips.

"Last time, I beat you with skill. I know you weren't convinced."

Jiang Li slapped the Omnitrix on his chest and turned it to that familiar red icon.

"But today, I'm going to overpower you head-on... with strength!"

[System Notification: High-risk combat environment detected.]

[Genetic enhancement trait activated—Rage Mode.]

"It's Hero Time!"

Red light exploded!

This transformation was more violent than any before it.

Jiang Li's body rapidly expanded. His red muscles seemed ready to burst through his skin, darkening to a blood-red hue, while faint white steam even rose from his body.

Four thick arms spread wide, and golden flames burned in his four eyes, trailing long tails of light.

"Four Arms—Rage Form!"

ROAR!!!

Jiang Li let out a roar no weaker than Hulk's. Rather than retreat, he charged forward. His four feet slammed into the ground, crushing a huge crater into the alloy floor as he shot toward Hulk like a massive red cannonball!

The two enormous figures slammed viciously into each other in the narrow corridor!

BOOM—!!!

The entire Helicarrier shuddered violently.

It was like two speeding trains colliding head-on.

The shockwave instantly shattered every nearby window and pipe. White steam erupted forth, obscuring their vision.

Within the smoke and dust.

Hulk gripped Jiang Li's upper two hands with both of his own, desperately wrestling against him.

But Jiang Li still had two more hands!

"Surprised? I have four hands!"

Jiang Li's lower hands clamped tightly around Hulk's waist, then suddenly exerted force!

Tetramand-Style Power Slam!

"Up!"

Jiang Li's upper hands forced apart Hulk's defense, while his lower hands lifted Hulk clean off the ground and viciously smashed him into the load-bearing wall beside them!

BOOM!!

The titanium-alloy wall, dozens of centimeters thick, was smashed through instantly.

Hulk rolled into the neighboring hangar like a ball.

"Whew..."

Jiang Li shook his slightly numb wrists, looked at the hole Hulk had smashed through, then turned and grinned at the still-shaken Natasha.

"Ma'am, you can leave first. What comes next might be a little inappropriate for children."

With that, he strode heavily toward the hangar.