Military Compromise, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Olive Branch

Lin Ye's voice traveled through the Mind Network like a cold electric current drilling straight into General Ross's mind. Ross jolted violently, cold sweat instantly soaking the back of his uniform.

Objections? Did he dare to have any?

Looking at the green monster bound tightly by countless arcs of lightning, still roaring unwillingly yet unable to break free, then at the young man standing calmly behind Hulk as though he had merely done something trivial, General Ross's throat went dry. Every harsh word was stuck in his throat.

He had no doubt that if he dared say a single word of refusal, the terrifying lightning that could melt tanks into molten iron and make Hulk howl in agony would descend upon his command vehicle the next second! The military? Before such individual power, numbers seemed to have lost all meaning.

"General!" The adjutant beside him gripped his gun nervously, waiting for orders.

Ross took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing both his fear and his burning greed for such overwhelming power. Into the radio, he gave the order in a dry voice, "All units... remain on alert. Without my orders, no one is to open fire! I repeat, do not open fire!"

He had to placate this menace first.

Then he pushed open the vehicle door and, under the tense gazes of the soldiers, walked alone toward the center of the battlefield. Every step felt as heavy as a thousand pounds. He could smell the ozone in the air and feel the scalp-prickling static.

Ross stopped about ten meters away from Lin Ye. This distance showed a certain degree of respect and was... relatively safer? Though he doubted the distance meant anything at all to the other man.

"I am General Thaddeus Ross." He tried to keep his voice steady, but its faint tremor still betrayed him. "Thank you for stopping this disaster. This... creature is extremely dangerous and must be held and studied by the military's highest-level containment facility to ensure public safety."

His words sounded righteous, but the desire in his eyes was nearly overflowing.

Lin Ye scoffed. The arcs around him flickered slightly, making his features seem somewhat blurred. "General Ross, it seems you still haven't figured out the situation."

He raised a hand and pointed at the still-struggling Hulk. "First, he isn't some 'creature.' His name is Hulk, the embodiment of Dr. Bruce Banner's anger. Second, hand him over to you? So you can continue those idiotic experiments, provoke him, then let him break out again and again and smash city after city into ruins?"

Ross's face instantly darkened. "You... you know Banner?"

"I know far more than you imagine, General." Lin Ye's tone turned cold. "Your obsession and so-called 'responsibility' are the root cause of everything that happened today. Now tell me, what right do you have to take him over?"

General Ross's face turned liver-colored, his fists clenched tight. But as he looked at the lethal lightning dancing at Lin Ye's fingertips, all his rage and pride were forcibly crushed back down. The humiliation brought by the gap in their strength nearly suffocated him.

Just then, the faint roar of an engine approached from afar.

A distinctive Quinjet rapidly approached at low altitude and hovered nearby. The hatch opened, lowering a rope ladder.

The first to descend was Natasha Romanoff, dressed in tactical gear, with a striking figure and especially conspicuous red hair. She moved nimbly. After landing, she warily swept her gaze over the restrained Hulk and Lin Ye, before finally settling on General Ross's ugly expression. The corner of her mouth seemed to curl up almost imperceptibly.

Immediately afterward, Phil Coulson, dressed in a suit and wearing the smile of a peacemaker, slid down as well and quickly walked toward both sides.

"General Ross, Mr. Lin." Coulson greeted them politely, as though the tense atmosphere did not exist. "S.H.I.E.L.D. has been ordered to assist in handling this anomalous incident. It seems... Mr. Lin has already brought the situation under control?"

His gaze rested on Lin Ye, carrying curiosity and a trace of barely concealed amazement. Satellite footage and seeing it with his own eyes were entirely different experiences.

"S.H.I.E.L.D.?" General Ross seemed to have found an outlet for his frustration and snapped, "This area is under military control! You have no authority—"

"General," Natasha interrupted calmly, "under authorization from the World Security Council, S.H.I.E.L.D. has priority handling authority over incidents involving supernatural forces with high uncertainty and global-level threat potential. Would you like me to contact the Council for confirmation right now?"

General Ross swallowed his words, and his expression grew even uglier. He knew about S.H.I.E.L.D.'s special privileges. He simply had not expected them to arrive so quickly, nor to be so forceful.

Lin Ye watched this dog-eat-dog scene with interest... no, it was two major agencies fighting over "ownership." With a slight stir of his Mind Network, he could sense Hulk's struggle weakening rapidly. That violent rage receded like the tide, replaced by weakness and... fear?

Hulk's massive green body began shrinking at a visible speed. His green skin faded, and his savage face returned to Bruce Banner's gentle features, though they still bore traces of pain.

The electromagnetic restraints disappeared. Banner collapsed weakly to the ground, unconscious, with nothing left on him but a pair of tattered pants.

With a wave of his hand, Lin Ye precisely draped a military overcoat—"borrowed" from some soldier's luggage—over Banner.

This scene caused Ross and the two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to stop arguing.

Coulson took the opportunity to step forward and gave Lin Ye a more sincere smile. "Mr. Lin, thank you for your tremendous contribution to the safety of New York City's citizens. S.H.I.E.L.D. sincerely invites you to speak further. Director Fury very much hopes to establish a channel of communication with an... exceptional individual such as yourself."

He handed over a futuristic-looking encrypted communicator. "This is a secure means of contact. Of course, if you are willing, we can provide you and Dr. Banner with absolutely safe medical care and accommodation."

It was an olive branch, along with the implication that they could help deal with Banner, this "trouble."

General Ross ground his teeth in fury nearby, but there was nothing he could do. He knew that today, not only had he lost Hulk, but he had no way to keep this even more mysterious and powerful "Thunder."

Lin Ye glanced at the unconscious Banner, then at the communicator Coulson was offering, but did not take it immediately.

His gaze turned to General Ross again. His voice was calm, yet carried undeniable force. "General Ross, remember today. Dr. Banner is under my protection. If you, or any of your people, try to disturb him or provoke him again..."

He raised his hand. A highly compressed sphere of lightning filled with destructive energy condensed at his fingertips, its power causing the surrounding air to begin warping.

"...then I won't mind letting a certain military base, or someone's office, experience what it feels like to be swept by a thunderstorm."

After saying that, he flicked his finger lightly. The lightning sphere shot into the sky and exploded with a thunderous boom high above, becoming a terrifying thundercloud that covered nearly half the sky. Deafening thunder rolled down as if heaven itself were enraged!

All the soldiers instinctively ducked their heads, fear written across their faces.

General Ross's face turned deathly pale. His lips trembled, but he could not say a single word. It was a naked threat, yet he did not even have the courage to refute it.

Only then did Lin Ye withdraw his gaze in satisfaction and casually take the communicator from Coulson's hand.

"Tell Nick Fury that if he wants to talk, he can. But I hate trouble, and I hate being watched even more." He glanced at Natasha. "Send a more pleasing-to-the-eye agent to liaise with me, and perhaps I'll have a little more patience."

Natasha: "..." She tried her best to maintain a blank expression.

Lin Ye ignored everyone else and walked over to the unconscious Banner, easily slinging him over his shoulder.

"Remy, locate the nearest safe house," he ordered in his mind.

"Location complete. Route planned."

The next moment, under the gazes of General Ross, Coulson, Natasha, and all the soldiers, lightning flared around Lin Ye once more. Carrying Dr. Banner, he transformed into a bolt of lightning that shot into the sky and vanished instantly among Manhattan's towering buildings.

All that remained was a battlefield in ruins, a group of deeply shaken mortals, and a brand-new order whose boundaries had just been forcibly drawn.

General Ross's shoulders slumped helplessly. He knew that from this day onward, some things had changed completely.

Coulson pressed a hand to his earpiece and said quietly, "Sir, the target has departed. Initial contact... complete. Assessment recommendation: prioritize cooperation at the highest level. Unless absolutely necessary, do not make an enemy of him."