Abomination

Fortunately, the gamma energy took effect quickly!

Almost at the same time, the veins all over Apocalypse's body bulged, spreading across him like a spiderweb. Streams of green blood slithered beneath his skin like long snakes.

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!

His heartbeat pounded like a war drum!

Apocalypse's mind was battered by that violent energy until he was nearly losing his reason!

At the same time, his body was turning green and growing larger!

The mechanical examination bed, made of refined steel, could not bear his weight. It let out shrill metallic squeals and looked ready to come apart at any moment.

His body kept growing, and the mechanical bed was like a toy now, no longer able to contain Apocalypse.

He did not stop growing until he reached three times Hulk's size.

Even half-reclined, his head nearly touched the ceiling.

At that moment, he was already at the brink of his limit!

One second more, and he would either lose his mind and forget to take the Recovery Potion, or explode to death!

Crack!

The glass vial in his mouth shattered. Apocalypse, now gigantic, swallowed the Recovery Potion along with the shards in a single gulp.

In an instant, green light radiated from his entire body, flooding the laboratory so brightly that it was impossible to keep one's eyes open.

The green light streamed through the windows and spread across the campus outside.

Fortunately, everyone knew this was a laboratory. A few strange occurrences were nothing unusual, so no one came to investigate.

When the green light faded, Apocalypse had returned to normal human form and lay naked on the examination bed.

Apocalypse carefully sensed the power within him. Every time he loosened and clenched his hand, faint bursts of air exploded around it.

Blonsky had only injected a small amount before becoming Abomination, slightly stronger than Hulk.

Apocalypse had injected more than ten times Blonsky's dose. No matter what, he should be stronger than both of them, right?

The taut string in Apocalypse's heart finally relaxed.

From this point on, he was no longer some nameless extra in Marvel. In the superpowered battles to come, he now possessed the strength to protect himself.

"Thank you, Doctor!" Apocalypse put on a white laboratory coat.

"Unbelievable, unbelievable! How did you do it? What was that green light just now? This is completely unscientific. Please tell me—I have to record it in the experimental data..."

Dr. Stern had completely forgotten that Apocalypse had threatened him moments ago. All he could think about was science.

"I can tell you, but I have one condition."

"What condition? Go ahead and name it."

"I need you to keep this secret. You are not allowed to reveal any information about me to anyone."

"Fine! I promise I won't say a word, including the part where you pointed a gun at me just now."

Apocalypse smiled. Dr. Stern did not know that the gun was fake.

Apocalypse had been robbed clean. Where would he get the money to buy a handgun on the black market?

But getting a toy replica gun for a few dollars was hardly difficult.

After all... there were plenty of children on the streets.

Dr. Stern was only a scientist. In a crisis, there was no way he could remain as calm as Yan Shuangying—I bet your gun has no bullets!

"Good. The reason is... I took a potion." Apocalypse gave a wicked smile.

"What potion? Can you tell me the formula? I'll pay any price."

Apocalypse said, "As long as you do not reveal anything about me, I may consider it in the future."

To avoid exposing himself too early and being targeted by other supervillains, he could only use this method to keep Dr. Stern hooked for now.

After all, Apocalypse was not a villain. He could not just kill him for no reason.

Dr. Stern was both frantic and helpless. He could only offer his contact information on his own initiative, humbly begging Apocalypse to bring the potion over for testing whenever he had time.

Before science, he was willing to be a humble servant.

For that, Apocalypse did feel a measure of respect for him.

Still, he did not know whether he would be able to obtain any more Recovery Potions in the future.

He had tried many times, but the system gave no response. So far, it had provided only one Recovery Potion. It was extremely stingy.

If he got extras in the future, he would not mind letting Dr. Stern analyze one. It would be even better if it could be mass-produced.

After leaving Greystone College, Apocalypse had not gone far.

A disturbance suddenly broke out in the distance, with people running around and shouting.

"Run! Someone's shooting over there!"

"Everyone evacuate! The military is capturing a criminal, move!"

Apocalypse froze. Could it really be such a coincidence?

He had barely left when Doctor Banner and Elizabeth came to see Dr. Stern?

If he had arrived half a day later, he might have missed them. The military surely would have cleaned out the laboratory.

In the original plot, Doctor Banner and his girlfriend came to Dr. Stern, asking him to help eliminate the gamma energy within his body.

Dr. Stern first drew Hulk's blood, mixed it with a homemade antidote in a blood separator to neutralize the gamma energy, then transfused it back into his body.

However, that method only treated the symptoms, not the root cause.

Hulk's gamma energy radiated from his DNA.

Unless he died, it could never be completely removed.

Doctor Banner was unlucky too. Just after suppressing it, Elizabeth's father, General Ross, found him and brought him down with a tranquilizer dart.

Ross had not expected it to be so easy this time. Delighted, he tied Doctor Banner onto a helicopter and flew away.

Apocalypse looked from afar at Elizabeth on the helicopter.

Sure enough, she was just as gentle and refined as in the film, her large, watery eyes filled with tenderness.

Only she could soothe Hulk's violent rage and slowly turn Hulk back into Doctor Banner.

But when Apocalypse thought of Black Widow taking over that soothing role later, he felt uncomfortable all over.

The thought of his woman comforting another man made him sick.

Of course, Apocalypse knew Black Widow did not see it that way.

It had only been a fake marriage during a mission. She had never acknowledged him as her husband.

Apocalypse touched the marriage certificate in his pocket and gave a wicked smile. How could she deny it and abandon me after starting this? She married me and still wants to run?

You rotten woman, your husband is here. Come home with me!

Just as his thoughts ran wild.

Boom!

A machine was thrown out through the window of Dr. Stern's laboratory and smashed heavily onto the ground.

A voice like a giant subwoofer boomed across the entire street. "Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Power! Power! This is power! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!"

Clearly, the plot of Hulk 2 had begun. Blonsky had transformed into "Abomination"!

As a battle maniac, Blonsky had dared to face Hulk head-on even when he was still an ordinary soldier. That showed just how crazed he was.

In the end, the gap in power had simply been too great. Hulk kicked him flying, and he crashed into a tree, breaking bones all over his body.

But that courage had won General Ross's favor, and Ross injected him with even more serum.

But he was not satisfied!

This time, he seized the opportunity and forced Dr. Stern to inject him with Hulk's blood.

Poor Dr. Stern. In less than half a day, two people had come after his blood. He did not even have time to run.

After Abomination transformed, Dr. Stern was knocked to the ground.

Several drops of blood saturated with gamma radiation fell onto his head. His head immediately swelled and undulated like a soft water balloon, growing as large as a bushel basket.

Apocalypse did not know what had happened to Dr. Stern, because Dr. Stern never appeared again in the later Marvel films.

After thinking it over, Apocalypse did not chase Abomination. Instead, he went to the laboratory first.

After all, Dr. Stern had just helped him.

Dr. Stern's head was grotesquely swollen, making him look like an alien. He wore a pained expression as superhuman power transformed him.

This was a place of chaos and battle. It was not safe to stay long.

Apocalypse took him and, under cover of night, leaped several times before arriving on the other side of the city.

"Ding..."

"Saved 1 life. Reward: one Recovery Potion!"

Huh?

Saving someone earned him a Recovery Potion?

The system might be stingy, but it was kindhearted enough.

Seeing that Dr. Stern's head was still mutating, Apocalypse left behind the Recovery Potion and said, "If you can't endure it, drink this potion."

Light flashed in Stern's pain-filled eyes. "Is that the kind you drank just now... the kind that can restore you to normal after mutation? Such... such miraculous medicine, I need to study it..."

"Do as you please," Apocalypse said calmly.

Since the system had judged that he had saved Stern, the mutation in his head would not threaten his life.

As long as he could endure the pain, he could experiment however he wanted.

Near Greystone College, on the streets.

Abomination was smashing everything in sight with wild delight. Boundless strength had given him boundless ambition!

Soldiers and armored vehicles were no match for him.

"Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! A bunch of trash!! Find me a worthy opponent! Hulk... come out..."

His roar spread across the entire city.

General Ross's expression changed when he heard it, and he cursed inwardly:

Damn it! It took me years to catch Hulk while he couldn't transform. Now, before I've even left, someone even fiercer has appeared. Is this supposed to let me live?