A Free Hulk Just for Going Out

Cruising through bustling New York in his sports car, Tony considered where to go have some fun that day.

He finally had a day off, and he wasn't about to waste it.

But plans never kept pace with change. Just as he drove past a high-rise, a tremendous explosion suddenly rang out.

Boom!

Countless chunks of rubble plummeted from above into the crowds on the street, turning the peaceful, bustling avenue into a meat grinder in an instant.

Severed limbs and mangled remains flew everywhere. Many people were crushed into pulp by the enormous falling rocks. It was utterly horrific.

Screech!

Brakes squealed as Tony brought his car to a halt.

Right in his path, an enormous boulder came crashing down. Bang!

A little closer, and he would have been flattened like everyone else.

Tony felt no fear at the sight. With the Horse Talisman, he was practically half immortal. As long as he didn't die instantly, the Horse Talisman could restore him, so there wasn't much for him to fear.

He was simply curious. What happened?

With that thought, Tony got out of the car and looked up at the high-rise overhead.

An enormous figure immediately came into view, making his pupils constrict.

Boom!

With a deafening crash, a green figure fell from the sky. The tremendous impact shook everything for hundreds of meters around, and cracks spread in every direction like a spiderweb.

The giant threw back his head and roared, his face twisted with rage.

A terrifying wave of sound swept across Manhattan. Pedestrians who had barely escaped the disaster fainted beneath the force of that roar.

Only Tony remained unaffected, watching the scene without a scratch.

After roaring, the giant ignored the scene around him and ran deeper into the city, tearing apart or tossing aside everything in his path.

Watching the giant's retreating back, Tony's mouth kept twitching as a wave of exasperation washed over him.

Why did Hulk have to show up now? Couldn't I have some fun in peace?

As one of Marvel's ridiculously overpowered heroes, Hulk had instantly upset the balance of power in the Marvel Universe with his appearance.

Rather than stand there gawking, Tony collected himself, quickly got back into his car, and followed.

Hulk's appearance was somewhat unexpected, but this was a real world, not a movie, so it wasn't entirely unacceptable.

What concerned him now was what he could gain from Hulk's appearance.

Recruit him into the Dark Alliance?

Get real. This guy was a ticking time bomb. I don't want to clean up his mess every other day.

Later on, once he developed further, things would get a little better, and he would be able to control himself. Right now, though, he was a complete lunatic who couldn't tell friend from foe after transforming.

Tony feared that if he recruited the guy, Hulk would kill him first.

So Hulk was pretty much out of the running for the Dark Alliance.

His value, however, wasn't limited to his terrifying strength.

Later on, someone would use his blood to replicate his genes and create a guy called Abomination, a knockoff Hulk.

He might not have the original Hulk's absurd ability to grow infinitely stronger, but he was stable.

Before and after transforming, he could control himself, and he was ridiculously strong to boot.

That tempted Tony. He didn't necessarily have to seek out superheroes. He could make his own.

Thoughts raced through his mind, but Tony didn't slow down in the slightest, sending his sports car hurtling through the ruined streets.

Before he even reached Hulk's location, he could already hear his unrestrained roars.

As the saying went, arrogance invited disaster. Someone couldn't stand Hulk's rampage any longer: General Ross, Hulk's father-in-law, had mobilized a large force to gang up on him.

When Tony reached the edge of the battlefield, he saw masses of soldiers firing their weapons like mad.

Tank after tank rolled into battle, the roar of cannon fire echoing throughout the district.

Under the tank bombardment, Hulk was driven back again and again, but appearances were deceiving. Once the smoke cleared, he was completely unharmed and as lively as ever. He even tore a tank apart with his bare hands for good measure.

At the sight, Tony promptly found a tall building from which to watch the battle from above. He had no intention of getting involved.

With his scrawny arms and legs, he couldn't withstand even one punch from Hulk. He had no desire to test that out.

The battle continued, and the soldiers suffered devastating losses. Before Hulk's crushing fists, these well-trained elite troops were like children, utterly powerless to fight back.

Hulk looked as though he were playing whack-a-mole, each punch leaving another bloody pancake. In barely more than ten minutes, the ground around him was carpeted with flesh and blood.

The brutality was almost too much even for Tony to watch. At the same time, he couldn't help inwardly railing at those brain-dead idiots at S.H.I.E.L.D.

This guy killed so many people, and he still got to be a superhero? What were they thinking?

Despite his complaints, Tony watched with rapt interest. At last, Hulk's transformation reached its limit.

The law of conservation of energy was a fundamental law of the universe. No matter how overpowered Hulk was, he couldn't ignore it.

After rampaging for so long, he finally ran out of steam.

Hulk immediately tore through the military's encirclement and ran into the distance, disappearing from everyone's sight.

A dim alley was filled with household garbage and a pervasive stench.

Bruce staggered into the alley and hid, staring at his hands in terror.

Although he had lost his reason after becoming Hulk, he still retained those memories once he returned to human form.

He remembered killing so many people just now.

At the thought, Bruce couldn't help dry heaving.

The instant he lowered his head, pairs of scarlet eyes appeared in the alley's shadows. Then Shadow Ninjas emerged from the darkness one after another.

When Bruce raised his head again, he found himself surrounded by a group of figures in black robes.

Fear immediately surfaced in his eyes. He wasn't the invincible Hulk now, just an ordinary, defenseless researcher.

"Who are you?"

Bruce's terrified voice rang out.

Naturally, the Shadow Ninjas didn't answer. One flashed in front of him and delivered a chop straight to his neck. Bruce promptly passed out.

With Bruce easily subdued, footsteps sounded from outside the alley, and Tony appeared.

Looking at Bruce, his face was full of smiles. Things had gone even more smoothly than he'd imagined.

Captured Hulk without breaking a sweat. Tsk, tsk. This feels great.

"Take him away."

He waved a hand, and a Shadow Ninja stepped forward to hoist Bruce onto his shoulder. The others melted into the darkness and vanished.

After dumping Bruce into the sports car, Tony drove away.

He had gone out for a drive and picked up a free Hulk. Now that was unbeatable luck.