Vera Carlos Pier
At two in the morning, it was still dark, with only two dim yellow lights flickering in the wind on the dock. The gang leader, a Brazil with a thick beard, was standing on the gangplank, cursing and urging people to board the ship. The cargo ship behind him was in terrible condition, but Banner didn't care about that now; as long as he could get out of Brazil, nothing else mattered.
Banner pulled down his hat brim and handed over the fake passport and five thousand dollars. The mob boss took the money, rubbed it with his thumb, held it up to the light to examine it, and then glanced at Banner.
Are you alone?
"Just me."
"Disembark when we reach Argentina, and don't say much. If anyone asks on the way, just say you're the new cook."
Banner nodded, picked up the tattered canvas bag, and climbed onto the gangplank. The cabin was crammed with seven or eight people, stowaways trying to escape. Their faces were ashen; no one looked at him, and no one spoke. He found the innermost corner, placed the canvas bag on his lap, leaned against the rusted bulkhead, and closed his eyes.
He felt utterly exhausted during this time. S.H.I.E.L.D.., Thaddeus Ross, and the Brazil military were all searching for him simultaneously; whoever found him first would be the winner. To get here, he had used five different identities along the way, slept under bridges, squeezed through slums, and hid in abandoned churches...
The journey has been arduous, but at least now the ship is heading towards Argentina. Once he reaches Argentina, he can change his face, change his name, and go into hiding again.
Maybe this time I can hide for a little longer.
The diesel engine at the stern finally started, the whole ship shuddered, and slowly pulled away from the dock. Inside the cabin, everyone huddled together, no one spoke, only the muffled thud of waves crashing against the hull and the engine's coughing sound alternating. Banner pulled his hat brim down further and took a deep breath.
He was exhausted. Every bone from his shoulders to his spine ached, and his head felt like it was stuffed with cotton, his consciousness drifting. He felt like he was about to fall asleep. He allowed himself to relax a little.
Just then, the black man next to him, who had been keeping his head down, suddenly raised his head and stared intently at Banner. Banner felt a chill run down his spine and was about to do something when a hand reached out.
Swift, precise, and ruthless. A palm strike landed squarely on Banner's neck, the force as if he'd been hit with an iron bar. Banner felt a sharp pain, followed by utter darkness...
Before his consciousness completely faded, the last thing he heard was a deep male voice with a heavy accent, right next to his ear.
"Finally found it."
When Banner woke up, everything was pitch black.
Something covered his face—a wad of coarse black burlap. He tried to move; his wrists and ankles were bound, fixing him to a rickety iron chair. His neck still hurt, but it was better than before; at least he could move his neck.
He took a deep breath and sensed his surroundings.
He smelled rust, mildew, and the dampness of an old cement floor soaked in water. In the distance, water was dripping from pipes, drip-drip-drip, tapping against the ground. He could hear his own heartbeat, neither fast nor slow, but normal.
The face mask was suddenly ripped off.
The light pierced through, and he squinted, taking several seconds to make out what he was seeing. He was in a dilapidated factory; the corrugated iron roof was rusted through a dozen holes, and moonlight leaked through them, vying with the crumbling chandelier above to illuminate the space. He was tied up in the center of the warehouse, opposite a burly black man, bald, with a jaw as wide as if carved from stone, and a simple, even slightly embarrassed, expression on his face.
"Awake?" The man scratched the back of his head. "Don't be afraid, I won't hurt you."
Banner stared at him for two seconds, then his voice, dry and cold, was forced out from his throat. "What do you want?"
"Um, my name is Walker," the man said. "I'm from S.H.I.E.L.D.."
In S.H.I.E.L.D.. Banner's chest, that familiar heat surged upwards. He closed his eyes, veins bulging on his forehead, his palms burning. He pressed it back down with all his might, his fingers clenching so tightly they cracked.
"You'd better not mess with me." His voice was forced out through clenched teeth, each word like it was wrapped in sand. "You know what that thing inside me is. Once it's out, you can't escape."
Walker's smile froze. He took a half step back, raising both hands to his chest. It was at this moment that the rusty iron door of the warehouse was pushed open from the outside, the hinges letting out an extremely shrill scream. A tall figure walked in from outside, Banner squinted for a long time before he could see who it was. It was Lin Xiao!
Lin Xiao walked in from outside, a smile still on his lips. He glanced at Walker, then at Banner, who was tied to a chair, and frowned.
" Walker, why are you tied him up? Untie him!"
Walker looked aggrieved, but his hands didn't stop. In a few quick movements, he untied the ropes from Banner's arms, muttering under his breath, "You said we should control him once we find him..."
"I said keep an eye on him, not tie him up like a dumpling." Lin Xiao walked over, took a bottle of mineral water from the paper bag and handed it to him. " Dr. Banner, sorry, my subordinate is a bit slow-witted. Is your neck alright?"
Banner slowly moved his wrists, which were numb from being tied up, and looked up at Lin Xiao, his voice full of anger.
"What do you want, Lin Xiao? You brought me here? Do you intend to send me to the military or S.H.I.E.L.D.."
Lin Xiao hurriedly waved his hand. " Banner, don't misunderstand, don't misunderstand, calm down. Hulk is my good nephew, we're very close. I've always been very protective of my own."
Banner's lips twitched. He didn't want to engage in this conversation, so he leaned back in his chair, remained silent for a few seconds, and then spoke again, "Then why did you arrest me?"
Lin Xiao paused in his drinking. He put the bottle away, his smile fading slightly, and winked at Walker. Walker understood, nodded, and turned to walk towards the door. After a few steps, he glanced back at Banner. Then the iron gate closed behind him.
The warehouse fell silent, save for the sound of dripping water from the pipes.
" Banner." Lin Xiao sat down on a broken metal barrel across from him, stretching his legs out. "You need to understand that it's not me who's arresting you now. I admit that bringing you here was a bit... well... Walker, but I meant well. I'm different from them; I just wanted to talk to you. Now, S. H. I. E. L. D. wants you, the military wants you, and Brazil is looking for you too. Three groups are chasing you simultaneously. It's S.H.I.E.L.D. you've managed to hide until now. But you also know that this won't end."
Banner looked at him coldly. "So, what's the difference between you and them?"
I'm here to recruit you.
Is there a difference?
"Yes." Lin Xiao leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Capturing you means locking you up, drawing your blood, studying your genes, and then locking you underground. But recruiting you means letting you appear openly in front of outsiders, continuing your experiments, eating and sleeping as usual, with no one chasing you anymore. We'll figure out a way to deal with Hulk together."
Banner stared at him for several seconds and then laughed.
" Lin Xiao, why should I believe you? I'm grateful that you let me go, but the situation is different now. I don't know if you've changed, or if you'll betray me for personal gain. This kind of thing has happened a lot around me."
"It's simply because Hulk is my good nephew, and I'm extremely protective of my own. You must have heard my story by now." Lin Xiao said matter-of-factly. Banner didn't object to Lin Xiao's protectiveness; when he fled the United States, he specifically looked up Lin Xiao's information: searching alone in Afghanistan for three months, bravely Ten Rings rescue Tony, thwarting Obadiah's conspiracy, going to great lengths for his brothers, and seeking Mutants for his superiors. This man exudes madness in every way, yet also reveals benevolence in every way; besides, he himself had been spared by Lin Xiao once...
Lin Xiao continued, "I competed against him, and I won. He accepted it, and I accepted this kinship with him too."
Banner's lips twitched. He rummaged through his memories of Hulk, when he thought Hulk had gone mad. Now, looking at Lin Xiao's face, he suddenly felt that Hulk might be better at picking people than he was.
"I don't care about money," Banner said.
"I know." Lin Xiao nodded. "You don't care, but Hulk does. You two share one body. You don't care, but he suffers for you. Every time you transform, it's both of you who are in pain. I'll give you a price: five million a year for medical insurance, one for you and one for Hulk. You don't have to pay, but at least you'll know there's a place that can treat you."
Banner's lips moved, but he didn't speak. His fingers unconsciously tightened on his knees. Medical insurance. He had spent his whole life hiding, concealing himself, and changing identities, never once thinking about those four words. He couldn't even remember the last time he went to the hospital. He always toughed it out. Every time he was grazed by a bullet, injured by a shell blast, or fell from a high-rise building, he always toughed it out.
Lin Xiao noticed Banner's subtle change. He calmly took out a few White Rabbit Creamy Candy from his pocket and spread them in his palm.
"Here, this is for you." He softened his voice. "Last time in Rio, I gave the doorman a packet of candy for you. Did you eat it?"
Banner stared at the few candies. White wrappers, blue labels, the White Rabbit candy munching on a carrot. His Adam's apple bobbed. He opened his mouth, as if to say, "You think you can bribe me with just one candy?" But what came out was something else entirely.
"You spotted me in Rio?"
"Yeah, we were on another mission at the time. Hulk likes candy, so you probably do too," Lin Xiao said, handing the candy forward.
"I like it." Banner's voice was dry and cracked. " Hulk likes it too."
He reached out and took the candies, placed them in his palm, and slowly clenched them.
"Let me think about it some more," Banner said.
What are you thinking about?
I wonder if I can still trust people.
Lin Xiao didn't urge him anymore. He put the candy bag down next to Banner's feet, stood up, dusted off his pants, and his tone returned to its lazy self. "Okay, think about it. Take your time. Just say so when you've decided."
He walked to the door, opened the iron gate, leaned halfway out, and shouted, " Walker! Keep an eye on things, don't let anyone else near." Then he pulled back in and sat down against the warehouse wall.
Banner lowered his head, looking at the few candies in his palm. Lin Xiao didn't know what he was thinking. But he left.
About three minutes later, Banner's voice drifted out from the warehouse; it was soft and hoarse.
Lin Xiao.
"Um"
"The medical insurance you were talking about earlier."
"Yes, you and Hulk can each get one. You know how messed up things are in America, but you won't have to worry if you follow me."
"Then let's do an experiment."
"I'll give you a dedicated laboratory. All the experimental equipment will be paid for through the company's accounts, so you don't need to worry about it. Just tell me what you need."
"Can the lab door be locked?"
"Lock it anywhere, you can keep the key yourself."
Banner was silent for a moment. Then he spoke again, his voice even lower than before. "What if the Hulk comes out?"
Lin Xiao turned around and poked half his head in through the door frame.
"I'll be there when he comes out, so don't worry, I can calm him down. Even if I can't, I'll take responsibility for any damage he causes."
Banner looked at Lin Xiao's solemn face, took several deep breaths, and finally nodded:
"Okay, I'll trust you this once."
Lin Xiao didn't say anything else. He walked in, bent down, and patted his shoulder with a light touch.
"That's right. Come on, let's go outside for some fresh air. It's too dark in this warehouse; your face will turn green if you stay here too long."
My face is usually green.
"That's true."
When the two men emerged from the warehouse, it was almost dawn. Banner stood at the doorway, took a deep breath, and filled his lungs with the damp, earthy scent of the evening air. He suddenly realized that this was the first time he had breathed so easily since leaving America.
Just then, Lin Xiao's phone rang. He took it out and glanced at it; it was a text message from Coulson, just five words: "Arrived, where?" He replied with his location, patted Banner on the shoulder, and gestured towards the row of abandoned tin shacks on the side of the warehouse. Banner didn't ask any questions, turned the corner, and disappeared behind the rusted tin roof.
Not long after, car lights came on at the end of the dirt road, and three black Chevrolet stopped outside the police line. Coulson got out, glanced at the warehouse entrance, and gestured with his chin to the agents behind him. The agents spread out and surrounded the warehouse from both sides.
Walker was squatting by the door when he saw Coulson and grinned, " Agent Coulson! What brings you here?"
"Information says there's a target around here. What are you doing here?"
"Looking at the moon," Walker said, brushing the dirt off his hands. "The moon in Brazil is so big and round."
Coulson looked at him for three seconds, then at the open warehouse door, which was dark inside. An agent poked his head out from the side and shook his head. "Empty. No personnel."
Coulson turned his gaze back to Walker's eyes. Walker didn't flinch, meeting his eyes directly with a simple, honest expression.
"Where's Lin Xiao?" Coulson asked.
"They've gone back to the hotel, I don't know. I'm just a gofer; I do whatever the boss tells me to do."
Coulson's lips twitched, and he pulled out his phone to dial Lin Xiao's number. After two rings, a lazy voice came from the other end. "Boss, what's up?"
"Where are you?"
"Hotel? What's wrong? Miss me? Come see me!"
Coulson paused for a moment, glanced back at the empty warehouse, and then at Walker was looking up at the moon.
"It's nothing. I'm hanging up."
He hung up the phone and waved to the agents. "Fall back. Go check the southern forest area again." He paused as he passed Walker, turned his head and whispered, "Go back when you've had enough of the moon. Don't get sick from squatting. Tell Lin Xiao he owes me one." After saying that, he got into the car, and the three Chevrolet turned around and drove away, their taillights leaving three red streaks on the dirt road before quickly disappearing into the night.