Betty cried out as she was dragged away by the students under Lin Xiao's cover. Just a moment ago, Banner inside Hulk struggled wildly, but was ultimately overwhelmed by the overwhelming rage.
Lin Xiao didn't even see how that punch came from.
He felt as if a fully loaded freight train had slammed into his chest, his ribs creaking under the strain. He was like a baseball being swung by a bat, flying straight back, crashing through the rubble of the laboratory building's exterior wall, breaking three palm trees, and finally slamming into the concrete of the school parking lot, creating a two-meter-diameter crater in the shape of a human.
"Cough--"
A mouthful of blood welled up in his throat, the salty, metallic taste melting on his tongue. Lin Xiao lay on his back in the crater, staring at the ring of blue sky he had smashed open above him. His mind was buzzing, as if a hundred Tony were simultaneously playing the Iron Man theme song in his ears, boom boom boom boom...
It hurts. It fucking hurts.
Lin Xiao propped himself up from the pit, rubble falling through his hair. His body was a gruesome sight, his exposed skin a patchwork of bruises and blood flowing freely. The Lizard Serum was frantically repairing his torn muscle fibers, but just as it was halfway repaired, that enormous green creature came crashing down on him again.
Hulk landed from mid-air, his feet landing next to the crater where Lin Xiao had just been lying. The ground shook, and the alarms of the few remaining cars in the parking lot went off simultaneously. He looked down at Lin Xiao, who had just climbed out of the crater, his fists clenched, the muscles in his arms twisting and coiling like pythons, and his green eyes devoid of any rationality.
" Hulk - Smash!"
Lin Xiao rolled to the side, Hulk's fist slammed into the spot where he had just been lying. The concrete ground exploded, creating a crater that was deeper and larger than before. Debris flew everywhere like shrapnel, one of which grazed Lin Xiao's cheekbone, leaving a bloody mark.
"Hold--"
As soon as Lin Xiao regained his footing, Hulk's hand grabbed his ankle. The hand was as big as a fan, with its five fingers closed, lifting him upside down. Lin Xiao's head was half a meter off the ground, blood rushed to his head, and his vision went black. He tried to kick Hulk's face with his other foot, but Hulk didn't even blink. Lin Xiao wanted to ask him if his eyes were dry.
Then the world started spinning.
Hulk grabbed Lin Xiao by the ankle and slammed him from left to right, then from right to left, like swinging a sack of potatoes. Lin Xiao's back slammed against the ground, bounced up, slammed against the ground again, and bounced up again. He heard his spine creaking in protest and saw the ground being smashed into one large crater after another.
This is karma! I smashed those Lizard, and now it's my turn.
Lin Xiao spat out a mouthful of saliva mixed with sand, flicking it on the ground for the third time. Suddenly, he remembered someone—or rather, a god, the Asgard God of Mischief, who had been slammed to the floor by the Hulk, his ankles grabbed and left and right, until he was completely embedded in the floor, his eyes glazed over, utterly despondent. Back then, he had been cramming on Marvel knowledge with Doupao the Avengers," thinking that scene was the most classic and hilarious moment in Marvel history. But he never imagined it would happen to him.
He's not smiling now.
Because he was experiencing Loki's pleasure, and the pain was fucking excruciating!
Hulk finally released Lin Xiao's ankle, sending him flying. Lin Xiao felt excruciating pain all over his body. He flew through the air for about twenty meters before crashing into the outer wall of the stadium, smashing a large hole in it. Bricks and concrete fragments rained down, burying him underneath.
The dust slowly settled.
Lin Xiao stretched out a hand from the pile of bricks and stones, his fingers spread, and grabbed a broken concrete slab next to him, pulling himself out. His other hand was still buried in the rubble, his face was covered in ash and unrecognizable, and his hair was full of broken brick fragments. He took a couple of deep breaths and wiped the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand.
My hands were covered in blood.
"Damn, that's some serious strength. You'll have to pay for my shirt later." Lin Xiao tried to stand up, but his left leg gave way as soon as he put weight on it, leaving a fist-sized bump on his knee. He cursed and forced himself to stand up, shifting his weight to his right leg.
Hulk stood by the parking lot, his green hands slapping the ground, flattening the roof of a wrecked Toyota into a pancake. He was clearly still angry, but he didn't rush over immediately. He tilted his head, watching Lin Xiao crawl out of the rubble, a fleeting look of confusion flashing in his green eyes. How could this bug still stand up?
Lin Xiao leaned against the wall, panting heavily. A few seconds later, he moved. He pulled Blink Dagger from behind his waist with his left hand, and with a push of his right foot, he became a blur. Hulk looked up, but before he could even see the shadow clearly, Lin Xiao had already appeared behind him, twenty meters away.
Hulk was stunned. How dare this bug come back? He was beaten half to death, and now he's showing up again?
Taking advantage of Hulk's momentary daze, Lin Xiao raised his watch and grinned, "A good opportunity."
A tranquilizer dart shot towards Hulk's neck. With a "clang," the dart fell to the ground without even breaking Hulk's skin. Hulk blinked, then blinked again, completely bewildered as to what the insect was doing.
"Damn, I overestimated this thing. If this doesn't work, I'll have to outsmart it. I'll exhaust this thing." Lin Xiao expressionlessly put his watch away, turned around, and suddenly flew up, giving Hulk the middle finger mid-flight.
Hulk roared and ripped off a car door, smashing it towards him.
The chase lasted for an unknown amount of time. Lin Xiao lured Hulk out of the school, across three streets, past two abandoned parking lots, and past a construction site. He deliberately chose to run through deserted areas, Hulk deliberately chose to dismantle things. Streetlights, walls, abandoned cars, and even a plastic trash can that had somehow ended up in someone else's yard were all destroyed by Hulk.
Lin Xiao flew while shouting back, his voice so loud that it could be heard all around.
" Hulk! Are you scared?! Seriously? You can't even hit me? Aren't you ashamed?!"
Hulk threw a wrecked Volkswagen Beetle at him. Lin Xiao dodged to the side, and the Beetle exploded into a fireball behind him.
"You're really weak now! You can't even throw things accurately! If word gets out that Hulk can't even hit someone who can fly, how are you going to survive?!"
Hulk roared and continued his pursuit.
Lin Xiao was now certain of two things. First, Hulk's stamina was practically limitless; he had been flying for almost half an hour and was nearly exhausted, yet Hulk hadn't even broken a sweat. Second, Hulk's attack patterns and behavior just now were remarkably childlike; the movie also mentioned that Hulk's intelligence was only that of a seven or eight-year-old. This might be a breakthrough! He'd take a gamble!
As Lin Xiao ran past an abandoned water conservancy facility, he suddenly stopped.
Ahead was a river, wide and clear, with the setting sun casting shimmering golden light on its surface.
Lin Xiao stood by the river, turned around, looked at Hulk who was rushing towards him angrily, and suddenly raised one hand, holding up three fingers.
"Pause!" Hulk actually stopped.
Hulk himself was stunned for a moment, looked down at his feet, then looked up at Lin Xiao, a very human-like confusion flashing in his green eyes.
"You've been chasing me for almost half an hour, you must be tired too. We're tired too. This fight will never end. How about we change the format? There's a reward for winning, and no penalty for losing, how about that?"
Hulk glared with his bull-like eyes and casually tossed a nearby trash can aside.
Lin Xiao quickly dodged, barely avoiding it. "Hey, look at you, you're in such a hurry again. You're not afraid to gamble, are you?"
Hank stared intently at Lin Xiao, finally stopping what he was doing. He wanted to see what this bug was up to.
Lin Xiao magically pulled a few White Rabbit Creamy Candy from his pants pocket, ate one himself, and tossed the rest to Hulk. Hulk frowned as he watched the bug in front of him eat the things he was given, looking quite pleased with himself. Lin Xiao frowned, picked up what he thought was no bigger than a sesame seed, and stuffed it into his mouth. Hulk's eyes lit up; it was sweet, fragrant, and soft.
" Hulk... more."
Lin Xiao's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly took out a large bag of candy from his System Space, pointed to the river next to him, and said, "Let's see who can pee the farthest. Dare to challenge me?"
Hulk stared at him for a long time. He looked down at his pants, then looked up at Lin Xiao, then looked down at his pants again. His expression was as if he was calculating something, or as if he was recalling something. Finally, he looked up and said two words in an extremely serious tone.
" Hulk - Pee!"
So the two figures stood on the riverbank, the setting sun dyeing the river surface golden red, casting their shadows of different lengths. The taller one was over three meters tall, and the shorter one was two meters and one inch tall. The two stood side by side on the riverbank, neither willing to move first.
"I'll count to three, two, one, together," Lin Xiao said.
" Hulk —together." Hulk nodded.
"Three-two-one-go!"
Two water arrows shot into the air, but the outcome... well... Lin Xiao was half a meter further away than the Hulk.
Hulk looked at Lin Xiao, then down at himself. His eyebrows furrowed, then his nose wrinkled, then his mouth twisted to one side, his canine teeth biting his lower lip. Finally, he abruptly turned his head and slapped the water, the splash soaking Lin Xiao from head to toe.
Hulk —I refuse to accept this!
Lin Xiao stood in the river, soaking wet, his hair plastered to his forehead, and the corners of his mouth slowly turned up.
"Then let's try something you're better at, like who can throw a stone the farthest."
Without a word, Hulk dug a rock bigger than Lin Xiao's head out of the ground, swung his arm, and hurled it. The rock drew a perfect parabola in the air, flew across the river, and smashed three trees before coming to a stop.
Hulk stood with his hands on his hips, exhaling two heavy breaths from his nostrils, his smugness evident.
Lin Xiao pulled a pebble the size of his thumb from his pocket, weighed it between his fingers, and then flicked his wrist. The instant the pebble left his hand, a tiny arc of purple electricity exploded on his fingertip. Enveloped in lightning, the pebble emitted a sharp whistling sound as it sliced across the river and disappeared into the distance. A long time later, on the distant horizon on the opposite bank, a faint, almost inaudible splash could be heard.
Hulk stretched his neck out, his eyes wide open, his mouth opening and closing repeatedly. He looked at the opposite bank of the river, then at Lin Xiao, then back at the opposite bank, then back at Lin Xiao. He lowered his head, his fists hanging at his sides, his shoulders slumped, looking like a deflated green balloon.
" Hulk lost"
His voice was muffled, carrying a childish, defiant resentment.
Lin Xiao took out the bag of White Rabbit Creamy Candy, opened the packaging, and took out one, holding it in his palm. Hulk's eyes lit up immediately, his green eyes following the candy like two tracking light bulbs.
Hulk's eyes were fixed on the packet of candy in Lin Xiao's palm, his lips moved, and saliva almost dripped from the corner of his mouth. He nodded vigorously.
Lin Xiao tossed the bag of candy into the air. Hulk opened his mouth wide, and the candy landed precisely in his mouth. The candy rolled twice in his mouth, and his eyes lit up. He opened his mouth and let out an extremely satisfied "Mmm--".
Lin Xiao knew that the deal was done.
He sat down on the riverbank, patted the spot next to him, and Hulk hesitated for a moment before sitting down as well. The three-meter-tall green giant sat on the riverbank, the rock beneath him creaking painfully, but it managed to hold on. Hulk spread out his palm, as big as a fan, and held it out to Lin Xiao. Lin Xiao peeled open the entire bag of candy, piece by piece, and placed it into the green palm.
Hulk popped the candies into his mouth one by one, his cheeks puffing out like a hamster's.
The setting sun shone from the opposite bank of the river, casting two long shadows, one large and one small, onto the water's surface. Golden light flowed over the two figures, and the only sounds around them were the rushing water and Hulk's crunching of candy.
" Hulk," Lin Xiao suddenly spoke, his voice much softer than usual, lacking his usual playful tone and smug laziness, "Remember this, from now on I'm your uncle. I'm counting on you for protection."
Hulk paused for a moment while chewing the candy.
"If you protect me, you'll get treats, and I won't treat you unfairly. You've already lost, so you have to accept the consequences, right? As your uncle, I won't treat you unfairly. Understand?"
Hulk didn't answer. He stuffed the remaining few candies into his mouth, crunching them loudly, then disdainfully reached out and shoved Lin Xiao aside. Lin Xiao was pushed to his side, barely managing to stay upright by bracing himself with one hand on the ground.
But he leaned back. This time Hulk didn't push him away; he just snorted twice, glanced down at Lin Xiao with his green eyes, then looked away, though his gaze flickered.
They sat there until the sun had completely sunk behind the river, until Hulk's body began to shrink. His green skin receded like the tide, his bulging muscles thinned layer by layer, and the three-meter-tall green giant transformed back into a lean, slightly curly-haired man in the twilight.
Banner slowly opened his eyes, his expression somewhat blank, then a look of vigilance appeared in his eyes. He suddenly stood up, took two steps back, and looked around. His gaze fell on Lin Xiao Lin Xiao, who was leaning against a rock, panting. His face was covered in ash, his lips were cracked, there was blood at the corner of his mouth, his arms were covered in bruises, and his left knee was swollen like a bun.
"It's you..." Banner's voice was hoarse, "... that bodyguard." Banner paused, his expression turning complicated, "That big guy didn't hurt you?"
Lin Xiao shook his head, pushed himself up from the ground, patted the dirt off his backside, and asked Banner what he planned to do.
Banner was silent for a long while. He looked at his hands, his fingers clenching and unclenching slightly. "I'm leaving. Leaving here. Leaving everyone. I can't let that guy out again." His voice was very low, as if he were talking to himself.
Lin Xiao was silent for a few seconds, then took out several stacks of US dollars from his System Space, neatly stacked them into three piles, and placed them on the stone at Banner's feet.
Banner looked down at the three stacks of money and froze.
"Just consider it buying candy for my dear nephew." Lin Xiao patted the dust off his trousers, his tone casual.
Banner remained silent for a long time. He looked at the pile of money, at Lin Xiao's knowing eyes, and suddenly felt something stuck in his throat. He wanted to say thank you, but he couldn't bring himself to speak. He watched Lin Xiao turn around and walk towards the parking lot, getting further and further away.
Banner stood by the river, watching Lin Xiao's figure disappear into the twilight. He lowered his head, bent down, picked up the three stacks of money, and hugged them to his chest. The money was heavy, so heavy that his arms trembled slightly.
This departure may mean it will be a very, very long time before we meet again.
Just then, a voice rang in his mind— Hulk's voice, carrying a domineering dissatisfaction and resentment.
"That's Lin Xiao's money for Hulk! Money to buy candy!"