A fierce wind howled, whipping up clouds of dust and gravel, and the surrounding iron railings clattered and fell to the ground.
The spectators in the stands screamed, covered their heads, and scrambled to hide under their seats to escape the apocalyptic scene.
Several minutes passed before the deafening roar gradually subsided.
The mushroom cloud and the billowing smoke gradually dissipated under the sea breeze.
Everyone mustered their courage and peered out towards the epicenter of the impact.
A huge, exaggerated crater came into view.
Acrid white smoke is still billowing from the large crater.
And in the very center of the pit, Hulk lay there.
He looks terrible right now.
Extensive areas of skin were charred black, appearing to be the result of continuous burning by Luca's laser.
His chest heaved violently as he gasped for breath, each breath sending out a scorching stream of air.
But what's truly chilling is that even after enduring the impact of the fall, coupled with Luca's torrential barrage of blows and energy bombardment...
This monster is still alive.
"Roar..."
Hulk let out a deep growl.
Then, the charred muscles on its body began to writhe, and the burned skin began to heal.
He tried to stand up, his eyes, filled with rage, fixed on the sky.
It seemed that the devastating combo he had just unleashed hadn't caused him any fatal damage.
Just then, a faint whooshing sound came from the sky.
Luca slowly descended from the sky.
Now, his armor is tattered and torn.
His chest and arms were badly shattered, revealing strong muscles, making him look like he had just escaped from a refugee camp.
This scene shocked everyone present.
Not only the audience at the scene, but also viewers around the world watching the live broadcast, all gasped in shock.
In her Los Angeles apartment, Gwen Stacy watched the television screen with a worried expression.
This was the first time she had ever seen Luca in such a disheveled state since she had known Luca.
In her mind, Luca was always invincible.
But now, seeing the tattered armor on the other person, Gwen Stacy's heart clenched.
Through the live stream, everyone clearly saw Hulk struggling and roaring at the bottom of the pit, and witnessed Hulk unreasonable ferocity and vitality.
Luca landed at the edge of the crater, glanced down at his armor, and curled his lip in disdain.
" Tony, the materials are terrible," Luca complained without turning his head.
"Looks like I'll have to find some new types of metal to make my armor when I get back."
Upon hearing Luca's complaint, Tony's face darkened, and he immediately retorted loudly.
"Fuck! What do you know? This is already the best metal you can find on the market! You insisted on taking Hulk's punch head-on!"
Upon hearing their conversation, Steve, who was standing to the side, raised an eyebrow slightly.
He suddenly remembered the shield in his hand.
When Howard Stark built this shield for him, he apparently mentioned that it contained a material called Vibranium.
This material is incredibly hard and can also absorb kinetic energy.
However, Steve glanced at Hulk, then at the surrounding ruins.
He felt that the current situation was clearly not suitable for discussing materials science.
He swallowed his words and gripped his shield tighter.
Luca tugged at the few pieces of broken armor hanging there, finding them somewhat in the way.
"Forget it, these tattered clothes are just a burden to wear anyway."
Luca snorted coldly and suddenly exerted force with his body.
"Bang!"
With a muffled bang, the remaining armor on the upper body was instantly shattered into countless dust particles that drifted away in the wind.
A perfect body was displayed before the cameras of the world.
Wow...
In the stands, countless girls gasped in surprise at the sight.
Some even covered their mouths, their faces flushed, and they almost had an orgasm on the spot.
Tony paused for a moment, then couldn't help rolling his eyes.
"Fuck! Exhibitionist, do you have to show off your muscles at this moment? This isn't an underwear commercial!"
Steve frowned as well.
"Are you an exhibitionist? That move is as disgusting as a male stripper flaunting his sex appeal on stage."
When Gwen Stacy was far away in Los Angeles, saw Luca's bare upper body, her cheeks instantly turned bright red.
She bit her lip and muttered something under her breath.
"That bastard... all he does is flirt with women."
Bottom of the pit.
"Roar!"
Hulk finally struggled to his feet.
His burns had mostly healed, and the rage in his eyes seemed about to burst forth.
He stared intently at Luca, his legs bent, ready to charge again.
Luca's gaze gradually turned cold.
"Alright, warm-up's over. I don't have time to play with you anymore."
He took a deep breath.
Then he mobilized all the kinetic energy he had absorbed from Hulk during the battle.
A terrifying energy surged wildly through his meridians towards his right fist.
Gradually, a blinding blue light appeared on Luca's right fist.
The light grew brighter and more solid, eventually transforming into a high-density energy sphere.
" Hulk! Smash!"
Hulk roared, his massive body soaring into the sky, swinging his enormous fist and slamming it down towards Luca.
Luca stood still, neither dodging nor avoiding.
Just as Hulk charged in front of him, his eyes narrowed, and his right fist, enveloped in blue energy, slammed into Hulk's chest.
"Bang!!"
A dull, loud thud.
The blow penetrated directly into the opponent's body.
Hulk froze in mid-air.
The anger on his face froze, followed by pain and confusion.
Luca's punch did not cause physical damage, but instead used energy to disrupt and dissipate the energy within the Hulk's body.
"Aww..."
Hulk let out a mournful howl of despair.
Then, to everyone's astonishment, Hulk began to shrink rapidly.
The green skin gradually faded, returning to a normal skin tone.
In just a few seconds, the once invincible Hulk was gone.
The next person to appear was a gaunt, middle-aged man.
Bruce Banner.
Banner closed his eyes tightly and completely lost consciousness.
It then fell from mid-air and crashed heavily into the mud.
The entire room fell silent.
Everyone was stunned by this dramatic scene.
The monster that even missiles couldn't kill was actually knocked back to its original form by Luca with a single punch?
Luca withdrew his fist, saw this, and shook his head.
"Tsk tsk tsk..."
"This size is completely unsuitable for your temper just now. You dare to run around naked with this tiny toothpick?"
Then, he turned to look at Tony.
" Tony, get him some pants to put on. Stop polluting the audience's eyes."
Steve strode to the edge of the pit, his eyes twitching violently a few times.
"What the hell!"
"Did Howard actually have a son, or did he create a monster in the lab? Your strength is even more outrageous than Grandma's!"
Tony landed on the ground, his mask opening.
Although he was shocked by Luca's punch, he absolutely could not admit defeat.
"It's no big deal," Tony said, raising his chin arrogantly.
"If I put on the Hulkbuster Armor I'm currently designing, I can punch the Hulk back to his original form. I just don't want to get the new paint job dirty; after all, it's a limited edition red."
"Is that so?" Luca glanced at Tony, mercilessly undermining him.
"Where's the Hulkbuster Armor? Is it in your head? Or are you planning to use your 65 tons of strength to give the Hulk a full-body massage?"
"You know nothing! The power of science is limitless!" Tony retorted loudly.
"The power of science is indeed limitless, but your height is finite, little dwarf."
"Who are you calling a shorty?!"
Seeing the two brothers arguing amidst the ruins, Steve helplessly covered his forehead.
He now seriously suspects that both brothers might have some kind of abnormal thought process.
On the other side, in a corner of the stands.
Justin Hammer hid behind a broken rock, trembling like a leaf.
He witnessed firsthand the entire process of Luca turning Hulk back into his original form.
Right now, he has only one thought in his mind.
Run! Run now!
" Vincent! Vincent! Help me up, we need to get out of this awful place right now!"
Vincent's face was also deathly pale.
Looking at Luca in the distance and feeling the energy emanating from him, I felt a chill run down my spine.
That's incredible!
This human is an incomprehensible monster!
Aruru realized that in his current state, if Luca discovered him, he would be instantly killed.
It felt it needed to lie low for now, find an opportunity to evolve again, absorb more energy, and only then would it be qualified to stand in front of this guy.
"Boss, let's go."
Vincent pulled Justin Hammer, whose legs were weak, to his feet, and the two of them quietly slipped out of the racetrack while everyone's attention was on the track.
And in the VIP stands.
Jessica slumped into the chair, her back soaked in cold sweat.
She witnessed the entire battle between Luca and Hulk, and her fear reached its peak.
She finally realized that Hydra's attempt to use a monster like the Hulk to fight Luca was simply courting death!
The entire incident was broadcast live by the media.
She believed that Pierce and Dr. Zola, far away in Washington, must have seen it as well.
She didn't know what Pierce and the others were thinking, but she was already feeling a chill run down her spine.
Luca's strength is increasing every second.
Moreover, this man is cunning and treacherous.
She had no idea when her identity would be discovered.
Given Luca's lack of moral principles...
Once they discover she's Hydra agent, they'll kill her without hesitation, or torture her in even more cruel ways.
"What kind of damn mission did I just take on..." Jessica closed her eyes in anguish.
Time passed quickly, and evening arrived in the blink of an eye.
The Monte Carlo Grand Hotel, Monaco.
Luca, Tony, Steve, Pepper, Jessica, and Happy, who was supporting the weakened Bruce Banner, arrived at the hotel reception.
Because the racetrack was destroyed, their original itinerary was completely disrupted, and they had to settle down in a hotel for the time being.
Tony, with his deep pockets, booked an entire row of luxury suites on one floor of the hotel and arranged rooms for everyone.
"Listen up, guys." Tony clapped his hands.
"Everyone, go back to your rooms, take a shower, and change into clean clothes. We'll meet at the hotel restaurant in two hours for dinner and to discuss how to handle this..."
Tony pointed to Banner was leaning against Happy and looking pale.
"This bomb could explode at any moment."
Everyone nodded in agreement and took their room keys to their respective rooms.
Luca tossed his room key in his hand and strolled slowly down the corridor toward his room.
Despite having experienced an intense battle today, Luca not only felt no fatigue, but also felt incredibly energetic.
Because today, his strength has been enhanced to an unprecedented level!
During his battle with the Hulk, he frantically absorbed energy.
That energy was converted by his cells and became the fuel for evolution.
As Luca walked, he felt the surging, ocean-like power within him.
He could clearly feel that his muscle density and bone strength had undergone a qualitative leap.
If his basic strength was previously several hundred tons.
Now, he felt that his basic strength had directly soared to the level of a thousand tons!
This is only the basic strength.
If he were to unleash his full power, generating several thousand tons of destructive force would be no problem at all.
Moreover, the bio-energy field within the body becomes more solidified, and the temperature and power of energy projection are greatly enhanced.
" Hulk is such a good guy." Luca smiled contentedly.
"I'll have to practice with him more next time I have the chance."
At this moment, Luca was unaware that Hydra's assassins had already secretly infiltrated his room.
When Luca reached the door and was about to swipe his card to open it...
His movements suddenly paused.
With his exceptional hearing, he clearly caught the hushed conversation coming from inside the room.
There are people in the room, two people.
"Sister, we can finally take revenge on Stark."
A young man's voice came through, excited, but more so nervous.
"But... but as you saw today, Luca Stark is a monster. Can we really beat him?"
Immediately afterwards, a young girl's voice rang out.
"I don't know, Pietro." The girl's voice trembled slightly.
"But the organization requires us to give it a try. And regardless of whether the organization requires it or not, we have to try."
"Our parents died from Stark Industries bombs. How can we avenge them if we back down?"
Luca, standing outside the door, raised an eyebrow.
Pietro? Sister? Revenge? Stark Industries ' bomb?
Although Luca didn't recognize the two people, he immediately deduced their identities and motives from their conversation.
Clearly, this was an assassin sent by Hydra.
Moreover, it sounds like they are two victims whose families were destroyed because of weapons manufactured by Stark Industries in its early years.
They have likely been brainwashed or controlled by Hydra.
" Hydra really loves playing these melodramatic, tragic roles."
Luca sneered.
If someone with high moral standards heard such a tragic backstory, they might feel pity and even lay down their weapons to try and reform the person.
But who is Luca?
He's a scumbag with no moral compass.
Since they dared to come and kill him, they should be prepared to be killed in return.
Luca pretended not to know anything and casually hummed a popular tune.
"Drop!"
The room card was swiped through the sensor, and the door lock made a crisp sound.
Luca pushed open the door and strode into the pitch-black room.