Chapter 30

Dead!

The reinforcements before him had all inexplicably clutched their hearts, then cried out and collapsed to the ground, dead.

Cardiac arrest?

Sudden death?

Had they all suffered heart attacks?

Tony Stark, who had been flying overhead on standby, stared in disbelief.

"Sir, this is identical to what happened just now. A mysterious, boundless force that produces no energy fluctuations whatsoever caused their deaths."

"My God, what on earth is it?"

Tony was utterly baffled. Even his usually composed face showed a grave, almost panicked expression.

This was a tremendous blow to someone widely acknowledged as having one of the three highest IQs in the world.

Even his AI butler JARVIS, after searching through vast amounts of data on mysticism and samples of Mutant abilities, could not identify the force.

"One thing is certain, however: every time this mysterious force appears, the boy is experiencing a surge of anger."

What kind of bullshit analysis is that!

JARVIS's words made Tony smile wryly.

Wasn't that just telling him never to make the boy angry?

"Should I get a lollipop and coax him?"

"Or win him over with a fancy toy set?"

Tony quipped.

"Sir, neither of those is particularly suited to the needs of a thirteen-year-old."

"Oh, my mistake. I think I was almost finished with college when I was thirteen, so I really don't have much of an idea what other people are like at that age."

The witty Tony Stark couldn't resist showing off.

But he still had a problem to solve.

Thud!

A magnificent suit of red-and-gold armor descended from the sky.

"Hey, buddy, I mean you no harm."

To show he meant no harm, Iron Man spread his hands to either side.

Not only that, his iron faceplate retracted, revealing the face of a middle-aged man with a hint of world-weariness and a meticulously trimmed mustache.

"I know how all this started. General Stryker was the one who set everything in motion."

"And you're not some extremist Mutant. Those charges were fabricated and pinned on you. You're just an innocent boy who escaped from an experimental base alive, aren't you?"

Facing such an unfathomable monster, Tony swore he was using the most heartfelt words of his life, trying his best to reach the boy before him.

Even without a heart-rate monitor, Tony knew his heart was beating much faster.

He also had JARVIS secretly monitor the other party's emotional fluctuations.

After all, he was taking a risk.

He was gambling.

No matter what, the other party was only a thirteen-year-old boy.

He was at a rebellious age, when his worldview and values had yet to take shape.

Looking at his cold, merciless face, darkened by what he had become, Tony felt there was still a way to set everything right.

It wasn't his fault.

All the evil stemmed from General Stryker.

It stemmed from this world's persecution of Mutants.

"I can put an end to all this."

"With one easy press of a button, I can expose every crime committed at that large experimental base in the snowfields to the public."

"General Stryker will be brought to justice, too."

Tony took a deep breath.

Beside his right hand, a holographic screen was projected into the air.

With a single thought, he could have JARVIS distribute the confidential files he had brute-force hacked to media outlets and television stations around the world.

The world would give him justice.

"You're not a criminal."

"On the contrary..."

"You could be a hero. With your abilities, you could do it easily."

Tony would have sworn this was also the finest speech he had ever given as an orator.

That should have been enough to reach him, right?

Come on, kid, change your mind.

Tony was trembling inside.

"Sir, his emotional fluctuations show no signs of anger. Unfortunately, however, your speech has not caused him the slightest confusion or regret, either."

"In other words, his convictions are very firm."

JARVIS's words sent Tony's heart plunging into a bottomless icehouse.

Looking at the other party's stern face, which showed no emotional fluctuation whatsoever, he gave a wry smile.

He suddenly remembered that when he was thirteen, he too had run away from home over a small disagreement.

Back then, rebellious as he was, it had taken him half a month even to consider changing his mind.

All the more so when the boy had suffered so much.

Besides, his strength was so unfathomable. Why should he have to swallow this grievance?

"Do you think I need you to clear my name?"

After listening to so many wonderful words, Su Chen sneered. His unruffled state of mind showed the strength of his resolve.

The humans of this world were so hypocritical. They only tried to stop all this when they themselves began to suffer.

If they knew it would come to this, why did they do it in the first place?

He didn't need anyone's sympathy.

He didn't need anyone's pity.

He was already strong enough to disregard all of it.

If someone left him unable to put his mind at ease, he would let his fists and his power show them the consequences of offending him.

I'm not the one who's wrong. This world is.

"Get lost!"

Su Chen spoke expressionlessly.

Bang!

Less than a second later, a vast, boundless shell of Telekinesis blasted toward Iron Man Tony, who stood before him.

"Damn it!"

In his haste, he closed up his armor again.

Unfortunately...

The force was extraordinary. In an instant, it tore his armor apart and sent him flying into the distant sea.

"I'm not the one who's wrong, and I don't need any redemption."

Su Chen's face was cold.

And just then...

Among the pile of fallen reinforcements before him, more than ten figures gradually began struggling on the ground.

Those with healing abilities were understandable enough to Su Chen.

"Sorry, he's coming..."

But one middle-aged man before him, wearing glasses and dressed like a refined university professor, looked at Su Chen somewhat apologetically.

Less than a second later.

Not only did his heart recover completely.

His entire body suddenly grew larger, turning gigantic.

His green skin and knotted muscles unmistakably revealed his identity: Hulk.

P.S.: That's all five updates for today. Please support me with some flowers and rating votes. Thank you all for your support!!

P.S. 2: Mm, that last line from the protagonist definitely shouldn't be awkward for a thirteen-year-old boy. It fits his character...

Chapter 30

Roar!

An enraged roar erupted from the monster before him.

No one had expected the refined university professor of a moment ago to transform into a towering, muscular green giant in an instant.

The Avengers had naturally not been formed yet.

S.H.I.E.L.D., however, had been sending people to contact the university professor.

As it happened, Bruce Banner was nearby. Driven by intense curiosity and led by S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel, he had come to the scene.

"Hulk?"

Su Chen had naturally heard of the monster before him.

After all, Hulk had spent years on the run around the world, managing to evade General Ross's pursuit.

It wasn't just the still-young Su Chen; probably everyone in the world had heard Hulk's name.

But he hadn't expected the monster who had once rampaged through a city as if it were a playground, killing who knew how many soldiers, to be standing against him.

To Su Chen, this was naturally an absurd state of affairs.

In this world, not only had the authorities slandered him as an extremist Mutant and vowed to arrest him.

Even a globally wanted supercriminal was making an enemy of him.

Has the world abandoned me?

Good or bad, does everything in the world have to stand against me?

Thud!

The earth trembled. Every step Hulk took sent out earthquake-like vibrations.

Watching the figure charging toward him, Su Chen's stern face was filled with a chilling coldness.

"In that case, you can die too."

Whoosh!

Facing the monster known as the strongest creature on earth, Su Chen felt not the slightest fear. On the contrary, he was brimming with fighting spirit.