Marvel: Superman Strength in a World of Heroes

Used Car Lot, Roadside.

Betty Ross was finishing up a payment while chatting casually with the clerk.

Their conversation flowed easily.

Meanwhile, Bruce Banner was at a nearby gas station, using the public computer to send a message to "Mr. Blue," the one who claimed he could help him.

『Bruce Banner』: Message from Mr. Green. All the data's here. It's time we met.

After sending the email, Banner immediately pulled out the USB drive and left.

Seeing this, Betty Ross followed without hesitation. After all, her chat with the clerk was just a distraction, to buy Bruce some time.

They both stepped outside and climbed into a rusty old car, freshly bought, but just barely functional. It would have to do for their trip to meet Mr. Blue.

During the ride, they talked for a while.

Betty was naturally curious about the Hulk, and Bruce explained everything in detail.

But the topic soon turned heavy, and silence fell.

Eventually, Bruce dozed off.

...

Some time later, Betty noticed something strange, a road construction sign up ahead, with official personnel conducting checkpoints.

She immediately sensed something was wrong and woke Bruce up.

『Betty Ross』: Wake up. Something's off.

Bruce glanced over and nodded. He knew General Ross's methods well enough. Checkpoints like this? Child's play for someone with his authority.

『Bruce Banner』: Better not take the risk.

Not sure whether this was Ross's doing, but unwilling to gamble, the two decided to ditch the car and flee.

If they couldn't take the road, they'd use the water.

They called a speedboat and got away that way.

Even so, they still had a good distance to cover.

Originally, they planned to take the subway.

But with Banner's emotional volatility, any incident could trigger the Hulk.

So they opted for a taxi instead.

Unfortunately, the cab they hailed blasted deafening music, and the driver recklessly weaved through traffic during rush hour, even hitting a pedestrian.

Bruce's heart pounded wildly. Just a few more minutes, and he might've transformed.

They got out of the cab immediately.

Bruce looked visibly tense.

Betty, however, was furious.

Not only had the driver endangered Bruce with his reckless driving, he even made crude, lewd remarks as they exited the vehicle.

The moment she heard that, Betty snapped.

The driver, sensing danger, sped off.

Betty kicked the cab hard, but still felt unsatisfied.

『Bruce Banner』: I know some techniques... ways to help manage anger.

『Betty Ross』: Shut up. We're walking.

『Bruce Banner』: Okay.

They proceeded on foot toward Greyburn College.

...

Shortly after Bruce sent the email,

S.H.I.E.L.D.'s logistics division intercepted it.

They read the content, traced the IP, and identified the email owner.

The address pointed to Greyburn College's Cell Biology Department.

The owner? Dr. Samuel Sterns.

This was Mr. Blue.

Once this information was confirmed, S.H.I.E.L.D. immediately passed it on to General Ross's team.

...

Inside the operations room—

General Ross's men were busy, surrounded by agents from the FBI and CIA.

One of his officers received the update from S.H.I.E.L.D.

They now knew the target's identity and location: Dr. Samuel Sterns, Greyburn College, New York.

Ross began mobilizing.

First priority: inject Blonsky with a second dose of Super Soldier Serum.

He had already received one dose earlier, but this particular formula required two.

Worth noting: this serum was not the same as Captain America's.

Steve Rogers' serum was created during WWII by Dr. Erskine.

Blonsky's version? Developed by Stark Industries, based on recovered documents.

Same name, different formulas.

Still, the outcome was clear:

Ordinary men became super soldiers.

Of course, side effects were possible, one reason Stark Industries halted further development.

But General Ross didn't care. It wasn't his body being altered.

With Banner's location now confirmed, Ross only needed Blonsky to finish the injection, then they'd move out.

...

Meanwhile, Bruce and Betty arrived at Greyburn College's Cell Biology Department.

They quickly found Dr. Samuel Sterns, Mr. Blue.

Sterns was ecstatic to meet Banner.

He eagerly ushered them into his lab, rambling excitedly the whole way.

Despite potential risks, all three agreed to proceed with the experiment.

...

As night fell—

Carl lounged comfortably on a plush sofa, red wine in hand, his expression one of pure amusement.

He'd been following the events between Bruce and General Ross all day.

Whenever something popped up on the news, Carl would scan the globe using his enhanced vision.

It didn't take long to find both parties.

If things went according to plan, then tonight—

The long-awaited battle would begin:

Hulk vs Abomination.

Carl remembered clearly, Blonsky, after receiving the serum, became the Abomination from the movie.

During the final battle, he absolutely dominated Hulk, until the tide turned.

If Betty hadn't stopped Hulk from killing him, the Abomination's neck would've been snapped like a twig.

Maybe it was because Abomination's strength didn't scale with rage like Hulk's did.

And maybe, he couldn't turn back into a human anymore.

Of course, none of this mattered much to Carl.

What interested him more was,

『Carl』: Will Tony Stark join the fight?

Hulk vs Abomination vs Iron Man?

Now that sounded entertaining.

If Stark showed up, maybe his identity would finally be exposed.

After all, Abomination was leagues beyond Iron Monger.

He could even suppress the Hulk himself.