“Hey, buddy, are you alright?”
Looking at the disheartened Dr. Banner, Deadpool took the lead, sliding quickly to stand before him.
He waved his hand in front of Dr. Banner’s face, trying to get his attention.
But no matter how Deadpool waved his hand, Dr. Banner’s gaze always passed through Deadpool’s body, staring blankly at the scene outside.
Seeing Dr. Banner still unresponsive, Deadpool scratched his head and said to Chen Yu and Tony, who had followed him: “BOSS, it seems Banner’s brain is broken. I recommend using the ancestral repair and treatment method.”
Just as Chen Yu was about to ask Deadpool what the ancestral repair and treatment method was, he saw Deadpool raise his right palm and, with lightning speed, give Dr. Banner a resounding slap at a 45-degree angle.
The sound was so loud that both Chen Yu and Tony felt their own faces hurt.
However, Deadpool’s move was indeed effective.
After feeling the sharp pain on his face, Dr. Banner’s eyes shifted from dullness to clarity.
He clutched his cheek, his eyes welling up with tears.
Chen Yu looked at Deadpool with some surprise. Deadpool was truly Deadpool, not at all afraid that Dr. Banner would be provoked into transforming into Hulk and fighting him.
Could it be that he was certain Dr. Banner was utterly disheartened at this moment, with no anger to transform into Hulk?
Deadpool gave himself a thumbs-up and said to Chen Yu and Tony: “See, he’s cured! I’m really too familiar with this state of his. When I was a mercenary, some of the new recruits in the barracks couldn’t handle the reality of killing on the battlefield, and they looked pretty much like him, thinking that by closing off their hearts they could escape reality. Just give them enough external stimulation, and they’ll come out of that state of internal closure.”
Deadpool saw a spark in Dr. Banner’s eyes, extended his hand, and chose to pull Dr. Banner up.
“Sorry, buddy, don’t blame me. Your eyes were terribly vacant just now, and I had no choice but to use this method to bring you back. Please don’t take it to heart.”
Dr. Banner rubbed his right cheek and took Deadpool’s outstretched hand, propping himself up.
“No, you hit me well. What right do people like me have to live in this world?”
Dr. Banner looked around at the ruined streets of the real world reflected outside the Mirror Dimension, seeing the bodies covered with white cloths that had been cleared from the rubble, and felt immense self-reproach.
Although Hulk had accidentally killed people before, those were soldiers sent by General Ross to hunt him, something he had to do to escape capture.
But this time, the great battle with Abomination in Brooklyn, New York, not only destroyed the entire street, but also affected at least hundreds or thousands of civilians, and the number of casualties was still being tallied.
Dr. Banner sank deep into self-loathing: “Sorry, I can’t forgive myself for this. Although it was unavoidable, those people ultimately died because of me, and Abomination is also a monster that came about because of my blood. Ultimately, it’s my fault! A monster lives deep inside me; it only knows anger and destruction, and I can’t control it at all.”
Banner looked at his hands; he couldn’t bear the destruction Hulk had caused in New York while controlling his body.
“No, Dr. Banner, if you hadn’t stopped Abomination, the damage to the Brooklyn area would have been more than just one street. I’ve seen videos related to you and know that you’ve always restrained Hulk’s violent impulses, but Abomination is different; his brain only knows destruction, and there’s no way to communicate with him.”
Tony lifted his mask and walked over to comfort Dr. Banner.
Banner recognized Tony Stark’s face at a glance, somewhat surprised: “Tony Stark?”
Tony glanced proudly at Chen Yu, as if saying, “See? Everyone recognizes my face. That’s the benefit of being famous; it saves me the trouble of introducing myself.”
Then he said to Dr. Banner: “Dr. Banner, your scientific achievements are unparalleled. If you continue to blame yourself like this, it will be a loss for all humanity.”
“I’ve read about robotics engineering and papers, and compared to your intellect, Hulk is nothing. In a sense, I’m even your fan.”
Tony’s words offered Dr. Banner a glimmer of comfort.
To be the idol of Tony Stark, the super-rich, genius scientist who thought so highly of himself, Dr. Banner still felt a little happy.
Especially in scientific research, no one didn't want to be associated with Tony Stark; with Tony’s support, research funds would be limitless, and there would be no need to worry about money at all.
“Of course, as your fan, knowing that my idol is in trouble, I will naturally do something, such as helping you with the aftermath, mediating with the military on your behalf, and getting General Ross to stop pursuing you.”
Tony’s hands moved like an accordion, opening and closing, vividly and constantly explaining what he could do for Dr. Banner.
“But…”
Dr. Banner’s eyes were moved; he wanted to say something but was interrupted by Tony.
“Dr. Banner, you have a genius mind and should use it for good, for the benefit of humanity. Compared to the outstanding achievements you can make, Hulk is just a small stumbling block on your path of scientific research, nothing at all.”
“If you’re worried about Hulk going berserk, then I’ll provide an uninhabited island and build a research institute for you there. You can experiment to your heart’s content without worrying about Hulk harming others if he goes berserk.”
“Of course, a person can’t live in isolation forever. If you want to get some fresh air, there will also be a dedicated helicopter on the island to take you back to civilized society. Besides, you don’t want to share a body with Hulk for the rest of your life, do you?”
Tony’s last sentence directly struck a chord in Dr. Banner’s heart.
He absolutely did not want to share a body with Hulk now.
While hiding from General Ross with his ex-girlfriend Betty, during the days and nights in the wilderness where no one bothered them, he constantly wanted something to happen with his girlfriend.
With dry wood and fierce fire, and having not seen each other for a long time, it was normal for something to happen.
However, Dr. Banner found that as soon as his emotions became agitated, he couldn't help but transform into Hulk, which made him afraid to let anything happen with his girlfriend at night.
Faced with his girlfriend’s teasing, Dr. Banner acted like the legendary Liu Xiahui, who could sit with a woman without being moved.
One step to the stomach?
No, no, no, that was too much for Hulk; the size difference was like a rabbit and a donkey.
If he had really given in and let something happen with his girlfriend that night, he would have been collecting her body the next day.
For his girlfriend's future, for his own happiness, he had to continue researching with Dr. Blue how to eliminate the body’s mutation.
Tony Stark was willing to sponsor his research, help him resolve the military's pursuit, and even help him settle the innocent civilians harmed by him and Abomination.
Banner was incredibly moved now, unable to express his feelings in words.
Like rain after a long drought, or meeting an old friend in a foreign land—it was nothing short of that.
“Sorry, my mind is very complex right now; my nervous system is operating faster than my brain’s limit for processing information.”
With an excited heart and trembling hands, Banner wanted to say something more to ease his feelings. He looked at Chen Yu, who was also dressed in an Iron Suit behind Tony, and decided to say something to get closer to Tony.
After Chen Yu confined Hulk and Abomination in the Mirror Dimension, when Dr. Blue’s inhibitor failed, Hulk was finally able to unleash his full strength and give Abomination a good beating.
Hulk directly beat Abomination into a state of shock, which finally appeased his anger. After his anger subsided, Hulk returned control of the body to Dr. Banner.
At this time, Dr. Banner and Hulk’s memories were not fully shared, and he did not realize that the child in front of him was the culprit who sent him here. He still thought that he and Abomination were trapped here by some spatial device invented by Tony Stark, to prevent Abomination from going out and causing further destruction.
And Dr. Banner, having returned to his original form, seeing the scene of the real world outside the Mirror Dimension, fell into deep self-reproach, completely ignoring the conversation between Chen Yu and Tony.
Now, seeing Chen Yu behind Tony, wearing a smaller, mini-version of the Iron Suit, he thought Chen Yu and Tony were relatives, a father-son relationship.
Otherwise, why would Tony specially give this child a smaller Iron Suit and bring him out for experience? Wasn't this to broaden his horizons, what else could it be?
Moreover, it was well-known that Tony Stark was a playboy, and it was only natural for a super-rich man to have a few illegitimate children in secret.
Banner's mind conjured up a scenario of an illegitimate son from a wealthy family gaining recognition from his rich father and coming out to gain experience with him, so he blurted out: “Is this your son? He truly looks like a talent…”
Before Banner could finish speaking, Tony’s face instantly changed dramatically, and Deadpool quickly jumped aside, afraid of being affected.
“Tongue-Tying Curse!”
“Petrificus Totalus!”
“Stupefy!”
Chen Yu directly cast three dark spells onto Dr. Banner’s face.
Instantly, Dr. Banner felt his tongue stick firmly to his palate, unable to pull it down no matter how hard he tried. Immediately after, he found his arms and legs uncontrollably pressed together, his entire body becoming stiff, and finally, he fell to the ground hard like a plank.
Just as Dr. Banner was still in shock, the third dark spell struck, and he instantly felt his vision go black, his mind clouded, and he knew nothing else.
Seeing Chen Yu’s three consecutive spells, Tony also said with lingering fear: “Didn’t Dr. Banner just make a mistake? You don’t need to react so strongly, do you?”
Chen Yu put his mini Iron Suit back into his Serenitea Pot and looked at Tony, annoyed: “How about you try the taste of these three spells?”
“No, no, no, in a way, some of the sins caused by Hulk need to fall on Dr. Banner’s head. This is his deserved punishment.”
A wise man submits to circumstances. Tony decisively conceded.
Seeing Tony concede, Chen Yu again cast a Levitation Charm to levitate Dr. Banner’s body, then guided the unconscious Dr. Banner to float towards him.
Chen Yu looked at the busy soldiers in the real world and asked Tony: “Since it’s over, we should leave here too. But to avoid the military’s eyes, where do you suggest opening the Dimension Door?”
Tony closed his mask, dialed Miss Pepper’s voice message again, and after ending it, said to Chen Yu: “It’s getting late, let’s go straight back to the villa. Pepper is already waiting there; she’s very worried about us.”
Chen Yu shook his wand again, directly opening a Dimension Door from the Mirror Dimension to Tony’s villa living room.
Tony looked at the portal that led directly to his living room. Although he marveled at the convenience of the sorcerers’ portals, he secretly resolved to understand the operating principle of the Dimension Door and invent a spatial containment device to prevent sorcerers from so easily opening portals directly into his home.
Chen Yu was fine, but what if an enemy sorcerer, like Chen Yu, opened a Dimension Door directly into his villa? Wouldn't he and Pepper be in danger then?
Tony had also learned from Chen Yu that there was a group of sorcerers from Kamar-Taj silently protecting Earth, but he didn't believe that everyone in Kamar-Taj was a beacon of light, greatness, and righteousness. What if one or two black sheep wanted to target him, directly ambushing him when he wasn’t wearing his Iron Man Armor? He couldn't handle such a situation.
Just as Chen Yu was about to step through the door, Deadpool quickly urged Chen Yu to wait.
Deadpool poked Abomination, who was lying motionless on the ground, and asked Chen Yu: “BOSS, what about this guy? Are we just going to leave him here?”
Originally, Chen Yu intended to throw Abomination into the Mirror Dimension and let him fend for himself, whether he could get out alive would depend on Abomination’s own luck.
But since Deadpool brought it up, Chen Yu changed his mind, suddenly feeling that leaving him here to fend for himself was too easy on him.
He turned and cast a shrinking spell on the over three-meter-tall Abomination, shrinking him to the size of an adult’s palm. Then, he pulled out an iron lump from his Serenitea Pot, transformed it into an iron cage, and stuffed Abomination inside.
Looking at the palm-sized Abomination in the cage, it felt like looking at an exquisite figurine.
“Here, you deal with it.”
Chen Yu threw the iron cage to Tony, guided the unconscious Banner, and directly arrived in Tony’s villa living room.
At this time, Pepper was already anxiously waiting in the living room.
She saw Chen Yu, Tony, and a guy in a black and red bodysuit emerge from the Dimension Door, and an unconscious man also floated out from the Dimension Door.
Chen Yu placed the floating Dr. Banner on the sofa.
Pepper carefully scrutinized Tony’s Iron Suit, and finding no scratches or bumps on Tony, she finally let out a true sigh of relief.
She was really afraid that Tony would return again with damaged Iron Man Armor, after all, Tony was very concerned about his image and never told her his actual condition. From the photos coming from the scene, a whole block in Brooklyn had almost turned into ruins, which made Pepper incredibly nervous, fearing that Tony would overexert himself and get injured.
After repeatedly confirming Tony was fine, Pepper handed a stack of documents to Chen Yu.
“Little Chen Yu, take a look. This is the final candidate list for the sword instructor. Besides the ones you marked with an ‘O’ earlier, there are a few others I feel are genuinely skilled. See if there’s anyone suitable?”
Chen Yu took the sword instructor recruitment list handed to him by Pepper, glanced at it briefly, and placed it on the nearby table.
Chen Yu pointed to Deadpool behind him and said to Pepper: “Thank you for your trouble. I’ve already found a sword instructor; it’s him.”
“Since you’ve found a suitable instructor, I won’t worry about it anymore.” Pepper, seeing that Chen Yu had a suitable candidate, no longer inquired about the matter. Instead, she looked at the man lying on the sofa and continued to ask Tony: “And who is that person lying on the sofa?”
“Dr. Banner.”