Chapter 32
Subduing the Hulk
However, after so many battles, although Hulk's mind is still like a child's, he has also learned how to use his power to deal with different types of enemies.
Beings like Uncle Jackie Chan, who are agile but weak and have low health, are actually the easiest type for Hulk to deal with.
After all, Hulk can make countless mistakes, while you can only make one.
So, the moment Uncle Jackie Chan finished his somersault and his feet landed, before he could make any other moves...
Hulk simply raised one foot and stomped down, triggering a small earthquake that sent Uncle Jackie flying into the air.
Then, he reached out and easily grasped Uncle Long in his palm.
"Hey! That's cheating...! Okay, okay, you win this round! Ouch! Could you go a little easier? Because I feel... my bones... are about to be crushed...!"
Of course, this behavior is more like Hulk being unable to play games and choosing to flip the table and launch a direct attack on his opponent, which inevitably draws dissatisfaction and criticism from Uncle Jackie.
But soon, the Hulk's relentless and terrifying force caused Uncle Jackie's bones to creak and groan, making him wince and utter cries of pain.
"Put him down—!"
Just at this critical moment, a huge figure suddenly attacked from behind Hulk.
This powerful blow was comparable to a fully loaded truck traveling at high speed. Completely focused on Uncle Long, Hulk, caught off guard, was knocked to the ground!
Along with Uncle Long, who was being held tightly in his hand, Hulk instinctively loosened his grip as he tried to brace himself with his hands, allowing him to escape and quickly retreat behind the enormous creature.
"Oh, thanks, Riley, this is just in time... Wait, you're not Riley, you're that... Tru from the Mafia?!"
After Uncle Long moved his limbs around for a while and confirmed that although he was still in pain, he could at least move normally, he raised his head to thank the person who had saved him in time.
But when Uncle Long saw the figure clearly, he was stunned and his eyes widened in disbelief.
"I was the one who woke that big guy up. Considering we have a common enemy, he agreed to temporarily join forces with us. It's a way of repaying the favor of diverting the monster's attention while he was unconscious and saving his life."
Just as Uncle Long was feeling puzzled, Xiao Yu's voice came from behind him.
The next second, Xiaoyu, holding the iron bucket with a few water droplets still remaining, walked excitedly to Uncle Long's side to admire up close the spectacle of the two giants competing in strength—a rare sight to behold.
"After an even stronger enemy appears, the protagonist and the antagonist put aside their past grievances and join forces to fight the foe... Oh my god, this is exactly like a scene from a comic book!"
"Instead of wasting time making sarcastic remarks, why don't you come and lend a hand! I'm almost... holding on... no... oh oh oh—!"
Unfortunately, Tru's strength was ultimately no match for the Hulk's rage boost. Not to mention, the previous one-on-one fight had already depleted most of Tru's stamina.
Before Tru could finish speaking, Hulk, who was now pinned to the ground by Tru and ambushed, roared and reached out a hand to grab Tru's head after his body had visibly swelled up.
With a powerful flick, Tru, who had exhausted all his strength, was easily detached from Hulk's back.
Then, as Hulk stood up again, baring his teeth, he lifted Tru up in front of him.
Tru, whose eyes were squinting from the waves of heat, couldn't help but swallow hard and plead in a humble tone.
"Oh, um... if I apologize now, I don't know if it's too late...?"
"roar--!!!"
Hulk's anger at this moment was clearly not something that Tru could quell with a few words.
Upon discovering that the person obstructing him was the very target who had initially provoked him and caused him to reveal himself, Hulk roared and ruthlessly swung his arm, sending Tru's massive body spinning through the air before slamming it forcefully to the ground!
But just as Tru closed his eyes, thinking that he was sure to die this time, he found that the expected pain did not come.
When he curiously opened his eyes again, he realized that his face was less than three centimeters from the ground. By remaining head down and feet up, he managed to stop his downward momentum.
Did Hulk realize at a crucial moment that he couldn't kill anyone, so he held back his power?
Of course... that's impossible.
Rather, it was because, directly above Hulk's head, a Spider-Man in a black suit had appeared, floating in mid-air.
It was Riley who had been blown away by Hulk's palm strike not long ago!
Furthermore, this time, Riley's suit was inlaid with both chicken and ox talismans on the inside.
Clearly, after the bull warrior was thrown away by Hulk and fell into a coma, Riley conveniently "borrowed" the bull talisman embedded in his mask!
It was precisely because of the power amplification effect of the Ox Talisman that the mental control of the Chicken Talisman was strengthened.
Riley was able to neutralize the Hulk's terrifying power at the last second and save Tru's life!
"Alright, big guy, it's time to end this farce."
With the blessing of these two talismans, Riley vaguely felt that he could break Hulk's neck before Hulk's power was further enhanced.
However, Riley couldn't be sure whether breaking the Hulk's neck would actually kill him completely, given his incredibly resilient life force...
Secondly, as a time traveler, and with the newspaper he bought before his trip to Mexico, Riley was able to confirm that Banner's reason for hiding all this time was definitely not because he was afraid of the military's encirclement and suppression.
Rather, Banner didn't want the Hulk's power to go out of control and harm innocent people around him. So much so that even working in a shady factory and living a hard and lonely life was something he was happy to do.
This is enough to show that Bruce Banner in this universe is also a tragic figure, which moved Riley to pity.
So, after controlling Hulk's actions as much as possible, getting Hulk to loosen his grip, and sparing Tru's life.
Riley used the power of the Chicken Talisman to teleport Hulk to his front.
While Hulk stared at him with wide eyes, his anger so intense he seemed to want to tear Riley apart, he slowly leaned close to Hulk's ear and whispered, word by word.
"You wouldn't want to cause too much of a commotion and attract the military's pursuit. You certainly don't want to have blood on your hands and be unable to face your beloved Betty, would you?"
"Mr. Bruce Banner."
"...!"
Just as Riley had guessed, after all that chaos, the Bruce Banner personality within Hulk is gradually awakening and attempting to regain control of his body.
Therefore, when Hulk heard Riley's words and the image of Betty Ross, his long-cherished girlfriend, instinctively appeared in his mind, his body visibly trembled.
Then his eyes gradually regained their clarity, and his body, like a deflated balloon, began to shrink rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Until he was holding up his tattered pants with one hand, covering his private parts, he transformed back into the disheveled "beggar" Tru had first met in the restaurant.