Chapter 33
Hulk: Speak up for me! Speak up for me!
"...I let that monster escape again, didn't I?"
After regaining his senses, Banner instinctively scanned his surroundings, with Riley deliberately relaxing his telekinetic control.
Faced with the devastated ruins and the fear and unease he could keenly sense from the eyes of Uncle Long and the others below, Banner, even with a brief moment of memory blankness, could roughly guess what had happened.
Then, with a look of guilt on his face, he turned his gaze to Riley in front of him and continued speaking sincerely.
"I'm sorry for what I just did... As expected, this monster that only knows how to destroy shouldn't exist in this world. If possible, I hope you can kill me now."
"Monster? No, no, quite the opposite. I don't think Hulk is a monster at all. He's just a child who was born not long ago, who is curious and unfamiliar with this world, and who lacks proper guidance and can't distinguish between good and evil."
Looking at Banner, whose expression was one of self-reproach and frustration, Riley knew that he had not misjudged the Hulk of this universe.
His brows relaxed, and he not only controlled Banner's body, but also landed smoothly on the ground with him.
He waved to Uncle Long and the others, indicating that the crisis was over, and then looked at Banner with a smile, offering his opinion.
"After all, if Hulk were truly a monster who only knew how to destroy, then there would probably have been rivers of blood flowing in Brazil by now, wouldn't there?"
"...A child who can't distinguish between good and evil...That's a novel idea."
Since gaining the Hulk's powers due to that experimental accident, this was the first time Banner had heard anyone compare the beast-like Hulk to a bewildered and helpless child.
But thanks to the skills he had gradually learned to read people's minds over the years of hiding, Banner could sense that the person in front of him was not deliberately saying nice things to comfort him, but rather genuinely accepting Hulk's existence.
Even after Hulk and his opponent had already fought a real battle, Banner still couldn't detect the slightest bit of disgust or rejection in Riley's words.
There was only understanding for him and Hulk, and well-intentioned advice.
This sent a jolt through Banner, who desperately needed recognition. Like someone who had been in darkness for years finally seeing a glimmer of light, his eyes reddened as he stared blankly at Riley before him.
But it is precisely because of this that Banner is even more eager to end Hulk's life so as not to harm good people like Riley.
"But as you've seen, the Hulk is far too dangerous. Every time he appears, he only brings trouble and disaster to others, so...!"
"Therefore, you should take on the responsibility of guardianship and properly educate Hulk. Try to reconcile with Hulk instead of treating him as a monster and rejecting him outright."
But seeing Banner's hesitation and worry, Riley stepped forward and grabbed Banner's hands without any hesitation.
He then gently patted the back of Banner's hand, continuously soothing him while softening his tone and speaking softly to comfort him.
"Dr. Banner, please calm down and think this through. The Hulk's appearance wasn't just an accident for you... but for the Hulk himself, wasn't he also without a choice? After all, it wasn't his own choice to come to this world, which is full of hostility and enemies, that he chose to be here, wasn't it?"
"Please don't rush to refute me. If I'm not mistaken, while Hulk's appearance has brought you a lot of trouble, he has also saved you many times when you were in danger. And if you think about it carefully, up to this point, if we're being honest, Hulk has never intentionally hurt anyone; he's always been acting in self-defense, right?"
"In this situation, you two, who are of one mind and one heart, should be on the same side, the closest friends who understand each other's feelings best. Why, because of the influence of public opinion, do you, like those uninformed outsiders, excessively reject Hulk and treat him as a disease that must be eradicated?"
As a time traveler, Riley naturally knew that Banner and Hulk would eventually reconcile.
But that was after experiencing many hardships and setbacks.
It's unfair to both Bruce Banner and the Hulk.
So, before the Hulk in this universe causes any major incident that angers the heavens and the people, and before he becomes universally hated.
Riley, believing that things were not yet beyond repair, wanted to try to change Banner's opinion of Hulk.
At least, this will allow both sides to avoid some detours on the path of exploration where they can put aside their past grievances.
"..."
Fortunately, during his years in hiding, Banner's mind has undergone a transformation. He has not only learned to control his emotions, but also let go of the arrogance he once had as a physics PhD.
That's why Banner could tell from Riley's slightly immature voice that Riley was not yet an adult and was still just a child.
But Banner still didn't dismiss Riley's words as a child's naive fantasy.
Instead, he gradually became serious and, following Riley's words, carefully recalled the Hulk's behavior patterns.
After setting aside the influence of worldly perspectives and the various misunderstandings and prejudices that came with it, Hulk's motivations are indeed closer to Riley's description.
Beneath that seemingly invincible and tough exterior lies a child who is afraid of the unfamiliar world before him, yet cannot find protection from his parents, and can only force himself to pretend to be fierce in an attempt to protect himself.
Even during that encounter in Brazil, in the moment when he was about to lose consciousness and Hulk seized control of his body, Banner could vaguely remember Hulk warning the military personnel to stay away from him instead of directly retaliating.
This caused Banner's expression to gradually change from its initial bitter and resentful look, as if he had an irreconcilable feud with the Hulk, to become strange and subtle.
After a brief silence, Banner could clearly feel his heart pounding. But he didn't feel the usual panic and unease he felt when the Hulk was about to appear.
Even after a rough estimate and confirming that his pulse rate had exceeded the warning threshold, Banner's hands only briefly transformed into the Hulk's shape before returning to normal on their own.
That look was just like the Hulk inside Banner. When someone finally understood him, he was like a drowning person who had seen a lifeline, afraid that Banner would continue to misunderstand, and he took the initiative to send a friendly signal to Banner.
It was Hulk's proactive response that made Banner raise his hand to his forehead and let out bursts of laughter that sounded worse than crying.
"Hahaha, I see, I see..."
"It's laughable. I've endured so much hardship and forbearance for so many years, and in the end, I can't even see things as clearly as a child..."
"What have I done...?"