Chapter 34
Tru: ?
To be honest, Riley was a little scared when he saw Banner's hands turn green again.
But knowing he possessed both the Chicken Talisman and the Ox Talisman, Riley knew he would be able to fight even if the Hulk reappeared. So, just as he had said, Riley chose to believe in the Hulk and Banner.
It wasn't until I saw it with my own eyes that Banner's hands returned to normal.
Riley finally breathed a sigh of relief, secretly congratulating himself on making the right bet. He then reached out and put his hand on Banner's shoulder, continuing in a lighthearted tone.
"Don't blame yourself, Dr. Banner. There's an old Chinese saying: 'Those involved are often confused, while bystanders see clearly.' And... it's never too late to mend the fence after the sheep are lost. Power itself is neither right nor wrong. You still have enough time to slowly understand Hulk and teach him what is right."
"When Hulk is able to use his power for the right purpose, I believe that those who once feared and resisted him will gradually change their views on you because of what Hulk does."
"Thank you for your understanding, child. Your words have really helped me a lot."
After the biggest knot in his heart was finally untied with Hulk's proactive response, Banner's smile began to appear more frequent.
Unable to resist reaching out and giving Riley a big hug, Banner, who had never felt so at peace in all these years, put his hands on his hips and sighed from the bottom of his heart.
"I was thinking of going back to New York and asking Mr. Blue for help... but now it seems there's no need for that anymore. I'll go back to living under an assumed name and find a place to hide until Hulk is ready to officially announce his arrival to the world."
Incidentally, if you follow the normal itinerary, you don't need to go through Mexico when traveling from Brazil to New York.
However, due to his special status and the fact that he was wanted by the military, it was clearly impossible for Banner to use normal means to fly directly to New York.
That's why I deliberately took a longer route, going from Brazil to Mexico.
Looking back now, Banner is actually somewhat glad that his identity was exposed in Brazil.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have been forced to give up his gradually settling life and flee to Mexico.
It's even less likely that he'll meet Riley and, with Riley's guidance, reach a preliminary reconciliation with Hulk, who has troubled him for years.
These coincidences that led to this encounter left Banner feeling deeply moved...
Fate is truly a wonderful thing.
"Mr. Lan... are you referring to the Mr. Lan who has been offering you help online and asking you to send blood samples regularly?"
"Ah, that's right... Speaking of which, I've been wanting to ask this since earlier. You seem to know a lot about me? And you even know about Mr. Lan's existence... Could you be Mr. Lan?"
"Ahem, no, you could say I have special intelligence sources? Also, Dr. Banner..."
"Just call me Banner, kid. You've done me such a big favor, no need to be so polite... Also, may I know your name?"
"Okay, Banner, please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Riley Parker, just call me Riley. Of course, in front of outsiders, when I'm wearing this suit, you can also call me 'Spider-Man'."
After a brief conversation, Riley, who could sense that their relationship had progressed further, complied with Banner's request and, while exchanging identities, skipped the tedious honorifics.
After a brief moment of recollection, confirming his general impression of the movie "The Incredible Hulk" from his past life, he continued speaking to Banner.
"In short, regarding Mr. Lan that you mentioned earlier, my personal suggestion is that you still need to go to New York and try to meet with him so that you can personally destroy all the blood samples you sent him. After all, while the Hulk may not have any malicious intent, if Mr. Lan, or anyone else, uses this blood and gains power similar to the Hulk's... it's uncertain whether they can still be law-abiding citizens..."
"..."
After Riley finished speaking, Banner subconsciously wanted to say something nice for Mr. Blue.
But upon closer reflection, I realized that my understanding of Mr. Lan had always been limited to the internet; I had never met him in person.
The number of blood samples given to Mr. Lan over the years has clearly exceeded the amount needed for research.
Before meeting Riley, Mr. Blue was the only one willing to help Banner, which is why Banner had no choice but to obey Mr. Blue.
Now that it can be proven that the Hulk's existence is less of a threat or a symptom to him, and more like a good brother sharing a body.
Banner should carefully consider whether Mr. Blue's actions over the years have been motivated by ulterior motives.
"...You have a point, but I'm currently wanted by the police, going to New York or anything..."
Thinking of this, Banner also felt distrustful of Mr. Blue, who had a large number of blood samples.
However, considering that he is still wanted by the military and cannot enter the United States through normal channels, he decided to pursue his own interests.
Banner couldn't help but look embarrassed, scratching his head and speaking haltingly.
"If you're worried about that, I happen to have some connections who can help resolve this issue."
Fortunately, the fact that Riley was willing to bring up this topic shows that he had already prepared a corresponding solution.
Therefore, seeing that Banner had relented and was willing to personally resolve the potential problems he had caused, Riley waved his hand and shouted to the group of people watching from a distance.
"Uncle Long! Jade! And Tru! Everything's alright now! Come on over!"
"Hey! What did you call me over here for, kid! Don't think that just because I helped Jackie Chan earlier, we're on the same side... I'll get the talisman back from you sooner or later!"
At Riley's call, not only Uncle Jackie and Jade, but even Tru, who had thought it was none of his business, couldn't help but show puzzled expressions. They wondered what Riley was really up to.
But clearly, he understood that Riley's ability to subdue the green monster meant that he was no match for Riley alone. Despite his reluctance, Tru obediently followed Uncle Dragon and Jade to Riley's side after repeated reminders.
"Yes, yes, of course I know that... As a criminal gang wanted by District 13, you probably couldn't take a regular flight and had to fly here from New York on your own private jet, right?"
Riley, certain that Tru would eventually become one of his own, paid no attention to Tru's blustering but cowardly demeanor.
After casually waving his hand, he gently pushed Banner in front of Tru and continued talking to himself.
"So, could you do us a favor and give Banner a ride back to New York?"