Thanks to regular exercise and the fact that Hulk had just transformed, Bruce Banner quickly managed to suppress the faint green glow that had started to emerge.
"Why would you want to be friends with that... green monster?" Bruce Banner, though now calm, still found Qi Jun's choice unbelievable.
As a top scientist with seven PhDs, Bruce Banner couldn't fathom what kind of worldview would lead someone to befriend a brainless, rage-driven green monster. Yes, at this point, Bruce Banner still hadn't accepted this reality. He viewed Hulk as a disease he needed to eradicate.
"Why not?" Qi Jun smiled and asked, "Why do you see him as a disease? Have you ever tried to control him? You two are one. If you could merge, you'd have both your intelligence and his strength. Wouldn't that be the best of both worlds?"
Qi Jun knew Bruce Banner wouldn't consider this, at least not now. In a few years, after more experiences, Bruce Banner might see things differently.
Sure enough, Bruce responded, "No! I would never merge with that monster! It's a monster! I need to destroy it!"
Despite struggling to contain his anger, Bruce Banner remained adamant. Qi Jun, knowing he planned to separate Bruce and Hulk, smiled inwardly. In a few years, Bruce Banner would undoubtedly say, "This is great!"
"Alright then, if you won't merge, have you considered separating?" Qi Jun asked, unfazed by Bruce's reaction.
"Separate? How?" Bruce was puzzled. He had never thought of this before. How could he separate himself from Hulk?
"With magic, of course!" Qi Jun snapped his fingers.
Then, Bruce saw the ruins they were in disappear, replaced by a green field, trees, grass, and streams—a perfect camping spot if not for the two deep grooves in the ground.
"As you can see, this is the real world. Earlier, we were in a mirror dimension. No matter how much damage is done there, it won't affect reality."
"Oh, and those two grooves on the ground? Those were made before Hulk and I became friends."
"Honestly, Hulk isn't really bad. You've been trying to kill him, pushing him to cause destruction every time he appears, and then blaming it all on you."
Seeing Bruce Banner's stunned expression, Qi Jun found it quite amusing. Such a scene was rare and possibly a one-time opportunity. Once Bruce Banner accepted magic, this kind of reaction would be impossible.
Suddenly, Qi Jun looked into the distance, a golden light flashing in his eyes.
"Looks like intelligence agencies are already here. These hyenas are really annoying!" Qi Jun frowned and said to Bruce, who was still dazed, "We should leave. I doubt you want to be caught by those intelligence organizations."
"Of course, those intelligence agencies have always wanted to capture me for research. Those people are no good!" The mention of intelligence agencies snapped Bruce back to reality. Compared to General Ross, those agencies were even more troublesome, as Bruce had painfully learned.
"Let's go then!" Qi Jun said, drawing a colorless portal with faint blue glimmers out of thin air. He walked through it while Bruce stood in confusion.
"Are you waiting for the intelligence agencies to catch you?" Qi Jun called from the other side, lying on a lounge chair and preparing to bask in the sun for energy.
"Oh, right, I'm coming!" Spurred again by the mention of intelligence agencies, Bruce Banner took a deep breath and stepped through the portal.
The portal quickly shrank and disappeared, as if it had never existed. Soon, a group of intelligence agents arrived at the scene, cautiously surveying the area.
"You can find a place to sit. There's food and drink in the fridge. Help yourself," Qi Jun said. "Give me a moment... Taibai, open the solar panels and adjust the light to a level tolerable for ordinary humans!"
Although most of the energy was used up fighting Hulk, some was still consumed during the later use of spatial magic. Qi Jun, not being a perfectionist but certainly efficient, wanted to recharge now that he was back at the Venus base.
"Yes, sir. Solar panels are deployed. Light intensity set to 2%."
As Taibai's voice fell, a beam of light shone through, but to Bruce Banner, it was incredibly bright.
"Welcome to the Venus space station, Dr. Bruce Banner!" Taibai announced as Bruce Banner shielded his eyes from the glare.
"An AI? Like Tony Stark's?" Bruce was certain he hadn't seen anyone else when they entered the room. It was a habit he had developed over time.
"Wait... did you say this is the Venus space station?" Bruce Banner's body stiffened, as if he had thought of something terrifying. He didn't even notice his voice cracking.
Qi Jun, lying on the lounge chair and basking in the light, couldn't help but smirk.