Watching Victor turn and flee without hesitation, Nolan was momentarily speechless.
Why run? They were not even enemies.
Did Victor really think Nolan would chase him down?
The wail of sirens rose in the distance.
Dozens of police cars surrounded the building, sealing it off completely.
"Everyone inside, listen carefully. You are surrounded. Come out immediately and surrender."
The shrill alarms echoed through the night.
A figure descended from the sky.
It was Tony Stark.
When Nolan saw him, he burst out laughing.
"Too late, Iron Man."
Tony Stark felt a surge of frustration. He had not wanted to arrive late.
The moment news broke, he had already been alerted.
Half a city block had been reduced to ruins. The scale of destruction rivaled the earlier battle with the Hulk.
But he had been helpless.
After that fight, he had realized just how flawed his armor was.
He had dismantled his entire lab to develop a new suit. Even now, the armor he was wearing was an older model, its combat capabilities far from ideal.
"So," Tony said, scanning the wreckage, "who wants to tell me what happened here?"
When his gaze landed on Reed Richards' body, he froze.
It was Reed Richards.
Tony disliked him deeply, especially that unbearable arrogance, somehow even worse than his own.
But Reed's mind was an invaluable asset to humanity.
His death was a genuine loss.
Just as Nolan was about to speak, Susan stepped forward.
"Victor from Doom Industries fought Reed. We were caught in the crossfire. Victor escaped."
Her explanation was brief, but it neatly removed Nolan from the center of the incident.
After a moment's thought, Nolan nodded. There was nothing technically wrong with that version.
As for the details, he was not stupid enough to invite unnecessary trouble.
Tony glanced around again, frowning.
"All the electronic equipment is destroyed."
"That was Victor's power," Susan said quietly, fear lingering in her eyes. "He can control electricity. It's terrifying. We never realized he had abilities at all."
Victor's power was overwhelming.
In any place with electricity, he was nearly unstoppable.
"Control electricity?" Tony inhaled sharply.
In a modern world saturated with power grids, that ability could be pushed to terrifying extremes.
After a brief exchange, attention shifted to dealing with the authorities.
Nolan wasted no time pinning everything on Victor.
Given Victor's current situation, he was not coming back anyway. Taking the blame suited him just fine.
Once the aftermath was handled, Nolan finally felt the pressure lift.
With Reed Richards gone, he could focus on making money in peace.
Tony suddenly asked, "Nolan, ever thought about becoming a superhero like me?"
He genuinely believed Nolan had the potential.
Nolan chuckled.
"Sorry. I'm a businessman. I just want to make money."
Tony shot him an annoyed look, feeling as though all his enthusiasm had been poured down the drain.
Meanwhile, at S.H.I.E.L.D.
Director Nick Fury studied the limited footage they had recovered.
"Maybe we should consider recruiting Nolan Locke into the Avengers."
"I doubt he'd agree," Coulson said with a sigh. "The profilers ran an analysis on him. The conclusion was… inconclusive."
Fury raised an eyebrow.
"They believe his mindset is extremely complex. He doesn't care about public moral boundaries. If someone like that becomes an Avenger, he could cause serious problems down the line."
"No bottom line?" Fury's expression darkened.
"Can he be controlled?"
"Unknown. But Iron Man definitely can't do it."
Fury nodded slowly.
"Then put this on hold."
He set Nolan's file aside and picked up another.
"Black Bolt…"
This world was different from Nolan's original universe. They had already made contact with the Inhumans, and Black Bolt was on their radar.
Fury's eyes gleamed.
If Black Bolt joined, it would solidify the Avengers' foundation.
If someone as dangerous as Nolan ever crossed a line, the Avengers would be able to handle it.
"How's the Captain doing?" Fury asked casually while flipping through the documents.
Coulson immediately lit up.
"He's adapting well to modern life. Director, you wouldn't believe it. The Captain is handsome and beautiful. Damn it, I think I'm falling for him."
Fury tapped the desk with his finger.
"Coulson, remember who you are. Also, there's a significant age gap."
"Age isn't the point," Coulson said, shaking his head.
Even so, their respective positions did complicate things.
With Reed Richards gone, Nolan's life returned to calm.
He devoted himself entirely to making money.
Money was his foundation. With enough of it, he could face any danger the future threw at him.
With the successful release of the NS-series robots, the world was swept into another wave of intelligent machinery.
No company in the field could remain untouched.
Anyone with eyes could see it. A new tech giant was rising at terrifying speed.
After a period of awkward distance, Nolan finally had Susan move into his villa.
Johnny and Ben, who once seemed ready to kill each other, were now getting along surprisingly well.
Victor had vanished completely.
Not just him. Even the Hulk had disappeared, as if all the superpowered beings in the world had gone silent.
"Ah, peaceful life," Nolan groaned dramatically from the bed.
Susan rolled her eyes at him, sat up, and tightened her grip, her voice filled with menace.
"What's wrong with peace?"
"It's great!" Nolan replied instantly. He genuinely feared she might crush something important.
"Actually," Susan said after a pause, "I heard S.H.I.E.L.D. is preparing to form an organization called the Avengers."
Nolan raised an eyebrow.
"The Avengers?"
"Yes. That's the name. How did you know?"
Susan looked puzzled. That information was not exactly public.
Nolan shrugged.
"With Red Queen around, there aren't many secrets left for me. Are you thinking of joining?"
He shook his head slightly.
"That's not a great idea. The Avengers claim to be independent of the government, but S.H.I.E.L.D. is backing them. There's no way they're truly separate. Join up, and you might end up working for free."
Susan shook her head.
"I'm not planning to. But once the Avengers are formed, they'll definitely affect us."
Unlike Reed Richards, Susan had both high intelligence and emotional awareness.
A government-affiliated superhero organization was bound to change the landscape.
Her biggest concern was whether the Avengers would eventually come after them.
Hearing her worry, Nolan laughed.
"You're overthinking it. They can't cut ties with S.H.I.E.L.D., sure, but the Avengers aren't S.H.I.E.L.D.'s subordinates. Do you really think Tony Stark would willingly work as their enforcer?"
"At most, S.H.I.E.L.D. will leverage their status as heroes."
"Hopefully," Susan said, nodding.
What she did not know was that Nolan himself was curious about this world's Avengers.
In his original universe, the founding Avengers never included someone like Black Bolt.
Here, Black Bolt was already a candidate.
There was no doubt this version of the Avengers would be far stronger.
While they enjoyed their evening together, several blocks away, an entire district was locked down.
Troops gathered. Even news vans were kept at a distance.
General Ross stood atop a command vehicle.
"Emil Blonsky. Begin."
Blonsky nodded.
Months ago, his body had been swollen with explosive muscle.
Now, his muscles looked shrunken, his posture slightly hunched.
Yet his eyes burned with vitality.
Two injections of the super soldier serum had pushed his body to its limits.
His muscles had compressed because his body could no longer supply enough energy.
But his strength was several times greater than before.
This time, he would capture the Hulk.
It was his obsession. His reason for existing.
He led his team forward.
Ross sat in the command vehicle, expression cold.
This was not his first time hunting the Hulk. He knew how difficult it was.
But this time, he was confident.
Behind him stood dozens of metal robots armed to the teeth.
They were high-priced killing machines purchased from Locke Technology.
T-800 units.
Each one cost twelve million.
Expensive, yes. But if he could capture the Hulk, the returns would be immeasurable.
Blonsky's job was only to draw the Hulk out.
Time ticked by.
Suddenly, an enraged roar shattered the air.
A massive figure leapt from a high-rise.
Ross's eyes gleamed.
"Where's Blonsky?"
After a brief moment of confusion, Ross dismissed the thought.
Blonsky was his best soldier, but he could always find more.
What mattered now was the Hulk.
"Fire!" Ross ordered.
Tanks that had long surrounded the area opened fire.
The building had been evacuated.
Any collateral damage would be handled by the military.
Ross did not care.
Capturing the Hulk would be his greatest achievement.
More than a dozen tanks fired at once.
The Hulk reacted quickly, but not quickly enough.
A shell slammed into him.
The explosion sent him flying.
Ross was ecstatic.
"Deploy the Terminators!"
The tanks were only for surprise attacks. The real work would be done by his walking gold bars.
The Terminators opened fire, suppressing the Hulk while closing in.
As they approached, Ross smiled in triumph.
Suddenly, the Hulk roared and ignored the barrage, charging straight at one unit.
In an instant, the Terminator was smashed to pieces.
If Nolan had been there, he would have stopped this stupidity immediately.
The T-800 was designed for special operations and urban combat, not direct assaults.
Even a more advanced T-1000 would be useless against the Hulk.
This was beyond foolish.
Ross no longer needed an explanation.
Against the Hulk, the Terminators were no tougher than watermelons.
More than half were destroyed in moments.
"Damn it!" Ross cursed.
He suspected Nolan Locke had tricked him.
At that critical moment, a thunderous voice boomed from behind the Hulk.
"Hulk, your opponent is me!"
The next instant, a massive figure slammed into the battlefield.
Emil Blonsky stared at his new body in exhilaration.
He was no longer human, but he loved it.
Facing the monster who had once crushed him, Blonsky charged.
Boom!
Two titans collided.
Blonsky was ecstatic.
He had knocked the Hulk down.
Ross saw it clearly.
"Blonsky, restrain him!" he shouted excitedly.
Blonsky's transformation made Ross feel his goal was within reach.
This was exactly the kind of war beast he wanted.
The next second, Blonsky shot Ross a contemptuous glare.
"Who do you think you are?"
His voice dripped with disdain.
With this power, he answered to no one.
All he cared about was defeating the Hulk.
At the same time, the Hulk rose to his feet.
"Roar!"
The two monsters clashed in earnest.
Their strength alone was enough to level an entire district.
Back at Nolan's villa, Nolan frowned.
"That's strange. What's that sound?"
"It's getting closer."