"Aaaaaaah!"
Blinding light burst from Dracula's eyes, mouth, and ears. His skin split open all over, revealing blazing crimson flames inside, the kind that were obviously at an absurd temperature.
He reached out in disbelief. His body mutated, turning into the monstrous form from the movies, yet even then, the Extremis Virus flowing through him didn't slow down. It kept spreading.
"Blade!"
Dracula knew he was as good as dead. Before he died, he wanted to take someone down with him.
Blade stared in shock at the gun in his hand, then at Dracula.
It was actually this terrifying?
Then what the hell was this thing, holy water blessed by the Pope?
But Blade had basically tried every so-called vampire countermeasure from myths and legends. He couldn't get papal-blessed holy water, but he'd even gotten holy water at the cardinal level before. It still did nothing. The vampires who got splashed even complained that the water smelled awful.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Seeing Dracula on the verge of death and trying to drag him down, Blade fired a few more shots. Dracula's pupils shrank. Bullets he could have dodged under normal conditions couldn't be avoided now. His body was in such a severe state that he couldn't move in time. One bullet punched into his heart, another into his head.
"Bl… ade!"
Dracula's eyes looked like they were about to split, but his body was already melting. The things around him began to melt too under the extreme heat. Extremis Virus and the vampire virus were mutually exclusive, so it didn't cause an explosion. Dracula's vampire virus was just too strong, which was why he'd lasted until now.
Blade watched as Dracula fused into the molten mess, confirming the bastard wasn't getting back up.
Something this lethal against vampires had to be saved properly. Next time he ran into some Vampire King, Blood God Cain, Blood Ancestor Lilith, or whoever else, he could use it to deal with them.
As agreed, Blade handed the Daystar Virus over to Zod. Zod didn't ask where the remaining Extremis rounds went. Blade wouldn't misuse them anyway. At most, he'd let Whistler study them, and what could an old man even research?
Besides, even if something went wrong, if the sky fell, the Sorcerer Supreme, the Ancient One, would hold it up.
Ancient One: …
Just as Zod was about to study the Daystar Virus, Black Queen suddenly notified him.
His Hulk Serum might be gone soon.
Zod valued the Hulk Serum a lot. The moment he heard that, his attention snapped into place, and he quickly learned what was going on.
The reason was his War Machines.
With current technology, War Machines were extremely valuable. On a battlefield, they carried massive tactical and strategic significance. Used for decapitation strikes, they were practically unstoppable.
The greatest advantage of War Machines wasn't speed, firepower, or defense.
It was that they could be mass-produced.
That was the biggest difference between them and super-soldier serum products like Captain America and the Hulk. Those others became irreplaceable one-of-a-kind results for various reasons.
Especially the Hulk program led by General Thunderbolt Ross. Every year, they burned huge losses trying to capture Hulk. There was even a time when Ross went completely insane and used a small nuclear warhead. Hulk crawled out afterward completely fine, but a department that did nothing every year except waste military funds and leave endless messes behind would naturally draw dissatisfaction. Not just from Congress, but from the military itself.
So once War Machines had spread to a hundred units, Ross's department was officially dissolved.
Ross had been counting on the Hulk to push him up to Air Force General. Instead, not only did he fail to get promoted, he got cut from Air Force Lieutenant General straight down to Air Force Lieutenant Colonel because of the losses over the years and all the soldiers' compensation payouts. Even that was only because Ross's family and his wife's family pulled strings. Otherwise, everyone involved would be waiting for a court-martial and a few hundred years in prison.
After becoming a lieutenant colonel, Ross was assigned to some "Air Force base." Yes, a base with only a single transport helicopter.
Now Ross drank himself senseless every day. He knew his life was finished. There was no chance of a comeback.
"One rye whiskey."
A voice appeared beside Ross. Ross didn't respond. In the state he was in now, there was no point responding to anything.
"General Ross. No, I should call you Lieutenant Colonel Ross now."
Zod looked at Ross's miserable state and greeted him, not caring in the slightest that Ross might smash a glass into his head.
Ross turned and glanced at Zod. The alcohol had already hit his brain, dulling his nerves and senses, but he still recognized Zod Heath.
The super genius who had indirectly driven him into this situation.
Ross stood up to leave. The way he swayed made Zod shake his head, and Zod reached out to steady him.
"Lieutenant Colonel Ross, want to change your fate?" Zod asked with a smile.
"Get the hell away from me," Ross said with a sneer.
"I should phrase it differently," Zod said, still unbothered. "Do you want to become the Hulk?"
Ross paused.
"I have a way to make you become the Hulk, and a rational Hulk at that. How about it?"
Zod planned to bring Red Hulk onto the stage early. Red Hulk Serum should be no different from Hulk Serum, right?
Ross didn't look back. He didn't stop. He shoved the bar door open and walked out.
Zod didn't care. He knew someone like Ross would never accept the status quo. After he went back this time, he would try every possible method. When he ran out of options completely, he would come to Zod.
With Black Queen erasing traces, plus Zod's psychic power and electromagnetic force, S.H.I.E.L.D. had no idea Zod had contacted Ross. Otherwise, they would definitely intervene or stop it.
And after Ross returned, the next day went exactly as Zod expected. He asked his family, his wife's family, and every old connection he had. He wanted one last gamble.
Naturally, it failed.
Ross's reputation was already rotten. He was the scapegoat that Congress and the military had agreed to throw out. How could they possibly let him climb back up?
After trying for several days with no results, Ross had to face reality. He was straightforward about it. He was a soldier, after all. He went to Zod's door directly.
He wasn't going to wait and drag it out until Zod lost patience.
Sure, showing up at Zod's door was a different thing than being approached that day, but Ross didn't want to spend his entire life as an Air Force lieutenant colonel. And even if he disliked Zod, he trusted Zod's capability. If Zod said he could turn him into the Hulk, then he could turn him into the Hulk.
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