Banner thought the offer Leon made was quite good.
In the past, every time Hulk appeared, it was a nightmare for him.
He would lose consciousness, only to wake up to a mess and guilt.
Hulk was the Beast within him, a curse he couldn't shake off.
But just now, in the badlands of South Dakota, everything was different.
He clearly felt Hulk's rage, the wild power surging through his veins.
But he didn't lose himself.
He even pinned the arrogant Superman of the Eternal to the ground and pummeled him.
That feeling… Banner looked down at his hands, that feeling of controlling everything… Damn it, it was actually a bit addictive.
He knew this control came at a price.
He traded his fear of Hulk for his allegiance to Leon.
From the current perspective, this deal seemed like an absolute steal?
"What are you thinking, Dr.? Still savoring the thrill of tearing Superman apart?"
Leon's voice drifted, interrupting Banner's thoughts.
He had walked over to the sofa at some point, then sank into it, his legs casually crossed, a relaxed posture.
Banner gave an awkward laugh, pushing up the glasses on his nose: "I'm just still adjusting. All of this is too surreal."
"Surreal?" Leon chuckled softly.
"To an ant, human skyscrapers are also surreal. Dr., you've simply ascended to a higher dimension and seen a broader landscape. You'll get used to it."
His tone was gentle, like a patient mentor guiding his student.
But from that gentleness, Banner heard an arrogant sense of entitlement.
As if he was born to stand in this dimension and look down on all beings.
Leon was, of course, arrogant.
In his eyes, most lives in this Universe, including Banner and Tony, were merely characters in his script.
He knew their pasts and foresaw their futures.
This omniscient feeling, coupled with his immense power, prevented him from truly feeling "equal" to them.
He could be gentle, he could be friendly, but this all stemmed from his good upbringing.
Isn't that right? This was much better than Homelander.
Leon could guarantee that if others possessed the power he currently had… if Superman's abilities were obtained in the morning, at this moment, you would say, "I want to protect the World, be a superhero."
In the afternoon, you would suddenly realize something.
I'm freaking Superman, why do I still have to be so subservient?
Compared to these, Leon felt he was practically a saint, having remained dormant for two thousand years.
Seeing Banner lost in thought again, Leon rolled his eyes and continued to explain.
"Your body is a perfect energy vessel, Dr." Leon put down his glass and calmly watched Banner.
"Gamma rays opened the door to the source of power for you, but out of fear, you've lingered at the doorway, afraid to step in."
"Hulk's rage doesn't stem from a desire for destruction, but from loneliness. Loneliness of not being understood, not being accepted. The more you reject him, the angrier he becomes. The more you fear him, the stronger he becomes."
Banner was stunned.
Loneliness?
Yes, loneliness.
Since that experiment, he had lost friends, lost loved ones, lost a normal life.
He was hunted, misunderstood, and feared by the entire World.
He had exiled himself to the corners of the World, isolated from everyone.
Was he not lonely himself?
So, Hulk's rage had always been an echo of his own suppressed emotions?
Seeing the thoughtful expression on Banner's face, Leon knew he had once again successfully played the role of a life mentor.
To completely control a person, one must first break their inner defenses, and then build a new belief for them.
And this new belief could only be himself.
"Relax, Dr. Don't stand there, sit." Leon gestured to the opposite sofa, his tone casual.
"We have plenty of time to discuss this issue of self-perception."
Banner sat down somewhat stiffly, his body ramrod straight, contrasting with Leon's languid posture.
Just then, a melodious electronic chime sounded in the living room.
"Mr. Leon." Jarvis spoke again.
"Mr. Stark reports that he has begun processing the matters you instructed."
Bruce Banner's eye twitched.
Goodness, that efficiency was too high.
How long had it been?
Tony Stark had not only accepted the fact that his Villa was occupied but had also begun to proactively report on work?
What on Earth was happening to this World?
Leon shrugged. Tony Stark was a smart man, and one who knew how to adapt to circumstances.
After witnessing power far beyond his comprehension, he knew how to choose.
Temporary submission was to gain more information and time to build his dream Anti-Sun god Armor.
Leon chuckled inwardly.
He even looked forward to seeing Tony's expression when, after painstakingly creating his so-called God-slaying armor, he discovered it wasn't even a toy in front of him.
"Very good." Leon nodded.
"Tell Tony to speed up. I don't like waiting. HYDRA and the Skrulls must all be cleared out. Earth needs a thorough weeding."
"Yes, Mr. Leon." Jarvis's voice sounded even more helpless.
"Your will is Mr. Stark's driving force."
This flattery, one didn't need to think to know Tony Stark had Jarvis add it.
Leon shook his head, no longer paying attention.
He turned his gaze to Banner, who was curiously observing the Villa.
"Dr., are you very interested in technology?" Leon asked.
"Yes, of course." Banner immediately replied, his eyes excited.
"Mr. Stark's achievements in the fields of energy and artificial intelligence are revolutionary. Especially the Arc Reactor, it solved the problem of clean energy…"
He stopped halfway, suddenly realizing his current identity, and paused awkwardly.
Leon, however, smiled indifferently: "The Arc Reactor, a nice toy. But its energy conversion efficiency is still too low. True energy originates from the Universe itself."
He extended a hand, palm open.
Buzz!
A fist-sized energy orb, emitting a soft golden light, appeared in his palm.
The energy orb seemed to possess life, hovering quietly, like a miniature Sun within, radiating energy that made one's heart tremble.
Banner's eyes widened, and he quickly leaned forward, his face filled with disbelief.
"This is stellar energy? How did you constrain it into a stable form? This doesn't conform to the laws of thermodynamics!"
As a physicist, he immediately recognized the essence of this energy.
But he couldn't understand how such vast and violent energy could be controlled in the palm of a hand.
This was more incredible than lighting a match at the center of an atomic bomb explosion!
"Laws?" The smile on Leon's lips became playful.
"Dr., laws are meant to be obeyed, but higher existences are meant to establish laws."
With that, he gently closed his fingers.
The energy orb suddenly annihilated.
No explosion, no Impact, no energy dissipation.
It was as if it had never appeared.
Banner was speechless.
If Hulk's power transcended the limits of physics, then Leon's power was to create and define physics.
He looked at Leon, no longer harboring any lucky or doubt in his heart.
This person was not a god.
He was the embodiment of the concept of God.
Leon leaned back onto the sofa, finishing the last sip of wine in his glass.
With his Father Odin and Thor watching over Loki, he wouldn't be able to cause any trouble for a short while.
Conquering the Universe was still far off, worrying about it now was too soon.
In comparison, Earth was much more interesting than he had imagined.
He remembered that he had briefly unleashed his divine power, and in that instant, he perceived the entire Earth as if the Sun was shining upon it.
Besides obvious energy sources like the Eternal and Hulk, he had also detected other energy sources.
At the time, he was busy dealing with Thor's mess and didn't have time to investigate thoroughly.
Now that he had leisure, it was the perfect time to unearth these surprises one by one.
.....
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