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Chapter 162: Betty Comes Calling
A fiasco ended in chaos.
The Military's casualty numbers were exposed, causing a massive uproar in public opinion. From time to time, the families of fallen soldiers would go to the White House to cry and protest, and various demonstrations were, of course, unavoidable.
Many interested parties developed a keen interest in Wakanda, this nation that was a blend of the primitive and the advanced. They made various small moves, which indeed caused some trouble for Wakanda, but none of this had anything to do with Tony anymore.
After Tony got out, he quietly bypassed the people crowded at the main gate waiting for the results, driving home in a most ordinary-looking car.
"For a short while, the Military won't come after me. I handled everything perfectly. Ross and his men were obliterated in the 'explosion.' This is the perfect time to solve Betty's problem first."
When Tony returned home, he greeted Electro, Scarecrow, and the others before silently taking out the bottle of Hulk Serum he had snatched from Ross.
According to the normal development of the timeline, Ross's research into the Hulk Serum would deepen, and he would gradually discover a method to increase the injection's success rate.
One day, Ross would inject himself with the Hulk Serum and become the Red Hulk, even managing to beat the green Hulk down at one point.
Of course, this might have been related to Ross being Banner's father-in-law. The latter naturally couldn't deliver a killing blow. If he accidentally killed him, who would be to blame?
"Max, go to the door and welcome a guest of ours." Tony toyed with the Serum in his hand and called Electro over, telling him to wait at the door for Betty's arrival.
Betty, Ross's daughter and Dr. Banner's beloved girlfriend, would definitely come looking for Tony, because Tony knew exactly what had happened on the battlefield.
After Dr. Banner became the Hulk, he fled to hide in Tibet, and she lost her lover. Her only remaining family, her father, died in battle in Wakanda. The girl named Betty had already lost everything and was now all alone.
Either fall into despair, or seek the power for revenge.
Betty needed detailed intelligence on Wakanda. Tony knew a lot about Wakanda, and unlike other high-ranking military officers, he wasn't bound by confidentiality agreements.
With Betty's father gone, other senior officers would be highly unlikely to reveal classified information about Wakanda to her—for example, the Vibranium Mine that was enough to drive anyone mad. This was top-secret level intelligence.
Most importantly, Tony had also once been all alone. They had a lot of common ground.
"I hope you succeed. I'm in need of a tank-type Berserker... and someday in the future, it would be very interesting to use a She-Hulk-ified Betty to lure out the Hulk. If it fails, it doesn't matter. It would just be a pity."
As he was pondering, Max brought in a young woman.
Tony's first impression of Betty was that she was cultured and reasonable. As someone with considerable talent who could get together with Dr. Banner, her level of knowledge was naturally higher than that of an ordinary person.
At this moment, Betty's eyes were red and swollen, with the clean tracks of tears at their corners. Her delicate face evoked a sense of pity.
"I know you. General Ross's daughter, the Hulk's girlfriend," Tony said, his face devoid of expression.
"Hulk and Banner are not the same thing..." Betty corrected, wiping her tears from time to time.
"They're the same to me, at least. Alright, why did you come looking for me? You're my old superior's only daughter. Just say it. I will provide you with whatever help I can."
Tony slowly poured Betty a cup of Longjing tea. He had no interest in asking first: "Tea or coffee?" Tony didn't bother with such pleasantries. Since she was on his turf, she would follow his rules.
Betty was clearly not used to drinking tea. She took a single sip and put the cup down.
Electro, Max, stood loyally behind Tony, his azure eyes fixed on Betty, exerting immense pressure on her without a word.
Tony's expression was placid, showing no intention of easing the pressure for her. His hospitality could be described as abysmal, an extremely poor experience.
"I want revenge. I want to join the army and go to Wakanda," Betty said, biting her lip.
"Impossible," Tony refused flatly, then said with sincerity, "You are General Ross's only remaining descendant. I cannot do that. I can only promise to do my best to protect you and ensure you live out the rest of your life in peace."
It was this kind of "frank" talk that moved Betty, who had been in a state of terror and unease these past few days.
"But I want revenge!" Betty said excitedly. "At the very least, let me know what really happened! The Military only told me that Ross was sent to Africa to quell a rebellion in a small country! That's so perfunctory. I know my father better than anyone. How could he have died in a small rebellion? And with so many soldiers lost!"
"You could go find the Hulk, have him take you to Africa... Judging by your expression, you haven't spoken with him since the incident, have you?"
"No, I can't reach him. I can't reach him at all, and I don't know where he is..." Betty grew flustered, not knowing where to put her hands.
Whether it was true or not was no longer important. What was important was that Dr. Banner would not give Betty a way to contact him, nor would he try to contact her again.
For the two of them, a peaceful separation was already the best option, letting time sever the connection between them.
"Help me. You were my father's subordinate before he died. You're the only one who can help me. I can't find any information on Wakanda at all. It's been deliberately blocked and censored..." Betty pleaded.
Tony looked down and pondered for another moment. As if having made up his mind, he stared into Betty's eyes, his gaze incredibly sharp.
Whether it was due to the pressure or something else, Betty felt a sense of suffocation as she looked into his eyes, which were as deep as an abyss that could devour the galaxy.
"You should know that General Ross never gave up his research on the Hulk, even after I had my Super-Soldier Technology..."
"Yes, Super Soldier! I can become a Super Soldier too!" Betty leaped up excitedly. "Please, turn me into a Super Soldier too!"
Tony slowly shook his head.
What a joke. The soldiers created with Dionysium were decent, but using it on her would be a total waste. He needed to turn Betty into She-Hulk, and forever hide the truth of the matter from her.
As for betrayal or anything of the sort... if he couldn't even handle a single She-Hulk, how could he even talk about killing the Hulk? There was some risk, but it was completely acceptable.
"What I mean to say is, General Ross's research in the area of the Hulk Serum has actually made greater progress, with even more astonishing effects," Tony guided her patiently. "The Hulk Blood Transfusion Technology is nearing maturity. General Ross was actually preparing a Serum specifically for himself, but unfortunately, it wasn't completed in time. Otherwise, when he went to Wakanda, he absolutely would not have died!"
Tony put special emphasis on the tone of words like "Ross" and "died."
"And I, as General Ross's most trusted assistant, know the detailed technology. I just need a little time and I can create the finished Serum! Not even the Military knows this secret! You are Ross's daughter, so the Serum suitable for Ross will also have a high degree of applicability to you. Make your choice, Betty. Choose to be a Super Soldier, or choose the Hulk Serum that will allow you to face Dr. Banner with your head held high?"
(end of chapter)
A fiasco ended in chaos.
The Military's casualty numbers were exposed, causing a massive uproar in public opinion. From time to time, the families of fallen soldiers would go to the White House to cry and protest, and various demonstrations were, of course, unavoidable.
Many interested parties developed a keen interest in Wakanda, this nation that was a blend of the primitive and the advanced. They made various small moves, which indeed caused some trouble for Wakanda, but none of this had anything to do with Tony anymore.
After Tony got out, he quietly bypassed the people crowded at the main gate waiting for the results, driving home in a most ordinary-looking car.
"For a short while, the Military won't come after me. I handled everything perfectly. Ross and his men were obliterated in the 'explosion.' This is the perfect time to solve Betty's problem first."
When Tony returned home, he greeted Electro, Scarecrow, and the others before silently taking out the bottle of Hulk Serum he had snatched from Ross.
According to the normal development of the timeline, Ross's research into the Hulk Serum would deepen, and he would gradually discover a method to increase the injection's success rate.
One day, Ross would inject himself with the Hulk Serum and become the Red Hulk, even managing to beat the green Hulk down at one point.
Of course, this might have been related to Ross being Banner's father-in-law. The latter naturally couldn't deliver a killing blow. If he accidentally killed him, who would be to blame?
"Max, go to the door and welcome a guest of ours." Tony toyed with the Serum in his hand and called Electro over, telling him to wait at the door for Betty's arrival.
Betty, Ross's daughter and Dr. Banner's beloved girlfriend, would definitely come looking for Tony, because Tony knew exactly what had happened on the battlefield.
After Dr. Banner became the Hulk, he fled to hide in Tibet, and she lost her lover. Her only remaining family, her father, died in battle in Wakanda. The girl named Betty had already lost everything and was now all alone.
Either fall into despair, or seek the power for revenge.
Betty needed detailed intelligence on Wakanda. Tony knew a lot about Wakanda, and unlike other high-ranking military officers, he wasn't bound by confidentiality agreements.
With Betty's father gone, other senior officers would be highly unlikely to reveal classified information about Wakanda to her—for example, the Vibranium Mine that was enough to drive anyone mad. This was top-secret level intelligence.
Most importantly, Tony had also once been all alone. They had a lot of common ground.
"I hope you succeed. I'm in need of a tank-type Berserker... and someday in the future, it would be very interesting to use a She-Hulk-ified Betty to lure out the Hulk. If it fails, it doesn't matter. It would just be a pity."
As he was pondering, Max brought in a young woman.
Tony's first impression of Betty was that she was cultured and reasonable. As someone with considerable talent who could get together with Dr. Banner, her level of knowledge was naturally higher than that of an ordinary person.
At this moment, Betty's eyes were red and swollen, with the clean tracks of tears at their corners. Her delicate face evoked a sense of pity.
"I know you. General Ross's daughter, the Hulk's girlfriend," Tony said, his face devoid of expression.
"Hulk and Banner are not the same thing..." Betty corrected, wiping her tears from time to time.
"They're the same to me, at least. Alright, why did you come looking for me? You're my old superior's only daughter. Just say it. I will provide you with whatever help I can."
Tony slowly poured Betty a cup of Longjing tea. He had no interest in asking first: "Tea or coffee?" Tony didn't bother with such pleasantries. Since she was on his turf, she would follow his rules.
Betty was clearly not used to drinking tea. She took a single sip and put the cup down.
Electro, Max, stood loyally behind Tony, his azure eyes fixed on Betty, exerting immense pressure on her without a word.
Tony's expression was placid, showing no intention of easing the pressure for her. His hospitality could be described as abysmal, an extremely poor experience.
"I want revenge. I want to join the army and go to Wakanda," Betty said, biting her lip.
"Impossible," Tony refused flatly, then said with sincerity, "You are General Ross's only remaining descendant. I cannot do that. I can only promise to do my best to protect you and ensure you live out the rest of your life in peace."
It was this kind of "frank" talk that moved Betty, who had been in a state of terror and unease these past few days.
"But I want revenge!" Betty said excitedly. "At the very least, let me know what really happened! The Military only told me that Ross was sent to Africa to quell a rebellion in a small country! That's so perfunctory. I know my father better than anyone. How could he have died in a small rebellion? And with so many soldiers lost!"
"You could go find the Hulk, have him take you to Africa... Judging by your expression, you haven't spoken with him since the incident, have you?"
"No, I can't reach him. I can't reach him at all, and I don't know where he is..." Betty grew flustered, not knowing where to put her hands.
Whether it was true or not was no longer important. What was important was that Dr. Banner would not give Betty a way to contact him, nor would he try to contact her again.
For the two of them, a peaceful separation was already the best option, letting time sever the connection between them.
"Help me. You were my father's subordinate before he died. You're the only one who can help me. I can't find any information on Wakanda at all. It's been deliberately blocked and censored..." Betty pleaded.
Tony looked down and pondered for another moment. As if having made up his mind, he stared into Betty's eyes, his gaze incredibly sharp.
Whether it was due to the pressure or something else, Betty felt a sense of suffocation as she looked into his eyes, which were as deep as an abyss that could devour the galaxy.
"You should know that General Ross never gave up his research on the Hulk, even after I had my Super-Soldier Technology..."
"Yes, Super Soldier! I can become a Super Soldier too!" Betty leaped up excitedly. "Please, turn me into a Super Soldier too!"
Tony slowly shook his head.
What a joke. The soldiers created with Dionysium were decent, but using it on her would be a total waste. He needed to turn Betty into She-Hulk, and forever hide the truth of the matter from her.
As for betrayal or anything of the sort... if he couldn't even handle a single She-Hulk, how could he even talk about killing the Hulk? There was some risk, but it was completely acceptable.
"What I mean to say is, General Ross's research in the area of the Hulk Serum has actually made greater progress, with even more astonishing effects," Tony guided her patiently. "The Hulk Blood Transfusion Technology is nearing maturity. General Ross was actually preparing a Serum specifically for himself, but unfortunately, it wasn't completed in time. Otherwise, when he went to Wakanda, he absolutely would not have died!"
Tony put special emphasis on the tone of words like "Ross" and "died."
"And I, as General Ross's most trusted assistant, know the detailed technology. I just need a little time and I can create the finished Serum! Not even the Military knows this secret! You are Ross's daughter, so the Serum suitable for Ross will also have a high degree of applicability to you. Make your choice, Betty. Choose to be a Super Soldier, or choose the Hulk Serum that will allow you to face Dr. Banner with your head held high?"
(end of chapter)
