Natasha nodded. "I feel the same. That old man reminds me of a certain kind of mad scientist."
Homelander cut in with a cold laugh. "You mean the one standing right next to you—Tony Stark?"
No one bothered to answer him.
Bruce Banner rubbed at his temples, his expression twisted with complicated emotions. "I really can't remember much from my childhood… but whatever's there isn't pleasant. It's… pain. That's what I remember."
In the "future video," Bruce was just as wary and resistant to the old man's claims. In his memory, his parents had died when he was young.
But the old man insisted otherwise. He said that because of a lab accident, he had been imprisoned for thirty years and therefore couldn't be by his son's side to fulfill his responsibilities as a father. Now that he'd finally seized a chance to get out, he'd come straight to find Bruce—rambling about how, if Bruce could harness the strange power inside his body, the two of them could achieve something unprecedented.
Bruce listened in silence for a long time, patience clearly running thin.
Just then the phone on the bedside table rang—most likely Betty calling. Bruce moved to answer, but the old man blocked him and urged him not to be with Betty anymore. "I'll take care of you from now on," he said.
That was the last straw.
"Get out!" Bruce roared.
The old man paused, looked at him for a moment, then turned to leave. At the door he added, "You'd best watch that temper."
On the bed, Bruce's whole body trembled. His eyes were wide and blazing—as if he might leap up the next second and beat the old man to death.
The video ended. In the Eternal Space, Bruce was still dazed. "Thirty years ago… what happened? And what is this 'energy' he's talking about?"
Tony Stark shrugged. "My guess? It's tied to that big green guy you turn into. Based on what our Bruce went through, you're probably about to transform after that gamma exposure."
Natasha rolled her eyes. "He has a name, Tony. The Hulk. I'm worried you're going to get pounded when we go back."
"Thanks for the concern," Tony said with a chuckle. "Good news is, the Banner in our world can keep himself in check. He doesn't fly off the handle for no reason."
Bruce caught the important part. "Keep himself in check? What are you implying? When I turn into the Hulk… I'll lose control?"
Tony was about to explain when a new prompt flashed on the light screen:
[Who destroyed Bruce Banner's laboratory?
a) Thaddeus Ross
b) David Banner
c) Glenn Talbot
d) Bruce Banner]
Tony lifted a shoulder. "This one doesn't look too hard."
From the previous video it seemed likely that, after the gamma exposure, Bruce would transform for the first time—becoming a rage-fueled, beastlike Hulk—and the lab would be destroyed in the process. By that logic, the answer was obvious.
Natasha glanced at Bruce and nodded. "Agreed. Unless the quiz show is baiting us with a twist."
Tony shook his head. "Nat, the game sometimes throws a twist, but not every time. If it reversed the expected answer on every question, that would actually make it easier—we'd just invert our instincts."
As they talked, the countdown began. Everyone felt confident and slammed their buzzers almost simultaneously.
This time, the right to answer went to Natasha. After a brief pause, she chose d.
The other players—including Bruce—made the same choice.
The timer hit zero, and the result appeared:
[Congratulations, player Natasha Romanoff—correct on the buzzer. +4 points]
[Player Tony Stark… player Bruce Banner—correct. +1 point each!]
Tony couldn't hide a pang of envy. "Natasha, I've got to hand it to you—quietly pulling ahead of the pack. Odds look good you'll win this round."
He was a little regretful he hadn't grabbed the buzzer. He wasn't alone—Homelander, Erik, and Bruce all felt the same.
Natasha smiled. "Maybe it's beginner's luck—like you said."
Tony glanced at Homelander, pointedly. "Sure, but you are not the only beginner here. Look at wannabe Superman over there—his luck's pitch black."
Homelander, recovering from the earlier blow, shot back, "Really? Coming from a guy with a negative score? You don't have the standing to taunt me, Stark."
Erik sighed. "If only every question were this simple."
As they chatted, the correct-answer video began to play.
But instead of Bruce, the camera showed his ex, Betty, meeting her father, General Ross, at a restaurant. The relationship between father and daughter looked strained; their pleasantries were no warmer than what you'd offer a casual acquaintance.
Betty had planned to ask for help—hoping Ross would intervene with Glenn so the lab wouldn't be bought out. But before she could say a word, Ross hinted that he intended to acquire the lab. He also suggested that there was something off about Bruce's background, though he didn't spell it out—military secrecy and all.
Outside the screen, Tony propped his chin on his hand, eyes alight with a detective's satisfaction. "It's obvious Ross already knows who you are, Bruce. Let's go bolder: whatever happened to your father back then might be tied to Ross as well."
Natasha considered it. "In my world, Ross was obsessed with the super-soldier program. He pushed Dr. Banner hard—wanted to extract what was in his blood and mass-produce super-soldiers. It blew up in his face."
...
🔥 Can't wait for the next chapter? Read ahead! 🔥
If you're loving the story, you can unlock 60+ ADVANCE CHAPTERS right now for just $4/month on my Patreon! Not only do you get a massive backlog to binge-read, but you also directly support my daily translation work. ❤️
👇 Grab your early access here:
🔗 [patreon.com/user?u=79514336]
(Or simply search for Translator-Sama on Patreon!)