Bruce Banner's expression was grim. "They… they won't arrest me, will they? After all, these are things that haven't happened yet—an unverified future."
"Bruce, stop deceiving yourself," Erik shook his head. "You already know what's coming, don't you?"
"I'm certain that once this quiz game ends and you return to your world, they'll still come for you—even if you haven't yet gained the ability to transform into the Hulk."
"...That can't be right, can it?" Bruce Banner said, but the look on his face betrayed what he truly believed.
Tony Stark and Natasha Romanoff exchanged glances. They wanted to comfort him, yet neither knew how to begin.
After all, in their own world, Bruce Banner had gone through something very similar—constantly hunted by the military, forced to flee like a stray dog, wandering from place to place.
If not for the Avengers stepping in, Bruce Banner would likely have spent his entire life in exile.
That raised an unavoidable question: in this parallel universe where this Bruce Banner lived, did the Avengers even exist?
At that moment, a new question appeared on the light screen:
[Question: Will David Banner help Bruce Banner cure his condition and restore him to a normal human?
A: No
B: Yes]
Seeing this question, Bruce suddenly grew animated. "Right! Everything that's happened to me is because of him. If he's willing to help, maybe—just maybe—I can return to normal!"
"Slow down, Bruce," Tony Stark poured cold water on his hope. "Even setting aside whether your father actually has that ability—do you really think he wants to help you?"
"Based on what we've seen so far, I'll be honest: your father doesn't look like a good man. His attitude toward you is… strange. It feels like he cares more about the special genes inside your body than about you as his son."
Erik also shook his head. "Bruce, face reality. Don't cling to false hope."
For them, this question wasn't difficult—just like the previous one. The answer seemed obvious at a glance.
As Bruce Banner fell silent and the countdown to answer began, the players almost simultaneously slammed the buzzer.
This time, the right to answer went to Erik. He gave Bruce Banner a calm glance and selected A without hesitation.
Tony, Natasha, and Homelander made the same choice. Bruce Banner hesitated slightly, staring hard at option B, but in the end, he followed reason over emotion and also chose A.
Soon, the countdown ended, and the correct answer was announced:
[Congratulations to player Erik Lehnsherr for answering correctly! +4 points]
[Player Tony Stark, player Natasha Romance, player Homelander, and player Bruce Banner also answered correctly. +1 point each]
Although Bruce Banner had been mentally prepared, disappointment still flickered across his face. "I don't understand… Why would he do this to me? He disappears for decades, then comes back only to bring me even more pain?"
Tony Stark shrugged. "Bruce, we have to learn to move forward. You don't seem to have much emotional attachment to him anyway—why not just pretend he doesn't exist?"
Natasha Romanoff spoke more thoughtfully. "Not every parent gives their child unconditional love, Bruce. At the very least, you still had adoptive parents who truly cared for you."
After all, another Bruce had lost his biological parents at a very young age…
Bruce Banner fell silent once more.
At this moment, the light screen began playing the video corresponding to the correct answer. It was clearly a continuation of the previous segment.
After learning more about David Banner from Bruce, Betty decided to go meet him in person.
Following the clues, she located David Banner's home—only to find the environment filthy and chaotic. The house was filled with all kinds of glass containers, each housing strange and bizarre animals.
David Banner was not particularly surprised by Betty's visit. As the two spoke, it became clear they were talking past each other.
Betty knew very little about David and even less about Bruce's actual condition. To David Banner, she was simply an obstacle. He made no effort to hide his disgust—and even hatred—toward General Ross.
During the conversation, David quietly pocketed the scarf Betty was wearing, then promptly drove her away.
The scene shifted to Bruce Banner, who was now under military house arrest. General Ross sternly questioned him about David Banner, but Bruce insisted he knew nothing and could barely remember his childhood at all.
From this, Ross concluded that Bruce's mental state was unstable. He informed him that until matters were fully investigated, he was forbidden from entering any laboratories—and issued a final warning: stay away from his daughter.
Seeing this, Tony Stark glanced at Bruce Banner and chuckled. "Looks like you've got one hell of a difficult future father-in-law."
Bruce Banner's expression was complicated. "Betty often tells me her father isn't easy to get along with. But honestly… after watching these videos, I also feel that Betty shouldn't stay with me. It's too dangerous for her."
Viewing his future self transform into the Hulk from an outsider's perspective filled him with dread.
What frightened him even more was the thought that, in a completely uncontrolled state, he might lose himself and hurt Betty—something he would regret for the rest of his life.
From that standpoint, he couldn't help but agree with General Ross.
In the future video, after Ross left, Bruce Banner remained under house arrest. That night, he suddenly received a call from his biological father, David Banner, who warned him that the military would likely take action soon and told him to be careful.
Looking out the window, Bruce spotted the man he despised—Glenn—apparently preparing to break into the house.
But what concerned him more was what had actually happened to his own body.
During the day, General Ross had spoken in riddles, offering no real answers and leaving Bruce with even more questions.
On the phone, however, his biological father did not speak in riddles at all. Instead, David Banner calmly explained everything.
It turned out that when David Banner was young, he was already unstable—so deranged that he conducted experiments on his own body. During that period, his wife became pregnant.
As a result, the mutated DNA within David was passed down to their child—
Bruce Banner himself.
___
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