Marvel Universe's Ultimate Martial Arts School

Fort Drum military base, operations command center.

A laptop computer that has been disassembled into its parts sits on the table.

That was found in Banner's residence when they went to Brazil to arrest him.

Although it contained a self-destruct device, military scientists managed to decipher some useful information from the self-destructed hard drive through their efforts, such as Banner's private social media account and his email account... They even found some fragmented chat logs.

"General Ross, we've tracked it down!" A lieutenant colonel gave a standard military salute. "The signal came from 72 21st Street in Queens, heading towards the Cell Laboratory at Graham University, using that private email platform."

"I checked all the surveillance footage from Queens today and found that Robert Bruce Banner entered a newly opened Chinese martial arts school on 21st Street in Queens at 12:21 p.m. today and has not come out since."

"The target on the other end of the signal has also been identified: Professor Selélès Stern, a biologist at the University of Greban!"

"Very good." The burly General Ross turned around. "We can't let him escape this time. Arrest him immediately!"

"But..." The lieutenant colonel hesitated for a moment.

General Ross frowned: "Speak your mind!"

"That Chinese martial arts school that just opened today seems to be something special. According to the information we have found so far, he bought that small building in the downtown area three months ago for twice the market price. His only requirement was that his former law firm be emptied out that very night."

General Ross chuckled coldly: "Those annoying rich Easterners, so what?"

"For an Asian who just got his green card, the speed at which he obtained a business license is incredibly fast, especially since it was specially approved by the NSA," the lieutenant colonel said. "I just checked the NSA's public records, and his application form even bears General Phillips's personal seal..."

"Phillips?" General Ross paused, taken aback.

This name cannot be ignored.

He was the one who initiated the Super Soldier program, and it can be said that he created Captain America himself.

He was also the former director of the National Security Agency, the former administrator of the American superpowered order, one of the founders of S.H.I.E.L.D., and a figure who spanned the military, political and espionage worlds. In the 80s, he was a powerful figure who could wield influence throughout the entire American political arena!

But didn't that old guy die 5 years ago?

"The NSA has backup files; it was indeed approved several years ago, bearing General Phillips's personal seal. That's why all the martial arts school's permits were approved so smoothly," the lieutenant colonel said hesitantly. "Unless he could hack into the NSA's database to arbitrarily change the data and silently enter the archives to add original documents... and to have someone who died five years ago give him special approval, the loopholes are too big. It doesn't seem like something a normal person would do. I actually think it's true. If this martial arts school really has a huge connection with the NSA, do you think we should contact them first?"

General Ross frowned.

Should we go to the National Security Bureau to argue? Should we go to the National Security Bureau to find out?

This is no longer the era of the 1970s and 80s.

Not to mention that the National Security Agency and the military have long since completely separated their functions, both the FBI and the now-renamed S.H.I.E.L.D. under the National Security Agency are independent and arrogant, and have never been very cooperative with the military.

Even if we assume, by all accounts, that the National Security Bureau actually cooperated, since they had all the necessary information, the National Security Bureau would definitely ask him why he was investigating this before they even started. How would he answer that?

The so-called super soldier program was banned by Congress more than a decade ago when Howard Stark died, so all the experiments he later had Banner conduct were illegal.

Given the shrewdness of the FBI and S.H.I.E.L.D., Ross didn't believe they were unaware of his illegal experiments.

The reason they haven't taken action yet is probably because they haven't obtained accurate evidence.

This is actually why I'm so eager to find Banner.

They're too busy destroying their own evidence to willingly drag the National Security Bureau into their trap.

That would be playing with fire and only bring bigger trouble.

"Who cares what their background is! Even if it's a secret base of the National Security Bureau, wipe them all out! Just pretend you didn't know anything afterward."

If the information about that martial arts school was fabricated, then he deserved it. But if he really was a member of the National Security Bureau, then there's no way to prove it!

General Ross decisively waved his hand: "Notify the signal team to block satellite signals and 21st Street radio communications. Teams one, two, and three, follow me. That guy might transform again. In addition to having five armed helicopters escort him, move all the M1s from the base to the outskirts of Queens to stand by, ready to encircle and kill him with force!"

"What about Bronsky? Which team should he be in charge of?" the lieutenant colonel asked, as if intentionally prompting him.

General Ross frowned. "This guy's too aggressive right now, and he harbors too much resentment towards Banner. We won't be letting him come along this time..."

General Ross pondered for a moment.

"No, let's give him a mission instead. Have him lead a special operations team to Gregory University. Dr. Stern definitely has Banner's blood sample, and may even have already made some groundbreaking research... Have him bring back the sample, serum, research data, and Dr. Stern himself!"

General Ross couldn't help but laugh as he spoke.

A simple task, but if it were handed to Bronsky now, it might become quite complicated.

But all the consequences would be irrelevant to him, since he had only given him a small task.

"yes!"

The base was bustling with activity.

The massive armored convoy sped off, taking the New York State Thruway and rushing into Queens.

Sizzle—

Although it was late at night, to avoid alerting the enemy, dozens of fully armed armored vehicles were parked at the intersection of 21st Street in Queens.

Hundreds of fully armed soldiers quickly disembarked from their vehicles, their hurried footsteps silently surrounding an office building in front of them in the blink of an eye.

"Commandos in position!"

"Sniper in position!"

"Mortars in position!"

A series of reports came through the earpiece.

General Ross got out of the car and looked up at the sign in both Chinese and English in front of the office building entrance—Extreme Martial Arts School.

This is a three-story office building covering more than a thousand square meters. A semi-transparent glass decorative wall surrounds the exterior, and through the hazy glass, one can vaguely see the courtyard layout inside. Only a few rooms upstairs have lights on.

There was no intention to knock on the door, nor to take out the microphone and speak first.

This is a busy downtown area after all. If we alert Banner and cause him to mutate prematurely, even if I am confident that I can subdue him this time, the damage to the neighborhood and the large number of eyewitnesses will be a big problem to deal with.

The best way is to do it quietly.

The good news is that the entire block consists of low-rise shops, which are now closed at midnight. It is not a densely populated residential area. The occasional drug addicts wandering the streets and alleys, as well as one or two 24-hour convenience stores, are easy to deal with.

General Ross made a gesture to the colonel next to him.

The colonel understood.

"action!"

The soldiers on the perimeter quickly dispersed to the corners of the streets and alleys, both to conceal themselves, surround the area, and set up ambush points, as well as to eliminate any possible eyewitnesses on the street.

Highly efficient! Swift! They are all elite soldiers!

Dozens of fully armed commando members stepped out from the crowd, swarming up the outer wall of the martial arts school like a dense mass of ants.

This makes them the elite of the elite, belonging to special operations forces.

The two-meter-high wall seemed to pose no obstacle to them at all. Without needing any tools, they could easily climb it by leaping over the wall and placing their hands on the top.

Available in the next second.

Thump thump...

A sudden gust of wind swept out from inside, and all the assault team members lost their footing and fell onto the street outside the wall.

The thuds as they landed were like dumplings being dropped into boiling water in the East, accompanied by the soldiers' unprepared shouts.

The noise finally alerted the museum staff.

Bruce Banner, on the second floor, was suddenly startled and drew back the curtains.

Upon closer inspection, the office building was completely surrounded by military vehicles and a dense array of soldiers parked outside, as well as infrared beams erected on various rooftop platforms in the distance!

Banner's heart sank instantly.

The military is coming after us!

My purpose in coming to New York was to find Mr. Lan. I originally planned to settle down with my friend Stan first, but I found this place that offers free food and lodging ahead of time.

I've actually been very careful; I've never dared to use a credit card or go online.

It was after his afternoon practice that he felt a sense of control over the power within his body for the first time, which made Banner absolutely certain that he could completely control that power!

The unparalleled excitement at the prospect of a miraculous cure made him eager to share the good news with his best friend and to end his contact and cooperation with Mr. Lan.

But unexpectedly, even in just a few seconds, a mistake still occurred despite careful planning.

It seems the military had already located his residence and computer in Brazil, deciphered the information within, and discovered his private social media accounts.

Banner was instantly filled with remorse.

Having worked together for several years, he knew General Ross all too well.

The other party's purpose in wanting to capture him back was not just to continue the experimental research, but also to destroy the evidence of his illegal experiments. After all, according to military records, the Super Soldier program had been explicitly banned by Congress after Howard Stark was killed by the Winter Soldier!

Now, due to his momentary carelessness in exposing himself, he has not only harmed himself, but if he were to transform into the Hulk and expose Ross's experiment, Ross, who is well-prepared, would not hesitate to slaughter the entire martial arts school to destroy the evidence and silence the witnesses!

Mr. Lin is a good person and has extraordinary abilities, but that doesn't mean that anyone in this world can stand up to the U.S. military.

Perhaps, only by surrendering voluntarily and eliminating the risk of Ross "leaking the secret" could he possibly save this friendly master of the Eastern martial arts school.