Marvel: Awakening the Universe

"Bruce."

"Pepper."

"Condolences."

Pepper Potts, CEO of Stark Industries, who had just cleared the Extremis virus from her body and returned to normal last month, wore a black dress and veil. After the coffin was lowered into the grave, she came to the dejected Bruce Banner, hugged him, and said, "Tony wanted to come, but you know, his treatment has entered a critical stage, and Dr. Zhao has strictly forbidden him to go out."

Bruce nodded, forcing a smile.

"I know. Tony called me last night."

"Once again, my condolences."

Pepper said, then hugged Bruce Banner goodbye again.

There are a lot of things going on at Stark Industries, and Tony is still in the critical period of treatment, so she is too busy.

Sharon Carter came to Bruce after Pepper, and also paid tribute to Captain America Steve Rogers.

"Condolences."

Sharon Carter smiled bitterly and said, "The captain had originally booked a flight here, but my aunt's condition worsened yesterday."

Bruce said, "It's okay. Steve also told me that I'm fine. Really."

Sharon Carter looked at Bruce who was forcing a smile, opened her mouth, but didn't say anything in the end. She just hugged Bruce again and then said goodbye and left.

Black Widow Natasha and Hawkeye Barton then came to Bruce.

They were not delayed by other things.

but……

Just when Natasha, Barton and Bruce had not said a few words, a ding-ding-ding sound was heard.

Natasha and Barton took out their cell phones and took a look, then they looked at Bruce with an apologetic look.

Bruce understood and said with a forced smile, "I'm fine, really. You can go do whatever you want first."

Upon hearing this, Natasha and Barton could only hug Bruce, then hurriedly turned around and walked out of the cemetery.

Not long after.

The funeral is over.

sunset.

Bruce stood alone beside the newly erected tombstone in front of him, looking at Betty Ross's name and the smiling photo on the tombstone, silent, not knowing what he was thinking.

suddenly.

A dark shadow attacked, and then a voice sounded beside him.

"Condolences."

"..."

Bruce came back to his senses and looked at the man in a black windbreaker and black eye mask who appeared next to him: "Nick?"

next second.

He reacted and looked at the tombstone in front of him again.

"Thank you."

"Too young and too impulsive."

Nick Fury also looked at the photo of Betty Ross on the tombstone with one eye and shook his head with some regret: "I thought she had let it go when she married you."

marry?

Bruce caught the key words, smiled self-deprecatingly, and said nothing.

Nick glanced at Bruce, sighed with some regret, and patted Bruce on the shoulder: "It's a pity about the baby in Betty's belly."

Bruce nodded mechanically.

Unexpected.

He suddenly looked up, eyes wide open, and looked at Nick.

"Wait, what did you say, child, what child?"

"You do not know?"

Nick Fury was slightly taken aback, his face a little surprised: "Didn't Betty find out she was already a month pregnant when she went to the SHIELD hospital for a checkup last week? Victoria and the others didn't..."

When it comes to this.

Nick Fury paused suddenly, then a look of realization crossed his face. "That's right. They advocate peace, so it's unlikely they would tell you about this."

Bruce: "..."

Chapter 97 One Life, for Another

As soon as Nick Fury said this.

Bruce froze in place for a moment.

next second.

With a swish, he looked back at the tombstone in front of him.

into the eye.

Betty in the photo on the tombstone seemed to be smiling at him.

Smile brightly.

Bruce was silent.

after an hour.

Bruce Banner returned to the apartment, walked out of the bedroom holding a cardboard box containing Betty Ross's belongings, and went down the stairs to the living room on the first floor.

He carefully took down the wedding photo from the wall, placed it against the wall, and sat down on the floor, looking at the wedding photo in front of him.

Bruce watched in fascination.

at this time.

A ding-dong sound.

Bruce came back to his senses, took out his cell phone, opened the email that Nick Fury had just sent, looked at the examination report from the SHIELD hospital in the email, didn't say anything, just found Nick Fury's number and called him.

The call was answered quickly.

"Bruce..."

"Were you part of the plan, or did you help formulate it, Nick?"

"what?"

Nick Fury on the other end of the phone was stunned and his heart skipped a beat when he heard Bruce Banner's words.

Bruce looked at the wedding photo in front of him calmly.

"Betty knows that the murderer who killed General Ross is the same person who killed Hulk. I think you told Betty that."

"what?"

"I'm not stupid, Nick."

Bruce Banner's voice was also calm. While looking at Betty, who seemed to be smiling at him in the wedding photo, he calmly laughed at himself at Nick Fury on the other end of the phone. "My IQ may not be high, but it's definitely higher than yours. However, now I wish my IQ wasn't as high as yours."

Nick Fury on the other end of the phone didn't speak immediately. After his breathing became slightly heavier for a few seconds, he spoke again.

"I don't understand, Bruce, you..."

"Betty can't get pregnant. At least I don't have the ability to make Betty pregnant."

"what?"

"I was exposed to high levels of gamma radiation."

Bruce took a deep breath and looked at the wedding photo in front of him with a gloomy gaze. "I'm curious, Betty wanted me to transform into the Hulk again to avenge General Ross. What about you, Nick? Why did you come up with such a fake pregnancy report? Did Betty ask you for a favor?"

Between the lightning and flint.

Nick Fury couldn't help but laugh at himself on the other end of the phone.

"Yes."

"You're lying, Nick."

"what?"

"Again, my IQ may not be high, but it's definitely higher than yours."

Bruce Banner's tone was deep.

"I once hid everywhere under General Ross's pursuit. For some people, even without meeting them, I can make a correct judgment based on their tone of voice whether they are lying or not. But you, Nick, you lied."

"I……"

"But your IQ is really not that good. Betty obviously rejected your proposal, but you still did it. I'm curious, why?"

While interrupting Nick Fury on the other end of the phone, Bruce Banner took out another mobile phone from his pocket, found the last video left by Betty in the mobile phone video, and clicked to play it.

The video was recorded on the morning of Betty's death.

Betty sat on the sofa with a calm expression, facing the camera in front of her.

"Bruce, by the time you see this video, I'll be dead."

"terribly sorry."

"I've thought about forgetting everything, following you, and starting a new life."

"real."

"But I can't do that. My father may not be good in the eyes of many people, but in my eyes he is the best."

"During these years apart from you, I will never forget every moment I spent with you."

"Similarly, I cannot forget the tragedy of my father's death."

"..."

"When I finally made up my mind to take action, Nick Fury found out about it and provided me with a good idea."

"Pregnancy is an important bargaining chip for me to ensure that you can avenge me after I enter the game with my body."

“But I refused.”

"I can use love to kidnap you for my revenge."

"But I will never use deception to kidnap you for my revenge."

"..."

"he came."

"Finally, Bruce, no matter what decision you make, please remember that I love you. At least, the moment I walked into City Hall with you, I married you because I loved you."

"Goodbye, Bruce."

"Love always, Betty."

"..."

That's all for Betty's video.

After Bruce finished the video message, he turned to Nick Fury, who was breathing heavily on the other end of the phone, and said, "Nick, you didn't expect Betty to leave me a last word, did you?"

Indeed, I didn't expect it.

Nick Fury on the other end of the phone was thinking.

but……

"He's too dangerous."

"We need someone who can step in and stop him from doing something unpredictable."

"Natasha and Barton can't."