At this moment, Sophia was surrounded by several “beasts in human clothing” (as Gao Ming saw it), who kept pestering her with endless chatter.
Sophia frowned, clearly troubled.
Gao Ming straightened his sleeves, a supremely confident smile on his face, and strode toward her.
Just as Sophia was feeling flustered and lost, she saw Gao Ming approaching.
Her mood instantly calmed, and a charming smile spread across her face.
When Gao Ming reached her, he said with a hint of apology, “Sorry I’m late.”
Sophia’s eyes crinkled into adorable crescents as she replied joyfully, “No, I just arrived a bit early.”
The men around them were not pleased.
*Why did the beauty just throw herself at you the moment you showed up?
So what if you’re her date?* Before they could even open their mouths to complain, Gao Ming’s gaze swept over them.
*Hiss—*
His eyes were terrifying, as if an endless wave of murderous intent was crashing down upon them.
The men trembled in fear, completely unable to speak, and could only scurry into the theater in disgrace.
Gao Ming was able to force others to retreat in panic with a single glare not only because he had truly experienced slaughter, but also because of the Pig Talisman’s effects.
The Pig Talisman, which allowed him to fire electric beams from his eyes, naturally had a certain impact on his gaze.
In the original story, the Pig Talisman’s ability was described as “electric eyes that could intimidate anyone.” Though it sounded a bit tacky, it reflected the sharp and fierce aura the Pig Talisman bestowed upon his eyes.
While it might not be able to kill someone with a single glance, it was more than enough to scare them away.
After driving off those annoying men, Gao Ming retracted his aura and smiled gently.
“Sophia, you look truly beautiful tonight.”
Sophia’s pretty face flushed slightly as she replied, “Thank you. You look… very charming tonight as well.”
Indeed, seeing Gao Ming in his well-tailored suit, looking sharp and spirited, Sophia felt her heart race.
He exuded an indescribable charm.
Gao Ming leaned in closer, his tone slightly uncertain as he asked, “Are you… wearing contact lenses?”
Sophia blinked, her eyes filled with anticipation.
“Yes, what do you think?”
Gao Ming feigned a moment of thought before saying, “They’re both so beautiful, but…”
At this point, Gao Ming deliberately trailed off.
Sophia, feeling a flutter of shyness, glanced down at her dress and touched her hair, asking anxiously, “Is something messy?”
Gao Ming grinned mischievously.
“But… I feel like I’m seeing a beautiful princess tonight.”
Sophia immediately realized she was being teased.
She frowned slightly and pouted, her eyes filled with mock dissatisfaction.
“OK, my mistake,” Gao Ming apologized with a smile, then immediately added, “But you really look stunning tonight.”
The last remnants of Sophia’s annoyance vanished at his praise, leaving only a deep blush of shyness.
Gao Ming straightened the collar of his suit jacket and offered his left arm with a gallant gesture.
“May I have the honor of inviting this beautiful lady to a magnificent opera?”
Amused by his gesture, Sophia giggled.
She slipped her fair, slender arm into his, smiling playfully.
“Of course, my perfectly gentlemanly sir.”
Dressed in a black suit, Gao Ming strolled into the opera house with Sophia, who wore a red gown, and took their seats in the pre-reserved section.
The opera being performed tonight was *Les Misérables*, a musical co-created by French composers Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil.
Adapted from Victor Hugo’s novel of the same name, it was a world-renowned masterpiece of the arts.
As for the story… well, Gao Ming’s rough online research had led him to summarize it as the struggle of an ex-convict trying to start over in society, only to be met with a series of harsh realities.
The only connection he had to art was his time in the anime club back in high school, where he’d practiced drawing for a while.
*Well, an opera is still a performance,* he thought.
*I can just enjoy the singing.
Feeling the emotion in their voices isn’t a bad way to spend the evening.*
Gao Ming kept stealing glances at Sophia’s profile, finding her more captivating with every look.
But as he watched, he noticed that while her eyes were fixed on the stage, a faint blush had crept across her cheeks.
It seemed Sophia wasn’t oblivious to his gaze.
Realizing it was rude to stare, Gao Ming quietly averted his eyes and focused on the opera about to begin.
*I should start thinking about how to confess my feelings after the show…*
***
At the same time, at Gebang Academy.
Samuel Stern was beyond excited.
He had just finished work at the school, as usual, but as he was leaving the gates, a woman named Elizabeth Ross stopped him and introduced him to a man.
When the man tentatively asked, “Mr. Blue?” Dr. Stern knew that the person he had never been able to confirm actually existed was now standing right before him.
Dr. Stern was about to conduct an unimaginable human experiment, but the subject was not himself, but the worried man beside him, Bruce Banner.
Bruce Banner was also a highly learned doctor.
He should have been like other doctors, teaching at some university or working in a research institute, but he accepted the military’s invitation to participate in a secret research project.
Dr. Banner thought he was researching a method to resist radiation.
After achieving some results, he confidently began human experiments, using himself as the test subject.
However, when he injected the so-called “anti-radiation drug” and was hit by gamma rays, his body mutated uncontrollably, another personality emerged in his mind, took control of his body, and turned him into a green monster that wanted to destroy everything.
Only then did Dr. Banner realize that he had been deceived by the military.
There had never been any research on radiation resistance.
From the very beginning, the project’s director—General Ross, who was also the father of Dr. Banner’s girlfriend, Betty—had been lying to him.
He had been told that he was researching the Super Soldier Serum from World War II!
During World War II, the great genetic biologist Dr. Elkins had developed a Super Soldier Serum that could enhance the human body to its absolute limit.
This invention created a symbol of American justice—the invincible Captain America!
Captain America led his Howling Commandos to repel enemy invasions time and again.
With his superhuman physique, he could often turn the tide of battle single-handedly.
However, Dr. Elkins was assassinated by enemy agents, and the formula for the Super Soldier Serum was lost with him.
As one of the few people who had successfully received the serum, Captain America also perished in a mission, buried beneath the ice.
General Ross had always held the research department’s desire to create better weapons in contempt.
He preferred to build stronger soldiers!
Therefore, he coveted the effects of the Super Soldier Serum.
He spared no expense in investing funds and manpower, attempting to replicate the serum.
Banner’s uncontrollable mutation was a failure, but it was also a kind of success.
After witnessing the Hulk’s devastating power, General Ross vowed to capture Bruce Banner, thoroughly study his mutation, and perfect this “evolution” to create an army of obedient giants.
From the moment Bruce Banner transformed into the Hulk, every drop of his blood and every single cell became, in General Ross’s eyes, the property of the state.
Hunted relentlessly by General Ross’s forces, Banner spent years on the run, living in hiding and changing his name.
He even fled to Brazil, where he resided in a slum and worked at a soda bottling plant.
Banner’s days consisted of working at the factory and spending his free time studying various methods of emotional control.
To combat his crushing loneliness, he even kept a dog for companionship.
However, a dramatic incident occurred—he accidentally cut his finger at the factory, and a single drop of his blood fell into one of the soda bottles.
The gamma radiation in the blood caused poisoning, and the military traced the soda bottling plant back to Bruce Banner.
The military set up a multi-layered perimeter, preparing to capture Banner in one fell swoop.
Banner tried to flee in panic, but was blocked by several unfriendly workers at the factory.
Under the intense emotional turmoil, he reached his breaking point, lost consciousness again, and transformed into the savage Hulk.
He killed several of the soldiers sent to besiege him, then stormed off under General Ross’s helpless gaze.
When Banner woke up again, he found himself in a strange place.
With his location exposed and his repeated self-rescue attempts failing, he decided to return to New York to find Mr. Blue, whom he had met online.
Mr. Blue claimed to have found a way to cure him completely.
After countless hardships, Banner finally returned to New York.
Upon returning to this long-lost city, unable to contain his longing, he went to secretly visit his girlfriend, Betty, but was spotted by her.
Reunited after a long separation, Betty did not want to lose Banner again and pleaded with him to stay.
However, this caused Banner’s location to be exposed.
The military launched a manhunt across the entire city where Betty was located.
Banner also could not avoid transforming into that terrifying monster in front of Betty.
Hulk tore through several tanks and sent dozens of soldiers flying; every target that attacked him was destroyed.
When General Ross ordered his troops to retreat, Betty walked toward Hulk in a daze.
The furious Hulk calmed down with surprising stillness.
When Betty was nearly caught in the crossfire, he used his massive, powerful body to shield her from the hail of bullets, eventually carrying the unconscious Betty away from the scene.
After they both woke up, Banner and Betty began searching for Mr. Blue.
Through various means, they finally located him: Dr. Samuel Sterns.
To eradicate the Hulk within him and end this source of suffering once and for all, Banner hesitated before deciding to undergo Dr. Stern’s experiment.
Dr. Stern excitedly operated the precision instruments, loading the antidote he had developed into the blood separator.
He then walked to the examination table, his face a mix of tension and anticipation.
“Alright, lie down.”
Banner and Betty exchanged a glance.
Seeing Betty’s immense worry, he forced a smile to reassure her.
Then, shirtless, he lay on the examination table and let Dr. Stern strap him down with the leather restraints.
The blood extractor’s tubes were inserted into Banner’s arms and legs via needles, rapidly draining his blood and mixing it with the antidote.
“But the antidote will only work if you don’t fully transform,” Dr. Stern explained, picking up a defibrillator shaped like headphones, but much smaller.
When the two pads were brought close together, they crackled with intense electrical sparks.
Betty stroked Banner’s arm, comforting him.
“Relax, it’s going to be okay.”
Banner bit down on a wooden gag.
Though his eyes constantly signaled Betty to stay calm, his face betrayed his extreme tension.
Dr. Stern warned Betty to step back, then quickly pressed the defibrillator against Banner’s temple and delivered a shock.
The intense current sent a jolt through Banner’s body, causing it to convulse.
His pupils instantly turned green, and veins bulged across his entire body!
Immediately after, Banner’s bones began to twist and deform grotesquely—or more accurately, they began to grow continuously.
His muscles swelled, and his skin gradually turned green.
Banner gasped in agony, finally spitting out the wooden gag.
A scream of excruciating pain ripped from his throat: “Aaaah—”
(End of Chapter)