This was the first time Richard had seen Natasha Romanoff and Bruce Banner in person. Before today, they had only existed for him as headlines, reports, and scattered online footage tied to the Avengers.
This universe wasn't the cinematic timeline he remembered. There had been no Battle of New York, no alien invasion led by Loki and the Chitauri. Yet somehow, as if guided by inertia or fate, Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Black Widow, Hulk, and Hawkeye had still assembled into the Avengers. Their connection to S.H.I.E.L.D. was close enough that the team felt less independent and more like a specialized unit under its umbrella.
While he studied Natasha and Banner from across the street, they were studying him just as carefully.
Both of them wore ordinary civilian clothes, blending in with the surrounding onlookers. Nothing about their attire screamed "Avenger." Natasha's loose outfit concealed the combat-ready physique she usually displayed in tactical gear, yet her presence still stood out. Her posture, her eyes, the subtle confidence in the way she carried herself—she was impossible to overlook.
Banner, on the other hand, fit in almost too well. Aside from the scholarly temperament that clung to him like a second skin, he looked like any other bystander who had wandered too close to the spectacle. Of course, that normalcy only held as long as he remained Banner.
If he turned into the Hulk, anonymity would no longer be an option.
After a brief glance, Richard brushed them lightly with telepathy. He didn't dive into their memories. He only checked for hostility.
If they were here with the intention of attacking him, he would act accordingly. Otherwise, he had no interest in rummaging through their minds like some voyeur.
Finding no immediate aggression, he turned away and activated Plunder without hesitation.
The notification panel appeared before his eyes.
[Gain new abilities: Super Strength, Super Physique, Force Field Creation, Flame Release, Energy Materialization.]
[Identical ability detected. Initiating fusion.]
[Super Strength and Super Physique enhanced.]
[Flame Release can enhance skill "Big Flame." Proceed?]
He selected yes immediately.
[Skill "Big Flame" enhanced.]
[X-Gene Superpower Update]
[Beta Level: Energy Emission, Energy Absorption, Invisibility, Super Vision, Telepathy, Giant Body, Gravity Binding, Thermal Vision, Air Bullet, Flight, Attack Transfer, Mind Movement, Force Field Creation, Energy Materialization.]
Three months ago, Flame Release would likely have upgraded Big Flame by a full level. Back then, the skill had only been level one. Now, however, its proficiency requirements were far steeper. Advancing from level one to level two required one hundred points. Jumping from level three to level four required three thousand.
If he wanted dramatic leaps in power through Plunder alone, he would need Alpha-level abilities.
The four agents he had just struck down were nowhere near that tier.
Alpha-level mutants made up only a tiny percentage of the population. Beta-level mutants were more common, roughly ten percent. Over half of all mutants fell into Delta-level classifications. According to federal assessments, Level 2 mutants comprised the majority of registered individuals.
He dismissed the panel.
He was about to leave when he noticed something different in Banner's gaze. The earlier neutrality had shifted. There was tension there now. Something closer to challenge.
Without hesitation, Richard brushed his mind again—this time reading a surface layer of current thoughts.
He wants to help the Department capture me?
Hulk possessed immense physical power and resilience, but his resistance to psychic intrusion was unimpressive. Mental influence, illusion, provocation—none of it was particularly difficult against him. Scarlet Witch had demonstrated that clearly in another timeline.
As Richard probed deeper, he quickly understood the trigger.
It wasn't strategy. It wasn't orders.
It was pride.
Earlier, while Richard had been reviewing his system notifications, Banner had quietly asked Natasha whether they should assist the Department of Mutant Affairs. Although S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Department operated in separate spheres, they were both government agencies. Cooperation wasn't unheard of.
Banner, brilliant as he was with seven doctoral degrees, lacked political instinct. Acting without a formal request could easily offend another agency instead of earning gratitude.
Natasha had declined.
They weren't in San Francisco for the Department. They were pursuing a S.H.I.E.L.D. target. Despite witnessing Richard eliminate mutant agents and special forces, she didn't believe intervention was necessary.
Then she had added something casual.
"I don't want to see you get hurt."
To Banner, it was concern.
To Hulk, it was provocation.
Hulk's thought process was simple, almost childlike. Hurt? Me? Impossible. I am Hulk.
The dissatisfaction simmered beneath Banner's consciousness, growing louder.
Richard could feel it clearly.
When he looked at Banner again, the transformation had already begun.
Banner stiffened. His skin shifted to green as veins bulged across his neck and forehead. Natasha noticed instantly, stepping forward to calm him, but it was too late.
A roar exploded from Banner's throat.
Muscles expanded violently. His coat and shirt tore apart as his torso swelled. Denim shredded under the pressure of thickening legs, leaving only tattered remnants clinging to him.
Hulk stood where Banner had been.
Gasps rippled through the remaining crowd. The young mutants who had moments ago surrounded Richard stared in shock. The unassuming man among the spectators was now a towering green giant.
If Natasha had once been the focal point in that crowd, she was now background scenery. Even her striking presence paled beside the Hulk's massive frame.
Richard reached into his system space and summoned his sword.
The blade materialized in his hand with a quiet hum.
He amplified his voice slightly with psychic pressure. "If you don't want to die, leave."
The volume wasn't high, but the weight behind the words was unmistakable. Ordinary civilians and the young mutants alike felt it instinctively. Panic replaced curiosity. Within moments, the intersection emptied.
Only three remained.
Natasha stayed where she was, watching Hulk with surprise etched across her face. She clearly hadn't anticipated that a single line would ignite his competitiveness so completely.
Richard didn't look annoyed.
He looked interested.
Among the current Avengers, only two individuals genuinely intrigued him in combat. Thor was one. Hulk was the other. Tony Stark and Steve Rogers were formidable in their own ways, but they didn't stir his anticipation.
As Hulk finished expanding to his full height, muscles coiled and ready, Richard tilted his head slightly toward Natasha.
"If only half of San Francisco is left," he asked calmly, "will S.H.I.E.L.D. pay for the damages?"
.....
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