Chapter 136: The Only Way to Save Oneself at This Moment

Although Bruce Banner did not retain all the memories from that moment, through the explanations of a close friend, he had gained a rough understanding of the truth.

After being exposed to the gamma radiation, as he stood on the brink of death, his girlfriend and laboratory partner, Betty, refused to sit idly by. She knew that by the time professional paramedics arrived, it would be far too late. Given the severity of the situation, Betty clearly understood the catastrophic changes occurring within Bruce’s body due to such a high dosage of radiation. It is no exaggeration to say that every single one of Bruce’s cells was collapsing. Countless cells were being shunted to the spleen—the graveyard of cells—while others began to disintegrate before they could even reach it. Even the world’s most skilled physician at that moment would have likely shaken their head in silence and suggested making funeral arrangements.

Consequently, Betty abandoned conventional methods and placed her hope in the Super Soldier Serum. This was a version she and Bruce had refined together; while they had stripped away the ability to physically enhance the human body, the regenerative properties remained intact and had even been significantly amplified by Bruce himself. In Betty’s eyes, this was the only hope for saving him. She no longer concerned herself with potential side effects. Faced with a life-or-death crisis, she believed that even if Bruce were conscious, he would not care about the risks. Survival was the only priority.

Betty picked up the serum and began to inject it into Bruce—vial after vial. Bruce showed no reaction, yet Betty did not give up; she continued until every last drop was gone. Still, there was no response. His breathing was nearly nonexistent. Tears welled up in Betty’s eyes, desperate and helpless.

Then, the transformation began.

A sound like a drumbeat echoed through the room—*thump-thump, thump-thump*. It was a powerful, dull sound that seemed to strike directly at the heart. Bruce’s skin began to turn green, and his frail frame grew increasingly muscular and massive.

And then, he went berserk.

Transformed into an extraordinarily powerful green giant, invulnerable and possessing infinite strength, he reduced the entire laboratory to ruins. Even Betty was severely injured by his mindless rage. Had the monster not finally stopped, she surely would have died. When Bruce heard this news over the phone later, he couldn't help but punch the glass of the phone booth in agony. Others might not know, but he knew better: the monster hadn’t simply "stopped" on its own! It was he who had fought to shatter the mental barriers, struggling with every ounce of his will through the cracks in that fractured psyche to rein in his rampaging self.

Since that day, Bruce had lived in deep melancholy. He wandered the streets, starving and hiding, afraid even to visit his girlfriend in the hospital. It was only when his friend contacted him again, claiming to have found an abandoned laboratory equipped with a gamma radiation emitter, that Bruce regained his resolve. He wanted to expel the demon within, return to being a normal man, and finally apologize to Betty. If she would have him, he would run away with her; if not, he would offer his heartfelt blessings from afar.

Lowering his hand after scratching at his chin until it was raw, Bruce stopped dwelling on these painful memories and turned his gaze toward the laboratory before him. The gamma radiation emitter below was pre-set, and the initial warming of the coils was complete; it could emit a massive surge of gamma rays at any moment. Yet, when the time came, Bruce hesitated.

In his original hypothesis, because the situation had been so dire at the time, the synergistic potential between the modified Super Soldier Serum and the gamma radiation had never been properly realized. In the experiment that created Captain America, the subject was exposed to intense gamma radiation *after* the serum had been administered, consuming enough power to drain half of New York City. Bruce, however, had experienced the exact opposite: he was irradiated first, and only then did Betty inject the serum to save his life. He wondered if this discrepancy was the reason he had turned into such a monster.

He knew that his refined version of the serum was intended only for healing. Initially, Bruce had believed that if he subjected himself to another dose of gamma radiation, the residual serum in his system might react to the intense energy, potentially restoring him to a normal human or perhaps elevating him to a superhuman state like Captain America. While becoming a normal human was his greatest wish, he couldn't help but wonder: what if that wasn't the case? What if he turned into an absolute monster instead? No one could guarantee the outcome of such an exposure.

Bruce felt deeply uncertain, knowing that the experiment itself was reckless. But he had no other choice; he could find no other path. General Ross was still hunting him. Knowing the General, Bruce suspected that the immense power and durability he displayed as the green giant had made the man covetous. Ross wanted to capture him to extract blood for experiments. This was the one outcome Bruce feared as much as staying a monster. He did not want his blood samples to be used to create countless creatures like himself, leading to carnage and the outbreak of war.

He had nowhere left to go. This abandoned lab was his best option. With General Ross’s manhunt, perhaps all of America was no longer safe for him. Yet, he yearned to see Betty, to care for the woman who lay bedridden because of his mistake. But he would have to face her father, General Ross. This meant that if he wanted to see Betty as soon as possible, he had to restore his normalcy quickly, ensuring that even if Ross tried to take his blood, he would be unable to produce more monsters.

With that thought in mind, Bruce Banner decided to take the gamble.

He activated the gamma radiation emitter. He stripped off his lab coat, bared his chest, and walked into the containment chamber, which was already beginning to flood with radiation.