American comics: I am full of martial virtues and I love to be kind to others.

“Not far,” Victor replied, leading them into another tunnel. “This road leads directly to an exit near the naval dock. From there, it’s less than a five-minute walk to the designated location.”

Eileen looked at Victor, her expression complicated. "How long did you stay with Black Hawk?"

A flicker of pain crossed Victor's face. "Three years. At first they pretended to offer shelter and help, but it quickly turned into experimentation and control. They...modified me, enhanced my natural abilities, but at the cost of my freedom."

“You’re not the only victim,” Eileen said quietly. “Black Hawk has been hunting people like us, using us as weapons or research subjects. That’s why Project X exists—to protect mutants from this fate.”

As Lynn listened to this exchange, he recalled the information Ethan had gathered about Black Hawk. It seemed Black Hawk's ambitions extended beyond simply replicating the Hulk's abilities; they were also exploiting and controlling naturally occurring mutants. The entire conspiracy was far more extensive and profound than he had initially imagined.

The tunnel began to slope upwards, and the air became slightly fresher. Victor stopped and sniffed the air. "We're almost there. But I smell dust and gunpowder. There's a good chance Black Hawk's men are at the exit."

Eileen made a quick decision, “I’ll go scout first.” She activated her ability again, her body blending into the surrounding shadows, leaving only a faint ripple in the air.

Lynn and Victor waited, listening intently for any possible sound. A few minutes later, Eileen reappeared, her expression serious. "Five Black Hawk agents have set up a small checkpoint at the exit. They have heavy weapons and night vision equipment."

Lynn frowned. "They acted swiftly. They must have anticipated our route in some way."

Victor nodded. "Black Hawk always has a backup plan. They probably monitor all possible routes to the docks."

Lynn pondered possible breakthrough strategies, "Do we have other options? Another way out?"

Victor shook his head. "The nearest other exit would take us at least a mile from the docks. Considering the time constraints and the risk of pursuit, that's not a good option."

Eileen checked her equipment. "We need to break through this checkpoint. I can approach while invisible and distract them. You two take the opportunity to break out."

Lynn wasn't so sure about the plan. "It's too dangerous. They have advanced equipment that might be able to detect some form of stealth or thermal signature."

“I have a better idea,” Victor suddenly said, his eyes flashing with determination. “Black Hawk thinks I’m their agent. If I show up with you as a ‘prisoner,’ they’ll let us through. Then we can launch a surprise attack.”

Eileen frowned. "The risk is too great. What if they already knew the collar was faulty?"

“It’s worth a try,” Lynn interrupted. “It’s less risky than a direct confrontation. Eileen can follow us while invisible, providing support.”

The three quickly discussed the details and eventually agreed on the plan. Lynn gave up his weapon and had Victor loosely tie his wrists with an old cable found in the tunnel to create the illusion of being captured.

"Are you ready?" Victor asked, his voice low and tense.

Lynn nodded. "Ready. Remember, timing is crucial."

Eileen disappeared into the shadows again. "I'll follow you. Once the operation begins, I'll attack from behind."

The three began moving towards the tunnel exit. As they approached, Lynn could hear the agents talking and the noise of radio communications outside.

Victor pushed Lynn with a confident yet menacing stance, perfectly embodying the role of a Black Hawk agent. As they appeared at the exit, the agents immediately raised their weapons and aimed.

"Halt! Who are you?" the lead agent shouted.

Victor showed the collar around his neck; although it was malfunctioning, it appeared normal. "Number 12, Special Tracking Team. I've apprehended one of our targets, FBI Agent Lynn Hall."

The agents observed warily, but seemed to accept Victor's identity. "Where's Dr. Banner?"

“He escaped,” Victor replied calmly, “but the agent knows his location. I’m bringing him back to headquarters for interrogation.”

The lead agent relaxed slightly, but remained vigilant. "Why are you acting alone? Where is your support team?"

Victor didn't answer immediately, but instead pretended to check the radio. "They're chasing another target. I'm ordered to return to headquarters immediately."

The agents exchanged glances, and one of them whispered something into the communication device. The situation began to tense; they clearly had doubts about Victor's explanation.

Just as the situation was about to deteriorate, Eileen launched her attack. She suddenly appeared behind the checkpoint, throwing several small flashbangs. The devices erupted with dazzling light and deafening noise, throwing the agents into chaos.

Victor seized the opportunity, quickly freeing Lynn from his restraints and lunging at the two nearest agents with astonishing speed and strength. Lynn also immediately sprang into action; despite being unarmed, his FBI combat training made him a dangerous opponent.

The battle was intense but brief. Eileen's invisibility allowed her to take down the agents one by one before they fully regained their sight, while Victor's superhuman strength and speed made him virtually impervious to conventional tactics. Lynn used the chaos to disarm one agent and then precisely subdued the remaining enemies.

In less than a minute, all the Black Hawk agents were down, most of them unconscious. Lynn quickly searched their equipment, retrieving any potentially useful communication devices and weapons.

“We need to move, now!” Eileen said urgently. “They may have already called for backup.”

The three quickly left the checkpoint and ran towards the dock. Lynn could feel the adrenaline coursing through his body, which temporarily made him ignore the injuries he had sustained in the previous battle.

As they drew closer to the dock, the outlines of several ships came into view in the darkness, but only one smaller yacht had a faint light on, clearly waiting for them.

“That’s our ship,” Eileen confirmed, pointing to the yacht. “Marcus and the others should already be on board.”

As they approached the dock, a tall figure stepped off the yacht and stood at the edge of the pier. Even in the darkness, Lynn recognized him as another mutant agent—Marcus.

“Eileen!” Marcus called out, his voice filled with worry. “We’re starting to worry.” His gaze fell on Victor, immediately becoming wary. “Who’s that?”

“A friend,” Eileen replied, quickening her pace. “I’ll explain. We need to leave immediately.”

Marcus nodded and helped them onto the boat. Lynn saw Gwen, Ethan, and Banner already inside the cabin, his expression a mixture of tension and relief. Gwen immediately rushed over and hugged him. "Lynn! Thank God you're alright. We heard explosions and gunshots, and thought..."

Lynn hugged his sister back. "We ran into some trouble, but received unexpected help." He looked at Victor, who was cautiously observing his new surroundings. Banner stepped forward, examining Victor closely, especially the collar around his neck. "Black Hawk's experiment?"

Victor nodded, his expression serious. "Yes, Doctor. Just like they want to do to you."

“We need to remove that collar,” Banner said, his eyes showing professional concern. “It might have tracking capabilities, and more likely, it has a self-destruct mechanism.”

Marcus had already started the engines, and the yacht began to slowly leave the dock. "There are tools on board. Once we're far enough from shore, we can safely handle it."

Just as the yacht had sailed about 100 meters from the dock, the sound of a helicopter rotor came from afar. The silhouette of a black helicopter appeared on the horizon, and searchlights swept across the water.

"Get down!" Marcus shouted, accelerating as he went, "They're coming!"

Everyone on board immediately sought cover, but the helicopter's searchlights quickly locked onto the yacht. A loudspeaker's voice came from the air:

"Stop your ships! This is Black Hawk International Security! Surrender immediately and hand over Dr. Banner, or we will take coercive measures!"

The yacht continued at full speed, but the helicopter quickly closed in, its searchlights firmly locked onto them.

“They’re going to open fire!” Eileen warned, seeing the weapons bay door on the side of the helicopter open.

Marcus suddenly stood up, walked to the center of the deck, and shouted, “Protect yourselves!” before raising his hands.

To Lynn's astonishment, a semi-transparent blue energy barrier suddenly appeared above the yacht, forming a protective dome. Almost simultaneously, the helicopter opened fire, machine gun bullets raining down, but all were blocked by the energy barrier, forming ripple-like energy waves on its surface.

Marcus maintained the energy barrier, but Lynn noticed signs of tension and fatigue on his face. Maintaining such an energy field clearly required a great deal of energy and focus.

“We can’t go on like this!” Eileen shouted, her voice drowning out the sound of helicopter engines and bullets pounding the barrier. “Marcus can’t maintain the barrier for long, especially under this intensity of attack!”

Lynn quickly assessed the situation, looking around for possible solutions. The yacht was traveling at full speed, but on open water, it would be difficult to shake off its aerial pursuers.

"Are there any weapon systems?" he asked Eileen, "or other defensive devices?"

Eileen shook her head. "This is just a disguised ordinary yacht, not a combat vessel. Our advantage lies in speed and stealth, not firepower."

The helicopter attack has temporarily ceased, possibly due to a reassessment of strategy or reloading of ammunition. The loudspeaker spoke again:

"This is the final warning! Stop the ships and surrender! We have the right to use lethal force if necessary!"

Gwen suddenly burst out of the cabin, carrying a large device that looked like some kind of modified radio transmitter. "I have an idea!" she shouted. "It's a short-range electromagnetic pulse generator, originally designed to interfere with the collar. If we can increase its power, maybe we can affect the helicopter's electronic systems!"

Ethan followed closely behind, carrying some tools and electronic components. "There are enough components on board to modify it, but we need time!"

Lynn nodded and quickly made a decision, "Marcus, how long can you maintain the barrier?"

Marcus gritted his teeth, large beads of sweat rolling down his forehead. "A few minutes at most. Maybe even less if they start using heavier weapons."

“Dr. Banner,” Lynn turned to the scientist who had remained calm, “could you assist Gwen and Ethan in modifying that device?”

Banner nodded immediately. “Of course. It’s essentially just a matter of increasing the output power and readjusting the wavelength. If there are enough parts on board, I can do it.”

Lynn looked at Victor. "We need to buy time. Do you and Eileen have any skills to distract the helicopter?"

Victor thought for a moment. “My abilities aren’t very useful on water. But,” he looked at Eileen, “could you get me onto a helicopter?”

Eileen shook her head. "My invisibility can't extend to other people, and I can't fly."

Just then, the helicopter began to move sideways, clearly preparing a new angle of attack. At the same time, more lights appeared in the distance—another ship was rapidly approaching.

“That’s a Black Hawk patrol boat,” Victor said nervously. “It’s equipped with heavy weaponry and advanced tracking systems. If it catches up with us, we’re done for.”

Lynn thought quickly, and suddenly a risky plan came to mind. "Dr. Banner, if we're in dire straits, can you control the transformation?"

The atmosphere in the room immediately became tense. Banner took a deep breath, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes. "Are you suggesting I...voluntarily become the Hulk?"

Lynn nodded solemnly, "Only as a last resort. If we can't shake off their pursuit."

Banner shook his head, his expression pained. "I can't guarantee I can control him. On the water, if the Hulk goes out of control, you could all drown."

Gwen looked up from the equipment, her voice firm, "We're almost done! Give us two more minutes!"

Marcus's breathing became heavier, and his energy barrier began to flicker. "I'm not sure I can hold out that long."

Just then, the helicopter suddenly turned and flew toward the newly appeared target—Black Hawk's patrol boat.

“They are coordinating an attack,” Lynn warned, “preparing to attack us from both sides.”

The wind on the sea grew stronger, and the waves pounded against the yacht, exacerbating the already unstable situation. Black Hawk's patrol boat was less than a kilometer away, approaching at an unsettling speed.

“It’s done!” Gwen announced suddenly, holding up the modified device. “But there’s a problem—its range is limited; it’s only effective when close to the target.”

Ethan added, "And there's only one chance. The capacitor can only release one pulse after being charged, and then it needs to be recharged, which takes at least ten minutes." (End of Chapter)