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

Lynn quickly weighed the options: "Helicopter or patrol boat?"

“A patrol boat,” Eileen replied immediately, “is a greater threat, and more advanced in equipment. If we can disable its systems, we can at least shake off one of its pursuers.”

Lynn agreed with the assessment, "But how do we get closer to it?"

Marcus's barrier suddenly flickered violently. He groaned in pain and knelt on one knee. "I can't hold on any longer."

Just as the barrier was about to completely disappear, the helicopter's machine guns opened fire again, this time in an arc, clearly to cover possible escape routes.

"Everyone, get down!" Lynn shouted, lunging at Gwen, who was closest to him, trying to shield her with his body.

The sound of bullets striking the yacht was like a downpour hitting metal, sending wood chips and shards of glass flying everywhere. Several bullets grazed the cabin, leaving gruesome bullet holes. But miraculously, it seemed no one was directly hit.

When the gunfire subsided slightly, Lynn quickly looked up to check the situation. Marcus was completely exhausted, and Eileen was tending to him. Victor was huddled in a corner, seemingly unharmed. Ethan had a scrape on his arm, but it wasn't serious.

But Dr. Banner has disappeared.

"Banner?" Lynn called out anxiously, looking around. "Has anyone seen Dr. Banner?"

A painful groan came from the stern, and everyone's eyes immediately turned in that direction. Banner lay on the deck, his face contorted in agony, one hand pressed tightly against his shoulder, blood seeping from between his fingers.

“Bruce!” Gwen shouted, rushing toward him as she pulled bandages from her first-aid kit.

Lynn followed closely behind, his heart filled with worry. Banner had been hit, and in this situation, his reaction could be unpredictable.

“Doctor,” Lynn said softly, crouching down beside Banner, “can you hear me? Stay calm, okay?”

Banner's breathing became rapid, his eyes tightly shut, and his entire body tense. "Trying...to control it, but it's difficult." His voice became hoarse, almost inhuman. "Pain...it's fueling him."

Gwen quickly examined the wound. "It's just a scrape, but it's deep. It needs immediate treatment." She began cleaning the wound, her movements practiced and gentle.

Lynn grasped Banner's other hand, feeling an unusual heat and strength. "Doctor, focus. Breathe. You can control this."

Banner's body began to tremble slightly, and a faint green tinge appeared on his skin before fading away. He was struggling against the transformation.

"The helicopter is returning!" Eileen suddenly warned. "The patrol boat will be within firing range in less than thirty seconds!"

Lynn knew they didn't have many options left. "Dr. Banner," he said sternly, his voice as calm as possible, "we need you to control the shift. Not suppress it, but control it. Can you do that?"

Banner opened his eyes, his pupils flashing green light. "Not sure, but I'll try."

Gwen quickly applied a simple bandage, then stepped back slightly to give Banner some space. "No matter what happens, we're here for you, Bruce."

Banner nodded, then closed his eyes, seemingly concentrating. His breathing became deeper and more rhythmic, his muscles tensing and relaxing. When he opened his eyes again, they were a bright green.

"Everyone, hold on tight!" Lynn commanded, pulling Gwen back to a relatively safe position.

Banner's transformation began, but unlike what Lynn had seen before, this time it seemed more controlled. Banner's body began to swell, his skin turned a vivid green, and his muscles grew at an astonishing rate. His clothes tore, but his expression was no longer one of pure pain, but rather one of extreme focus.

In a matter of seconds, Bruce Banner vanished, replaced by the Hulk—a colossal figure nearly three meters tall, muscular, and with bright green skin. But most astonishing were his eyes—though green, they retained a kind of intelligence and consciousness, unlike mere rage and confusion.

“Bruce?” Gwen asked cautiously.

The Hulk looked at her and nodded slowly and carefully. "Banner. Control." His voice was like thunder, but his language skills were clearly limited.

Lynn stared in surprise at the scene, but quickly regained his focus. "Bruce, if you can understand me, we need your help. Those ships and helicopters want to capture you and hurt your friends."

A flicker of anger crossed the Hulk's face, but it was quickly replaced by determination: "Protect my friends."

Just then, Black Hawk's patrol boat came into firing range and began firing at the yacht. At the same time, the helicopter approached again, preparing to coordinate the attack.

The Hulk stood up, his weight causing the yacht to tilt noticeably. He looked at the patrol boat, his eyes gleaming with determination. Then, to everyone's astonishment, he leaped from the yacht, his massive body soaring through the night sky, heading straight for the patrol boat.

“My God,” Ethan whispered, “he’s really trying to control himself.”

Lynn sprang into action. "Gwen, prepare the EMP device! Eileen, is Marcus still able to move?"

Eileen nodded and helped the weak but conscious Marcus to his feet. "He needs rest, but he can move."

"Take him to the cockpit, keep full speed ahead," Lynn ordered. "Victor, prepare with me for a helicopter attack."

The Hulk had landed on the patrol boat, his weight and force causing the vessel to tilt noticeably. Black Hawk agents began firing at him, but the bullets seemed to only enrage him rather than cause actual damage. The Hulk roared and began systematically sabotaging the ship's equipment and weapons systems.

The helicopter pilot was clearly distracted by the sudden event, temporarily removing the yacht from immediate threat. Lynn seized this opportunity and ordered Gwen to prepare the EMP device.

“We need to wait for the helicopter to get close,” he said. “Once it comes back to attack us, activate the EMP.”

Gwen nodded, her finger hovering over the trigger, her eyes fixed on the sky.

On the patrol boat, the Hulk had already caused extensive damage. The boat was listing noticeably, likely damaged and taking on water. Black Hawk's agents stopped attempting to attack the Hulk and instead focused on finding life-saving equipment or jumping into the sea.

The helicopter finally completed its circle and flew back towards the yacht, clearly to complete its mission. It began to descend, presumably to ensure firing accuracy. "Ready. Wait a minute," Lynn said, his eyes fixed on the approaching helicopter. "Wait until it's closer."

The helicopter's rotors roared deafeningly, searchlights shone directly on the yacht, and machine guns prepared to fire again.

“Now!” Lynn shouted.

Gwen pressed the trigger, and the EMP device emitted a sharp buzzing sound before releasing an invisible electromagnetic pulse. The effect was almost instantaneous—the helicopter's lights and engines simultaneously went out, and the rotor speed noticeably slowed down.

"We did it!" Ethan cheered.

The helicopter began to plummet out of control, but the pilot appeared to have successfully activated some kind of backup system, barely managing to maintain balance, though it was clearly unable to continue the pursuit. It began to slowly drift away into the distance, possibly returning to base for an emergency landing.

On the patrol boat, the Hulk saw that the yacht was safe. He jumped back into the sea, his strong arms cutting through the water as he swam toward the yacht at an astonishing speed.

“He’s coming back,” Eileen called from the cockpit. “We need to get him on board!”

This was certainly a challenge—the Hulk's weight could cause the yacht to become severely unbalanced or even capsize. But before they could come up with a solution, the Hulk had already swum to the stern, but instead of trying to climb aboard, he grabbed the edge of the boat and began to push hard.

“He’s helping us speed things up!” Marcus exclaimed in surprise.

Indeed, propelled by the Hulk's powerful thrust, the yacht nearly doubled in speed, rapidly moving away from the danger zone. They continued in this manner for about ten minutes until they could no longer see any sign of pursuit.

Then, under everyone's watchful eyes, the Hulk stopped pushing, grabbed the stern railing, and slowly, painfully began to transform back into human form. Finally, an exhausted Bruce Banner was pulled onto the deck by the others.

“You did it,” Lynn exclaimed, helping the weakened Banner to sit down. “You controlled the Hulk.”

Banner forced a weary smile. “Not entirely...control. More like cooperation.” His shoulder wound, which had healed during the transition, left only a faint scar. “This is the first time I feel we are one, not separate.”

Gwen draped a blanket over Banner, covering his transformed, naked body. "You saved us all, Bruce."

Banner nodded, but soon succumbed to deep exhaustion, barely able to stay awake.

“Let him rest,” Eileen said. “This conscious shift and control must have taken a lot of energy.”

Lynn agreed to the suggestion and helped Banner move to a makeshift bed inside the cabin. He then returned to the deck to assess the situation with the others.

"Have we shaken them off?" he asked Eileen, his voice tinged with cautious hope.

Eileen nodded. "For now. The helicopter is affected by EMP and cannot pursue immediately. The patrol boat may be severely damaged, and it will take several hours to organize a new search. But Black Hawk won't give up easily. They will send more resources."

Lynn turned to Marcus, "How far are we from our destination?"

Marcus checked the navigation system. "At the current speed, it'll take about three hours. But we need to be extra careful. Black Hawk might set up more checkpoints along the way."

“I can help,” Victor suddenly said, and all eyes turned to him. “I know Black Hawk’s standard search patterns and communication frequencies. I can predict their possible actions.”

Lynn nodded, gratefully accepting the help. "Thank you, Victor. This is very useful to us."

For the next few hours, the yacht continued its voyage under the cover of darkness. Victor and Eileen took turns monitoring Black Hawk's communications channels, issuing early warnings of potential dangers. Marcus steered the boat, occasionally changing course to avoid possible search areas. Ethan and Gwen looked after Banner while organizing and backing up all the evidence they had gathered. Lynn assisted the various teams in shifts, ensuring everything ran smoothly.

The sky was beginning to lighten; dawn was approaching. The yacht had already left the New York coastline and entered international waters.

“We’re almost there,” Marcus announced, pointing to a tiny, almost invisible dot ahead. “That’s our destination.”

As they closed the distance, Lynn finally saw their destination—a small but clearly modified offshore oil drilling platform. From the outside, it appeared abandoned, but Lynn noticed surveillance equipment and advanced defense systems hidden throughout.

“Welcome to ‘Safe Haven’,” Eileen said, a hint of pride in her voice, “one of the main bases for Project X, and a designated safe location under the Omega Contingency Plan.”

The yacht slowly approached the platform, and a hidden entrance opened automatically, guiding them into the inner dock. Once the vessel was fully inside, the hatch closed, temporarily isolating them from the outside world and danger.

Several uniformed staff members immediately came forward to greet them, one of whom was clearly a medical professional and immediately began to examine Banner's condition. Another technician took Victor and began to examine the control collar around his neck.

An older African American woman approached. She appeared to be around sixty years old, with her silver-grey hair neatly pinned up and her eyes sharp and intelligent. She wore a simple dark blue suit and walked with an undeniable air of authority.

“Agent Lynn Hall,” she extended her hand, her voice steady and firm, “I am Dr. Elizabeth Morgan, head of Project X. Director Henderson told us you would be coming. Welcome to Safe Haven.”

Lynn grasped her hand, feeling the woman's strength and determination. "Thank you, Dr. Morgan. Thank you for your help and protection."

Dr. Morgan smiled slightly. “No need for thanks. We have a common enemy and a common goal. Black Hawk International’s activities threaten all people like Dr. Banner and our trainees. Now, please come with me. You need a medical check-up and rest, and then we will discuss the next steps.”

She led the group through a series of corridors and security checkpoints, eventually arriving at the platform's main living area. In contrast to its rough, abandoned exterior, the interior was modern and comfortable, fully equipped, and clearly designed for long-term residence.

“There are medical facilities, research labs, training areas, and living quarters here,” Dr. Morgan explained. “Completely self-sufficient and isolated from the outside world, but connected via encrypted satellite communications. You can safely recover here while continuing your investigations and preparations.”

Lynn nodded, appreciating the design and functionality of the base. "Chief Henderson mentioned this is part of Project X?"

Dr. Morgan's expression turned serious. "Yes. Project X is a covert project designed to protect and assist individuals with unconventional abilities. We provide a safe environment, training, and medical support while researching how to better understand and control these abilities." (End of Chapter)