Chapter 230 Gods and Monsters
"General Ross, what a rare guest."

Five hours after the symbiote frenzy ended, General Thaddeus Ross, the initiator of Project Avengers and head of the Pentagon's Superhuman Response Agency, arrived at the concrete fortress beneath the Pentagon, where a special prisoner was being held.

General Ross looked through the thick reinforced glass designed specifically for the Hulk at the man imprisoned inside, who was watching television. He was a thin, emaciated man with shackles on his hands and feet and unusually green skin. His most striking feature was his head, which was unusually large, or rather, towering.

“Samuel Stern, give me a reason not to send you to Raft Prison, especially when it comes to the hatred you’ve created.”

Samuel laughed; he actually preferred the name "Big Boss." Big Boss paused slightly, stood up, and smiled. He stepped aside. The news was broadcasting that the Avengers had once again saved the world, and that the American Avengers had been almost completely wiped out.

"Let's be frank, General Ross, you're not sending me to Raft Prison because you need monsters."

The leader pressed his face against the wall, looking at Ross defiantly: "Think about it, you wanted to create super soldiers, but you created a monster instead. How long have you been hunting this monster? Almost ten years, right?"

“From the very beginning, you disliked the name of that nerdy guy who won your daughter’s heart, Bruce Banner. You hated him because he went into a danger zone to save a fool who drove a motorcycle into a military base, and one of America’s best scientists just… became a terrible monster.”

“You pursued him because…you were afraid of that power, you were afraid that monster would harm your family, your daughter, your country. You used all the power of the most powerful war machine in the world, only to find to your surprise that you could not defeat it, so you went from fear to terror, to obsession.”

The chief laughed, a dry sound coming from his throat, while General Ross remained silent, simply staring at him.

"Hunting the Hulk, calming your own fears, proving that the Hulk is a terrifying monster and that you can destroy him has been your life's goal, General." The big boss stared at Ross: "But suddenly, aliens invaded, twice. The green monster you were hunting became a hero, everyone trusted him, the symbol of the nation, billionaires, and even God were his friends. You can never hunt him down again, General."

"And your daughter might even fall into that monster's arms."

General Ross simply stared indifferently at the chief.

"You talk too much."

The leader laughed: "Perhaps, but I saw the news. Your American Avengers were completely wiped out. They were utterly defeated. That's because you only have a few pitiful, constantly monitored individuals. They don't have enough fighting spirit, let alone enough strength. Most importantly—this is an era of monsters, and you, America, have no monsters."

“You need monsters, and I can create monsters. I can create the next Bronsky, strong, resilient, and without losing his own consciousness. You will have your own monster, General.”

"Or... could you become the next monster?"

“Enough,” Ross interrupted the leader. “I’m just here to tell you that your place of confinement is going to change. You’ll be imprisoned in the Cube Prison deep in the Mojave Desert, a place specifically designed for gamma monsters like you. You’ll be safe there.” “If the Hulk is there, he’ll be safe too, right?”

Ross ultimately ignored the guy's provocation and turned to leave. He hadn't been gone long when he received a phone call. In silence, Ross arrived at the Weapons Expansion Project's laboratory. He was about to question Otto Octavia about why he had caused such a terrible symbiote crisis when he was speechless with astonishment.

Because Otto Octavia, who was supposed to be disabled according to the records, was now walking freely, his limbs were covered with something that was undoubtedly a symbiote, and there was no backlash or rejection reaction.

"You have triggered an alien invasion of Earth, Dr. Octavia."

“Actually, the alien creatures that triggered the invasion were brought by S.H.I.E.L.D..” Otto defended himself while handing over a can containing what should have been an uncontrollable symbiote: “But thanks to this, I have completed the initial research on the practical application of the symbiote. The problem now is, what to do next. Almost all the samples have been destroyed; there might be some remaining samples in various parts of Manhattan.”

General Ross didn't respond, but he was determined to gather as many symbiote samples as possible from the aftermath of the war through New York's major gangs and other underground forces. To do this, he needed to put a little pressure on Wilson Fisk, who was in prison.
-
Compared to the problems on General Ross's side, things were much simpler for the Avengers. The Disaster Control Agency, funded by Tony Stark, was cleaning up the battlefield and recovering any symbiote fragments that could be collected, while Tony was asking the only magical member of the team some questions.

"Welcome back, Thor. Are you planning to stay for a while, or will you go back once you're done with your work?"

“The Rainbow Bridge has been repaired, Iron Man. I will continue to maintain peace in the Nine Realms, as always, but yes, I will primarily remain in Midgard.” Thor nodded, and the two walked and talked as they entered Avengers Tower.

“When winter comes, I need to return to Asgard. Every year during the coldest winter, Odin falls into a deep sleep. At that time, all the forces in the Nine Realms that oppose Asgard will attack Asgard, and I must protect Odin by his side.”

"Got it. You get a week off every year, that's really hard work." Tony grumbled before asking, "So, what advice do you have for the 'super sorcerer' who turned down the Avengers' invitation?"

"The Sorcerer Supreme is the barrier of Midgard. Iron Man is responsible for protecting Earth from invasion by gods from other dimensions. Knull is just one of them. There are other powerful dimensional gods like Dormammu, Hisohorn, Mephisto, and Cyttorak, who will also invade Earth if given the chance."

Tony was silent for a moment before staring at Thor.

"Is it a little too much?"

 The origin of this story is largely based on comics.

  The foolish young man who was saved by Banner and caused Banner to turn into the Hulk was named Rick Jones, who later became the Hulk-type superhero "Atomic Bomb" (the blue Hulk).
  
 
(End of this chapter)

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