Chapter 737: Danger, Thanos, Danger (Part 2)

"Professor Xavier, I have bad news."

In Professor Xavier's office, Shiler held a medical file, frowning with a serious expression: "Yesterday, I conducted a new round of re-examination on Dr. Bruce Banner. His internal personality's condition is not optimistic."

"What happened?" Xavier asked with deep concern.

"Do you remember? We guided Dr. Banner to build his own mental palace. But Dr. Banner is a scholar—his ideal mental architecture is relatively dull and monotonous."

"In his inner world, he constructed a steel city, similar to Tony's, but such an environment easily triggers that unstable personality."

Shiler sighed, looking at the file: "Last night, I visited his mental world. The personality called Hulk lived in a room of a skyscraper, surrounded by robots—like he was locked in a cage."

"Previously, we advised him to treat Hulk like a child, so Dr. Banner built him a playground. But perhaps because Dr. Banner has never been to a playground, the toys were nothing but mechanical parts and rockets—completely unsuitable for Hulk to relieve stress."

"As a result, Hulk's condition worsened while imprisoned in this mechanical prison. Recently, he's begun destroying urban structures. Last night, I calmed him as best I could, but this isn't a long-term solution."

Xavier also shook his head and sighed. "An adult personality cannot be easily reversed. No matter how much external influence is applied, change must come from within."

"Clearly, Banner doesn't want to alter his current lifestyle. He doesn't want to spend time playing or visiting amusement parks—he devotes his entire life to scientific research."

"Yes, that's correct," Shiler affirmed. "But Dr. Banner is an adult—he can accept this lifestyle. Hulk cannot."

Shiler sat across from Xavier and gently tapped the file with his finger: "Hulk is Bruce Banner's childhood."

"During that time, he endured excessive violence, forming a personality filled with destructive urges. Banner grew up, but Hulk didn't—he remains a child, lacking mature cognition. That is his desperate rage and rebellion against childhood trauma."

"Such a personality should live in a comfortable, joyful environment—not surrounded daily by dry data and cold steel."

"Didn't you try to persuade Bruce?" Xavier asked Shiler.

"Of course I did. But perhaps because of his inner shadows, he avoids anything tied to childhood—toys, amusement parks, etc. The way he looks at these things reminds me of many abused children I've diagnosed."

"They desperately crave such things because they've never had them, yet they fear them deeply, knowing that asking for such things will only bring terrible abuse."

Shiler and Xavier sighed together. As Xavier said, deep-seated shadows embedded in the personality may fade under external influence, but the personality itself, once formed, is hard to change.

"We must implement the other plan we discussed," Shiler said in a low tone. "We can't cure the root, but we can at least reduce destruction."

"You mean sending Hulk into the empty void of space to vent his destructive urges, minimizing damage?" Xavier mused. "That's a viable option—but will Bruce agree?"

"Last time I asked him, Dr. Banner is a good man—he doesn't want to destroy cities. If there's an uninhabited planet for Hulk to play on, he has no objections. But to lure Hulk out, we'll need your help, Professor."

"Don't worry. Tell me the time and place—I'll be there on time," Xavier said with a gentle smile.

After leaving Xavier's school, Shiler met with Stark and Strange to decide on a location for Hulk's destructive release, then went to find Banner.

When Shiler arrived at Banner's lab, Banner was busy with an experiment. The entire lab glowed brightly, filled with soft radiance.

Hearing the noise, Banner turned and saw Shiler. His face lit up with surprise. Before Shiler could speak, Banner stepped forward eagerly:

"Dr. Shiler, your halo is incredibly useful! So bright—it eliminates all shadows. This helps me observe mechanical structures immensely. That… uh… I know it's awkward, but could you lend it to me for a few days?"

"No problem," Shiler nodded. "It has other functions—I'll show you. Like this…"

Shiler took the halo, shrank it, and slipped it into his pocket. Then he pulled it out again—*whoosh*—the light vanished, and the entire halo disappeared.

Shiler made a gesture as if offering something. Banner instinctively reached out—and touched the halo.

Though invisible now, it was still tangible. Shiler explained: "This device can be enlarged or shrunk, and turned on or off at will. Just think about it while holding it."

Banner took the halo, focused his mind, and confirmed it was true. He grinned: "Perfect—I was just worrying about how to carry it to and from work."

"Thank you… thank you for trusting me…" Banner stammered. "Thank you for not seeing me as a monster."

Shiler shook his head, placed a hand on Banner's shoulder, and said nothing. After a moment of silence, he said: "What I told you last night…"

Banner nodded. "This really is the best solution. But it's still a lot to ask of everyone…"

"It's no trouble, Doctor. You're not just a treasure of human civilization—you're our friend. See you in a week."

"See you in a week."

The location chosen for Hulk's outburst was a star system near the Solar System—dark but not empty, filled with celestial bodies perfect for destruction.

Once everything was ready, everyone took their positions: Xavier would draw out Hulk from Banner, Shiler would record the psychological states of both Banner and Hulk, Strange would clean up the mess, and Stark was there purely to watch the spectacle.

Or rather, it wasn't Stark who wanted to watch—it was Venom.

The neural implant system hadn't fully stabilized yet; during this period, Venom could only remain inside Stark, helping him manage rejection reactions. Stark couldn't bear the slime's constant nagging, so he brought him out to watch fireworks.

Finally, Banner arrived and stood inside the pre-prepared life-support base. At Shiler's command, a furious roar erupted—and the base exploded into fragments.

The green giant soared into the air and punched a small asteroid, sending it flying. With his full power unleashed, Hulk's basic move was to blow up planets.

Though the scene was spectacular, the actual process was unremarkable—just mindless, illogical destruction, like watching your own husky run wild. It wasn't art humans could appreciate. After a while, the group grew bored.

"Forget it. I'll scout around—see if there are any resource-rich planets nearby," Stark said, then flew off.

The others had duties and couldn't leave. Stark had to scout alone. After hours of searching, he saw nothing but barren planets—no sign of resources.

Just as he was about to return in disappointment, JARVIS suddenly blared an alarm:

"High-energy lifeform approaching the Solar System! High-energy lifeform approaching the Solar System! Beep! Beep! Beep! Alert! Alert! Alert! Beep! Beep! "

JARVIS's alarm came abruptly, but Stark reacted instantly—he shot toward the Solar System at top speed, and there he saw a purple figure.

He was about to fly closer when Venom screamed inside his mind:

"Don't go! That's the Eternal Titan! You'll die!"

"Eternal Titan? What's that?" Stark halted and asked.

"The Eternals from Titan. Their individuals are immensely powerful—called Titan Giants. But in the Symbiote gene library, their reputation is poor. I have some memory of them—my host once visited a Titan Giant's territory, but I can't recall details," Venom recalled.

Stark had stopped—not because he wasn't alarmed, but because he noticed the giant seemed lost.

The giant pulled out a communicator, apparently trying to contact someone. Stark hesitated, then said: "No—I have to lure him away. Now. Otherwise, he might contact his spies on Earth and cause chaos."

"No! Don't go! Are you insane? You can't beat him!" Venom shouted. "If you want to die, don't drag me with you!"

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But Stark ignored him entirely, flying straight toward the giant. Seeing this, Venom unleashed all symbiote matter, coating Stark's chest and joints to protect vital areas.

Thanos, mid-communication with his subordinates, sensed someone approaching. He assumed it was his reinforcements—until he turned and saw a stranger.

"Hey, big guy! Over here!" Stark made a taunting gesture. Thanos didn't understand the words, but the gesture and attitude were universal in the cosmos.

Thanos snorted coldly—he was nearly consumed by rage.

His current state revealed how furious he was. Though arrogant, Thanos was no fool—he knew many powerful beings existed in the universe. Normally, he traveled with full entourage: weapons, armies, everything.

But this time, his rage had clouded his judgment. He came alone. In his view, his own power, plus the Black Dwarf—one of the Black Order who had already arrived in the Solar System—was more than enough to slaughter these weak humans.

"He looks furious! Why aren't you running?" Venom's voice echoed in Stark's ears. "I'm actually starting to like that coward! At least he wouldn't get us both killed!"

!

"Shut up, coward!" Stark snapped.

As Stark drew closer to Thanos, Venom could hold back no longer—he unleashed every symbiote filament, engulfing Stark's entire body.

Originally, Thanos had no interest in Stark—he only wanted to find Shiler and make him pay.

But the instant Venom emerged, Thanos's furious roar echoed across the cosmos:

"VENOM!"

"Was it you who defecated on the Starport of the Dark Dimension?!"

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