Three days later, in the early morning.
In Cairo, the capital of Egypt~
Sam, Logan, and Victor, utterly exhausted, finally made their way to a slum area and collapsed onto the ground.
"Huff... We finally made it."
Three nights ago, while speeding on a road full of potholes, their car broke down.
Initially, they had made it back to Herat City, but the mont they entered their secret base, they discovered an enemy ambush.
So, they had no choice but to flee once again.
They had been running for three days straight, constantly being pursued. It wasn't until they reached Egypt that they could finally breathe a bit easier.
After all, Egypt wasn't like the war-torn regions of the Middle East, and there was even a S.H.I.E.L.D. branch here where they could seek shelter.
After resting for a while, Sam got up.
"Let's go. The S.H.I.E.L.D. branch isn't far from here."
Logan and Victor, still exhausted, forced themselves to their feet and quickly followed Sam.
After walking for a bit, they saw a three-story building in the distance.
Sam pointed excitedly. "Just a little more, and we'll have food, drinks, and a place to rest."
But just as he said that, a missile appeared from the distance, crashing directly into the building.
"Boom..."
With a loud explosion, the three-story building was obliterated in an instant.
"Ah! Help!"
"Run!"
"They're attacking!"
Panicked citizens nearby imdiately started fleeing.
Sam stood there, staring in shock at the burning wreckage before him. Soone had dared to attack a S.H.I.E.L.D. branch. Was the world about to change?
Logan and Victor grabbed Sam's arms, pulling him back as they ran.
"What are you standing there for? You wanna die?"
Snapping out of it, Sam finally reacted, "Wait, if we just run, we won't get far without a vehicle."
Logan and Victor stopped, looking at Sam in confusion.
"A vehicle? You have one?"
Sam glanced around and said calmly, "There are cars all around us."
A few minutes later~
The three of them were driving down the road out of the city.
"With the Cairo branch destroyed, we'll have to head to the Israel branch and see what's going on."
In the distance, William discarded a portable missile launcher, coldly watching Sam and the others leave.
"I refuse to believe that this won't bring S.H.I.E.L.D. here."
His mission was to draw out S.H.I.E.L.D. as much as possible, so the operations of Japan could proceed more smoothly.
At that mont, one of his heavily ard subordinates, wearing a devilish mask, approached him.
"Captain William, it looks like they're heading toward Israel."
"Then we continue the pursuit."
"But Israel is Arica's most important ally, with many stationed soldiers..."
"I know. We'll proceed cautiously."
Soon, William led his Omicron squad mbers out of Luxor.
Not long after they left, near the site of the destroyed S.H.I.E.L.D. branch, the ground suddenly caved in.
A ray of sunlight pierced through the opening, reflecting and refracting until it illuminated a tallic pyramid below.
The pyramid began to glow with mysterious runes.
But suddenly, dark clouds gathered in the sky, blocking out the sun, and the pyramid's light dimd once again.
A short ti later, voices could be heard near the opening.
"There seems to be sothing down here."
"Huh? There's an entrance. Should we go down and check?"
"Maybe we shouldn't. That hole looks pretty scary."
"What are you scared of? If you don't want to, I'll go down."
"Fine..."
.......
Thirteen days later, in the morning.
Banner finally arrived in Virginia, USA, after a long and slow train ride.
Stepping out of the train station, he took out a wad of cash he had "borrowed" from a 300-pound woman earlier and hailed a cab to take him to Culver University.
Culver University was one of the most prestigious private high schools in the U.S., often referred to as a "school for the elite."
Tuition for one sester alone cost more than fifty thousand U.S. dollars, the equivalent of two years' salary for an average worker.
And even if you had the money, you couldn't just enroll. Without exceptional grades or a recomndation letter, you had no chance.
Banner's first stop was here for a reason—his girlfriend, Elizabeth, worked here as a professor.
She was a professor of biology, specifically in cell biology.
Half an hour later.
Banner stepped out of the cab, pulling his hat low to avoid being recognized. He cautiously approached the university.
The entrance didn't have much security, but when he tried to enter the academic building, he saw guards checking IDs.
Reluctantly, he turned back and made his way to the campus grounds.
Just as he was about to leave and visit a friend, he spotted a familiar figure.
The woman wore a floral dress, had long brown hair, fair skin, large eyes, and a tall, graceful figure.
It was Elizabeth.
She was sitting on a bench, reading a book.
To Banner, she looked like a beautiful, otherworldly being—so perfect, so pure. As he watched her, he suddenly noticed that Elizabeth had glanced his way and smiled.
His heart raced.
*Thump thump... thump thump...*
Did she recognize him?
No, he couldn't et her yet. He still couldn't control his emotions completely.
With that thought, Banner hid behind a tree.
But soon, sothing unbelievable happened.
A man walked up to Elizabeth, and she imdiately stood to hug and kiss him.
Banner's heart sank.
She had betrayed him.
A whirlwind of emotions flooded Banner's mind. He wanted to confront her, to demand answers.
But after all these years of being missing, how could he even begin to accuse her?
Was this his punishnt for all the won he had deceived during his ti away?
Ultimately, he left, brokenhearted.
Later that night, he finally found his old friend, Stanley.
Stanley was in his sixties or seventies, with white hair and a balding head.
He ran a small pizza shop, and after sending off his two employees and preparing to close, Banner arrived at the door.
Seeing Banner, Stanley froze for a mont.
But he quickly opened the door and let Banner inside.
"Banner!"
"Good evening, Stanley."
They sat down at the table, and before Stanley could ask anything, Banner spoke up, "Trust , the rumors out there about are all false."
"I know. With our history, I've never doubted you."
Hearing this, Banner felt a surge of gratitude. There was still so real friendship left in the world.
After a brief silence, Stanley continued, "Have you talked to her?"
He didn't say a na, but Banner knew he was referring to Elizabeth.
At the ntion of her na, Banner looked down in sorrow, "No, she doesn't know I'm back."
"She has a boyfriend?"
"Yes, he's a psychiatrist. I've heard he's a top doctor and a decent person."
"Good. That's good."
Banner fought back tears.
"Can I stay for a few days?"
"You can sleep in the spare room upstairs."
_________________
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