Marvel: Umbrella Corporation

Half an hour later—

*Knock, knock...*

A series of knocks on the door interrupted Reed's explanation.

Adam frowned in displeasure.

"Apologies, but it looks like our conversation has to end here."

His subordinates wouldn't disturb him unless it was something important, so either something had happened, or someone significant had arrived.

Reed immediately stood up upon hearing this.

"No worries, no worries. Talking with you has been incredibly enlightening."

During their half-hour conversation, Reed had gained significant insights from Adam, recognizing his own flaws and weaknesses.

"You can report to Starship Company right away. I'll have them provide you with full support."

"Thank you for your support, Mr. Adam. I won't let you down."

With those words, Reed, feeling both excited and eager, left the office in a hurry.

Moments later, Tony and Banner walked in.

As Tony glanced at Reed's departing figure, a flicker of confusion crossed his face. For some reason, his head tingled slightly.

However, he dismissed it as an illusion, shook his head, and walked toward Adam.

"Mr. Adam, I'm here to bother you again."

Saying this, he casually made his way to the liquor cabinet, grabbed a bottle of red wine, and poured himself a glass—without the slightest hesitation.

He even poured one for Banner.

"This wine keeps getting better. I suppose that means your cloning technology is improving."

Adam ignored Tony's teasing, simply crossing his hands and leaning back in his chair with a lazy posture.

"What do you want?" he asked indifferently.

Tony took a sip of wine and slouched into the couch, mirroring Adam's relaxed demeanor.

"What else? I came to buy some of your toys."

Seeing Tony's attitude, Adam shook his head, "I'm not selling to you."

Tony paused for a moment, slightly taken aback.

"Why not?"

"No particular reason. I just don't want to...If that's all, you can leave now."

"Come on, man. You can't do this to me. I just want to buy a couple to play around with."

Adam gave Tony a meaningful look, "You fight for justice. I can help you, but that doesn't mean I'll sell my products to just anyone."

"What about the Middle East?"

Tony locked eyes with Adam, searching for any sign of guilt or evasion.

Adam remained calm.

"Apart from you and S.H.I.E.L.D., my only other client is the military. If you don't believe me, use your connections and check."

It was true—whenever he had sold to the Middle East, it was always to U.S. military forces stationed there.

What those forces did with his products afterward was none of his concern.

Seeing that Tony was about to argue further, Adam raised his hand to interrupt, "If you have nothing else to say, leave. I need to have a private conversation with Banner."

Tony hesitated for a moment but, seeing Adam's serious expression, sighed, put down his glass, and left.

*Bang!*

The office door shut behind him.

Banner suddenly felt uneasy, "What do you want to talk about?"

His feelings toward Adam were complicated—neither good nor bad.

After all, Adam had revived Elizabeth, but he had also created Abomination, a being that held deep hostility toward him.

At the same time, Adam clearly had a sense of justice. He had helped fight Apocalypse last year and assisted S.H.I.E.L.D. this year.

Yet he was also a businessman, selling his creations for profit. And those creations—like the Lickers and Tyrants—looked absolutely terrifying.

This contradiction left Banner feeling conflicted.

Noticing Banner's unease, Adam smiled, "Relax. I'm not going to do anything to you. I just want to have a conversation."

He swirled the red wine in his glass and took a sip before continuing.

"I've noticed something—you and Tony both pursue justice, but your justice is different from his. His is absolute, while yours is… self-serving."

"What do you mean by that?"

Banner's expression darkened.

He felt as though Adam had struck a nerve, exposing something he didn't want to admit.

Adam leaned back and casually continued.

"I admire Tony. I truly do. He's willing to give up almost everything for what he believes is right."

"His company, his wealth—even his life. If it serves his version of justice, he'll sacrifice without hesitation."

"But you?"

"You may be willing to fight for justice, but you're not willing to sacrifice your own interests for it."

"That's why you've spent all this time running from General Ross. It's not just because you fear the military's greed—it's also because you don't want anyone else to have your power."

Banner's face darkened further. He abruptly stood up.

"You don't understand anything! You ignore human greed! Do you even realize what would happen if the U.S. military got its hands on gamma radiation power?"

"Oh?"

Adam smirked.

"Are you suggesting they'd take over the world? Come on, Banner. Let's be real. Even the Hulk wouldn't survive a nuclear strike."

"Hmph!"

Banner knew he couldn't argue with Adam, so he merely snorted and turned to leave.

Just as he reached the door, Adam's voice rang out again, "Aren't you curious about how Blonsky became Abomination?"

Banner stopped in his tracks.

"What do you mean?"

"I studied your DNA—well, the Hulk's DNA, to be precise. I modified it and then implanted it into Blonsky.

That's how Abomination was created."

Hearing this, Banner immediately turned around, glaring at Adam, "You experimented with my DNA?! What are you trying to do?"

Adam remained unfazed.

"What am I trying to do? If I had any malicious intentions, don't you think the world would already be crawling with green monsters?"

"But I didn't."

"Not because I'm merciful—because I realized your DNA is too unstable. Sooner or later, it will become a problem."

Banner didn't respond. He simply stared at Adam, his expression grim.

Of course, he knew how uncontrollable the Hulk was.

Every time he transformed, he had only the slightest influence over it—enough to avoid hurting allies, but not much more than that.

"Do you want to get rid of the Hulk?"

"…Do you have a way?"

"Of course. If you agree, we can start right now."

"…Let me think about it."

With that, Banner turned and left the office.

Outside, Tony saw Banner's lost, dazed expression and immediately walked over, "What happened? What did he say to you?"

Banner shook his head, "Nothing. Let's go back. I'll tell you later."

Moments later, Adam stood by his floor-to-ceiling window, watching as Tony's car drove off.

A faint smile appeared on his lips.

He hadn't provoked Banner for no reason. No, he had planted a seed in his mind. And he was confident that, before long, that seed would bear fruit.

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