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In the Arctic, across the frozen land that's iced over year-round, a group of uninvited guests had arrived.
"Are we sure it's him?"
The man in charge—a slightly balding guy who insisted on wearing a crisp suit even in the freezing cold—asked the site leader in a serious tone.
If this trip turned out to be a waste of time, he was definitely gonna make these people regret it. When a "nice guy" gets mad, it's a lot scarier than you'd think.
"Sir, you should come take a look at this first."
Instead of answering directly, the site leader led him into a tunnel that had already been dug into the ice.
Through the thick ice wall, they saw it—frozen solid in the glacier: a round shield, about the size of a manhole cover.
In the center of the shield was a silver five-pointed star.
Around the star, concentric rings of blue, red, and white.
"It is him! That's incredible!"
The balding man was almost instantly sure of the frozen figure's identity—after all, he had an exact replica of that very shield hanging in his own home.
His face managed to stay mostly calm, but his voice was trembling slightly, maybe from the cold—or maybe from excitement.
"Start excavation… immediately!"
Soon after, a team personally led by S.H.I.E.L.D. senior agent Phil Coulson began carefully digging out the frozen figure beneath the ice.
It wasn't long before the body, frozen for decades, was gently lifted onto a S.H.I.E.L.D. aircraft and flown—under the tightest security and at top speed—to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters.
Along with him, they also took the star-spangled shield.
At the same time, on the opposite end of the Earth—in the Antarctic—something streaked quickly across the sky.
Right beneath the entrance to the Antarctic ice cave, there was a makeshift rest area, since it was connected to all the surrounding labs.
"Hey, looks like we've got new arrivals,"
Tony, who was lounging on a couch sipping cheap red wine, suddenly felt a cold gust rush in as the entrance above opened. He shivered and glanced up.
Two figures had just appeared.
"Wait, there's a trash can over there—don't puke on the floor…"
"Uuugh…"
"…Too late. Great. Clean that up later, alright?"
Tony waved a hand in front of his nose, trying to get rid of the awful stench.
But the nausea stuck around, and the wine that had just touched his lips suddenly didn't taste so good anymore.
"Ugh, buzzkill."
Annoyed, Tony grumbled to himself and turned to head back into the lab.
But just then, Peter called out from behind him, "Wait up—this is for you."
"Huh? Why does that look kinda familiar?"
Tony had just turned around when he caught a bottle of expensive red wine that Peter casually tossed his way.
But the smile on Tony's face disappeared instantly after taking a closer look.
"Yep, took it straight from your mansion. You're welcome!"
"Damn it, you little thief…"
Peter didn't even wait for Tony's face to fully twist with anger. He dragged Professor Connors—who had just finished throwing up—towards a lab sealed off with a door that looked like it weighed several tons.
Boom!
That nearly ten-ton metal door? Peter slid it open with one hand like it was nothing, then walked right in with Connors.
"Wait, are you guys about to study that green monster? Can I join in? I've dabbled in biology before…"
Peeking through the open door and spotting a green figure inside, Tony instantly lost interest in the wine. He volunteered himself, eager to get in on the research.
"Sorry. Unless you're willing to stay here forever, then nope."
Peter said flatly while pulling the heavy door shut from inside.
"You bastard! Stay here forever? No way!"
There was no chance Tony Stark would agree to that. It hadn't even been two weeks, and he was already missing the king-sized bed in his fancy mansion—and of course, the blonde bombshells that came with it.
"But seriously, what is that green monster? Why's he being so secretive about it?"
Tony snapped out of his fantasies, now fully curious about the green figure locked away in that special lab.
"F**k, that guy's puke still isn't cleaned up…"
"Professor Connors, I'm guessing this thing isn't new to you?"
Peter spoke slowly, pointing at the giant green creature frozen in ice inside the lab.
"Of course it's not," Connors said bitterly. "Because of that thing, I pretty much lost everything…"
He let out a pained laugh, full of regret and self-mockery. Honestly, he only had himself to blame—for being too greedy.
"You lost everything. All the work you poured your life into, your shot at regrowing your arm… You really just gonna let that go?"
Peter looked at him and asked calmly.
"Let it go? What choice do I have?"
"All my research—decades' worth—was taken. Even if I wanted to start over, I don't have the time or the money to do it."
As a scientist, Connors knew the harsh truth: restarting a project that big needed serious time and even more serious funding.
And no one would back a failed regeneration drug project.
"You're right. There's no need to start that regeneration serum project again."
Peter's words completely killed the last bit of hope in Connors' eyes.
"But," Peter continued, his eyes drifting toward the frozen Hulk, "I think you could take part in something much bigger."
His voice grew persuasive—almost seductive.
"A project that won't just grow your arm back… It'll give you power beyond your wildest dreams. Maybe even immortality. It's the kind of thing that'll go down in history."
Right now, Peter sounded just like one of those slick life coaches from social media, smoothly reeling Connors in.
"So… what do I have to give up?"
Nothing in life is free. Connors had already lived through one total failure—he knew better than anyone that no one just hands out miracles.
"Just that smart brain of yours… and a little bit of your freedom."
"So, what's this project called?"
Connors didn't even hesitate. He knew full well that refusing someone with Superman-level power wasn't an option.
"A name? Haven't thought of one yet. But once you uncover the secrets inside that body…" Peter gestured to the frozen Hulk. "I might let you in on something even bigger."
"You mean, the secrets hidden inside that body?"
Connors stared at the massive green figure with burning curiosity. It could be the key to immortality.
"By the way, what is that other project you mentioned?"
Just the idea of eternal life was already a dream come true. But Peter had hinted at something even more intriguing.
"It's… something terrifying. Maybe even world-ending."
Peter didn't say more. But his eyes flickered with hesitation.
Tony Stark's Interlude:Thanks to big boss gs200000 for the tip! If you ever show up in the Marvel Universe, I swear I'll give you 10% of my assets and a full MK50 armor set. Let's go beat up Thanos together!
"....."