Chapter 96 96: Trading With the Devil
Inside General Ross's aircraft, live footage of the chaos below was being streamed in real time.
When the soldiers first reported that "the Hulk" was rampaging through the streets, Ross had instinctively glanced at Banner.
He thought the soldiers had lost their minds.
But the footage proved otherwise.
A massive yellow monster was wreaking havoc across Harlem.
Betty stared at the screen in disbelief.
What had her father done?
Turning Banner into a monster wasn't enough—now he had created another one.
"Deploy all forces to Harlem!"
Ross had no other choice.
This yellow beast clearly possessed even greater destructive instincts than Hulk.
Hulk usually tried to flee.
But this creature…
it existed purely for destruction.
Deliberate destruction.
A monster like this could reduce an entire district to ruins all by itself.
And now, the worst-case scenario had finally arrived.
The military's mistakes this time were even more catastrophic than the mutant incidents or rogue technology disasters before them.
Ross knew exactly what would come next:
public outrage.
The greater the destruction, the greater the responsibility he would bear.
All he could do now was hope the military managed to stop the creature.
Banner stared silently at the blackened wreckage displayed on the monitor.
An entire convoy of soldiers had just been slaughtered.
At this point…
only he could stop that thing.
"Let me go."
Banner made his decision.
"No!"
"Bruce, you can't fight him!"
"You're not the Hulk anymore!"
Betty immediately refused.
"But right now, there's no other option."
"If I can still transform, then maybe there's a chance."
"Otherwise, nobody can stop him."
Banner tried to calmly explain.
Ross, meanwhile, looked conflicted.
The man he had obsessed over capturing…
was now the one trying to save New York.
Had he truly been wrong all this time?
"Bring the aircraft down near the district."
Ross issued the order.
"No."
"Take us directly over the battlefield."
Banner interrupted him.
Betty froze.
"Bruce…"
"What are you planning?"
"Open the rear hatch."
"I'm jumping."
Everyone onboard went silent.
"Do as he says."
Ross finally agreed.
The rear hatch slowly opened.
Banner walked toward it.
"Bruce! No!"
"You don't even know if you can still transform!"
"But there's only one way to find out."
And just as he reached the edge—a voice echoed through the aircraft.
"You all seem to be having some trouble."
"Need some help?"
The sudden voice made everyone's hearts skip.
Who?!
They turned—only to find an unfamiliar Eastern man standing calmly inside the aircraft.
This was a military aircraft flying at high altitude.
And it was moving.
How had he gotten here?!
One soldier immediately reached for his gun—but lightning flashed across Qin Xiao's hand.
The soldier collapsed instantly, paralyzed.
Nothing was faster than electricity.
At that moment, everyone realized—this man was dangerous.
"Who are you?"
Ross reacted first.
Or rather—he reacted with anger.
Banner was about to risk everything to stop the monster below.
And this stranger had interrupted him.
Without Hulk, who would stop the creature?
"Me?"
"The Devil Herald."
Qin Xiao's grin widened.
"Devil Herald?"
"Who's that?"
Banner and Betty looked confused.
"You're the Devil Herald?!"
"How are you here?!"
"Was that monster below created by you?!"
Ross immediately became tense.
The Devil Herald's name already existed within military intelligence files.
Frank Castle's Devil Fruit powers had nearly triggered a catastrophic war between mutants and humanity.
Magneto had returned.
New York had nearly become hell itself.
Fortunately, Tony Stark and the peaceful mutant faction had prevented total disaster.
And behind Frank stood one person: the Devil Herald.
A mysterious and dangerous existence.
And now—that person stood directly before him.
Inside his aircraft.
Of course, Ross conveniently ignored one detail:
it was the military that had wrongly classified Frank as a mutant in the first place.
Their aggressive mutant hunts had triggered the entire situation.
"No, no, no, General Ross."
"You misunderstand."
"That monster below was created by you."
"Not me."
"But…"
"I can help."
"Assuming you want it."
Qin Xiao spoke like a true devil, tempting them.
"What kind of help?"
Betty asked immediately.
She didn't want Banner risking his life.
If this "Devil Herald" truly had a solution—then Bruce might survive.
"I know what you're worried about."
"You're afraid Banner can't become Hulk anymore."
"So…"
"I brought something useful."
Qin Xiao reached into his body—and pulled out a bag of serum.
Everyone froze.
He pulled it directly out of his body.
This…
was the Devil Herald?
"Hulk serum?!"
"How do you have that?!"
Banner looked stunned.
"Simple."
"After you left, and after that monster appeared…"
"I went and took it."
"General Ross focused all his attention on chasing you…"
"while completely overlooking the real treasure."
"If he truly wanted to study your transformation, there was no need to hunt you down."
"Everything he needed was already in Mr. Blue's lab."
"In fact…"
"Mr. Blue himself is more valuable than all of the military's researchers combined."
"But Ross couldn't see that."
"That's why he failed."
Qin Xiao casually mocked Ross.
Ross's expression became awkward instantly.
He had walked into a treasure vault—and left empty-handed.
Perfectly demonstrating incompetence.
Then Qin Xiao slowly scanned the room.
"So…"
"Do you want my help?"
He smiled like a devil making a contract.
"Yes!"
"Inject me immediately!"
Banner instantly rolled up his sleeve.
He even tapped his veins impatiently.
Transfusion.
Now.
"I like decisive people."
"But if I help you…"
"What do I get in return?"
And suddenly—Qin Xiao no longer seemed in a hurry.
"At a time like this, you're still negotiating?!"
"Would you rather watch New York burn?!"
Ross tried taking the moral high ground.
"If New York burns…"
"that's your fault."
"Not mine."
"I'm the Devil Herald."
"I deal in transactions."
Qin Xiao shut him down instantly.
"What do you want?"
"As long as I can give it, it's yours."
Banner answered immediately.
He didn't want more arguments.
A contract?
Fine.
He'd sign it.
"Very well."
"After you transform into Hulk and defeat Abomination…"
"Abomination belongs to me."
"I'm taking him to hell."
That was Qin Xiao's condition.
He wanted Abomination.
That was his choice.
"No!"
"You cannot have him!"
Ross refused immediately.
To him, Abomination was military property.
"Oh?"
"I can't touch him?"
"Very well."
"Then good luck."
"And hopefully, General Ross still has a military career afterward."
Qin Xiao began withdrawing the serum.
"Father!"
"You idiot!"
"People are dying and you're still thinking about your own interests?!"
"If New York falls, you'll be buried with it!"
Betty finally exploded.
She couldn't tolerate her father anymore.
This was beyond unreasonable.
"I agree."
Banner ignored Ross entirely.
He accepted the deal himself.
"Excellent."
"Contract established."
Qin Xiao grinned.
Honestly, he only wanted an excuse.
Now he had one.
If Ross broke the agreement later—Qin Xiao would have every reason to unleash chaos on New York.
And if humanity broke a contract with the Devil…
Ross would be ruined politically anyway.
Qin Xiao immediately inserted the needle into Banner's arm.
Maximum flow rate.
The serum rapidly entered Banner's body.
Moments later—Banner's calm expression vanished.
His skin turned green.
"Good."
"It worked."
Without hesitation—Qin Xiao kicked the transforming Hulk directly out of the aircraft.
If Hulk transformed onboard,
the helicopter would be destroyed instantly.
"Descend!"
"Bring us lower!"
"I want visual confirmation of the battle!"
Ross barked.
The military helicopter descended toward the battlefield.
Below—two monsters clashed violently.
With the additional serum boost,
Hulk was no longer at a disadvantage from the beginning.
The two giants traded blows evenly.
And the more balanced the fight became—the more catastrophic the destruction grew.
Every kick launched vehicles dozens of meters away.
Cars became toys in their hands.
One city block collapsed.
Then another.
The battlefield spread wider and wider.
"What do we do now?!"
"Do you have any other way to help Hulk?!"
Betty looked desperately toward Qin Xiao.
She still didn't fully understand what the Devil Herald truly was.
But anyone who could casually pull Hulk serum from his body clearly wasn't ordinary.
And Qin Xiao…
had been waiting for exactly this question.
Otherwise, he would have already left after delivering the serum.
Because the system had activated the moment he saw Betty.
"Ding! Compatible Devil Fruit host detected."
"Compatible Fruits: Hollow-Hollow Fruit, Barrier-Barrier Fruit, Pet-Pet Fruit, Cage-Cage Fruit, Slow-Slow Fruit…"
Five fruits.
And several of them were absurdly powerful.
The Hollow-Hollow Fruit could create ghosts—including Negative Hollows.
Those ghosts forced targets into an extremely depressed emotional state.
Even Zoro's monstrous willpower couldn't resist it.
Ironically, naturally pessimistic people like Usopp were barely affected.
If Betty possessed this fruit…
she could shut Hulk down instantly with a single Negative Hollow.
It was practically designed specifically to counter Hulk.
Then there was the Barrier-Barrier Fruit.
A fruit capable of generating barriers.
If Hulk were trapped inside one—could he even break free?
Unknown.
Another anti-Hulk ability.
The Pet-Pet Fruit was even more direct.
Anyone fitted with its energy collar became obedient to the user.
Though hearing-based control meant the Silence Fruit countered it perfectly.
The Cage-Cage Fruit generated steel barriers capable of restraining enemies.
But whether it could hold Hulk-level monsters remained questionable.
Finally—the Slow-Slow Fruit.
It drastically reduced a target's speed.
Perfect for either escaping or attacking.
Another useful anti-Hulk ability.
Still—among all of them,
the Hollow-Hollow Fruit clearly suited Betty best.
And Qin Xiao had specifically waited for Betty to ask.
Now that she had—he could finally play the role of the devil properly.
"There actually is…"
"a way to help Hulk."