Chapter 182: A Righteous Beating

Faced with such a ferocious attack, Han Yu grinned and made no attempt to dodge. Instead, he chose the most direct form of defense—throwing a punch.

Banner's speed was lightning fast, reaching Han Yu in an instant. However, Han Yu's combat reflexes were even sharper. In just a fraction of a second, he slightly tilted his head, narrowly avoiding Banner's incoming fist.

Han Yu's fist, already poised at his waist, surged forward like a cannon, landing squarely on Banner's abdomen. The sheer force pierced through Banner's body, tearing apart the clothes on his back.

Banner spat out a large mouthful of blood in pain, but the blood was no longer its usual red. It was tinged with green—a sign of the Hulk's transformation!

"From what I can tell, this condition of Banner's must be the result of the Laughing Virus being absorbed by the Hulk within him. Banner himself seems fine, but the Hulk, having absorbed the virus, has become dozens of times more frenzied than before. That's why Banner has been relying on sedatives and alcohol to numb himself, isn't it?"

Han Yu's expression turned grim. He had taken Banner's medication away on purpose, wanting to see what would happen when Banner couldn't suppress the Hulk's persona. Only by witnessing it firsthand could he figure out a solution.

The Laughing Virus wasn't particularly difficult to deal with. Among the abilities of the Green Lantern Ring, "healing" was one of its advanced features. With its capabilities, performing a small operation to remove the virus from Banner wasn't out of the question.

At this moment, Banner was half-Hulk and half himself.

His body was still Banner's, but his mind had been entirely taken over by the Hulk.

The crowd gasped in shock as Hulk's figure blurred into a shadow, followed by a sonic boom.

Han Yu was taken aback. In this state, Hulk's speed had surpassed anything he had displayed before.

The old Hulk, no matter how fast, could still be seen as a massive green figure charging forward. But now, using Banner's body as his base, Hulk's speed had increased by leaps and bounds.

Just moments ago, Han Yu's attack had made Hulk cautious, forcing the typically reckless brute to refrain from charging in headfirst. Instead, Hulk now circled Han Yu at high speed, searching for an opening.

In Han Yu's vision, Hulk's movements seemed like a casual jog. But to the ordinary onlookers, this speed was impossibly fast, far beyond what the human eye could track.

"Not bad speed, I'll give you that. But it's still not even a tenth of Pietro's."

Han Yu smirked. A faint green glow flickered in his eyes. To him, Hulk's already sluggish movements now appeared as if he were moving in slow motion.

With a flick of his wrist, Han Yu summoned Hyōrinmaru, the icy blade emitting a chilling frost. He planted the sheathed sword into the ground, and in an instant, a surge of ice spread outward, transforming the surrounding area into a frozen cavern.

Hulk's movement halted abruptly as thick layers of ice rose from the ground, locking his feet in place.

"W-What is this? Let me go!"

Hulk's voice roared out of Banner's mouth. His mind had been completely overtaken by the Hulk persona. However, perhaps due to the influence of the Laughing Virus, he had managed to retain a human-sized form instead of hulking out.

"You're coming with me. I didn't expect something like this to happen. Looks like I'll need to investigate this thoroughly."

"Sorry, big guy, but this is for your own good. Time to cool off."

Han Yu chuckled mischievously. With Hulk immobilized, he raised both fists and began pounding his face. Blow after blow landed with brutal precision, the sound of each punch ringing out like sharp cracks in the air. The sheer force made the onlookers wince, their faces twisting in sympathy.

This looks incredibly painful—this kind of strength isn't something you'd expect from someone who doesn't even look twenty.

The bodyguards accompanying the black-suited bosses couldn't help but nod in agreement. A few experienced ones even commented:

"Precise and ruthless. This young man perfectly embodies these two qualities. Every punch is delivered with almost equal force, and the hits are incredibly accurate."

"If we were to face him head-on, forget about precision—just his ruthlessness alone would be enough to take us down in seconds."

Hearing their bodyguards make such remarks, the bosses were visibly stunned. They were well aware of their bodyguards' capabilities, all of whom had earned quite a reputation in their field.

For someone to earn such high praise from them spoke volumes about Han Yu's strength.

Han Yu's "righteous beatdown" didn't last long, only about a minute, but in that brief time, he delivered over 30 to 40 visible punches, each one powerful and precise. A normal person wouldn't have lasted this long—most would've stopped breathing by now.

Glancing at the now barely groaning Hulk on the ground, Han Yu let out a sigh of relief. He had initially thought that dealing with that Pierce guy would resolve everything. But now it seemed the Laughing Virus had a contagious nature, and he'd need to investigate it further.

If necessary, he'd have to develop an antidote to the virus to prevent it from spreading on a large scale, which could otherwise lead to mass panic.

From Han Yu's body, countless chains of green energy materialized and wrapped around Hulk, pinning him securely to the ground.

After finishing this, Han Yu sheathed his Ice Wheel Maru and turned around, noticing that everyone in the bar was staring at him. He waved his hand dismissively and said, "Alright, that's enough! Show's over. Go about your business—don't just stand here gawking!"

As he spoke, Han Yu grabbed the still-bound Hulk by the chains and started dragging him outside.

Hank, seeing this, quickly stepped in to mediate. He directed the onlookers to disperse. Some patrons, who had initially thought of approaching, froze under Hank's sharp gaze. They awkwardly smiled and backed off.

This scene didn't escape Han Yu's notice. He couldn't help but feel a bit surprised—these patrons clearly weren't the kind to be easily intimidated. Yet Hank managed to silence them with just a single glance.

A bartender at a bar? Who'd believe that?

Still, Han Yu didn't dwell on it. The priority now was to deal with the Hulk issue. As for Hank, that could wait.

"Mr. Han, are you… a member of the Avengers?" Hank asked, his gaze sharp. Though he had witnessed Han Yu's strength, if the latter was part of the Avengers, there was no reason to panic. It'd mean he wasn't a threat, giving Hank a chance to handle the situation calmly.

After all, members of the Avengers never harmed the innocent.

"Me? Of course not. I'm just an ordinary owner of a humble general store. Why, are you planning to ask me to pay for the damages here?" Han Yu replied with a faint smile.

As he spoke, the Hulk behind him continued to roar furiously, but the chains around him only tightened, rendering any struggle futile.

Hank studied Han Yu for another moment. After just a few seconds, his sharp gaze softened into a friendly smile.

"Mr. Han, please follow me."

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