Buying A Building

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After sending Tony and the others back, Kai didn't stay with Tony. Instead, he took Banner directly to his warehouse.

When Banner stepped through the portal, the first thing he noticed was the frozen Abomination — still encased in ice — and Samuel pacing nearby.

Samuel looked eager, circling the ice sculpture like a restless vulture. He kept muttering, "Why hasn't Kai come back yet?"

The moment Samuel spotted Kai stepping out of the portal, he bolted toward him.

"Oh, you're finally back! Come on, let me start studying this big guy. I've been waiting forever!"

Before Kai could respond, Banner's voice came from behind him.

"Mr. Sterns? Professor Samuel? Why are you here?"

Samuel froze, turning to see Banner. His face paled.

"W-Why did you bring him here?" Samuel stammered, stumbling back. "Don't you know how unstable he is? I've given him inhibitors, but there's no guarantee they'll hold!"

Kai gestured for Gear to guide Samuel back over. "Relax," Kai said. "I've got it covered. Banner's condition is stable now — unless 'he' wants to release the Hulk, nothing will trigger his transformation here."

Then Kai turned to Banner. "As for Samuel, I brought him here for his own safety. After what happened, he's going to be a target. Besides..." Kai's expression turned serious. "I'm planning to work on enhancing physical strength through serum research — for my friends and family. Samuel's the right person for the job."

Banner's face tightened with concern. "Kai, that's dangerous. You know what happened to me… this stuff can go horribly wrong."

Kai smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry. I'm only interested in health and resilience — nothing extreme. I know better than anyone how dangerous that research can be."

Then he turned back to Samuel. "And I trust you won't go experimenting on your own, right?"

Samuel gulped and nodded quickly. "Of course! No unauthorized experiments, I swear."

Gear chimed in, "Don't worry, Master. I'll keep an eye on him."

Banner glanced at Gear curiously. "Wait… is this... artificial intelligence?"

Kai chuckled. "He's a silicon-based life form, but yeah, you can think of him as AI."

"Wow..." Banner murmured. "I've never seen AI this advanced before."

Samuel, growing impatient, piped up again. "So... when can I start?"

Kai considered the old warehouse — the underground space he'd carved out seemed perfect for a secret lab before, but now that his circle was growing, it felt inadequate.

Just as Kai was weighing his options, his phone rang. He pulled it out and saw Ethan's name on the screen.

"Hey, Ethan," Kai answered. "What's up?"

"Kai, we've got a bit of a situation here," Ethan said. "The short video business is booming thanks to all the recent events, but we're out of space. The office is way too cramped. I was thinking... should we look for a bigger place?"

Kai's eyes shifted back to the warehouse. An idea struck him.

"Yeah," Kai said. "I'll come by tomorrow, and we'll sort it out."

"Sounds good. See you then."

After hanging up, Kai turned to Samuel and Banner. "Alright, hold off on starting anything for now. I'll find a better space — something bigger, better equipped. We'll move there instead."

Kai's old mindset of keeping a low profile had shifted. Now, he wanted to build something bigger — something secure, yet open. He wasn't going to hide anymore.

"Banner," Kai continued, "just hang tight for a few days. I'll get everything sorted out."

He asked Gear and Turbo to keep watch over the place before heading home.

---

The next morning, Kai arrived at the company early, meeting Ethan.

"Alright," Kai said. "Let's find a place that's big enough to handle everything — labs, offices, the whole deal. One move, no more shifting around later."

Ethan grinned. "That's what I was thinking."

Together, they spent a few days scouting Manhattan until they found the perfect building — over twenty stories tall, right in the heart of the city.

As they finalized the deal, Kai noticed something odd. The man handling the sale wasn't the building's original owner.

"The owner is... Kingpin?" Kai asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah," the man muttered nervously. "Used to be his. But after he disappeared, some other gang claimed it."

Kai paused. Hearing Kingpin's name again was unexpected. But if some two-bit gang had taken over the property, he wasn't about to let them shake him down.

Instead of paying the inflated price they demanded, Kai went straight to the gang itself. After a brief... 'discussion', they agreed to sell the building to Kai for one dollar.

With the building secured, Kai stood outside, satisfied. His new base was set. No more hiding — this time, he was stepping in.