While Shi Xiaolei was busy preparing for their departure, Bruce Banner, who had been placed in the Ark four days ago, finally regained consciousness.
Yes, Bruce Banner had been unconscious for exactly four days, and if counting the extra hours, even longer.
Many might find this difficult to understand, considering the Hulk explosively powerful constitution.
Even after expending enormous energy in battle, he shouldn't need such a long recovery time.
Moreover, if each involuntary transformation required such a lengthy recovery period... based on the Hulk performance in "The Avengers" the timeline clearly wouldn't match up.
There were, of course, reasons for this.
First, this was Bruce Banner first official transformation into the Hulk.
Without discussing how the "Hulk" persona came to be, his existence was undeniable.
For Bruce Banner, a new personality had been born within him—one with a temperament diametrically opposed to his own.
If Bruce Banner consciousness were likened to a fully formed and relatively stable world, then the changes brought about by this incident would be comparable to a massive natural disaster.
If one had to assign a level, it had exceeded volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and tsunamis. At minimum, it was on par with tectonic plate movement.
Catalyzed by gamma radiation, his physical constitution had undergone tremendous changes.
But ultimately, those were just improvements to his physical attributes.
On the mental level, Bruce Banner hadn't received the slightest enhancement.
The panic brought on by transforming into the Hulk, the rage accumulated during the battle with the military, the guilt from accidentally injuring civilians during combat.
Although when the Hulk consciousness took over, Bruce Banner personality retreated backstage and hid away, this didn't mean he was completely unaware of everything happening externally.
Therefore, these accumulated emotions inevitably impacted Bruce Banner consciousness.
Psychological trauma isn't something easily recovered from.
The fact that he hadn't completely withdrawn into himself and had only needed a few extra days to recover already spoke volumes about Bruce Banner mental resilience.
Beyond the psychological trauma requiring time to heal, physical weakness similarly needed a recovery period.
After all, it was his first transformation, and some discomfort was to be expected.
To use a somewhat crude analogy, it was like childbirth.
First-time mothers often require longer recovery periods, whereas those who have given birth five or six times might be up and working the day after delivery.
Furthermore, in the battle with Shi Xiaolei, the Hulk had sustained numerous external injuries and lost considerable blood.
All these factors combined resulted in Bruce Banner's extended period of unconsciousness.
'Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?'
After regaining consciousness, Bruce Banner began with these three philosophical questions.
Vaguely recalling fragments of memory and noticing he was completely naked except for a tattered pair of shorts hanging around his waist, Bruce Banner felt increasingly bewildered.
Like someone in a daze, he sat on the bed with a blank stare for quite some time.
It wasn't until he heard strange noises from outside that Bruce Banner snapped back to alertness.
Looking around, he discovered he was in a rustic, somewhat primitive wooden cabin.
The furnishings were also quite simple. It didn't seem like he was being held in some laboratory, which slightly eased Bruce anxiety.
Releasing the bedding he had unconsciously gripped tightly, he lifted the thin blanket covering him.
Bruce gently got out of bed, his bare feet touching the somewhat rough wooden floor.
There was a wooden cabinet in the room that looked like a wardrobe.
Considering his nakedness and inability to go outside in his current state, Bruce approached the cabinet, intending to see if there were any clothes he could borrow.
To his surprise, although the cabinet door wasn't locked and didn't appear particularly sturdy, he simply couldn't open it.
Left with no choice, Bruce abandoned the idea of finding clothes in the cabinet.
Instead, he turned and pulled off the bed sheet, wrapping it around himself like an African tribesman.
Just like the cabinet door, the wooden door of the cabin wouldn't budge either.
Fortunately, there was a window frame without lattice on the wall. Without much effort, Bruce climbed out through the window frame and found himself outside the small wooden cabin.
Before him was a small river about twenty meters wide.
The water flow wasn't particularly fast, and it produced crisp, melodious sounds as it flowed around large rocks in the middle.
A wooden foundation connected to the small cabin's doorway extended about one-third of the way over the river's surface.
It resembled a self-built dock for mooring small boats, but looking around, he couldn't see any boats.
Wondering "where am I" Bruce unconsciously walked onto the dock, arriving at a more open view of the river.
Suddenly, from the dense forest on the opposite bank, came a roar unlike any he had ever heard.
If it were the Hulk, there would certainly be no fear.
But now, the one in control of this body was Bruce Banner, merely a scientist.
For such an unfamiliar and highly threatening roar, he didn't possess such great courage.
Startled, Bruce Banner instinctively raised his gaze toward the dense forest on the opposite shore.
The next second, a scene he had never imagined appeared before his eyes—from the dense forest emerged several Parasaurolophus, desperately fleeing along the riverbank in pathetic fashion, followed immediately by a Tyrannosaurus Rex over ten meters in size, pursuing them with a ferociously imposing presence.
The cracking sound of trees being flattened, the thunderous noise of the T-Rex footfalls, combined with the terrifying roars.
What was a twenty-meter-wide river to a T-Rex? With its size, crossing it would be a matter of seconds.
The beast presence seemed to envelop him completely.
Feeling the overwhelming aura emanating from this T-Rex, Bruce legs gave way, and he collapsed onto the damp sandy beach.
The T-Rex that appeared in Bruce vision was none other than Shi Xiaolei beloved pet, Big White.
Following its master orders, Big White had been active near the base.
Although it wasn't aware of this itself, it was clearly performing the job of a security guard.
Its range of activity was restricted, preventing it from wandering around like its other companions.
For humans, this might feel constraining, but for Big White, this lifestyle wasn't the least bit objectionable.
Because every time its master returned, it could be the first to approach him.
Not only could it receive its master affection before any of the other companions, but it could also be hand-fed by its master.
Although the bit of meat fed by its master wasn't even enough to fill the gaps between its teeth, for Big White, just the opportunity to be close to its master was already a source of great happiness.
When its master wasn't around, it would hunt in the forest when hungry and nap in the base plaza while sunbathing when tired.
When its master returned, it would quickly approach for some affection, occasionally carrying its master around for patrols.
Perhaps it was somewhat monotonous, but it was a pure life, and Big White genuinely enjoyed it.
Today was no different; Big White had made another round near the base.
It had chased away two Iguanodons and filled its stomach with an elite Velociraptor that had somehow wandered nearby.
Just as it was thinking about returning to the base plaza for a nap, it suddenly noticed an unfamiliar figure appearing in front of the small wooden cabin built by its master.
With a mix of curiosity and vigilance, Big White abandoned its "scare the Parasaurolophus" post-meal game.
It strode forward on its thick, sturdy legs, waded through the shallow river water, and turned toward the wooden cabin.
(T/N: Like the story fellow daoist?you can read 20 chapters ahead on my P@treon [[email protected]/DaoistRongyi] Thanks for your support! 😊)