Mindset and Thought: The Difference

"Tony Stark, Dr. Banner came here only to track the Tesseract."

"I hope you can work with him."

At that moment, Nick Fury had also just entered from the other side and spoke.

"Don’t you feel ashamed saying that yourself?"

"Was your purpose in finding him really just to track the Tesseract?"

"You wanted to use him as a weapon for emergencies when danger arose, didn’t you?"

"Even if he isn’t under your control and might cause disasters, you still want to try to control him."

"We all know each other. Stop putting on this hypocritical act."

Hearing Nick Fury’s words, Tony sneered without giving Nick Fury any face at all. As he spoke, he sat down at the head of the long table.

"Tony Stark, did you answer the call to assemble just to disrupt morale here?"

Nick Fury’s expression changed slightly at those words, and he spoke sternly.

"Nick Fury, don’t try to use that bullshit to pressure me."

"I answered the call because I knew Earth was about to face danger, and I wanted to do my part."

"I did it because I wanted to. That doesn’t mean it is some obligation or responsibility I must fulfill."

"If you’re unhappy about it and don’t want me here, just say so. I can turn around and leave immediately."

"Then we’ll see whether that old-era guy under you, who just came out of the ice and hasn’t seen the world—"

"Along with a genetically modified woman only slightly stronger than an ordinary person, and a Hulk you can’t control—"

"Can help you face the coming war, win it, and protect Earth."

Hearing Nick Fury’s words, Tony swept his gaze across everyone present and spoke.

"…"

Nick Fury’s face darkened after hearing Tony Stark’s utterly disrespectful words.

The aura he gave off made it obvious to everyone nearby that Nick Fury was in a terrible mood.

"Doctor, while this black bald egg can’t calm you down when you lose control, I can."

"So go ahead and get angry, or even lose control and go berserk."

Tony did not care in the slightest. He turned to glance at Banner and spoke.

Seeing how Tony Stark tore into people, Thor and Loki did not dare make a sound, afraid they would also be cursed out or saddled with an awful nickname.

"Tony Stark, my power is more troublesome than you imagine."

Banner paused before speaking after hearing Tony’s words.

"What’s troublesome about it?"

"Do you know how many people long for the power within you, yet can never obtain it and can only envy you?"

"The power in your body can give you a chance to change a desperate situation when ordinary people are driven to the brink and can do nothing."

"With the power inside you, you could absolutely become a strong person."

"But what did you do instead?"

"You fear the power within you. You even want to destroy it."

"You want to go back to being an ordinary person with a somewhat better brain."

"Do you know how many people on Earth want powerful strength to change their lives and circumstances?"

"You have such an opportunity, yet you don’t cherish it. Instead, you’re telling me you’re afraid of the power inside you?"

Hearing Banner’s words, Tony reacted as if he had heard the greatest joke in the world. He rose to his feet and walked toward Banner, firing off question after question.

"You can’t understand how I feel at all."

"So don’t stand there talking about this as if you’re righteous."

Banner’s body trembled slightly under the barrage of questions. Suppressing his anger, he spoke.

"I truly can’t understand the mindset of someone who is strong yet sees himself as weak."

"But I understand better than you what a strong person should do."

"And with the coming war nearly upon us, I need you to correct that mindset of yours."

Seeing Banner’s expression, Tony spoke coldly, then threw a punch directly into Banner’s face.

With a bang, Banner flew back and crashed into the wall.

Aside from Loki, who did not understand the situation, and Thor, who had absolute confidence in his own strength, neither of whose expressions changed—

No one around them had expected Tony Stark to attack. Seeing this, everyone grew tense.

They all knew, more or less, about Hulk, and they also knew they could not put too much pressure on Dr. Banner, or terrifying consequences would follow.

Piercing pain constantly assaulted Banner’s nerves.

"Are you insane?"

Banner’s eyes briefly turned green, but he forcibly suppressed it. Looking at Tony Stark in his armor, he shouted.

"Banner, the power inside you is strong, but don’t think you’re the strongest."

"Once you understand that fact and come into contact with the world of truly strong people—"

"You’ll realize just how crucial it is that you possess power and a starting point that countless ordinary people desperately desire but can never obtain."

"That will become the foundation of your survival in the world of the strong, rather than leaving you to rely on the kindness of others just to barely stay alive at certain times."

"Stop looking at the sky from the bottom of a well. Walk out of that closed-off heart of yours, become truly strong, and try to control the power within you. Learn to coexist with it."

Seeing signs that Banner was about to transform, Tony slowly walked over until he stood before Banner, looking down at him as he spoke.

Tony’s words sounded as though he intended to guide Banner gradually through speech, but his actions did not resemble guidance at all. He kicked Banner directly in the stomach again.

If there had been plenty of time, Tony would not have minded doing some ideological work on Banner.

But the Chitauri army would arrive very soon. He did not have enough time to let Banner slowly come to terms with it.

So, if he wanted Banner to realize just how important power was, he naturally chose the simplest and most brutal method.

This kick made Banner spit out a mouthful of blood, and his eyes began shifting continuously between blue and green.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. I didn’t expect you to be so good at enduring."

"But you’re very angry right now, aren’t you?"

"You think that the more you tolerate me, the more I take advantage of it."

"But Banner, do you understand what a truly weak person thinks when facing someone strong?"

"The weak can also get angry and hate their opponent, but because they are powerless to change their circumstances, all they can do is hope the other person lets them go and allows them to keep their life."

"They won’t be thinking about whether they should settle the score with the other person."

"The thoughts in your heart and your confidence come entirely from the power within you."

"You believe that as long as you unleash Hulk Power, you can resolve this predicament."

"So do you understand now, the difference between you and the weak?"

Tony watched Banner raise his head and glare at him with furious eyes, then smiled as he spoke.

The second update is here.