"Welcome to the Venus Space Station, Dr. Bruce Banner," Taibai's magnetic voice greeted Bruce Banner once again.
Clearly, Bruce Banner wasn't feeling particularly welcomed. He felt as though his entire worldview had been shattered today. Taking three steps at a time, Bruce rushed to the transparent floor-to-ceiling window made of some unknown material.
What he saw through the window was not the familiar blue planet, Earth, but an entirely golden-yellow planet! As a top scientist with seven PhDs, Bruce Banner immediately recognized that this was Venus! He then looked to the other side and saw a sun that appeared many times larger than it did from Earth. This confirmed that he was truly not on Earth anymore.
Stumbling backward a few steps, Bruce Banner let out a nervous laugh, prompting Qi Jun to glance at him a few times, wondering if he had been scared senseless.
Of course, despite being utterly shocked by the series of events, Bruce Banner wasn't going to be broken by this alone.
"Um, is there... a Coke? I'm suddenly very thirsty," Bruce said, patting his numb face as he staggered towards the fridge.
"There's chilled Coke in the fridge, but your heart rate is elevated. Taibai suggests you sit down and rest first, Dr. Banner," Taibai's voice advised, making Bruce pause.
"Yeah, you're right," Bruce swallowed. "If I transform here and damage the space station, not even the Hulk could survive that."
Although Bruce Banner had considered suicide to rid himself of the Hulk, he wasn't about to attempt it in outer space.
"Sorry to disappoint you, but based on available data, even if the Hulk appeared in space without any protection, he wouldn't die, Dr. Banner," Taibai's magnetic voice responded.
"Hmph," Bruce Banner's face turned from white to green to black, making Qi Jun step in to stop Taibai's potentially damaging commentary.
"Alright, Taibai, you might need to upgrade your emotional intelligence module," Qi Jun said, seeing Bruce's reaction. He didn't believe Bruce would take offense at an AI, but just in case.
"Okay, Taibai, retract the solar panels," Qi Jun ordered. The energy he had used wasn't much, and he was already fully charged.
"Yes, sir," Taibai replied as the panels retracted.
---
"Does everything seem unbelievable to you?" Qi Jun asked, tossing a can of Coke to Bruce.
Crack, hiss, gulp, gulp, gulp. "Ah!" Bruce Banner chugged the Coke and felt himself come back to life.
"I feel like I'm dreaming!" he exclaimed. "I'm a materialist. I'm a scientist in physics, biology, and chemistry!" Bruce looked at Qi Jun, astonished. "I never thought magic, something so unscientific, could exist! I always believed it was just trickery by magicians!"
Bruce slapped himself, feeling the pain and realizing he wasn't dreaming.
"Honestly, even now, I still don't fully believe in magic," he admitted. "Are you using some kind of advanced spatial device?"
"Hehe," Qi Jun smiled without refuting. "You can think of it that way if you like. Magic is like using electricity or fire; it's just that its principles can't be understood or observed by science."
"Do you want to see the wonders of magic?" Qi Jun offered, smiling warmly.
"Even though your smile seems a bit strange, if you can show me real magic, I'd be very grateful," Bruce Banner said, standing up and bowing slightly in thanks.
"Then, take a look," Qi Jun said, stepping forward and placing his palm on Bruce Banner's forehead. Instantly, the Hulk's spiritual form emerged from Bruce's body.
Yes, this was the soul magic technique Qi Jun had learned from the Ancient One to convince Doctor Strange of magic's existence!
"Hulk! Friend!" the dual-headed soul form cried, with Hulk's head roaring in joy upon seeing Qi Jun.
Bruce Banner was left in stunned silence, staring at his other head—Hulk!
"Indeed, this is your soul form," Qi Jun explained, guiding Bruce's body to sit down. "You're not trying to destroy me, are you?"
Bruce Banner's soul, remembering Qi Jun's earlier words to Hulk about letting him stay forever, became fearful.
"No, Hulk can continue to exist," Qi Jun assured, shaking his head. "And you can continue to exist as well."
"How is that possible?" Bruce's soul was incredulous. How could they exist separately with only one body and one soul?
"In the world of magic, nothing is impossible!" Qi Jun explained. "Just because science can't solve it doesn't mean magic can't."
"How much do you know about souls?" Qi Jun asked with a smile. "How do you know soul magic can't solve your problem?"
"To be honest, it's very simple for me!" Qi Jun grinned.