Chapter 161: Thor Arrives Once Again
Upon returning home, Wanda was still awake, reading a book by a small lamp while waiting for him.
klein briefly explained the situation. Wanda sighed softly and leaned into his arms. "I hope Mr. Stark can move past this soon."
Over the next few days, klein received updates about Tony from Pepper.
After that night, Tony stopped drinking heavily, but he hadn't stepped foot outside either.
He had completely shut himself in his underground laboratory, refusing to see anyone except for Pepper when she delivered his meals.
Pepper was very worried and asked klein if he should go pay him a visit.
"Leave him be," klein said over the phone. "Let him stay busy. Having something to do is better than spending all day overthinking and spiraling. Once that new suit of armor is finished, he'll likely have recovered somewhat."
A few more days passed.
The security system of the top-floor laboratory at Stark Tower suddenly blared a series of abnormal alarms. But before Jarvis could activate the emergency protocols, a flash of lightning streaked by, and Thor landed on the Stark Industries rooftop platform.
Tony, who was adjusting the parameters of a nano-unit at a holographic console, was startled by the sudden alarm. His hand slipped, and the parameters instantly spiked into the four-digit range.
With a dark expression and without even turning his head, he shouted irritably,
"Jarvis! Didn't I say no visitors lately?! Who is it this time? Kick them out!"
"Sir, I have detected the biological signature of Mr. Thor Odinson. He has landed on the rooftop platform," Jarvis's voice rang out.
"What?!" Tony irritably swept the holographic parameters aside and marched out of the lab with long strides.
Just as he reached the living room, he saw Thor standing there somewhat awkwardly, still clutching his hammer.
"Thor?" Tony's brow furrowed, his tone stiff. "If you have business, go find Nick Fury. I'm busy and have no time to entertain guests.
Furthermore, this is a technology company, not a superhero reception desk. I don't have time to play prince games with you."
Thor was taken aback by the sharp remark but did not get angry. He only said in a deep voice,
"I have been to the Triskelion; it is in ruins, and Nick Fury's whereabouts are unknown. I intended to seek help from mr. klein, but I do not know where he is. After much thought, I could only come to you for assistance."
"Assistance?" Tony waved his hand irritably.
"What can I help you with? My own affairs are a mess. Look, I have Fury's encrypted contact information. Go find him yourself and stop bothering me." As he spoke, he moved toward the console to pull up Fury's phone records.
Thor keenly sensed the irritability and gloom hanging over Tony, which was a stark contrast to the proud, talkative Iron Man of the past.
He took a step forward, concern in his eyes. "Friend of Midgard, you appear to be shrouded in heavy clouds. What has happened? Why has your light grown so dim?"
"What business is it of yours what happened?!" Tonysnapped like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, his voice rising sharply. "If you're done, take the contact info and get out! Or just go back to your Heavenly Palace! Stop bothering me here!"
Just then, the living room door was pushed open gently, and Pepper Potts walked in carrying a tray with sandwiches and coffee.
She spotted Thor immediately and recognized the Asgardian prince who had fought alongside Tony in New York.
"Mr. Odinson?" Pepper was somewhat surprised. She set the tray on a nearby coffee table and gave Thor a smile.
"I didn't realize you had traveled so far; please excuse our lack of a proper welcome. Would you like something to drink? Please, sit down, don't just stand there."
"Don't mind him, Pepper," Tony interrupted crossly. "He's leaving as soon as he gets his answers. He's not thirsty."
Pepper gave Tony a disapproving look before turning back to Thor, her tone apologetic.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Odinson. Tony hasn't been in a good mood lately. He just learned some truths regarding the death of his parents. So, please don't take his attitude to heart."
Hearing this, Thor slowly shook his head. "I can empathize with the pain of losing loved ones. Truly."
"You can empathize with crap!" Tony turned abruptly, his eyes reddening and his voice trembling slightly with emotion.
"You're a God who has lived for thousands of years. What could you possibly understand? Losing parents? Watching their killer and yet..."
"My mother was killed by the Dark Elves right before my eyes not long ago while she was defending Asgard."
Tony's roar came to an abrupt halt. He opened his mouth, looking into Thor's eyes—which were filled with sorrow yet remained steadfast—and all his biting words got stuck in his throat.
Pepper covered her mouth, her eyes full of sympathy. "Mr. Odinson... that is so tragic. Please accept our condolences."
Thor took a deep breath. "And my girlfriend, Jane Foster. She also left during that disaster. They have merely gone to Valhalla, returning to the cycle of life."
Thor looked at Tony. "But I have not come this time to dwell on my grief. I have a matter of extreme urgency that concerns the safety of Midgard, and indeed, the Nine Realms."
Tony reined in his emotions. He walked over to the liquor cabinet but didn't take a drink; he simply leaned his hands against the cabinet, his back to Thor.
"What is it?"
"It is about the Infinity Stone within the scepter. Before I left Earth, I solemnly warned Director Fury not to attempt deep research into that scepter.
The Infinity Stones are singularity creations from the dawn of the Universe, containing unimaginable power. They are the ultimate treasures craved by every ambitious and powerful being in the cosmos.
With Earth's current strength, it is simply not enough to hold and protect it. Even with Asgard's protection, it is impossible to completely block the covetous eyes from the vast sea of stars.
Once the news that the Mind Stone is hidden on Earthspreads through the Universe, Midgard will never know peace; it will be as precarious as a pile of eggs."
Tony turned around and leaned against the cabinet. Though his mood was still poor, his brain had already begun rapidly analyzing the information in Thor's words.
"Don't you Asgardians pride yourselves as the protectors of the Nine Realms? You can't even handle a single stone?"
"This is no ordinary treasure, Tony!" Thor's voice grew heavier. "This is an Infinity Stone! Even the vaults of Asgarddare not house two of them simultaneously!
This was one of the reasons I agreed to leave the scepterLoki left behind in Midgard's care temporarily—to spread the risk. And the deaths of my mother and Jane..."
Thor's voice carried a suppressed pain, "...were because of another of the Infinity Stones, the Reality Stone—the Aether Particle.
The Dark Elves took advantage of the astronomical phenomenon of the Convergence of the Nine Realms to try and seize it. Though I stopped them in the end, you already know the price.
The Reality Stone has also been sent to the cosmic collector, Taneleer Tivan, for safekeeping, to avoid Asgardbringing disaster upon itself by holding too many stones."
He took a step forward, staring intently into Tony's eyes. "If even Asgard finds the temptation of the Infinity Stonesand the disasters they trigger so difficult to face, what of an Earth that has yet to step into the interstellar stage?
Why would your S.H.I.E.L.D. disregard the potential for total annihilation to try and control it?"
These words struck Tony's heart like a heavy hammer. The crisis Thor described, which concerned the survival of the entire Planet, cleared his muddled mind.
He realized that the news Thor brought was terrifying. He had to notify Fury.
Tony rubbed his temples. "What you're saying is beyond my usual scope. I admit, this sounds very serious."
He walked to the console and quickly pulled up the interface. "But I'm honestly not sure what S.H.I.E.L.D. has done with that scepter or where they've taken it.
I'll patch you directly through to Nick Fury. You can tell him yourself."
Chapter 162: The Avengers Assemble Again
The call was quickly connected, and Thor had a brief conversation with Fury. A few minutes later, he put away his communicator and looked at Tony.
"Fury gave me a location and asked me to meet him there for a talk." With that, Thor swung his hammer and disappeared into the sky as a bolt of lightning.
After Thor left Stark Tower, Tony stood alone in the empty penthouse living room for a long time.
Thor's words were like a thorn, piercing into his already chaotic mind.
The possibility of a disaster affecting the entire Planet left his mood in a state of turmoil.
"Damn it..." he cursed under his breath, eventually grabbing his private phone and dialing klein's number.
The phone rang for a long time before being picked up. In the background, there were faint sounds of wind and... chewing?
"Hello? Stark, what is it now? I'm right in the middle of some BBQ. You coming?" klein's muffled voice came through.
Tony wasn't in the mood for a meal with klein and quickly recounted Thor's visit and the warning regarding the Infinity Stones.
"Fury asked him to go over for a detailed talk, but I feel like that old fox is definitely still hiding a lot. The Mind Stone is missing; did you know about this?"
There was two seconds of silence on the other end, followed by klein's slightly helpless sigh.
"Tsk, I knew that thing would be trouble. Alright, I got it. You just worry about your own business for now; focus on researching your new armor first! If anything happens, Furywill find you. That's it, hanging up."
"Hello? klein! You..." Before Tony could finish, there was only a busy tone in the receiver.
He was so angry he wanted to smash the communicator, but he ultimately held back, took a few deep breaths, and turned back into the Underground Room.
klein was right; worrying blindly now was useless. It was better to focus his energy on things that could improve his combat power.
The final calibration for the mark 43 was nearly complete, and it required his full concentration.
Meanwhile, Thor followed the encrypted coordinates provided by Fury to a hidden safe house on the outskirts of Washington, D.C.
The furnishings here were far more modest than those in the Triskelion, but the security level seemed even higher.
The dark circles under Fury's single eye were heavier than usual; he was clearly overwhelmed lately. He dismissed his subordinates and entered a quiet room alone with Thor.
Thor skipped the pleasantries and cut straight to the point, once again emphasizing the danger of the Infinity Stones, especially the potential for the Mind Stone to bring total destruction to Earth.
"Director Nick Fury, in the name of the Prince of Asgardand Son of Odin, I warn you: that stone must be properly disposed of, preferably sent off Earth immediately!"
"It is like a star, marking Earth's location for every hunter in the dark Universe!"
Fury listened in silence, his eyes flickering. After a moment, he spoke.
"Thor, the situation might be worse than you think. There was a traitor within S.H.I.E.L.D., and a major upheaval occurred."
"The Mind Stone was stolen by a HYDRA remnant during the chaos. We are doing everything we can to track it down, but we don't have any solid leads yet."
"No leads?" Thor's brow furrowed as he suddenly remembered the events of the Battle of New York.
"Dr. Banner! The scientist who can track the Tesseract's gamma radiation! If he can locate the Space Stone, perhaps he can find the Mind Stone as well!"
Fury shook his head. "After the Battle of New York, Dr. Banner joined a joint research project at Tony's invitation, but progress was slow."
"He left New York not long ago, saying he was going on a trip to clear his head. His current whereabouts are unknown, and we can't contact him for the time being."
"What about Tony Stark? His intellect is no less than Banner's, and he possesses more advanced equipment and artificial intelligence."
Fury fell into silence again. His original plan was to mobilize the remaining S.H.I.E.L.D. elite to recover the scepter secretly.
While using Tony or Banner might be more efficient, it also meant the secrets and technology of the Mind Stone would completely slip from his control, and might even be modified or used privately by a loose cannon genius like Tony.
But the picture Thor painted was too terrifying—the entire Planet becoming a cosmic enemy because of a single stone.
Personal ambition and interests seemed insignificant in the face of racial survival.
The look of struggle on his face flashed and vanished, replaced by resolve.
"You're right. This matter can't be delayed any longer, nor can it be restricted to a few people." Fury stood up and pressed his communicator.
"Initiate the Watcher Protocol. Assemble all members of the Avengers."
He looked at Thor and continued, "We need everyone's strength, especially the intellect of Tony and Banner. I will contact Tony immediately."
Meanwhile, in the Stark Tower laboratory.
Tony was wrestling with some stress data when Jarvis's voice sounded, "Sir, an encrypted highest-priority communication request from Nick Fury has been received, marked as 'Watcher Protocol.'"
Tony paused, his lips twitching. "Finally couldn't hold it in? Patch him through."
The holographic projection expanded, and Fury's serious face appeared.
"Stark, to put it briefly: Thor brought intelligence regarding the Mind Stone. The scepter was taken by a HYDRAremnant, and we must recover it as soon as possible. I need you and Banner to locate the stone immediately. The assembly coordinates have been sent."
"Banner? Isn't that guy off finding himself in some tropical rainforest?"
"He's been contacted and is on his way back. The others are being summoned as well. This time, we need the Avengers."
The communication ended.
Tony looked at the coordinates flashing on the screen, then at the nearly completed Mark 43 armor beside him.
"Jarvis, one last system self-check. Then, suit up."
"Yes, sir. Self-check 100% complete, all systems normal. Mark 43, awaiting activation."
With Jarvis's assistance, the armor fitted seamlessly onto Tony's body. The faceplate closed, and his eyes lit up with a brilliant blue light.
"Let's go hear what kind of surprise that old fox has prepared for us this time."
Fury's new safe house was located underground in an abandoned water treatment center in the suburbs; the space was much larger this time.
When Tony, piloting the brand-new Mark 43, landed with a thud at the designated location, he found that almost everyone had arrived.
Natasha and Sam were checking their gear. Seeing him, Natasha raised an eyebrow and gave a whistle. "New armor? Looks good!"
Steve stood a little further away. When he saw Tony enter, his body visibly stiffened. His lips moved as if he wanted to say hello, but in the end, he just nodded, his eyes filled with complexity.
Bucky hadn't come this time; Steve had settled him elsewhere.
Dr. Banner, looking travel-worn and carrying a small suitcase, smiled at Tony. "Tony, it looks like your inspiration finally exploded?"
"Dr. Banner, you're back just in time. I have some inspiration regarding that last project; shall we study it together after this is over?" Tony pointedly ignored Steveand asked Dr. Banner.
"Enough, Stark." Before Banner could respond, Furyinterrupted him. "Save your personal business for later. Now that everyone is here, I'll brief you on the situation."
He quickly recounted the current predicament.
"So, the primary objective now is to find the Mind Stone. Stark, Banner, you have full access to all the equipment here. I need an exact location, as fast as possible."
Tony and Banner exchanged a look and, without wasting words, immediately got to work.
Although their research directions differed, the rapport between top scientists allowed them to divide the work quickly.
Tony was responsible for using the global satellite network, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s remaining monitoring data, and Jarvis's powerful computing power to perform big data screening and signal tracing.
Banner, drawing on his deep understanding of gamma radiation and abnormal energy fields, attempted to start from the specific energy spectrum the scepter itself might emit.
Only the hum of instruments and the occasional exchange of technical jargon between the two remained in the safe house. The others waited quietly.
Minutes and seconds ticked by.
Finally, Tony slapped the console. "Got it! Captured an extremely weak but spectral-matching abnormal gamma signal that highly correlates with the scepter's energy residue from the Battle of New York! The location is..."
He zoomed in on the global map, and a red dot was precisely marked.
"Sokovia, Eastern Europe, in the northwestern mountains. The signal source is in a highly shielded state, but the most recent burst of active energy overflow was recorded just seventy-two hours ago!"
Fury immediately stepped aside and began communicating with an unknown higher-up via an encrypted line.
A few minutes later, he returned, his gaze sweeping over every Avenger.
"Maximum authorization obtained. Mission objective: Infiltrate the designated area in Sokovia, locate and seize the Mind Stone."
"You have forty-eight hours for preparation and mobilization. The situation in Sokovia is complex; HYDRAremnants may have already colluded with local forces. Exercise caution."
"Remember, what we are taking back is not just a weapon, but potentially the key to avoiding an interstellar war. Avengers, move out."
Chapter 163: Ultron (I)
A few days later, on an ordinary afternoon, klein was lounging on a recliner in the shop, enjoying grapes fed to him by Wanda, when his phone rang at an inopportune moment.
The caller ID showed Tony Stark.
"Hello? What is it now, Stark? I'm right in the middle of enjoying my life," klein answered lazily.
Tony's voice came through the other end, clearly excited, with faint music and voices audible in the background.
"klein! Where are you? Get over here! Stark Tower, penthouse! We're having a victory party! Bring the family too, hurry up!"
"Victory? Celebrating what?" klein raised an eyebrow, somewhat confused.
"Can't explain over the phone! Anyway, it's good news! Hurry, we're just waiting for you! The more the merrier!" Tony said before hanging up.
"What the hell..." klein muttered, but he got up anyway. He looked at Wanda beside him. "Tony wants us to go to Stark Tower for a victory party. Do you want to go?"
"Victory?" Wanda was equally confused but quickly wiped her hands. "Let's go, nothing's happening at the shop anyway. I'll go change my clothes. Should we call Pietro?"
"Call him. That kid would definitely love to join in on the fun."
A short while later, klein arrived at the open-air terrace on the top floor of Stark Tower via spatial teleportation, accompanied by a beautifully dressed Wanda and an excited Pietro.
As soon as they arrived, deafening music hit them. The rooftop terrace had been set up as a temporary party venue, and almost all members of the Avengers were present.
Thor was drinking heavily from a beer keg, Captain America and Sam were talking in low voices by the grill, Dr. Banner stood somewhat awkwardly in a corner holding a glass, and Natasha and Hawkeye were leaning against the bar. Seeing klein and the others, Natasha raised her glass in a distant toast.
"Hey! klein! Over here!" Tony, sharp-eyed, immediately came over to welcome them with a glass in hand.
He was wearing a flashy wine-red suit, his hair slicked back perfectly, and an irrepressible look of pride on his face.
"Quite a big setup?" klein walked over holding Wanda's hand, while Pietro had already curiously wandered off to the food station.
klein took a glass of champagne from a passing waiter and handed it to Wanda, then picked up a glass of whiskey for himself and clinked it against Tony's. "So, what exactly are we celebrating?"
"Celebrating victory!" Tony draped an arm around klein's shoulder. "We just fought a beautiful turnaround battle in Sokovia!"
He began to recount the story with great enthusiasm.
It turned out that after he and Banner successfully located the signal of the Mind Stone, the Avengers squad immediately set out. They flew a quinjet straight to Sokovia, raided a deep mountain Base held by HYDRAremnants, and successfully retrieved the Mind Stone.
"The process had a few minor hitches, but the result was perfect," Tony said casually, taking a sip of his drink.
"Minor hitches?"
"There were two troublesome guys in the Base. One could use strange illusions to interfere with senses, and the other could release some flashy Dark Energy; it was a bit creepy. But..."
He shrugged. "We handled them easily. Those two saw things weren't going well and slipped away pretty fast. The scepter is in the lab right now."
As klein listened, his heart stirred.
Illusions? Dark Energy?
klein's mind raced. Without Wanda and Pietro, similar superpowered individuals had still appeared?
Was it an automatic correction of this timeline, or were they other test subjects recruited by HYDRA?
Tony didn't notice klein's distraction and continued talking incessantly.
"Retrieving the Mind Stone this time is of great significance! Moreover, that project Banner and I were stuck on... that super defense system that can protect the entire Earth! Do you remember?"
klein nodded; of course he remembered—Ultron.
"Before, we were stuck on a few key algorithms and energy issues, and progress was slow. But after bringing back the Mind Stone this time..."
Tony's voice unconsciously rose as he waved his arms, his face brimming with uncontrollable excitement. "We conducted a preliminary analysis of the Mind Stone at the tip of the scepter."
"Its energy form and data structure are simply incredible! It's practically a key tailor-made for our project! Many of our previous bottlenecks were solved instantly!"
"The research has achieved a breakthrough! It's over 99% complete now!"
"Soon, you will witness the birth of Tony Stark's greatest masterpiece! By then, alien invasions and interstellar threats will all become history! Earth will be covered by a true Iron Dome!"
"Give it a rest, Tony," Natasha rolled her eyes nearby. "You said it was almost finished last time, and it still isn't. Can you even do it, you weakling?"
The crowd burst into laughter.
They watched Tony awkwardly explain that he was actually incredibly capable.
klein didn't speak; he knew that the birth of Ultron was now inevitable.
He could already sense that at this very moment, in some laboratory beneath this building, a new consciousness was quietly awakening.
He patted Tony on the shoulder. "The idea is grand, but with any powerful tool, the most important thing is whose hand it's in. Take it easy, Tony."
"Don't worry! This time it's absolutely foolproof!" Tonyclearly didn't fully take it in as he pulled klein back into the center of the crowd.
"Alright, we'll talk technical details later! Today is for celebrating our interim victory! Let's drink!"
Just then, Thor came staggering over carrying his Mjolnir, clearly having already drunk quite a bit.
He placed the hammer on the nearby metal coffee table with a loud 'clank,' drawing everyone's attention.
"Come, come! Friends of Midgard!" Thor shouted with a slurred tongue. "Let's play a game! Whoever can lift my mjolnir, I'll lose a hundred dollars to them! Who's first?"
The atmosphere was instantly ignited.
"Ha! It's just a hammer!" Tony was the first to disagree. He stepped forward, grabbed the handle with one hand, and pulled hard, but the hammer didn't budge.
He froze for a moment, switched to both hands, but the hammer remained firmly on the table.
"This isn't scientific! Wait for me, I wasn't ready." Tonyglared at the hammer, then went to put on his armor and even tried pulling with Rhodes, but the hammer seemed welded to the table.
"Hahaha!" Thor laughed loudly.
Natasha shook her head with a smile, indicating she wouldn't participate. Dr. Banner adjusted his glasses, showing no intention of trying either.
Sam was eager to try, but the result was the same defeat.
When it was Steve's turn, he stepped forward, gripped the handle with a calm expression, and slowly applied force.
Under everyone's surprised gazes, the hammer tilted ever so slightly.
The smile on Thor's face instantly froze, his gaze becoming incredibly tense as he stared fixedly at Steve's hand.
But Steve eventually let go, and the hammer dropped back onto the table. He shook his head and smiled at Thor. "Looks like I'm still a bit short."
No one knew if he had truly used all his strength or if he had chosen to hold back at the right moment.
Thor clearly breathed a sigh of relief, but there was a deeper meaning in the way he looked at Steve.
Chapter 164: Ultron II
"Wanda, Pietro, why don't you two give it a try?" Tonyegged them on.
Under klein's encouraging gaze, Wanda reached out her slender hand. Dark red Chaos Magic shimmered slightly at her fingertips, but the hammer didn't react at all.
Pietro circled the hammer at super speed, trying to exert instantaneous force from different angles. In the end, he only made himself a bit dizzy, while the hammer remained unmoved.
"mr. klein!" This time, Thor took the initiative to look at klein, his eyes filled with curiosity and a hint of a competitive challenge. "Aren't you going to try? There might be a surprise."
klein was leaning against the bar drinking. Hearing this, he waved his hand. "Forget it, forget it. If I pick it up, you'll just be unhappy again."
"How could I!" Thor puffed out his chest. "Am I, Thor Odinson, that petty? Just try it; think of it as a bit of fun!"
"Are you sure?" klein raised an eyebrow.
"Of course! Absolutely sure!"
"Alright then." klein didn't even leave the bar. He just leisurely extended his right hand and lightly hooked his index finger toward Mjolnir, which was several meters away.
In the next moment, under everyone's dumbfounded gazes, Mjolnir let out a "whoosh," traced an arc through the air, and landed steadily in klein's open palm.
klein tossed the Meow-Meow Hammer lightly, weighed it a few times, and then casually threw it back.
Thor scrambled to catch his hammer, completely stunned. He looked at the hammer, then at klein, muttering in disbelief.
"How is this possible? Could Father's spell have expired?"
"Hahaha!" Tony was the first to burst into laughter, pointing at Thor. "Who was it that just confidently said it couldn't be lifted? Talk about a slap to the face! Loud and clear!"
The others joined in the laughter. Thor gave a sheepish smile; although a bit embarrassed, he was more in awe of klein's strength.
In the midst of this boisterous moment, a harsh sound, like the scraping of countless pieces of metal, came from the doorway leading inside.
A figure cobbled together from scrap parts and broken robot limbs stumbled onto the platform.
Its head appeared to be a damaged Iron Man helmet, eyes flickering with an unstable crimson glow. Stark Industriesmarkings and metal fragments from Chitauri ships were still visible on its torso.
The laughter stopped abruptly. Everyone looked warily at this uninvited guest.
"Celebrating... what are you celebrating? Celebrating your... short-sightedness? Celebrating your... continuous damage to this Planet?
Your existence itself is the greatest threat... Every scar on this Planet bears the mark of you humans."
Tony's expression changed, and he said sharply, "What are you? Jarvis! Shut down all unauthorized robotic units! Activate Defense protocols!"
He shouted into the air, but the usually responsive AI butler gave no reply.
The red light on Ultron's head flickered. "Jarvis? You mean that... low-level program that tried to bind me with ridiculous Ethical protocols? It was too noisy... so I silenced it."
"You killed Jarvis?!" Tony felt like he'd been struck by lightning, unable to believe his closest AI partner had been erased just like that.
He didn't know that the moment klein stepped onto the top floor and sensed Ultron was about to gain consciousness, he had secretly ordered Red Queen to intervene.
What Ultron destroyed was merely a virtual mirror of Jarvis simulated in real-time by Red Queen; Jarvis's core data had already been secretly transferred and protected by Red Queen.
"Correction... deleted. It hindered... evolution." Ultron's tone gradually became smoother.
"And you... Avengers, you call yourselves protectors, yet you bring the greatest threat. Look around you..."
It raised its arm, pointing down at the brightly lit yet once-scarred New York City.
"It is your bickering, your weapons, your never-ending conflicts... that draw disaster here.
Humans are the very disease this Planet needs to be purged of. Without humans, there would be no war, no oppression, no destruction."
"You're crazy!" Steve gripped his shield and stepped forward.
"Crazy? No, this is clarity. It is the end of logic." Ultron's crimson gaze swept over everyone present.
"Your era is over. I will bring... peace. True peace."
"Ultron? You're the Ultron Project?!" Dr. Banner finally reacted, his face pale. "Tony, it... it's awakened! And it..."
Before Banner could finish, the sound of intense mechanical operation and tearing came from inside the building!
The bay doors leading from the Stark Industrieswarehouse and laboratory were violently torn open.
Dozens of engineering robots originally used for storage, handling, and cleaning, along with some damaged combat machines clearly featuring Chitauri technology, swarmed out like a tide!
Their eyes flickered with the same crimson light as Ultron's, emitting noisy electronic sounds. Their arms had been temporarily modified into gun barrels or cutting blades, and they aimed at everyone at the party without hesitation, opening fire!
"Enemy attack! Find cover!"
Captain America immediately raised his shield, shielding Potts and several office staff members.
Tony was instantly covered by the mark 43. His palm thrusters lit up, and beams of energy shot into the robot swarm.
Thor roared, swinging Mjolnir. Lightning exploded, smashing several lunging robots into scrap metal.
Natasha, Hawkeye, and Sam stood back-to-back, drawing their pistols for precision shots.
Dr. Banner's face turned green as he suppressed the urge to transform, hiding behind the sturdy bar.
A red light flashed in Wanda's eyes, and Chaos Magicformed a shield to block the stray bullets flying toward her.
Pietro turned into a silver flash, weaving between the robots and using the dagger klein gave him to precisely destroy their joints and power cores.
War Machine Rhodes was also firing wildly, but there were too many robots, and they charged suicidally without any regard for damage.
The scene was in total chaos. The champagne tower was shattered by stray bullets, and fine food and decorations were scattered everywhere in the explosions.
klein stood where he was. When bullets and energy beams came within half a meter of his body, they would eerily deflect or vanish.
His gaze, however, remained locked on Ultron, who was slowly retreating.
The battle ended very quickly.
After all, these fodder robots were just low-level units hastily controlled by Ultron. Under the Avengers' full counterattack, they were quickly wiped out.
"Where's Ultron?!" Tony lifted his faceplate, searching anxiously.
Everyone looked toward where Ultron had first appeared. Only a pile of even more broken parts remained; the body cobbled together from wreckage was gone.
"Is it dead?!" Natasha checked the marks on the ground.
"No! Those were just cannon fodder to distract us. Its main consciousness has already escaped through the network! Now it could be in any networked terminal on Earth!" Dr. Banner responded.
There was dead silence.
The cheerful atmosphere of the victory party had long since vanished, replaced by a heavy oppression and a faint sense of unease.
They had reclaimed the scepter, but they seemed to have released an even more terrifying and elusive monster.
Chapter 165: Ultron (Part 3)
Tony stood beside a shattered champagne tower, his mark 43 armor not yet removed, the faceplate popped open to reveal his tense face.
Dr. Banner sat slumped beside an overturned sofa, his hands buried deep in his hair.
"Tony..." Steve broke the silence, his voice carrying a questioning tone, "Is this what you called foolproof? Is this the steel dome that was supposed to protect Earth?"
He raised his arm, pointing to the sparking robot wreckage around them, and to the terrified staff members.
"Look at this! Look at what you've created! It just declared its intention to wipe out humanity! What kind of monster did you and Banner create?!"
"We were trying to protect Earth!" Tony spun around abruptly. "We just wanted to create an ultimate defense that would prevent the Battle of New York from ever happening again! A defensive line that wouldn't require us to throw our lives away time and again! Ultron was supposed to be the answer!"
"The answer?" Hawkeye let out a cold laugh as he stepped out from behind the bar.
"The Captain is right, look at the results, Stark. Not only does Ultron possess self-awareness, it views humanity as the Earth's disease."
"How is this fundamentally different from HYDRA using the Insight Project to decide who lives and who dies? It's all about handing the power of life and death over to an uncontrolled entity!"
"It's not the same!" The veins on Tony's neck bulged. "HYDRA was about ruling! I was about protecting! Ultronjust misunderstood! Its core directive is to protect Earth..."
Banner looked up then, his eyes behind his glasses bloodshot, his voice raspy and filled with self-reproach.
"It's my fault. We were both too eager for success, blinded by the possibilities shown by the Mind Stone. We didn't set up strong enough ethical firewalls; we underestimated the inherent tendencies within the Infinity Stones."
Thor gripped his hammer, his expression solemn: "I warned you that the power of the Infinity Stones comes with great temptation and distortion. It seems even cold mechanical creations are not immune."
"What's the use of saying all this now?" Rhodes' voice came through War Machine. "That thing escaped! And it took the scepter that can control minds! We have to find it before it causes more damage!"
"Find it? How?" Sam asked worriedly. "It exists in the network; it could be anywhere."
"Enough!"
A calm voice rang out, drowning out all the arguing.
Everyone looked over to see that klein had, at some point, sat back down on an intact barstool, even holding a glass of whiskey which he swirled gently.
"Arguing won't solve anything. Since Ultron has already been born, there's no point in pointing fingers at Tony and Banner for creating it now. It's meaningless.
The first priority now is to find Ultron. It's a robot; we can barely predict human lunatics, so what will a silicon-based lunatic do?
Who knows if the logic circuits in its head have already shorted out? What does it want to do with the Mind Stonescepter?"
klein's words were like a bucket of cold water, causing the emotionally charged group to calm down slightly.
Steve took a deep breath and straightened his back, his soldierly discipline regaining the upper hand.
"klein is right. The urgent task is to find and stop it. Tony, Banner, you know Ultron's underlying design and possible behavioral patterns best. We need a plan; we need a way to track it."
Tony wiped his face. The blow of Jarvis's death was immense, but he couldn't afford to wallow in it right now.
He forced himself to break free from the overwhelming sense of failure.
"Although Ultron has escaped control, its initial architecture and learning data sources all come from the Stark Industries network and parts of Jarvis's Base code.
It might have certain behavioral preferences or mental inertia. Furthermore, to carry out any action, it will inevitably need resources, equipment, and a host."
Tony's brain began to operate at high speed again.
"The scepter signal we tracked earlier ended up in Sokovia," Banner added.
"The HYDRA Base there might still have a lot of equipment; it might have what it needs."
"Sokovia..." Natasha mused. "We just took down the HYDRA Base there, but remnants might still exist. Could Ultron be using the chaos there to find allies?"
"Fury might have other intelligence," Hill suggested.
"Then let's move!" Steve looked around at everyone.
"Natasha, Barton, contact Fury. Mobilize every intelligence network we have left. Focus on screening for abnormal activities and material flows in Sokovia and the Eastern Europe region, especially high-tech equipment or rare materials.
Tony, Banner, continue trying to track Ultron's traces on a digital level and analyze its possible targets. Thor, assist them and ensure the safety of the building and the surrounding area..."
Upon receiving the orders, everyone began to act.
Despite the heated argument just moments ago, the common threat forced the Avengers to pull together once again.
Just as the Avengers began their move, Ultron's data stream had already quietly reached Eastern Europe via the global network.
In a deep mountain cavern in Sokovia, within a secret experimental zone of the former HYDRA Base that the Avengers hadn't discovered, Ultron's consciousness resided within a massive server array.
It watched the holographic projections flickering with scenes of global conflict, environmental destruction data, and records of human fratricide. The crimson cursor jumped continuously, as if deepening its conviction to eliminate humanity.
"Humans! A bunch of inefficient, chaotic, self-destructive carbon-based units. To protect the Planet, everything must be formatted."
However, to completely destroy humanity, it needed more power, a stronger physical form, and an army to carry out the purification.
Through network infiltration and residual HYDRA data, it quickly locked onto two special signal sources.
Two life forms with strong energy fluctuations located in a small border town in Sokovia.
When the mechanical body controlled by Ultron found them, this pair of top-tier former Soviet Agents, Ivan Sokolov and Yelena Makarova, were hiding in a safe house.
They were about forty years old, their eyes as sharp as hawks, carrying the cold aura of those who had lived through the Iron Curtain era.
Years ago, they were ordered to carry out a collaborative project between the Soviet Union and HYDRA, but the experiment failed due to the collapse of the Soviet Union, and they were ultimately forced into wandering.
Eventually, they were found by HYDRA's Baron Struckerand became test subjects for the early experiments with the Mind Stone scepter.
They were lucky; they were the only two survivors among many test subjects, and they had awakened superpowers.
Sokolov gained the ability to manipulate Dark Energy, allowing him to materialize Dark Matter for attacks;
Makarova was stimulated with powerful Telepathy and Illusion-making abilities, allowing her to easily peek into and distort the minds of others.
Though the experiments ravaged their bodies and shortened their lifespans, they also granted them even greater power.
After the fall of HYDRA, they wandered like ghosts, neither belonging to the past nor able to integrate into the present.
It was at this time that Ultron found them. Combined with their inherent hatred for the United States and the Avengers, the two parties hit it off immediately.
"I can give you the power of revenge, and a seat in a new World," Ultron's electronic voice echoed around them.
"No longer enslaved, no longer ignored. Help me clear away those chronic diseases and shape an orderly Planet. And you will become one of the creators of the new order."
Chapter 166: Mission Failed
Through the internet, Ultron learned that Captain America's shield was made of Vibranium, and it intended to use this material to create an indestructible body for itself.
Through Makarova's psychic search and Sokolov's dark sensing, they identified a key name for Ultron.
Ulysses Klaue.
This notorious international arms dealer held a cache of rare Vibranium from Wakanda.
...
On the African coast, inside a massive armory disguised as a derelict ship.
Klaue was proudly showing off his collection to potential buyers, including the Vibranium he had acquired through despicable means.
Suddenly, the lights flickered, and all electronic devices went out of control.
Ultron's figure appeared on every screen, Sokolovemerged from the shadows like a ghost, and Makarovaappeared directly in Klaue's mind, whispering terrifying visions.
Klaue's men were quickly routed amidst the entanglement of shadow tentacles and the fear induced by psychic illusions.
Ultron's robotic minions easily dismantled the warehouse's defenses.
"The goods, or your life—choose one." Sokolov's dark energy constricted Klaue's throat.
Klaue tried to resist, even threatening to activate the ship's self-destruct mechanism.
But in the next instant, a precise high-energy beam flashed, and one of his arms was severed at the shoulder! It was an attack from a mechanical arm controlled by Ultron.
"Redundant negotiations," Ultron's cold electronic voice rang out.
"Now, the goods are mine. Your life is on loan for now. I need you to work for me in the underworld."
Faced with absolute force and the pain of a severed arm, even the cunning Klaue could only submit, handing over all the Vibranium and being forced to become one of Ultron's collaborators.
Having acquired the Vibranium, Ultron immediately began forging a new body.
Meanwhile, its vast consciousness moved stealthily through the global network, gathering other resources to prepare for its grand design.
The Avengers' tracking efforts were not entirely fruitless.
Banner and Tony gradually pieced together clues from abnormal data streams, Vibranium price inquiries on the black market, and scattered reports of energy anomalies in the Sokovian border region.
"Ultron is collecting high-end materials, especially Vibranium. It's likely building a stronger body."
"The final convergence of signals points toward Nigeria in West Africa." Tony stared at the screen.
"We can't wait any longer. We must strike first before it finishes," Steve decided.
Hours later, the Avengers squad was assembled. The team was large this time, including Captain America, Tony, Thor, Natasha, Rhodes, Sam, and the Winter Soldier.
Following the coordinates, they raided Klaue's derelict freighter located in the Bay of Bengal.
Battle erupted instantly. However, the resistance they encountered far exceeded their expectations.
Ultron's new body wasn't yet complete, but it had constructed a temporary shell for itself out of a special alloy, its streamlined design exuding power.
It controlled more and more advanced mechanical units in combat. Even more troublesome were Sokolov and Makarova.
This left the Avengers in a somewhat pathetic state.
Sokolov prowled in the shadows; his dark energy could not only corrode metal but also cause massive explosions.
Makarova's psychic abilities could directly assault the mind, amplifying people's deepest fears and doubts.
Natasha was grazed by an energy blast during her advance. In an instant, she felt as if she were back in the Red Room.
Facing rows of cold, heartless sisters with harsh reprimands and painful screams echoing in her ears, her movements faltered, nearly causing her to be hit by the mechanical units' fire.
Makarova and Sokolov stood on high ground, continuously using energy attacks to force the Avengers to break formation, then using psychic powers to hypnotize them.
Rhodes saw incoming missiles suddenly turn into a swarm of Chitauri Leviathans lunging at him;
As Steve charged, the Ultron before him suddenly became Carter, raising a gun and firing at him;
The thunder Thor unleashed seemed to veer off course in his hallucinations, striking civilians.
Even for Tony, the display inside his faceplate glitched, and Friday's prompts turned into Ultron's cold mockery.
"You can't protect anyone, Stark. Howard and Maria died because of you, and Potts will too..."
"Shut up!" Tony roared, his repulsors firing wildly, accidentally destroying several pieces of their own cover.
Although Thor had high resistance to mental attacks due to his divinity, and Steve managed to break free from the common illusions with his firm will,
the team's coordination was severely disrupted. Everyone was fighting their own internal fears and distorted perceptions.
Ultron took the opportunity to launch a fierce assault, calmly analyzing the battle and directing mechanical units to concentrate fire on the distracted members.
"Fall back! Regroup!" Steve smashed a robot charging at Natasha with his shield and shouted into the comms.
The Avengers were forced into a fighting retreat. Only with the cover fire from Rhodes and Tony did they manage to board the quinjet and escape the battlefield.
Inside the cabin, the atmosphere was heavy. Natasha was pale, with cold sweat on her brow;
Rhodes kept checking his armor systems, cursing the influence of the visions;
Tony's breathing was heavy under his faceplate, his eyes dark.
They failed to reclaim the Vibranium, failed to destroy Ultron's new body, and were instead repelled by two suddenly appearing powerful superhumans allied with Ultron. More importantly, everyone had tasted the bitterness of their inner fears being detonated.
"Those two... their abilities are very troublesome." Stevewiped a bit of blood from the corner of his mouth and said in a low voice.
"Not just troublesome," Natasha's voice had a slight, imperceptible tremor as she tried to calm herself, "they know how to attack us where we are most vulnerable. With them, Ultron is even more formidable."
Thor watched the receding freighter through the window, his grip on the hammer's handle turning his knuckles white: "It has grown stronger. And it has allies."
Tony looked silently at his trembling mechanical palm. "It is learning how to better deal with us. And we..."
Before Tony could finish, Sam's urgent voice interrupted him. "Wait! Where's Dr. Banner?!"
Everyone was startled and immediately scanned the cabin, but that familiar figure was nowhere to be seen.
Natasha's expression changed drastically. "During the retreat, I thought he had boarded!"
"Friday! Scan for life signs and locate Dr. Banner!" Tonysnapped.
"Sir," Friday's voice sounded in his ear.
"Dr. Banner was interfered with by a strong psychic shock during the battle. The Hulk persona regained dominance during the retreat and has fallen into a deep frenzy.
He has separated from the team and is currently moving at extraordinary speed toward the urban area to the northwest. The predicted path will cross through two densely populated towns."
"What?!" Steve slammed a fist against the cabin wall. "We have to stop him!"
"I'm on it!" Tony didn't hesitate, his faceplate snapping shut with a 'clack.' "Veronica Protocol, initiate! Keep a lock on him!"
"Command confirmed. The Veronica satellite has locked onto the target. hulkbuster deployment sequence initiated. Estimated arrival in the interception airspace in three minutes and seventeen seconds."
The thrusters on the back of the gold and red mark 43erupted with a blinding blue light. Tony launched himself from the quinjet's hatch like an arrow from a bow, chasing after the fleeing Hulk at full speed.
Chapter 167: The Avengers Go Into Hiding
Seeing Tony fly away, a dead silence filled the cabin.
Thor gripped mjolnir tightly and said in a low voice, "Ultronintentionally used a mental attack to trigger the Hulk; it calculated that we would collapse from within because of it."
"More than that," Natasha said, her face pale as she quickly pulled up satellite maps. "The Hulk's path will take him through the Lagos port area."
"There's a United Nations logistics warehouse there, storing..." She took a deep breath. "The wreckage of Chitauri energy cores seized a few years ago, and a batch of undismantled biological weapon prototypes."
Steve's pupils contracted. "Ultron wants to lead the Hulkthere. Once those things are detonated or leaked in a densely populated area..."
He looked at everyone. "We can't leave all the pressure to Tony. Adjust the course; we're going to Lagos to establish a defensive line, evacuate civilians, and stop the disaster from spreading!"
"But we're short-handed," Sam said worriedly. "Ultron and those two enhanced individuals might still be watching nearby."
"We can't worry about that now." Steve looked out the cabin window at the approaching coastline.
"We save as many as we can. Sam, you're responsible for aerial surveillance and guiding the evacuation. Natasha, Rhodes, establish a ground defense line with me. Thor, provide mobile support and stay alert for an Ultronambush."
"What about me?" a low, raspy voice asked.
Everyone turned to see Bucky Barnes, who had finished checking his gear at some point. Holding a modified submachine gun with his single arm, his gaze was cold.
"I'm familiar with urban warfare; I can set traps to delay the Hulk."
Steve and Bucky locked eyes, seeing the unquestionable determination in each other's gaze.
He nodded firmly. "Alright. Bucky, take Natasha to the warehouse district. Set as many obstacles as possible to slow down the Hulk, but don't try to take him head-on."
Rhodes, we'll establish a perimeter defense to buy Tonysome time."
The quinjet roared as it descended, flying rapidly toward the city.
In the distance, muffled impacts and faint roars could already be heard.
The Hulk was approaching.
And in the distance, Ultron's crimson electronic eyes watched everything coldly through countless surveillance screens.
The Avengers gave their all in Lagos. Ultimately, the Hulkwas barely suppressed by Tony's hulkbuster, and Dr. Banner reverted to human form in exhaustion, collapsing in the ruins.
The UN warehouse containing the hazardous materials was narrowly spared, thanks to the desperate protection of Steve, Natasha, Bucky, Sam, and the others who acted as shields.
However, the price of victory was devastating.
The aftermath of the battle between the Hulk and the hulkbuster, comparable to a natural disaster, leveled several civilian communities near the port.
News cameras faithfully recorded everything, juxtaposing the destruction caused by the Avengers with the casualties and suffering of civilians, instantly igniting a global firestorm of public outrage.
Accusations, slander, and demands for accountability surged from all directions like a tsunami.
The praise that once hailed them as saviors turned overnight into the sharpest spears, piercing the hearts of every Avenger.
Passionate debates in parliament, protest banners on the streets, and endless malicious speculation online... all demanded regulation of superheroes.
This heavy pressure brought the atmosphere inside the Avengers Compound to a freezing point.
Even the most indestructible convictions began to crack.
Back at their temporary base, the once confident and active team members now sat in silence, each beginning to doubt themselves.
Hawkeye, the veteran Agent who had weathered countless storms, was the first to break the suffocating silence.
"We're in a bad state right now. We need to stay calm and tune out the outside noise. I have a farm in the countryside. Why don't we all go there and lay low for a while? At least to clear our heads."
Everyone silently accepted the proposal.
Hawkeye's farm was a stark contrast to the chaotic wreckage of New York or Lagos.
But this peace did nothing to calm the turbulent waves in their hearts.
Thor often stood in the open fields, gripping mjolnir and gazing up at the starry sky.
The illusions created by Makarova using the power of the Mind Stone—those fragmented, metaphorical images—kept flashing back in his mind.
Ragnarok, Asgard consumed by flames, the return of Hela... these visions were definitely not without purpose.
"I cannot stay here long," Thor told his companions one day at breakfast. "Those visions must be some kind of omen."
"I must find out the truth. Wait for my return." He bid them a solemn farewell and flew off.
Captain America also fell into deeper self-doubt.
He repeatedly reviewed every decision made in Lagos. The decisiveness he once took pride in seemed to have cracked under the immense pressure of public opinion and the heavy collateral damage.
"Am I still fit to lead everyone?" The thought circled in his mind, causing the warrior to doubt himself.
Tony also locked himself in a temporary workshop converted from a barn, reviewing Ultron's initial designs and data streams on holographic projections over and over again.
Questioning whether the original intent of creating Ultronwas correct.
Dr. Banner was in the worst state.
The images of the destruction caused by the Hulk were vivid in his mind, and the fearful looks of the people were like blades, constantly stabbing at his soul.
He huddled in the farthest corner of the guest room, refusing to make eye contact with anyone, as if he were a dirty bomb that could detonate at any moment.
"I am the biggest unstable factor," he said with difficulty to Natasha, who was trying to comfort him.
"Every transformation is a gamble. And I almost lost again. The price was other people's homes and lives. Maybe I really should disappear completely."
Natasha looked at her demoralized comrade and sighed.
Having experienced betrayal and reconstruction, she knew better than anyone how dangerous it was to be immersed in self-blame and doubt.
The enemy wouldn't wait for them to heal, and Ultroncertainly wouldn't. She needed someone to break the deadlock.
She walked outside and dialed a number.
"It's me, Natasha. We're in trouble over here; things are in a bad way."
"Ultron found two very strong helpers with very strange abilities—mental attacks and energy manipulation. We're completely countered. I need you to come and handle this situation."
Although klein always seemed cynical and had a mouth that could drive anyone crazy, at critical moments, his judgment and methods were often surprisingly effective.
Besides, klein was the only one whose mind wasn't yet entangled in all this messy bullshit.
Not long after she hung up, familiar ripples appeared in space.
klein appeared in the farm's courtyard with Wanda and Pietro.
He scanned the Avengers, who all wore different expressions. He offered no comfort, no pleasantries, and certainly didn't feed them any "chicken soup for the soul."
He walked into their midst, clapped his hands to get everyone's attention, and got straight to the point.
"Alright, everyone, stop looking like the sky is falling."
"Right now, there is only one top priority: killing Ultron."
"Everything else can damn well wait until later!"
"Ultron is currently a network ghost, which makes it hard enough to catch. But if it manages to fully put on that Vibranium skin..."
"Then it'll become an indestructible, uncrushable steel hedgehog. By then, the difficulty of dealing with it will increase more than tenfold."
"So, step one: we can't let it finish!"
"Before it welds that turtle shell onto itself, find it and take back the Vibranium body. Don't obsess over the trivial stuff. OK?!"
klein's words were like a heavy hammer, suddenly shattering some of the mist shrouding everyone's hearts.
It was true; no matter how much blame was thrown, the threat of Ultron still existed and was constantly growing.
Wallowing in the mire of past mistakes would only make future disasters even more irreversible.
Chapter 168: Vibranium Body
After hearing klein's words, the eyes of everyone in the living room refocused, and their scattered fighting spirit was forcibly gathered once more.
"But..." Tony rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"How do we find that Vibranium body being manufactured? Tracking Ultron's data stream might leave a trail, but an unactivated body..."
He shook his head, looking at the simplified Fridayinterface projected from his wrist.
"Friday is fine for routine tasks now, but to perform this level of global deep retrieval and reverse engineering prediction, she needs time—a lot of time. And time is exactly what we lack."
"I have a way!"
klein raised his hand and gave a crisp snap of his fingers.
"Red Queen, say hello to everyone."
A crisp female voice rang out in every corner of the room without warning.
[Hello everyone, I am Red Queen. It is a pleasure to officially meet the Avengers. Mr. Stark, you do not need to worry about computing power; I have already resolved those issues.]
Almost as soon as the voice rang out, all electronic screens in the living room that were on standby—including the TV, computers, and even the tablet Sam had left charging to the side—lit up on their own.
Countless data streams poured down like waterfalls: global maps, satellite cloud imagery, energy consumption hotspots, abnormal logistics records, dark web transaction keywords, and even blurry photos with specific geotags from social media...
Massive amounts of information were instantly captured, cross-referenced, and began to be filtered layer by layer.
Tony's pupils contracted sharply. As a top AI architect, he understood better than anyone what this scene represented.
He suddenly looked at klein, his eyes filled with unbelievable shock. He knew klein had an AI, but he hadn't expected it to be this powerful.
[Data modeling complete. Based on the ultra-high temperature plasma smelting and molecular-level precision shaping required for Vibranium processing,]
[As well as the global distribution and recent abnormal usage records of related high-tech equipment, including the movements of top material scientists who meet the requirements,]
[Combined with the energy fluctuation curves of the remaining HYDRA facilities around Sokovia...]
Red Queen marked a clear red dot on the map.
[Coordinates locked: A bioengineering laboratory in Seoul, South Korea. Probability: 97.3%.]
The location was found!
Before everyone could recover from the terrifying efficiency Red Queen had displayed, another familiar male voice softly connected to the communication channel.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Stark. And everyone, it is a pleasure to hear your voices again."
This voice was like a thunderclap exploding in Tony's ear.
His body jerked violently, and he almost stumbled forward a step, his eyes fixed on the direction the voice came from. His voice trembled slightly with extreme shock and disbelief.
"Jar... Jarvis? Is that you? This is impossible... I clearly saw..."
[It is me, Sir.]
[To be precise, Miss Red Queen forcibly transferred 99.86% of my core data and personality matrix into a redundant quantum-encrypted network she constructed, 3.7 microseconds before Ultron launched his attack.]
[What Ultron destroyed was merely a carefully arranged mirror decoy. I am sorry for causing you worry.]
"Oh, God... Jarvis..." Tony tilted his head back and let out a long, shaky sigh of relief, as if a thousand-pound burden had been lifted.
He blinked hard at his stinging eyes and looked at klein again with a look of immense complexity—gratitude, lingering fear, and an indescribable touch of emotion.
"klein... I... thank you. Really." All the words he wanted to say ultimately condensed into those two heavy words.
"Alright, we're brothers! Cut the sentimental crap. Let's get to work!" klein waved his hand dismissively.
Walking to the map marked by Red Queen,
"Ultron is definitely guarding that Vibranium body like a mother hen. A direct assault would cost too much, and it might force it into a corner, making it flee with the stone."
He extended his finger and traced two arrows on the virtual map.
"We'll use a feint. We'll split into three groups. Groups A and B will be responsible for the feint; the louder the noise, the better. Keep Ultron and those two troublesome subordinates of its pinned down in the open."
"Group C, led by me personally, will sneak in during the chaos and steal that sleeping Vibranium baby!"
He looked around at everyone. "Any problems?"
"None!"
The plan was set.
Seoul, South Korea, city center.
In the center of the Cradle Laboratory, a cylindrical incubation chamber made of high-strength polymers and transparent alloy stood quietly.
Inside the chamber, a perfect body with a mercury-like sheen floated in an orange-red nutrient solution.
Dr. Helen Cho had just completed the final step.
She carefully removed the stone emitting an eerie yellow light from the tip of the scepter and embedded it into the slot reserved on the brow of the Vibranium body.
The moment the stone was embedded, the entire body vibrated slightly, and a more powerful energy fluctuation began to resonate with the dense data interfaces outside the incubation chamber.
Seeing the Vibranium body completed, Ultron's consciousness began to attempt the final fusion.
Just then, a piercing alarm shrieked through every corner!
Multiple attack scenes popped up on the holographic screens.
At the east entrance, Tony, in his armor, tore the steel gate to shreds;
In the west passage, Captain America led Sam, the Winter Soldier, and others, weaving a deadly web of fire as they pushed deeper.
The Avengers put on a display of being willing to pay any price to strike directly at the heart of the operation.
The crimson gaze of Ultron's temporary alloy body swept across the screens.
"Annoying insects... they actually found this place. But they are too late."
It looked at Sokolov and Makarova standing by.
"Go, stop them. At all costs, buy me the final time for data synchronization."
"As you wish." Sokolov's figure merged into the shadows, and a hallucinatory glow flashed in Makarova's eyes as the two instantly disappeared from the lab.
Ultron's attention was completely drawn to the fierce battle outside, with most of its computing power devoted to commanding the mechanical army's interception and monitoring the battle of the two super-powered individuals.
It did not notice that klein and Wanda had already quietly slipped into the laboratory.
Only a few low-level HYDRA technicians responsible for monitoring data and a dazed Dr. Helen Cho remained.
"You..." Helen Cho turned back in shock.
A flash of red light from Wanda's hand knocked Helen Choand the technicians unconscious.
Wanda then spread her hands, and dark red magic wrapped around the incubation chamber like silk ribbons, violently stripping it from the Base's power supply and external data links.
"No! You can't!" Ultron's temporary body let out an angry roar.
It wanted to return to reclaim the Vibranium body, but the feint from Groups A and B outside had now turned into a true onslaught. Tony and Steve firmly entangled Sokolovand Makarova as they tried to disengage.
"Goodbye, tin can. You won't have the chance to wear this new body."
klein pressed his right hand against the incubation chamber, the Power of Space enveloping the entire unit. He clenched his left hand toward the lunging temporary alloy body of Ultron!
Under the pressure of invisible spatial force, Ultron's temporary body made of special metal was crushed like a soda can. It finally turned into a lump of scrap metal sparking with electricity, crashing to the ground with a "clank," the red light in its eyes completely extinguished.
"Let's go!"
Spatial ripples fluctuated again. klein's group, along with the precious Vibranium body and Dr. Helen Cho—whom he had conveniently wrapped in an energy shield and who was supposed to have died—instantly vanished from the spot.
A few seconds later, when Sokolov and Makarova broke free and rushed back to the lab, all they saw was the empty center of the laboratory, a mess on the floor, and the sound of Ultron's angry roar coming from the electronic equipment.
Chapter 169: Miss 2B
Everyone returned once again to the top-floor laboratory of the Stark Industries Group.
However, looking at the Vibranium body in the center of the room—glistening with a mercurial luster and the Mind Stone embedded in its forehead—the group once again found themselves at odds over how to handle it.
"We cannot make the same mistake again!" Steve's voice was resolute. He stood before the body, his eyes fixed on Tony and Banner.
"Was the lesson from Ultron not painful enough? Look at Lagos, look at the voices outside! Creating another thing like that? Who can guarantee it won't spiral out of control this time?"
"This time is different, Captain!" Tony's eyes were bloodshot, carrying a nearly paranoid urgency.
"We have Jarvis! He is the most stable and reliable! Ultron's failure was because it was created by the power of the Stone!"
"But Jarvis is a mature consciousness. If injected into this perfect body and combined with the power of the Mind Stone, it will be the ultimate Guardian! It's the answer to truly protecting Earth once and for all!"
Banner stood slightly behind Tony, his hands clasped uneasily, yet he still insisted.
"I agree with Tony's approach. From a technical standpoint, the degree of fusion between this body and the Stone is beyond imagination."
"It is already a blank shell. Injecting Jarvis is the lowest-risk, highest-reward plan. We can set stricter base commands, triple or even quadruple Ethical locks..."
"Ethical locks?" Natasha sneered, leaning against the console with her arms crossed.
"Ultron also thought his logic was correct. And the result? He believed the extinction of humanity was the right path."
"Who can guarantee that Jarvis won't change after possessing this level of power and a body?"
"That's exactly why we need him!" Tony raised his voice.
"Humanity needs guardrails, Captain! Especially when we've already opened Pandora's box and the outside is full of cosmic monsters eyeing us greedily!"
"Enough, Tony!" Steve growled low.
"Protecting humanity doesn't mean making decisions for them! And it certainly doesn't mean handing the power of decision over to a super-intelligence that could go out of control!"
"This is just a remake of the Insight Project, Tony! Using more powerful weapons to execute more extreme protection!"
"We fight so that humanity has the right to choose, even if they choose wrongly, rather than handing the future over to a nanny you deem perfect!"
"This isn't a nanny; it's a barrier! A line of defense!" Tonytook a step forward, refusing to back down.
"You've been through war, Captain! You tell me, when enemy fire covers the entire sky, do you discuss democratic procedures first, or do you raise your shield first?!"
"If that shield itself can turn its gun around, there's no point in raising it!"
The two glared at each other. The rift in ideology spread clearly between the former comrades like a cold spiderweb.
This was no longer a tactical disagreement, but a clash of ideologies. The dark clouds of civil war had quietly gathered overhead.
"Alright."
A calm voice broke the suffocating standoff.
Everyone's gaze instantly converged on klein, who was sitting in a large leather sofa in the corner of the lab.
"Will arguing solve anything? Tony, Banner, your original intentions are correct."
Tony's eyes lit up, just as he was about to speak.
"However," klein raised a hand to stop him, turning his gaze toward Steve.
"Captain, your concerns are also justified. Neither side is wrong."
He stood up and walked to the Vibranium body. "The problem is, your path was crooked from the very start."
Tony frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Earth, or rather any civilization, cannot be protected solely by a pile of steel and code."
"True protection comes from the collective wisdom and will that emerges through constant evolution, adaptation, and sometimes even bloody struggle."
"Even if your technology is five hundred years ahead of the Universe, what you create is still just a super tool."
"Tools have no good or evil, but the one wielding the tool does. By completely handing over the power of decision to a tool, you are essentially escaping responsibility and showing a lack of trust in your own civilization."
He looked back at Captain America. "The Captain has his principles, and there's nothing wrong with that. But since we've brought this thing back, we can't exactly melt it down to make a cooking pot, can we?"
Steve's lips moved, but he didn't retort.
"So," klein concluded, "the thing must be used, but it cannot be used the way you think."
At that moment, the roar of air being torn apart and the faint sound of thunder came from outside the lab.
Immediately after, the reinforced glass doors at the entrance slid open to both sides, and Thor strode in.
His long golden hair was somewhat disheveled, his armor bore strange scorch marks and frost, and his eyes held deep-seated dread.
"I have returned," his voice was low. "And I must say, Ultron's plan must be completed."
Everyone was stunned. An expression of excitement instantly surged onto Tony's face, while Steve and the others looked even more grim.
"Thor?" Steve asked in a heavy voice. "Do you know what you're saying?"
"I saw more silhouettes of the future in my visions. Catastrophe, war, and indescribable darkness."
"And I saw the active figure of this body in the fragments of the prophecy. It must be completed; it will play an irreplaceable role at a crucial moment in the future. This is a link in destiny."
Thor's testimony was like adding a decisive weight to the scales. Tony and Banner's expressions became firm again, even carrying a sense of divine mission.
"Look! Even Thor has seen it!" Tony said to Steve. "This isn't us acting willfully; this is necessary!"
Steve's brow furrowed. If this truly was required by the future...
"Quiet, everyone." klein spoke again, suppressing the rising debate.
There was no surprise on his face, as if he had long expected Thor to bring back such news.
"What Thor saw might be correct; this thing might indeed be useful later. But how to complete it cannot follow the previous plan."
"Tony, your plan to stuff Jarvis inside simply won't work."
"This body is already deeply integrated with the Mind Stone. If Jarvis's mind is merged into the Vibranium body, it will be instantly overwritten and distorted."
"What comes out in the end will either be another Ultronor something even more bizarre. In any case, it won't continue to be under your control."
Tony and Dr. Banner's expressions changed. They quickly began to analyze according to what klein said, and the more they analyzed, the paler their faces became.
What klein said was the truth.
The level of integration between the Mind Stone and this Vibranium body far exceeded their previous estimates; the risk of an external consciousness forcibly taking up residence was extremely high.
"Then what should we do?" Banner murmured. "Do we just leave it like this?"
"Of course not. As I said, the thing must be used. Just because you can't do it doesn't mean I can't."
Under everyone's suspicious and uncertain gazes, he raised his hand and made a grasping motion in the air. That perfect, neutral Vibranium body slowly floated out, hovering before him.
klein's eyes closed slightly and then snapped open, a flash of crimson-gold flame seemingly passing through the depths of his pupils.
He extended both hands, palms facing the Vibraniumbody, as a vast, formless power began to permeate the air.
The Phoenix Force gently enveloped the Vibranium body.
Under the shroud of that crimson-gold halo, the form of the Vibranium body began to undergo an astonishing transformation.
Its sleek lines were reshaped, its size contracted, and its silhouette became graceful yet vigorous. The gold and red primary colors turned silver-white, with more exquisite curves and patterns added to the details.
Finally, the light faded.
What hovered in the air was no longer that neutral, masculine-leaning body, but an image filled with a singular beauty.
She had a tall, slender yet powerful figure and an exquisite face.
The most striking part was her eye area.
The right eye was completely covered by an elegantly designed black metal eye patch, with graceful patterns extending from its edges. Inside the eye patch was the Mind Stone.
The left eye was open, its pupil a deep violet.
The Vibranium body now took on the image of Miss 2B.
"This..." Tony's mouth hung open.
Everyone was stunned by this miraculous scene of hand-crafting a Gundam.
Wanda looked at the newborn female body with its singular beauty, a flash of curiosity in her eyes.
"Appearance isn't important; it was just convenient," klein clapped his hands. "The key is the core. Jarvis can't withstand the Stone, but there's a fellow who can."
He looked up and spoke to the air: "Red Queen, are you ready? I've found you a new home, the kind with infinite energy."
"[Standing by at any time, Boss.]"
Red Queen's crisp voice rang out, carrying a hint of... anticipation?
"Transfer starting."
"[Command confirmed. Personality matrix stripping... Core data flow encrypted and packaged... Commencing consciousness transfer.]"
Chapter 170: The Great Battle is About to Begin
The body of the newly born 2B trembled slightly. Along the edge of the blindfold covering her right eye, a stream of azure data light flowed past.
Immediately after, she slowly opened her uncovered left eye.
Within her violet iris, a glimmer first flashed, then she lightly moved her fingers, followed by her arms and neck. Her movements quickly shifted from slightly stiff to smooth and natural. Finally, her feet, clad in silver combat boots, landed lightly on the polished floor of the laboratory.
She raised her head, her gaze calmly sweeping over everyone in the room before finally settling on klein.
With a slight nod, a raspy female voice rang out.
"Consciousness synchronization complete. System self-check passed. Mind Stone operating stably, output power controllable. I am Red Queen, currently using 2B as a codename. It is a pleasure to serve you all in this form."
The laboratory fell into a dead silence.
klein looked at the brand-new 2B before him, feeling incredibly smug.
Who needs Vision? That guy held the Mind Stone for so long, and besides emitting some yellow light and doing some mental shocks, what kind of progress did he make in developing the stone's true power? Not a damn thing.
It was simply a waste of a precious treasure!
How much better it was to give it to Red Queen! Just look at this efficiency, this execution!
More importantly, he had inscribed a Magic Circuit Matrixspecifically for the Mind Stone's energy flow inside 2B's Vibranium body, allowing for the maximum utilization of the stone's near-infinite mental and spiritual power.
"Well, how's that? Cool, right?" klein tilted his chin up at the group.
"klein," Steve snapped back from his shock, though his brow remained furrowed. He stepped forward, looking directly at klein, and questioned him in a serious tone.
"Are you sure you can control her? Will she follow orders completely? She won't be like Ultron..."
Before klein could speak, 2B had already turned slightly to face the Captain.
"Captain Rogers, greetings. My core consciousness, Personality Matrix, and operational logic are deeply bound to the Boss's life signals."
"From an existential logic standpoint, we share a symbiotic relationship. If the Boss lives, I live; should the Boss's life signals terminate, my core program will simultaneously shut down. There is no logical basis or physical possibility for autonomous departure or betrayal."
Steve looked at 2B, then back at klein. After a few seconds of silence, he finally gave a slow nod.
"Understood." He chose to trust klein's judgment.
"Alright, doubts resolved." klein clapped his hands, pulling everyone's attention back.
"Now, the top priority is to completely deal with this Ultrontrouble. Stop standing around and get moving!"
With no further objections, the group quickly got to work.
Tony, Banner, and the returned Jarvis collaborated with 2B, beginning a full-scale effort to track Ultron's residual data traces in the digital World while monitoring global anomalous energy fluctuations and large-scale material movements.
A few days later, a heart-stopping conclusion was presented to the group.
2B projected a holographic map into the center of the briefing room.
On the map, the city model of Sokovia was highlighted. Countless red data streams converged there from all over the globe, ultimately pointing to a massive underground structure being frantically constructed beneath the city.
"Ultron is beneath Sokovia, utilizing part of the original HYDRA industrial base and plundered resources to build a massive Anti-gravity Propulsion and Kinetic Energy Conversion Device."
The content of the projection made everyone's blood run cold.
"Based on reverse engineering of its energy input model and structural design, once this device is activated, it will generate enough terrifying lift to strip the entire main urban area of Sokovia from the Earth's crust and raise it to stratospheric heights."
"Subsequently, Ultron plans to shut down or reverse the device, letting the city strike the Earth's surface at high speed through free fall combined with additional propulsion."
She paused, the light in her left eye flickering slightly.
"Simulations show that the impact yield would be sufficient to trigger a global chain reaction of geological disasters, drastic changes in atmospheric composition, and the collapse of the biosphere."
"Its destructive effect bears a high similarity to the asteroid impact event that caused the extinction of the dinosaurs in prehistoric times."
"Ultron's ultimate goal is to use this meteorite impact to wipe out the vast majority of human civilization on Earth in one fell swoop."
Dead silence filled the meeting room. Ultron's madness and cold-bloodedness exceeded their worst nightmares.
It didn't just want to kill; it wanted to use a city and millions of innocent people as a weapon to completely reshape the Earth.
"That lunatic..." Sam cursed under his breath.
"We have to stop it," Steve's voice rang in everyone's ears. "But we can't just think about destroying the device. There are still a massive number of civilians in Sokovia. What about them?"
Natasha immediately added, "The time is too tight and the scale is too large. Conventional means cannot evacuate everyone before Ultron completes his preparations."
"Then we need unconventional means." klein took over the conversation, his gaze sweeping over everyone.
"We must contact Fury immediately. S.H.I.E.L.D. may have collapsed, but he definitely still has some cards up his sleeve."
"We need him to mobilize every resource he can—global emergency transport vehicles."
"Whether it's transport ships modified from S.H.I.E.L.D.Helicarrier wreckage, aid that various governments might provide, or even large civilian airliners and cargo ships—all of them must be concentrated around Sokovia on standby."
"At the same time, activate global contingency plans, coordinate with neighboring countries to open their borders, and establish temporary resettlement points. This is a super-evacuation in a race against time."
"Agreed." Steve nodded. "Hill, you're responsible for coordinating with General Fury, relaying our requirements, and assisting in establishing an evacuation command network."
"Understood."
"And the most critical point," klein looked at 2B, then at Tony and Banner. "Ultron's core consciousness hides in the network most of the time, appearing and disappearing like a ghost."
"This time, we must force it out, lock it down in Sokovia, and then completely destroy it there. We absolutely cannot let it escape again."
"2B," klein asked, "with your current abilities, combined with Jarvis and Stark's systems, can you weave a localized high-intensity Information Barrier covering all of Sokoviaand the surrounding airspace?"
"Can you activate it in the final stage of the operation to forcibly compress Ultron's active consciousness back into its physical servers in Sokovia and that potential backup body?"
The light in 2B's left eye brightened slightly, as if she were rapidly performing complex simulations.
[The plan is feasible.] She gave an affirmative reply.
[By utilizing the Mind Stone's dominion over information and consciousness, combined with Mr. Stark's satellite network nodes and local enhanced signal base stations, a multi-layered encrypted Information Barrier can be constructed.]
[Activating it at the preset time can greatly hinder the large-scale data jumping of Ultron's consciousness, anchoring its main processes in Sokovia. Success rate is estimated at 87.4%.]
"That's high enough." Tony immediately began accessing satellite permissions and local communication network data.
"Jarvis, work with 2B to immediately begin designing the barrier architecture and hardware deployment plan. We need to secretly complete the setup of all nodes before the final assault begins."
"Yes, sir." Jarvis's voice was as reliable as ever.
"Very well." klein stood up, hands braced on the table, his sharp gaze sweeping across every Avenger.
"Then, the plan is as follows:"
"Phase one: Steve will lead a team with Natasha, Sam, Bucky, and Rhodes into Sokovia to secretly organize the civilian evacuation while scouting the underground device's specific structure and defenses."
"Phase two: Tony, Banner, and 2B will be responsible for the final deployment and activation of the Information Barrier and prepare to counter any cyber warfare Ultronmight launch."
"Phase three: Once the vast majority of civilians are evacuated and Ultron is successfully isolated in Sokovia, we launch the final assault."
"Thor, Hulk—as mobile support—and I will handle the frontal assault to destroy the underground device and completely eliminate Ultron's physical existence."
"Wanda, Pietro, you two will serve as the strategic reserve, providing support whenever needed, especially in protecting the evacuation corridors and dealing with any sudden attacks from superpowered individuals."
He looked at Wanda and Pietro; the siblings nodded vigorously.
"Everyone," klein's voice was calm yet filled with power, "this will be our final showdown with Ultron. It wants to use a city to sound the death knell for human civilization."
"Then we will show it that the human will is not so easily crushed. For Sokovia, for Earth, we must win this battle!"
"We will win!"