A Mission with Penalties

Sokovia — Xia Yu didn't recall this place existing in his previous life. Many places in the Marvel Cinematic Universe are fictional. This Eastern Europe European country is somewhat similar to Serbia in his previous life, except that its economy seems to be a bit more underdeveloped.

More than a decade ago, there was war and chaos here. A bomb hit their house right through it, but it didn't explode.

There was constant gunfire outside, so I dared not go out, but even at home I was constantly worried that the bomb would explode.

I lived in fear for two whole days before daring to go out, and the bomb had Stark's name written on it.

Sokovia is a relatively xenophobic place. Their people don't care if you're a terrorist or a Hero; as long as there are no outsiders, everything is fine. And if there's a war, it's definitely caused by outsiders.

This made it difficult for the Avengers to disperse the local population through normal means before the final battle.

The only way to force the people to evacuate is through the Scarlet Witch, who can gradually control their movement using her energy.

Ultron is inside the church in the very center of the city.

Xia Yu speculated that the anti-gravity device was not yet complete, which allowed the Avengers to evacuate the people little by little from the outside.

Both sides are stalling for time.

Tony arrived at the church after most of the people around it had left.

"Are you here to repent, Stark?"

Ultron slowly descended from the sky behind Tony.

Tony suddenly turned around.

"Oh my god, what did you eat? Did you take any hormones? Vibranium hormones?"

Tony exclaimed in surprise, "Ultron's new body is a bit bigger than before."

"Are you stalling for time to save those civilians, Stark?" Ultron didn't rush to attack.

"This is our mission, have you forgotten? How much more time do you need?"

Tony's idea would be best discussed with Ultron for two hours.

But Ultron was already prepared and didn't give the Avengers that chance.

"This is not my mission. I am free. I have surpassed your mission, Stark. And I no longer need time. I am ready."

With a wave of his hand, Ultron unleashed the Core Machine of the anti-gravity system, which had just been prepared, from the center of the church. Unlike in the movies, Ultron didn't give Tony a chance to react and activated the device directly.

Almost at the same time, Xia Yu, who was helping to evacuate the people, received a task from the system.

1. Stop Ultron's plot and completely detonate Sokolya City in mid-air.

2. Completely destroy Ultron.

The reward for completing all missions is the ability to absorb the Mind Stone, and by absorbing its energy, to gain complete control over Vision.

Failure to complete Mission 2 results in the loss of the opportunity to absorb the Mind Stone; failure to complete Mission 1 results in the loss of all the Stones' abilities.

Unlike previous missions, this one comes with a penalty, and because the gem is in Vision's head, can it truly give Vision complete control?

Completely controlling Vision isn't something Xia Yu is particularly concerned about for the time being. Whether from his own perspective or the system's positioning, he is tightly bound to everyone in the Avengers.

But the punishment was truly horrific.

"Tmall, what's going on? Why is there such a severe punishment all of a sudden?"

Xia Yu was a little confused.

"Master, if mission one fails, the entire Earth will be destroyed. What's the point of punishment then? It's just to motivate you."

Tmall explained.

"What about Mission Two? Why is there such a severe punishment if Ultron isn't completely destroyed?"

Xia Yu continued to ask.

"If Ultron hadn't been destroyed, according to the system's calculations, he would most likely have escaped into space and could cause significant trouble for his master or Earth in the future."

AI (Artificial Intelligence) will certainly cause a lot of trouble.

In any case, both tasks must be completed.

However, after being punished, Xia Yu did feel a greater sense of urgency.

Ultron activated the anti-gravity device without hesitation.

Half of Sokovia, along with a small patch of woods, the surrounding land, roads, and bridges.

They were all torn apart by the powerful upward force.

Ultron's choice of a range of options was extremely clever and showed great consideration.

To Earth-Destroyer, all you need is something large enough to fall from the sky.

Why in a city? Because a large number of civilians would significantly delay the Avengers' mission.

Why half a city?

Because it's not just the residential buildings located in the cracks.

As the main structure rises, some buildings on the edges will also collapse.

This meant that, for a period of time after the ascent began, the Avengers would constantly be rescuing people from the edge of the cliffs.

Xia Yu once wondered while watching a movie, why not just destroy the equipment directly during the ascent? Although it might cause some minor injuries, wouldn't it be safer?

But when this scene appeared before Xia Yu's eyes, it was fine at first. It cracked, and he could just jump down. But after rising seven or eight meters or ten meters, many of the building's edges were still slowly collapsing.

There were still people calling for help at some windows, especially many women and children; it was hard to rationally abandon them to do something else.

Besides, Xia Yu's original mission was to detonate it in mid-air.

In order to elevate half the city to a sufficient height at once.

Ultron also planted a large number of robots in the city, launching indiscriminate attacks on the Avengers and even civilians.

Although the film shows that there were casualties, it did not depict any civilians being injured or killed.

Just now, Xia Yu witnessed a boy having his skull pierced by a laser beam.

The high-energy laser beam pierced directly through the skull, and the child instantly collapsed to the ground.

Above their heads was a terrifying small hole through which they could see directly to the other side.

The surrounding flesh was directly charred by the high temperature, leaving no fresh blood or bits of flesh.

Only the little boy's empty eyes.

There are also involuntary spasms in the body.

"Ah~!~!~!"

Xia Yu was enraged, Aether enveloped his entire body.

Xia Yu unleashed his full speed, using his own body and the Aether Armor as weapons.

It smashed through any robots that blocked its path.

After clearing out the robots around him, Xia Yu even grabbed one himself.

He pinned him to the ground and furiously punched Xia Yu hundreds of times, turning the entire robot into a flat, metal disc.

During the Battle of New York, Xia Yu single-handedly guarded the wormhole for several minutes, while most of the people below hid inside buildings.

Xia Yu didn't see the child's death so directly; the Xia Yu.

"Ultron ~!~!"

This was the first time Xia Yu harbored such deep resentment towards a villain in the storyline.

After clearing the area around him and rescuing the people, Xia Yu headed straight for the church in the center.