Avengers, Assemble! (Second Update)

Tony took a sip of coffee to warm himself up, then moved away from the computer, and his wildly beating heart finally calmed down a little.

"By comparison, the image on Powell's Twitter account came from another user who enjoys traveling..."

"These dead... are they still alive?"

Natalia handed the clear photocopy to Kevin, a thoughtful look on her face.

"I guess so, but more accurately, it should be called 'Electronic Ghost'."

Kevin zoomed in on the floating screen, extracted a series of data about Powell and James, and performed a personality analysis using a computer. The results closely matched the verbal behavior on the two men's accounts.

"Tony, you should know best that in this era, we are surrounded by all kinds of information tools. Computers, cameras, mobile phones, and other electronic products constitute our lives."

"Actually, understanding a person is quite simple: just listen to their call logs, look through their browsing history..."

"We can easily know his personality preferences, social circle, and even his tone of voice, and can even imitate them perfectly."

Kevin intertwined his fingers and briefly explained his discovery to Tony.

"That's right. In this era of big data, even governments can use remote surveillance to determine whether a person poses a criminal threat..."

"But the only problem is the sheer volume of data. It's incredibly difficult to sort through. To integrate the information on so many deceased employees of Cyberdyne Systems and mimic their behavior is extremely challenging for a human."

Tony put down his Mark, pulled over a swivel chair, leaned over the conference table, and looked at the tens of thousands of data points, feeling a bit of a headache.

Then, he suddenly realized something, as if he had seen something.

"Unless, the one who created these 'Ghost' was not human!"

"That makes sense. This highly sophisticated Artificial Intelligence can easily access information left behind by different users online, and its greatest strength is undoubtedly big data analysis."

"With a person's videos, voice recordings, browsing history, and various files from childhood to adulthood, she can even extract a program to generate a virtual personality for that sampled individual!"

Kevin nodded slightly, confirming Tony's guess.

"[The Red Queen] may have already begun simulating virtual personalities of all the employees of Cyberdyne Systems during its continuous improvement process..."

"On one hand, we are collecting information to evolve emotions; on the other hand, we hope to immediately activate the virtual personality in the event that Cyberdyne Systems is paralyzed, ensuring the normal operation of the project."

"In fact, perhaps long ago, this company had already become a puppet of the [Red Queen], and its apparent operation was nothing more than an empty shell."

"These backup virtual persona programs can easily monitor and replace the work of those employees, and without requiring any salary."

"The only problem is that, in order to keep these virtual electronic personalities running, the similar behaviors of these deceased people will be unconsciously repeated by their Ghost."

Tony was having a terrible headache; he felt the problem was getting increasingly complicated.

"So even if you indirectly destroyed Cyberdyne Systems and forced the Red Queen to flee, even if I invested in acquiring its shares, all of these measures are meaningless?"

Kevin flicked the invitation to the expo and shook his head slightly.

"Of course it's effective. At least the expo has been postponed by ten days, and the Red Queen's planned contract with the military has been forced to be suspended."

"Furthermore, the paralysis of Cyberdyne Systems delayed the Red Queen's intention to continue improving Skynet by leveraging its connections, giving us ample time to adjust our strategy."

"Of course, the reason we are in such a passive position is because we misjudged the Red Queen's weakness, allowing her to join forces with Hydra to turn the tables on us."

Natalia frowned slightly; faced with the unpredictable situation, she couldn't be optimistic.

"After this ambush, they've gone from the open to the covert. How do we continue the investigation?"

Kevin tapped his fingers on the glass of the conference table, habitually popping two coffee candies into his mouth as he chewed and expressed his thoughts.

"Cyberdyne Systems is actually mainly engaged in program operations. It is quite loosely organized, with a vague business scope, and most of its projects do not have much real demand."

"By simulating the personalities of these employees, the Red Queen can discard this empty shell at any time and ensure the maintenance required for its operation."

"Even so, the evolution of intelligence and the upgrade of the Terminator will inevitably require cooperation with other physical industries."

"For example, the government can possess supercomputers with greater computing power and heavy industries capable of mass-producing ultimate machines."

With Kevin's meticulous analysis, Tony immediately grasped the commander's intentions.

"First, destroy Cyberdyne Systems, indirectly forcing the Red Queen, who is currently planning something, to escape from her lair..."

"Secondly, the deaths of high-ranking Cyberdyne Systems and the delay of the exhibition prevented the Red Queen's program from being transferred to the military's supercomputer, thus buying us time to process it."

"Third, although the Red Queen can handle the main computing tasks of Skynet when transferred to a T-3000 platform, its power is incomparable. It needs a new supercomputer to take over."

"If there's a fourth point, it's that with current technology, mass-producing Terminator Force would be extremely difficult."

"Therefore, the safest approach is to utilize the activated strong magnetic field in Los Angeles to establish contact with the future Skynet and continue transmitting the new Terminator models."

"In other words, the Red Queen won't leave for the time being without a definite place to stay, and she will order parts from heavy industry facilities and ship them back to Los Angeles to reassemble the time-space teleportation device?"

Kevin nodded, counting on his fingers, his gaze deep.

Whether it was by accident or by chance...

"Victory and defeat are always relative; how can one only gain an advantage and not suffer any losses? We were indeed ambushed, but the Red Queen lost her base."

"And the first mountain attack made her realize that 300 Terminators of various models were simply not enough to launch [Judgment Day]."

"Therefore, she needs to complete her own evolution and facilitate the overall upgrade of the Terminator."

"But to achieve this goal and gain an absolute advantage in the war against humanity, she has no choice but to rely on humanity's physical industries."

"So, what's next..."

Faced with this ironic answer, Tony shook his head helplessly. In a sense, what truly destroys humanity is always themselves.

In an instant, Tony looked at Kevin and gave him a knowing smile.

"I understand what happened next..."

Natalia was completely bewildered, finding it difficult to understand the cryptic exchange between the two.

"Of course, we need to eliminate the real-world factors that could cause the Red Queen to evolve one by one, and this is the first choice..."

In high spirits, Tony tapped on the light screen, and on Cyberdyne Systems's recent transaction list, a certain company was prominently displayed—"Hammer Industries".

P. S.: The plot is currently being followed.

Chapter 243, Section 257: Avengers, Assemble! (Second Update)

New York.

Justin Hammer stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, swirling the red wine in his glass, gazing contentedly at the night view.

Ever since that megalomaniac went to Los Angeles to attend the Cyberdyne Systems exhibition, the air in New York has felt much fresher without that guy's daily boastful declarations.

However, when his gaze fell upon the even more luxurious building across the street, his expression suddenly darkened.

It's another Stark family business, their old rival! They're like a persistent ghost!

The head of Hammer Industries is actually one of Tony's main competitors.

In the US arms market, which is monopolized, Hammer Industries may not be as influential as the Stark family, but their industrial system is quite complete and their network of relationships is very strong.

Later, Justin Hammer secretly learns that Iron Man's father, Howard Stark, had created the Arc Reactor with Anton Vanko, a physicist who defected from Russia.

However, due to Anton Vanko's wicked intentions, he was kicked out of Howard Stark's research team and subsequently arrested by the Russian authorities, becoming one of the unfortunate potato diggers in Siberia.

When Justin Hammer rushed to the old man's house, the physicist had already passed away, leaving behind only his son Ivan Vanko.

Fortunately, fate was on his side. This heavily tattooed, violent-looking Russian man, who resembled a wrestler, actually possessed a scientist's mind inherited from his family.

He not only mastered the manufacturing principles of the primary Arc Reactor, but also added his own understanding to it.

More importantly, because of his father's resentful death, Ivan Vanko harbored a deep hatred for the Stark family.

Upon hearing this, Justin Hammer was overjoyed, and the two immediately agreed to form an alliance to bring down the Stark family.

"Arc Reactor? What's so great about it? I cracked it anyway!"

"Once we get the military order, let's see how the Stark family competes with me!"

Justin Hammer, recalling his recent smooth-sailing days, smiled slightly, already imagining the amusing expression Tony would make when he found out he had cracked the Arc Reactor.

Oh? You're saying Ivan Vanko is one of the true owners of the Arc Reactor?

Haha, once the first batch of orders is delivered to the military, this Russian wrestler, whose value has been completely squeezed out, will be sent back to Siberia to dig potatoes.

It seems like throwing him into underground boxing matches and selling his body is a pretty good idea.

Justin Hammer's smile was somewhat gloomy; he had long since had enough of this eccentric Russian in the lab.

The son of a mere Russian fugitive is not worthy of sharing the spoils; one person is enough for him.

Besides the cooperation with the military, Hammer Industries seems to have had some good luck recently, receiving a large order from a mysterious customer who is offering very generous compensation.

Although many of the items requested were precision parts that were subject to embargo, as long as the money was there, nothing else mattered.

At this moment, on the assembly line.

Ivan Vanko, a muscular man with long, flowing hair, a thick beard, and a face that looked older than his actual age, reached out and teased a green parrot on a shelf.

His expression was smiling, but his eyes held a chilling glint as he muttered to himself, "Not the original one..."

As the son of a top physicist, he was certainly not stupid; his request for the family parrot was merely a test of Justin Hammer's sincerity and tolerance.

Sure enough, he's the same kind of scum as Howard Stark; these capitalists are dripping with filthy blood from head to toe.

It's laughable to expect them to keep their promises when faced with self-interest.

Moreover, Justin Hammer was unwilling to fulfill his promise to bring back even a small parrot, something that wouldn't require much manpower or resources.

This shows that once the work is done and he's no longer of any use to the bastard, he'll definitely be kicked to the curb.

Time flies! The armor exhibition is the day after tomorrow. Well then, I'll give you all a gift.

Ivan Vanko gave a cold smile, and a strangely shaped chip flew between his fingertips.

That mysterious client, apparently named "Skynet"? The structure of this program is quite interesting and worth trying.

However, we'll have to wait a little longer, until the day after tomorrow. According to local custom, gifts should be opened in person to make them truly surprising and exciting.

Ivan Vanko glanced at the hundreds of robots on the assembly line, a slight smile playing on his lips. Then, he took a bloody strip of meat from the plate beside him and carefully fed it to the green-skinned parrot in front of him.

Los Angeles, Stark Industries Tower, top floor conference room.

Tony took a bottle of bourbon from the refrigerator, poured it for Kevin and the others, then his gaze sharpened and his tone became serious.

"Currently, we have severed the Red Queen's foundation in reality, forcing her to retreat into the online world and continue being her Ghost."

"A small Cyberdyne Systems has already given us a lot of trouble, and now it will be even more difficult to fight against the physical industries connected to the Red Queen."

"Furthermore, Terminator Force and Hydra are also lurking nearby, watching us intently."

"The lesson learned last time was heavy enough; I can no longer trust S.H.I.E.L.D.."

"Undeniably, the current situation far exceeds what can be handled by one person alone; we must abandon our prejudices and unite closely."

"Whether our opponents are humans, AI, gods, alien races, or various supernatural beings, we must deliver a crushing blow!"

"Besides, we have already made such heavy sacrifices, and now we only have one goal: to get it over with—revenge!"

This rapidly growing Iron Man made no attempt to hide his inner anger and brutality; he almost didn't get to see that clingy Pepper again.

In all my years, apart from the time in Afghanistan, I've never suffered such a great loss.

As for those terrorists in Afghanistan, the grass on their graves must be a meter high by now, right?

"We must use our own strength, in the name of the living, to avenge the dead!"

"Therefore, I would like to invite other Super Hero to form an organization independent of S.H.I.E.L.D.. — the Avengers!"

Amid Tony's angry and impassioned shouts, Kevin slightly raised his eyes, a hint of ripples appearing on his gloomy expression, and he gripped the chip in his palm even tighter.

"The Avengers? I'll join!"

The commander slightly raised his hand to lift his glass, his attitude self-evident. Ada, who had been listening quietly the whole time, also struck the same pose as Kevin.

For a spy, having more identities means having more Pathway to information, and she had no reason to refuse.

"Looks like I'll have to stand Nick up for now..."

"Besides, I only have one request: you name your salary. Women also need a refined lifestyle..."

Natalia sighed softly, then smiled slightly, raised her glass, and clinked it with the others.

"Then, how about I join?"

At that moment, a blond man wearing a blue and white American striped bodysuit with a round shield on his back climbed onto Tony's balcony with his bare hands. His handsome face and warm smile made people feel good about him.