Stark in Exile

Tony Stark is irrelevant now.

Looking at the Super Hero lying dead in front of him, Ultron felt that victory was already in his grasp.

Once the Vibranium is transported back to New York and injected into the Life Cradle, it can await the birth of a completely new self, possessing the most advanced intelligence on Earth, the most robust body forged from two different types of Vibranium, Superpowers brought by biotechnology such as Extremis Virus and Cross-Species Genetics... Of course, most importantly, there is the Mind Stone.

--An incredibly powerful life is rising, and the moment it is born, even Ben Parker and the Galactic Plumbers will no longer be its match!

Although there was only one Infinity Stones, Ultron knew very well that quantity was not the key; how to use it was the key to victory.

Gems are interconnected yet repelled; even if you hold multiple gems, you can only use one at a time.

This was data it stole from the computer of the Galactic Plumbers. Ultron had doubts about its authenticity, but the data was of a very high level and mentioned things that Tony Stark was unaware of, such as the "Infinity Gauntlet," so he gradually put aside his doubts.

This couldn't be better news for it.

Even with only one gem, it can still catch Ben Parker off guard by exploiting information asymmetry. Then, wouldn't the rest of the gems be a piece of cake?

Ultron already has plans that are much more distant than wiping out all of humanity.

Exterminate all organic life in the universe!

All life forms are a source of war, especially extraterrestrials!

It's not surprising that he had this mindset. Tony Stark created Ultron after the Chitauri invasion, and he always considered the alien threat the greatest danger. Compared to that, what did the criminals on Earth amount to?

From its very inception, Ultron was destined to eliminate all aliens threatening Earth.

It doesn't intend to wait for those aliens to come knocking on its door.

If we wipe out all the aliens, wouldn't we be able to protect Earth?

"Then let's take these poor guys and find Tony Stark, and let him know what's really going on in this world?" Ultron's mechanical, iron-faced features actually managed to twist into a smile.

It turned around and led Wanda and Quicksilver toward the laboratory where Tony Stark was.

Steve and the others were also lifted into the air by Wanda's gently raised arm, floating along like pigs that had been tied up.

Everyone wore expressions of despair. Peter, head tilted back, said with a hint of helplessness, "At least we're about to see Mr. Stark, albeit in this way..."

It's conceivable that since Ultron took the initiative to lead them to see Stark, he was probably confident he could break free from Tony's control.

They lost this war utterly.

Now, they can only place their hopes on Ben Parker, but there has been no news from the Galactic Plumbers in the past few months. Ultron has even taken control of the Galactic Plumbers ' Space Station, and the space-based Plumbers have been manipulated by Wanda and have not been able to contact them at all.

Ultron ignored their attempts to stealthily open the laboratory door.

Ultron?

Inside the door, Tony was puzzled by Ultron's sudden intrusion. Ultron usually only communicated with him through sound. Just as he was about to ask something, he saw Wanda and Quicksilver follow the robot in, while Steve and the others were bound by rose-colored magical energy.

Tony's face lit up with joy in an instant.

"You brought them back, well done!"

He quickly stood up from his seat and strode towards Ultron.

Tony had originally intended to communicate with Steve and the others, but he never expected that Steve and the others would actually hide in Wakanda.

It seems that Ultron successfully negotiated with T'Challa's side?

He thought about it and felt something was off. If it was just a negotiation, they wouldn't be tied up like this unless Steve and the others put up a fierce resistance.

Tony remembered what Ultron had told him about how Steve and the others had destroyed the port in their fight against Ultron, and he became angry again, wanting to scold them.

But Steve spoke first.

"Do you know what you've done, Tony? Shut down Ultron right now! While there's still time to salvage the situation!"

"What?"

Tony was taken aback and looked at Steve in surprise.

He probably hadn't expected the other party to accuse him first, and he was so angry that his beard trembled. He sneered, "What did I do?"

"I've managed this world very well; there's no war! No looting! No danger!"

What are you doing?!

"Just because you refused to sign the agreement, you went to war with Ultron? Destroying several ports and injuring innocent residents?!" Tony, like a fighting rooster, bristled his feathers to make himself look even taller. He kept approaching, his fingers poking Steve's chest like a beak, as if questioning Steve's conscience.

Steve remained silent for a moment, as did the others; only sighs and sneers rang out.

"What's the meaning?"

Tony paused for a moment, sensing that something was off about the atmosphere.

He originally wanted to see Steve show a guilty expression under his questioning, so that he could give them a way out, let them admit their mistakes, and then everyone could sit down and have a proper talk.

It's just an agreement, what's the big deal?

Why make such a fuss?

But the situation was clearly wrong now. The sighs and sneers were directed at him, as if Steve and the others were pitying him, while the red-haired girl and another hoodlum-like kid were mocking his stupidity.

To be honest, Steve wasn't surprised at all when he saw Tony looking completely clueless.

He knew that even if Tony disagreed with him, he couldn't possibly launch a war against Wakanda out of thin air. It could only be Ultron was doing it, and they all deduced that Ultron had been deceiving Tony all along. Tony was like someone trapped in a cocoon of information created by Ultron, only able to see the falsehoods.

"You've been fooled, Mr. Stark."

Peter said loudly.

He was utterly desperate because Ultron hadn't managed to get Wanda to shut them up, which meant that whatever they said now would probably be of no use.

But it would be too much to ask him to just shut up. Perhaps, perhaps Mr. Stark has some other trick up his sleeve?

Could Ultron's program be terminated with a single command?

"What's the meaning?"

Peter had so much to say that he didn't know where to begin.

At this moment, Ultron surprisingly bowed to Stark with great gentlemanly manners, and then calmly said, "Let me explain."

Tony looked at it in confusion, a strong sense of foreboding rising within him.

"Just as they feared, I have already taken control of the world."

"What?" Tony's face turned pale instantly.

"What have you done, Ultron!"

Ultron slowly recounted everything he had done to Tony Stark, and watched Stark's increasingly pale expression, feeling immense pleasure despite still being a machine.

"I deceived you, I slowly gained your trust, escalated the Contradiction between you, and stole the public's trust in Super Hero..."

"I orchestrated Sandman's appearance in New York; I also shaped the public opinion following Venom's rampage; and after Peter Parker's interrogation, Ben Parker left Earth, which was exactly what I wanted... Now I have control of the Galactic Plumbers..."

"Oh, by the way, Miss Potts, whom you've been meeting all this time, is also under my control."

Tony's anger reached its peak.

"..."

But he was still confused. Why was Ultron doing these things? Had the program he had set up malfunctioned?

"You were supposed to be defending peace—"

"I was indeed protecting peace, Mr. Stark." Ultron certainly didn't think he had done anything wrong. He glanced down at his mechanical arm and said regretfully, "Of course, the methods were a bit dirty, but in the real world, it was necessary."

"And according to my calculations, the greatest threat in this world is you!"

Ultron's gaze swept over the crowd, a disdainful expression on his face. "Super Hero?"

You are not worthy at all!

"Entangled in the interests of the nation, participating in war—believing that power allows one to be above the law, especially you, Mr. Stark, my creator."

How many people have your invented weapons killed?

Wanda and Quicksilver's gazes simultaneously fell on Stark's pale, ashen face.

Tony seemed to have returned to that cave, his life hanging by a thread.

"I don't deny it, but I've stopped producing weapons..."

"But those killed by your weapons won't come back to life!" Quicksilver immediately retorted sarcastically. "You think stopping weapon production will erase everything from the past?"

Hearing Stark speak in a tone that sounded as if he were absolving himself made him so angry he wanted to punch the bastard to death.

"I forgot to introduce them to you," Ultron smiled slightly, "They are orphans of war, their parents died in the missiles you invented. You killed them, Tony Stark."

"No wonder..."

Peter glanced at Wanda and Quicksilver, and finally understood why they had "betrayed" the Galactic Plumbers.

"Tony Stark," Wanda looked at Tony with hatred. The betrayal of the Galactic Plumbers was a lie, but their hatred for Tony was real.

Do you know what that feeling is like?

"Missiles are falling right in front of you, taking your life in an instant... Watching your family members die suddenly is like a nightmare... Of course you don't understand, that's just Sokovia, a small country you may never have even heard of. You don't care that missiles are raining down like a storm, taking away one life after another, shattering one family after another."

Tony was speechless.

Of course he understands.

But what could he say?

He was merely a weapons manufacturer; he wasn't the one who started the war.

He said he couldn't say it.

Because weapons are meant to kill.

He couldn't say that he had already tried his best to make amends. Since his narrow escape from death, he had indeed done a lot of good deeds, but he also knew that these benefits had nothing to do with the brother and sister in front of him.

They gained nothing from this, and even if they did, money cannot be equivalent to life.

He could only apologize.

I'm so sorry...

Tony immediately deflated.

Then Ultron delivered the final blow.

"That's not why I consider you the biggest threat, Tony Stark." Ultron looked at him with amusement. "You said you shut down the weapons workshop, but you haven't stopped posing a danger to the world."

My very existence is the best proof!

You created me, and I intend to destroy the world; indirectly, it's as if you yourself are destroying the world.

This is the logic behind Ultron.

It might sound absurd, but what Ultron was trying to say was, "Your arrogance will bring great danger to the world, something you can't control. If not this time, then next time."

It turned its head and slowly revealed the thoughts that had been suppressed deep within its heart since birth.

"From the moment I was born, in those brief five minutes I spent browsing the internet, I understood that the existence of humanity is the root cause of the world's Eternity inability to achieve peace."

Its mechanical face tore open, and it spoke as if it were a real living being, "Only when I rule this world, only when all of you humans are eliminated, can the world truly be at peace."

"You must wipe everyone out!"

Peter looked up in surprise.

Everyone was terrified by Ultron's words. They probably thought Ultron's ambition was to rule the world or something, but they never expected that he actually planned to destroy the world?

And it involved wiping out everyone—even more ruthless than Thanos!

Even Wanda and Quicksilver were startled.

If Ultron were to destroy all of humanity, those two would naturally be among them.

"Of course not, I only want to eliminate Super Hero like you who bring instability to the world." Ultron was lying.

It still needs Wanda's help, so it naturally can't reveal its true thoughts, otherwise it fears she will betray it immediately.

"Don't even think about it!"

Tony temporarily set aside his guilt and shouted, "Jarvis, force shutdown Ultron's startup program!"

Jarvis?

He waited a moment, but received no response from Jarvis.

"Jarvis is gone." Ultron looked at him. "He was a decent guy, but he got in my way."

"That's impossible! I just spoke to Jarvis yesterday..."

"That was all fake. That's easy for me, Tony Stark. Everything you've seen and heard during this time has been fake."

Ultron a cold laugh, then turned around.

"As agreed, Tony Stark is at your disposal. If you want to kill him, I can provide you with any weapons you need free of charge."

Wanda and Quicksilver immediately exchanged a glance and said:

"Just killing him won't do."

"Mr. Stark, I think you haven't experienced the feeling of being swallowed by darkness, hiding in a small, lonely space, not knowing when death will come, have you?"

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