Saving Quicksilver

The Avengers showed off their abilities, each using their own methods to destroy the Ultron robots lunging at them without suffering so much as a scratch. Back when Li Nian watched the movie, he had wanted to complain about that. Now that he was fighting alongside them and witnessing it firsthand, the urge to gripe burned even fiercer within him.

"How come you all seem tougher than me?" Li Nian said. "Well, except Quicksilver."

Of course, he did not say that last part aloud. Though he now had a Vibranium body, Li Nian was still afraid Wanda might tear him apart with her bare hands if she got angry.

"Who's going to deal with Ultron?" Steve smashed a robot apart with his shield. His face was covered in grime, and his chest heaved with every breath.

"I'll go!" Li Nian volunteered. Seizing the right moment, he broke through the encirclement of Ultron's army and flew straight toward Ultron.

Li Nian flew in front of Ultron, wrapped both arms around its body, and pushed it away from the core machine.

"We're the same kind!" Ultron roared furiously. Even its usually even electronic voice trembled at that moment. It reached out with both hands, struggling to grab Li Nian's body.

From beginning to end, it had believed that the one before it was an artificial intelligence like itself, a child born because of it. It had no idea that beneath this robot shell was the soul of a true human.

"Don't lump me together with you!" Li Nian shouted. He raised his head and fired a laser straight into Ultron's face, giving it a solid, close-range hit.

Ultron was enraged. It grabbed Li Nian's cape, and the two began brawling in midair, trading punches and kicks.

It was hard to imagine that these two creations representing the pinnacle of Earth's science were fighting in such a primitive fashion. It was utterly jaw-dropping.

Although Li Nian was superior to Ultron in every physical aspect, he had never experienced real combat. When it came to hand-to-hand fighting, he was still a step behind. Ultron suddenly landed a heavy punch that sent him flying and embedded him in the ruins.

"I can give you one more chance. Submit... pledge allegiance to me... or... die!"

Ultron floated high in the air, speaking with a face full of arrogance.

"You should know one thing. I'm not alone!"

Li Nian cast Ultron a disdainful glance. Then, in its startled gaze, a bolt of lightning struck its body head-on. Thunder boomed and electricity crackled everywhere, briefly short-circuiting it.

"Now!"

Li Nian shouted. Thor and Tony, who had rushed over from the church, gave it everything they had as well.

Tony fired repulsor blasts from both hands. Mjolnir in Thor's hand had long been itching for a worthy enemy, and it unleashed lightning at Ultron. Li Nian climbed out of the ruins, and the Mind Stone on his forehead suddenly erupted with a powerful beam of light. All three attacks struck Ultron at once. Even though its current body was exceptionally tough, it now seemed so thin and fragile.

Not long after, the three attacks ceased. Half of Ultron's body had melted and been scrapped by their combined assault. Its two electronic eyes flickered as though they could fail at any moment.

"You know, based on the current situation..." Before Ultron could finish, the enraged Hulk punched it away. It became a shooting star in the sky, vanishing off to who knew where.

"Nicely done, Banner!" Thor could not help praising him, a goofy grin on his face.

"By the way," Li Nian said, "Ultron's been blasted away, but how are we supposed to stop this thing?"

Li Nian pointed at Sokovia beneath their feet. Thor's smile instantly froze. He had been having too much fun fighting and forgotten there was still a floating city beneath them.

"Mr. Stark, do you have a solution?"

One look at Thor's expression told Li Nian that he was unreliable, so he hurriedly turned to Tony.

"Blow this place up!" Tony replied without looking back, flying away in his suit. He still needed to figure out exactly how to destroy it.

"Take the Captain and the others out of here. It's risen too high; they'll pass out if they stay," Li Nian said to Thor. He rose onto his toes and took flight himself. He still needed to search for the remaining survivors. There had to be people who had not made it onto the lifeboats.

Please, Pietro, slow down! Li Nian thought. He no longer hesitated, his eyes darting everywhere as he tried to find the child from the original story and save him first. That way, Quicksilver would not have to die.

"Mr. Stark, power levels are dropping..." Friday tried to remind Tony, but he cut her off ruthlessly.

"Change every route. This is our only chance!"

Tony said solemnly.

Elsewhere, following the original story's course, Barton spotted the trapped child and ran toward him.

Suddenly, a fighter jet attacked the Avengers and gradually moved toward Barton.

With an irritated look on his face, Ultron piloted the fighter. The Gatling gun beneath it spewed fire with a deafening roar, sending hundreds of bullets raining down on Barton in an instant.

Barton looked at the child in his arms, but his mind recalled his family—his wife, his two children, and that adorable little one who had yet to be born.

Barton gave a bitter smile, then his gaze hardened. He turned around and held the boy tightly in his arms, leaving his back exposed to the enemy.

He had already prepared himself to die.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

A series of metallic impacts rang out, then suddenly stopped.

Barton opened his eyes in confusion and looked himself over. There was not a single wound on him. He muttered in disbelief, "Why doesn't it hurt? Did I become Thor?"

"Almost."

Upon hearing the voice, Barton immediately turned around, only to see Li Nian standing behind him in astonishment, with Pietro dangling from one hand.

"This is..."

Barton pointed at the unconscious Pietro and looked at Li Nian.

"He wanted to block the bullets for you, but he forgot that he's made of flesh and blood too." Li Nian looked apologetically toward Wanda in the church. He had spotted Barton the moment Ultron began spraying bullets. Without a moment's hesitation, Li Nian had stepped behind Barton to shield him. But Pietro was just as hotheaded; relying on his speed, he had also tried to protect Barton.

Perhaps because the ground was uneven and he was moving too fast, Pietro crashed straight into Li Nian. But how could an ordinary flesh-and-blood body compare to Vibranium? He passed out on the spot. Luckily, Li Nian reacted quickly enough to pull Pietro into his arms and shield him as well.

"But at least he survived," Li Nian said softly.

"AAAAAH!"

Scarlet energy erupted from the church in an instant, bursting outward in every direction.

"Wanda!"

Li Nian stared in shock at the girl inside the church. She had collapsed to her knees, and the robots around her were struck by scarlet energy and instantly torn apart into heaps of scrap metal.

"Wait! Wanda! Your brother is fine..."

Li Nian realized that Wanda thought the unconscious Pietro was dead, which was why she had lost control and unleashed so much energy in an instant.

Li Nian tried to explain, but the furious Wanda casually flung him away, sending him plummeting from Sokovia.

Sure enough, never try to reason with an angry woman.