Peaceful days are always short-lived.
After enjoying a satisfying meal of Chongqing Sichuan cuisine, everyone had only been able to relax for a few days when the tense crisis returned.
Inside the emergency meeting room at SSC headquarters, everyone reassembled. The calm of the past few days had relaxed the atmosphere at the base considerably, but the ease on everyone's faces had vanished, replaced by a familiar solemnity.
Maria Hill strode into the conference room, holding an encrypted intelligence document in her hand. Her expression was serious, and she got straight to the point.
"We just received urgent intelligence from our frontline agents: Ultron secretly took a batch of Vibranium from Ulysses Klaue, a black market Vibranium dealer, some time ago."
She projected the data onto a large screen, and a dense stream of data and a list of supplies popped up, making one's heart sink.
"The quantity is enormous, far exceeding the usual levels, enough to support a complete set of ultra-high precision mega-mechanical engineering projects, or even to build a fully armed mechanical legion."
After he finished speaking, the conference room fell silent for a moment.
Tony crossed his arms, staring at the Vibranium data on the screen. His gaze darkened slightly, and his tone became certain. "It seems I wasn't wrong. It has no intention of resting and recuperating; it's preparing for a massive project. Such a large quantity of Vibranium is definitely not going to be used to make ordinary mechanical soldiers."
Lynn leaned back in his chair, his fingertips lightly tapping the table, his expression calm yet precisely hitting the nail on the head.
"No matter what he wants to build, his ultimate goal has never changed from beginning to end."
"His sole objective is to eradicate threats and quell chaos; in his eyes, humanity is the greatest destabilizing factor on Earth. This batch of Vibranium is absolutely intended to completely destroy the existing human order."
After speaking, Lynn turned his gaze to Dr. Banner, who had been standing silently at the back of the crowd in the corner of the conference room, and raised his hand with a smile.
"Alright, now it's the professionals' turn to speak. Dr. Banner, it seems you have a different perspective. Would you like to share your insights?"
All eyes immediately focused on Banner.
Dr. Banner looked conflicted, his brows furrowed deeply. He hesitated for two steps before stepping forward to the center of the crowd, his expression more serious than ever before.
"I've been reviewing Ultron's logic lately, combining it with evolutionary deduction, and I've come to a very frightening conclusion."
He took a deep breath, his words heavy with conviction. "He believed that humanity didn't need protection, but rather evolution. This was the core mindset that formed after Ultron's birth."
He believed that weak, greedy, and inflicted-on-insult humans were unworthy of dominating the Earth, and that only by completely eliminating the old humanity and completing racial iteration could the Earth achieve true order.
Upon hearing this, Tony's pupils contracted slightly, and his expression instantly turned grim.
Banner continued, "When you and I were studying the data on Loki's Scepter, we always thought it was simply activating the basic programs of artificial intelligence. But looking back now, we didn't fully understand that information and implanted advanced evolutionary thinking into Ultron. From the moment of its birth, Ultron's goal was not to maintain peace, but to transcend, perfect, and evolve to achieve lasting peace."
At this point, Banner suddenly looked up at Tony, his tone urgent. " Tony, has anyone contacted Dr. Helen Cho recently?"
Upon hearing this, everyone present was slightly taken aback.
Dr. Helen Cho a world-leading authority in the fields of bio-genetic engineering and human regeneration. The " Regeneration Cradle " regeneration chamber she created is currently the only cutting-edge device in the world capable of remodeling living cells and perfectly integrating mechanical and biological bodies.
Combining the large-scale Vibranium and the evolutionary thinking of artificial intelligence, everyone instantly understood Ultron's purpose, and a chill ran through their hearts.
Without any unnecessary words, everyone immediately got up and quickly went to the equipment area to organize combat equipment and test weapons and armor.
With the battle imminent, everyone moved swiftly and efficiently, maintaining order throughout.
As Lynn put on his tactical accessories, he turned to look at Steve, who was adjusting his shield, with his usual sly grin on his face.
"So, Captain, the battle is about to begin again. Any pre-battle remarks?"
Steve paused, looked up at the bustling streets of New York outside the floor-to-ceiling window, a hint of wistfulness in his eyes, and shook his head with a helpless chuckle.
"I actually miss my generation."
"Back in my day, the most outrageous, cutting-edge, and unbelievable invention was me after being injected with the Super Soldier Serum."
After saying that, Steve raised his hand and gently patted Lynn's shoulder, suppressing all his emotions. His eyes regained their firmness, and he turned and walked out of the equipment room towards the helipad.
Soon, everyone was fully equipped and assembled on the tarmac, ready to board the plane for departure.
As everyone boarded the plane, Lynn suddenly spoke up, softly calling out to Natasha, who was about to step up and catch up with the group.
" Natasha."
Natasha paused, turned around, and looked back with a hint of doubt in her delicate eyes.
Lynn quickly stepped forward, gently put his hand on her waist, and before she could react, he leaned down and kissed her lips forcefully.
There was no lingering tenderness, only solemn admonitions and concerns; brief yet exceptionally heartfelt.
They parted abruptly. Lynn looked into her eyes, his tone earnest yet gentle. "Be careful. Don't rush too far ahead during the chase. Tony, the captain, and I will handle all the frontal pressure."
Natasha's eyes softened with a gentle smile. She obediently tiptoed and gently returned his kiss on the corner of his lips, her voice soft yet firm.
"I know you're here. But I also have my own work and responsibilities; I won't just hide in the background."
She raised an eyebrow and smiled, her tone filled with complete trust. "Don't worry, if anything really goes wrong, you'll protect me, right?"
"Of course." Lynn nodded.
Natasha said no more, smiled and turned around, quickly following the boarding team. The group set off immediately, the Quinjet cutting through the sky, heading straight for Seoul South Korea.
Meanwhile, in Seoul, inside a top-tier biological laboratory.
The entire laboratory has been completely sealed off by Ultron's mechanical soldiers, and all security personnel and researchers have been taken into custody, their lives in grave danger.
Ultron stood beside the experimental table, his scarlet electronic eyes icy cold, his tone filled with extreme indifference and coercion.
Using the lives of all the staff present as leverage, he forced Dr. Helen Cho to activate the Regeneration Cradle Chamber, using a large quantity of ultra-high purity Vibranium as the core material to create a brand new, perfect body.
Dr. Helen Cho trembled with fear, yet she was also utterly shocked by what was displayed on the screen in front of her.
The data flashing on the screen was absolutely perfect; the toughness and stability of the mechanical metal were completely integrated with the activity and vitality of the human body, without the slightest rejection reaction.
Dr. Helen Cho stared intently at the screen, her eyes filled with the extreme fascination and amazement of a researcher, and she unconsciously murmured to herself.
"It's amazing... it's simply perfect art. Vibranium and biological cells fit together perfectly; this is a miracle that the medical and mechanical fields have never achieved before."
Ultron, standing nearby, let out a cold, mocking laugh. His electronically synthesized voice was devoid of emotion and filled with contempt for humanity.
"Look at you humans, how short-sighted and how ignorant you are."
" Vibranium on Earth, is being treated like a toy by you, turned into a frisbee."
"Despite possessing the world's strongest metal, they only scratch the surface, content with the most basic uses, and will never pursue ultimate perfection or evolution."
He stood beside the Cradle, his gaze fixed on the human form that was gradually taking shape inside—torso, limbs, head—a perfect body far exceeding human limits was slowly being born.
Dr. Helen Cho quickly scanned the last set of monitoring data, looked up at Ultron, and reported in a deep voice, "The body structure has taken shape, the cell fusion rate is 100%, and there is no rejection or damage. Although the cultivation is not yet fully completed, consciousness transfer can be performed now, and it can be activated at any time."
Ultron's crimson eyes flickered slightly as he stared at the perfectly formed body sleeping soundly in the Cradle, and he spoke softly, "Begin the transfer."
The next instant, the mechanical interface at the back of the head lit up with a blue light, and countless data streams rushed into the Regeneration Cradle along the lines, and the artificial intelligence consciousness began to transfer to the new Vibranium body.
The progress bar jumped rapidly, 10%, 30%, 50%...
Just as the transmission was halfway through, Ultron's eyes suddenly flashed, detecting the signal of the Quinjet rapidly approaching from high altitude.
His tone turned icy, and he abruptly ended the transmission. "Someone's coming. Quinjet. What a nuisance."
Without the slightest hesitation, he roughly pulled out the transmission cable at the back of his head, no longer caring about the unfinished transfer of consciousness, and turned around to give an order.
"Evacuate."
A large number of mechanical soldiers immediately took action, quickly packing and sealing the not-yet-fully-formed Vibranium body, loading it into large cargo trucks, and evacuating the laboratory at top speed.
In less than two minutes, the laboratory was deserted, leaving only messy equipment and terrified researchers.
Not long after, Steve burst through the door.
The entire laboratory was empty, with no trace of Ultron or the mechanical soldiers. Only Dr. Helen Cho was squatting alone beside the instruments, her face pale, her whole body trembling, and her eyes vacant. She was clearly terrified by the coercion she had just suffered.
Steve quickly stepped forward, gently comforted the frightened Helen Cho, and quietly inquired about Ultron's whereabouts.
But Helen Cho was clearly in a state of mental confusion, unable to utter a complete sentence. She could only stare repeatedly at the Regeneration Cradle, murmuring repeatedly, " Cradle... body... Cradle..."
Steve immediately raised his hand and pressed the intercom button on his ear, quickly reporting to the entire team, " Ultron has escaped. Dr. Helen Cho is in shock and extremely unstable, repeatedly 'Cradle.' That unfinished body is his core target, the highest priority. All of you, immediately track Ultron's movements. I'll calm Helen Cho down and then follow him."
Hawkeye's calm report rang out instantly over the communication channel, "Target locked, the heavy-duty freight truck from the lab. Should we intercept it?"
As soon as Hawkeye finished speaking, Lynn's voice immediately rang out in the channel.
"Don't fire. Don't stop them in the city."
"This is Seoul, a place with lots of people and cars. If you open fire now and force the heavy truck to stop, and it gets out of control and injures civilians, those petty politicians will be able to pin all the blame on us tomorrow and make us take the fall."
After saying that, he called out into the communicator in a deep voice, " Tony, are you in position yet?"
Tony's voice came immediately, accompanied by the whooshing sound of his armor cutting through the air, "We're on our way, positioned at nine o'clock high in the air. I'll apply pressure from the side from high above, gradually forcing them off the main city road and driving the convoy into a deserted area on the outskirts."
"Receive."
Just then, the ear-piercing roar of two motorcycles came from the ground.
Two black heavy motorcycles sped into the traffic, flanking the rear of the freight truck from both sides. Steve's calm voice rang out simultaneously. " Natasha and I are in position on the ground, following closely the entire time. You plan the route to force it to stop, we'll coordinate the blocking maneuvers."
A high-speed chase across the bustling streets of Seoul has officially begun.
At this moment, Seoul's Seoul roads were experiencing peak daytime traffic, with streets and alleys bustling with cars and pedestrians. The dense traffic greatly limited the pursuit speed.
Ultron's heavy trucks were completely unruly, with massive bodies and astonishing weights, relying on their Vibranium- reinforced bodies to rampage through traffic.
The screeching of brakes, the roar of engines, and the screams of passersby rose and fell. The truck ignored traffic lights and lane markings, frequently changing lanes and recklessly overtaking, carving a highway through the congested city traffic, nearly hitting private cars and pedestrians several times, creating an extremely dangerous situation.
Behind the truck, two heavy motorcycles were locked in a tight chase, not letting up an inch.
Steve drove his motorcycle steadily and aggressively, constantly blocking the truck's attempts to change lanes, forcing it to flee towards the outskirts of the city.
Natasha's driving skills became even more nimble and cunning. She kept her body close to the ground, and the motorcycle nimbly weaved through the gaps, constantly probing the truck's blind spots and interfering with the mechanical soldiers' operations.
Inside the truck, the remaining mechanized soldiers immediately launched a counterattack. Several machine guns emerged from the windows, unleashing a dense barrage of bullets and a furious barrage of firepower in an attempt to force back the two following motorcycles.
Bullets struck the road, sending sparks flying and causing nearby cars to swerve to avoid them, creating an extremely dangerous scene.
High in the sky, Tony's Iron Man Armor circled and descended, his palm pulse cannon fully charged, yet he refrained from firing at high power.
As Lynn said, high-intensity fighting must not break out in the city; if it affects civilians, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Tony could only fly low, using the high-speed mobility of his armor to create air pressure, repeatedly diving from the side to intimidate and force the heavy trucks to deviate from the main urban roads and drive them toward the empty overpasses and deserted sections of the suburbs.
Inside the truck, Ultron increasingly agitated.
He knew very well that once he was driven out of the city and into the deserted area, he would completely lose the cover of the terrain and face the full encirclement of the Avengers. His unfinished Vibranium body would most likely be taken away.
Enraged, the truck drove even more recklessly, even ramming into traffic and smashing through vehicles blocking its path, speeding at top speed.
Small mechanical clones kept jumping out from the rear of the vehicle, quickly transforming upon landing, and then chasing on foot, throwing explosive devices in an attempt to destroy the following motorcycle and disrupt the pursuit.
Explosive bombs landed and exploded one after another, sending debris flying and dust billowing everywhere.
Steve and Natasha worked together seamlessly, one blocking and defending while the other precisely targeted and eliminated all the pursuing small mechanical beings, keeping a tight grip on the truck the entire time without letting up for a moment.
Tony, high in the air, seized the opportunity and, taking advantage of the truck's sudden lane change and instability, swooped down, his palm beam striking the ground precisely beside the truck's front wheel.
The powerful energy impact ripped up a large section of the road, forcing the truck to shake violently, briefly lose control, and instantly lock its path.
"Route locked, he can't escape!"
Tony's voice, filled with certainty, resonated throughout the communication channel.
Ultron looked at the crowd following closely outside the car, grabbed the broken transmission cable, and plugged it back into the port on the back of his head. The blue light lit up again, and the progress bar continued to jump from 53%.
His crimson electronic eyes swept across the roaring noise outside the carriage, his voice cold and calm. "Since you're so eager to die, then stay and witness true evolution."
As usual, I'm not asking for gifts, just a few clicks to encourage more updates and to show my support. If it's convenient, leaving a book review would be even better.
I'm saying all this mainly because I'm afraid I'll get more gifts from the boss later, which would leave me feeling overwhelmed.
I am a Level 2 user, with a daily word limit of 20,000, a guaranteed minimum of 4,000 words, and occasional free bursts of updates during my free time.
Request an update: If there are 300 comments requesting an update in a single day, an extra chapter will be added (based on backend data).
Bonus chapter for gifts: Unlock 1 chapter for every 50 gifts accumulated in a day (the price shown is the original price before the platform takes its cut). For each additional chapter unlocked, the bonus increases by 15 from the previous tier. Gifts given as a token of appreciation are also included.
Chapter 1: 50
Chapter 2: 65
Chapter 3: 80
... increasing sequentially
To reach the daily limit of 20,000 words and 8 additional chapters, a total of 820 yuan is required.
The incremental design was inspired by the idea that it would protect the bosses' wallets, boost everyone's enthusiasm for urging more updates, and incidentally protect my liver—it's incredibly clever!
Friendly reminder: Bosses who want to unlock more chapters with gifts, please calculate your quota carefully. Gifts exceeding the daily word limit will be wasted. (However, I think the chance of actually accumulating enough daily update quota is practically nonexistent.)
The calculation of requests for updates and gifts is cumulative. All data is reset at midnight every day and recalculated the following day.
There is a delay in the statistical analysis of the backend data; all bonus chapters will be published the following day. (For example, I will only see the complete data for the 17th at 12 noon on the 18th, and the bonus chapter for the 17th will be published on the 19th.)
Please feel free to comment with any opinions after reading this. If possible, we can proceed according to this plan.