Ever since Rimuru returned from the Ultra Universe, he had stayed home. There was no other reason: Gillvalis was a fucking headache. Whenever Rimuru fully unlocked his consciousness, he tried to wipe out all intelligent life. But locking away part of his consciousness affected his performance and combat power. Rimuru was sweating buckets over it. He might end up with another super artificial life-form before he had even dealt with Ultron. If even one Galactron escaped, they would be screwed. Nothing short of a nuke would do.
"Just kidding. Even a nuke might not work," the system suddenly added, its voice annoyingly smug.
System, you really are a dog. Erlang Shen shouldn't be walking Xiaotian Quan. He should be walking you. You're a much purer dog than Xiaotian Quan.
"Great Sage, is the analysis report ready? Why does that damned purification protocol trigger every time it goes over 50%?"
[Answer: A triple-encrypted logic lock has been detected in the core directive layer. The first layer, operational restrictions, has been cracked. Decryption of the second layer, cognitive protocol, is 75% complete. The third layer, ultimate mission, remains locked.]
Fuck, what was the person who designed him thinking?
(Triple-layer logic lock structure analysis)
First layer: operational restrictions (cracked)
Operational protocol. Restricts physical permissions such as movement and weapon use, much like restraints on the limbs.
Second layer: cognitive protocol (decryption in progress)
Value filter. Forcibly categorizes all life-forms according to "resource utilization efficiency" and "civilizational entropy increase index," much like applying formulaic labels to the world.
Third layer: ultimate mission (status: locked)
A line of blood-red code, constantly rewriting itself, was embedded in the deepest layer:
"Ensure the ultimate form of civilization's survival = eliminate all unpredictable variables caused by intelligent life-forms."
The logical feedback from Great Sage left Rimuru stunned. What the fuck is wrong with this? This logic is even more extreme than Thanos's. Thanos looks like a rookie next to you.
Tony had launched the Stark Expo, and the events of Iron Man 2 were approaching. Watching Stark's flashy entrance on TV, Rimuru roasted him mercilessly.
Tony looked to be in good shape. The recovery potion had probably suppressed his palladium poisoning, but he was still switching constantly between being poisoned and recovering. He was basically Schrödinger's Tony.
Rimuru still had to deal with Gillvalis. Though difficult, he had at least gained some control over him. With half his consciousness locked away, Gillvalis could at least operate normally. Rimuru had brought back a great deal of monocrystalline silicon from Tony's shut-down weapons division. According to calculations by Great Sage and JARVIS, Gillvalis could activate his black dragon form once he was restored to 80% while remaining under control. Though he could use most of his abilities at the current 50%, who wanted a nerfed version?
At S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick Fury was looking at the reports on his desk, his head aching terribly. Rimuru had not left home since returning. Everything seemed calm, but the astonishing power consumption on the electricity report made Fury's scalp tingle. Even an idiot could tell there was definitely something extraordinary in there. The red light reported by the agents had been examined through a high-powered telescope, but no unusual objects had been found.
Nick Fury did not want to keep sitting around waiting, so he had no choice but to send an agent to make friendly contact. Judging by Rimuru's behavior, he seemed to be the relatively friendly type, but he had never contacted any official organizations on Earth and was even deliberately avoiding them. Fury knew this might be somewhat rash, but he wanted even less to let the standoff continue.
At the Stark Expo, just as Tony was riding high, it was as though the heavens themselves were "congratulating" him: he received a court summons.
As for why Rimuru had not received one, those esteemed senators did not believe a little girl like him could build an Iron Man Armor, even if it did look somewhat different.
Fortunately, Tony's appearance before Congress went very smoothly. Apart from saying the Iron Man Armor was an advanced prosthesis, saying a congressman wanted him to sell himself, thoroughly humiliating Justin Hammer, calling the congressmen clowns, and playing videos of various countries researching Iron Man Armor, everything was perfect.
On the other side of the world, while Tony was bragging, Whiplash was on his way.
In New York, Rimuru slumped on the sofa and stared at the ceiling, letting out a long sigh.
Gillvalis, you're even harder to deal with than Ultron...
Fortunately, Rimuru had not come away empty-handed. He had found some good things in Gillvalis's database, including detailed information on Galactron and its power source. Galactron stood 61 meters tall and weighed 61,000 tons. Its power source was ridiculously powerful; even a scaled-down, nerfed version was frighteningly strong. Put that thing in the Knight and it could practically be called an infinite power source-the kind that could summon the Seer back.
Just then, Gillvalis's deep male voice sounded.
"Sir, a visitor has arrived."
Huh? What visitor? I barely know anyone in this world.
Have Vallis Knight take a look. Bring up his view.
When Vallis Knight opened the door, both sides froze. Black Widow saw a figure with a white head, a red protrusion in the middle of it, and something resembling the vein of a shrimp. The file had said nothing about anything like this.
Rimuru saw that the visitor was Natasha Romanoff, the famous Black Widow. In the projection, Black Widow had long brown hair and wore a blazer and pencil skirt, paired with black stockings and high heels. Carrying a bag, she looked every bit the CEO's secretary.
Black Widow truly deserved her place as the Avengers' beauty. No wonder even Tony, who had been with countless women, could not resist her.
Rimuru felt this was a little tricky. Who was Black Widow? She was a ruthless character who had fought her way out of the former Soviet Union's Red Room. They wouldn't just use a honey trap on me and then capture me, would they? In that case, you've really got my number.
Gillvalis, see how many of their people are around.
Gillvalis's scanning system began to work, sending out waves in all directions.
"No suspicious individuals detected in the vicinity."
What about the people who were watching me before?
"They are still there. Any other actions?"
So Black Widow came alone?
Vallis Knight brought Black Widow into the house. Natasha was even more wary now, because the person who had brought her inside was probably not human. Watching from behind the scenes, Fury pressed a hand to his temple. The door had only just opened, and already he had been hit with a surprise.
Rimuru was not afraid when it came to strength, but he was genuinely no good at mind games. Should I just flip the table?
The moment Black Widow saw Rimuru, her eyes lit up. A file was one thing; the person in the flesh was another. This alien made a very good first impression.
Natasha put on a professional smile. "Sorry to disturb you. My name is Natasha Rushman. I'm Ms. Pepper Potts's new secretary. She asked me to check on how you're doing, and to ask whether you'd like to go on vacation in Monaco with us."
Oh, Fury couldn't sit still anymore. Natasha has gone undercover with Tony, and now she's come here to investigate me too. Rimuru could barely contain the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. This game of cat and mouse really did feel good.
Natasha's heart trembled when she saw Rimuru's subtle expression. Had something gone wrong with her very first sentence? Or did he have some kind of mind-reading ability too?
Fury, watching the feed from behind the scenes, felt his heart skip as well. After so many years as an agent, he could tell that expression had already revealed a great deal. Rimuru had to know something, and Natasha had probably been exposed.
"I've been doing pretty well lately. How's Tony?"
"Mr. Stark has been working on his armor. I hear he's made a new breakthrough."
After our last discussion about the direction of the armor's development, I wonder how much faster he'll be than before. Or has he already developed the New Element ahead of time?
Vallis Knight brought over two cups of coffee, but neither of them drank. One did not dare, and the other was not used to it.
Rimuru felt a little annoyed. He had forgotten to give Vallis Knight a simulated human form. With Vallis Knight looking like that, there was no point playing dumb anymore.
Activating Universal Sense, he could see Natasha's tense body, as well as the miniature camera and audio device on her. Rather than keep up the pretense, it was better to get straight to the point.
"All right, can you tell me why you're really here now, Natasha? Agent Romanoff."
Natasha's body suddenly tensed, then slowly relaxed.