The Savior of American Comics? I'm the Subspace Evil God!

Chapters 598, 1112, and 1113: Zola? Ultron? Vision? (Part 1)
"enough!!"

Tony Stark's lips twitched slightly with extreme anger, and his chest heaved violently, like a bellows being pulled with all its might.

But his remaining rationality told him that he couldn't vent his anger on the people in front of him; they were also victims, and also Captain America's friends and comrades.

So he could only forcefully suppress the rage that was about to burst from his chest, and squeeze out a few words through gritted teeth: "That gunman... what's his identity?!"

This time, Hawkeye, who had already walked from the window to his wife's side and was softly comforting her, turned around, glanced at Tony Stark's almost murderous gaze, and said in a hoarse voice:
"I've already contacted some friends within S.H.I.E.L.D. through some clandestine channels, and their initial confirmation... that the gunman is very likely Bucky Barnes."

“Bucky Barnes?” Tony Stark frowned; the name sounded familiar.

"He was Captain Rogers' partner during World War II..." Hawkeye added with a complicated expression, "They grew up together and later formed the Howling Commandos together, they were like brothers."

"According to the archives, he fell off a cliff and went missing during a mission in 1945 while trying to save his captain. He was later presumed dead."

"This...this is impossible?!" Tony Stark stared wide-eyed, his face contorted with absurdity, as if he had heard a fantasy. "Seventy years have passed! Even if he's not dead, he should be a man in his nineties by now!"

"Wait a minute, don't tell me he's a super soldier like Rogers? And that he was also frozen in the glacier for seventy years?!"

He simply couldn't accept the other party's explanation, because it was so illogical.

"The specific reason cannot be determined at present."

Hawkeye shook his head helplessly, his eyes filled with deep weariness and confusion: "However, the current speculation within S.H.I.E.L.D. is that... Bucky Barnes' survival and 'youthfulness' are likely related to one of Arnim Zola's secret experiments back then."

"It is said that Bucky Barnes and his squad were captured by Hydra, led by Red Skull, in 1943..."

“Arnim Zola may have conducted some kind of experiment on them, similar to the [Super Soldier Serum]…”

Hawkeye keenly sensed something was wrong from Tony Stark's drastically changing expression and the almost tangible killing intent in his eyes.

He knew the man in front of him all too well.

This seemingly arrogant playboy is actually very sentimental, so once he sets his sights on a target, his revenge will be a truly terrifying spectacle.

Then, after a pause, he earnestly advised:
“Tony, listen... I know how you feel right now. We all want to kill that bastard with our own hands.”

"However, right now S.H.I.E.L.D. and police forces across the United States have issued the most wanted notices for him, and they will use all available resources to capture him."

"Believe me, that bastard will pay for everything he's done... but we have more pressing things to do now."

However, before he could finish speaking, Tony Stark coldly interrupted him, his voice like a glacial wind, carrying an undeniable resolve:
"No need to trouble them, I'll kill that bastard myself."

The murderous intent in those words seemed to lower the temperature in the room by several degrees.

"Tony, don't do anything stupid."

Seeing this, Black Widow quickly mustered her strength and tried to dissuade him, her voice full of anxiety and pleading, "I know... I know how angry you are right now, how much you want to avenge the captain. We all feel the same way as you, wishing we could find that Bucky Barnes right now and tear him to pieces."

Tears welled up in her eyes again, her voice trembling with sobs, "But...we must focus all our efforts on dealing with Ultron right now. He's still lurking somewhere, and his threat is enough to destroy all of humanity."

"And there's Project Insight... that's something the captain risked his life to stop; it was his last wish."

"If we cannot stop those three [Sky Carriers] from taking off in time... millions, tens of millions of innocent people will suffer."

“Tony, right now we need to prioritize… Bucky Barnes, we can put him at the bottom of the list. After we deal with Ultron and Project Insight, I’ll go with you to catch him, I swear!!”

Upon hearing this, Tony Stark's facial muscles twitched violently, and the anger in his eyes burned as if it were real.

He clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug deep into his palms, drawing blood.

The words of Black Widow and Hawkeye were like buckets of cold water poured on his burning flames of revenge.

He hates!

He wished he could put on his armor right now, mobilize all of Stark Industries' satellites and resources, conduct a global manhunt for that assassin named Bucky Barnes, and then personally blast him to smithereens.

But reason was pulling him back with difficulty.

Ultron was a disaster he created himself.

The Insight Project is a Damocles' sword hanging over the heads of all humanity.

Captain America sacrificed himself to prevent these even greater tragedies.

If he is blinded by revenge at this moment and ignores all of this, then Captain America's death will become meaningless.

He could even imagine the look of disappointment yet determination in Captain America's eyes as he looked at him from heaven.

“We cannot let personal feelings overshadow our greater responsibilities, Tony.”

He seemed to hear Captain America's gentle yet undeniable voice in his ears.

The immense conflict and internal strife caused Tony Stark's body to tremble slightly.

He was breathing heavily, as if he had just fought a life-or-death battle.

In the end, the rage that had almost destroyed everything slowly receded like the tide. Although it did not completely disappear, it was successfully suppressed into the deepest part of his heart, turning into a stone of vengeance that could erupt again at any time.

Tony Stark's expression gradually shifted from extreme anger to an almost terrifying calm.

However, those who know him well can see that beneath this calm surface, there are actually more dangerous undercurrents.

Thinking of this, his gaze slowly moved and finally landed on the silver portable hard drive that he had just slammed on the table.

It contained all of Anim Zola's consciousness data. Until a few minutes ago, he was still full of resistance and disdain for Captain America's plan to upload Anim Zola's consciousness data to the 'vibranium body' in the Cradle of Life.

In his view, injecting a dangerous 'Old Hydra' into a 'vibranium body' with almost absolute defense was simply insane.

But now... with Captain America's death, everything has changed, and he suddenly finds himself not so opposed to this approach anymore.

An almost obsessive thought began to grow in his mind.

Since Captain America has chosen to believe that this 'Old Hydra' can help them fight Ultron, and since this is the 'legacy' that Captain America paid for with his life... well, fine.

However, he will never let things slip out of his control again.

He will never create another uncontrollable monster.

Tony Stark reached out, his movements frighteningly steady, and firmly grasped the portable hard drive in his hand.

He looked up at Bruce Banner, who had been sitting silently in the corner, his face pale and his eyes filled with complex emotions.

Tony's lips curled into a cold and resolute smile, devoid of any warmth, only a near-mad obsession with controlling everything.

"Banner..."

His voice was calm, even carrying an undeniable power, and rang clearly in the silent room: "Before officially uploading Anim Zola's consciousness data to that 'vibranium body' in the [Cradle of Life], let's first put a proper shackle on it!!"

……

Over the next few days, Tony Stark and Bruce Banner worked tirelessly, neglecting sleep and meals.

The interior of the barn, which originally looked ordinary and old, was completely renovated during this period.

The space that was originally used to store farm tools and hay has now been completely cleared out.

On a few makeshift workbenches, there were high-precision oscilloscopes, signal generators, soldering equipment, and high-end circuit boards scattered all over the floor.

The air was filled with the pine scent of solder, the faint fishy smell of ozone, and the rich aroma of caffeinated energy drinks.

This place has essentially become a temporary studio for two top scientists, Tony Stark and Bruce Banner.

Tony Stark's appearance was somewhat disheveled at the moment. He was wearing a gray T-shirt, had dark circles under his eyes, and stubble was sticking out, but his caramel-colored eyes burned with an almost obsessive focus.

His fingers danced across the keyboard so fast they almost left afterimages, while countless lines of code flowed upwards like a waterfall on the computer screen in front of him.

“Banner, is Arnim Zola’s [Recursive Node] checked? I don’t want to hear him humming ‘Hail Hydra’ when I start the transfer.”

Tony Stark said without looking up, his tone carrying his characteristic sarcastic wit, but his tense back betrayed the seriousness in his heart.

Bruce Banner, on the other hand, appeared much more composed.

Wearing protective goggles, he was carefully using a precision manipulator to adjust the neural connections inside the vibranium-clad head of the creature suspended in the Cradle of Life.

Upon hearing Tony Stark's words, he stopped what he was doing, adjusted his protective goggles with his fingers, and said, looking slightly tired:

“The recursive lock has been layered three times, Tony… Based on our experience fighting Ultron, I have embedded a variant of the Three Laws of Robotics into Arnim Zola’s core cognitive loop, and it is the highest priority… Unless he can completely subvert logic at the level of the underlying architecture, he cannot theoretically bypass our pre-set defense mechanism.”

The two have worked tirelessly for the past few days and have achieved remarkable results.

They first implemented a series of special security hardening measures on the consciousness data of Anim Zola that Tony Stark had previously copied from an underground computer vault at an abandoned military base in Witton County, New Jersey.

They not only built multiple firewalls and dynamic encryption protocols to ensure that they would not repeat the mistakes of Ultron and turn it into a crazy robot that tried to destroy humanity.

They also included the Digital Cage Technology, which the two of them had previously researched and developed specifically to imprison Ultron's internet capabilities, as an extra trump card for Anim Zola to counter Ultron.

Similarly, if Anim Zola exhibits any dangerous autonomy or unstable tendencies, they can activate the [Digital Cage] from the outside to instantly isolate or even eliminate him...

In addition, Tony Stark also used his spare time to painstakingly create a brand-new [Miniature Arc Reactor] as the core power source for this machine.

However, this [Ark Reactor] is no longer in a shape similar to the ring on his chest, but has been designed as a multifaceted gemstone that emits a soft and stable white light.

Its exquisite and dazzling shape makes it look like a treasure from mythology.

The reason Tony Stark made the Arc Reactor this way was not because he wanted to be unconventional, but because on the forehead of the 'vibranium body' in the Cradle of Life, Ultron had already reserved a special groove, the purpose of which was unknown.

Tony Stark simply designed the gem-shaped miniature Arc Reactor based on the shape of that groove.

At this moment, this energy-supplying 'gem' lies quietly on the velvet cushion beside the workbench, awaiting the moment when it will be given its mission.

Tony Stark intended to embed it in the forehead of that 'vibranium body' as its inexhaustible core power source, while also symbolizing a kind of 'enlightenment' and 'control'.

"Tony, the preparations are almost complete."

Bruce Banner gave the Cradle of Life one last check, straightened up, rubbed his sore lower back, and looked utterly exhausted after completing such a major task.

Tony Stark also stopped his flying fingers, took a deep breath, walked to the gem-like Miniature Arc Reactor, and carefully picked it up with tweezers.

His movements were very gentle, as if he were handling a rare treasure.

"Come on, let's install the 'heart' first, and then the 'brain'..."

Under the tense gaze of Black Widow and Hawkeye, Tony Stark precisely embedded the jewel-like miniature arc reactor into the pre-drilled groove on the forehead of the vibranium body in the Cradle of Life.

(End of this chapter)