Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 629 Civilization is a Process of Trial and Error (Second Update)

Tony estimated the drilling rig's parameters through the armor's sensor displays, but the rig was bottomless, and the new AI, Friday, couldn't calculate any specific values. Friday wasn't as formal and acerbic as Jarvis. As a newly born AI, much of her data came from the previous Jarvis, saving her training time. "There's some vibranium left over," she said, "its purpose unknown."

"This is your end, Tony," Ultron said. "This is peace for my time."

Seeing Ultron's Iron Legion arrive, Stark made a decision: he would help the civilians evacuate first, rather than fight Ultron. Ultron didn't stop Stark; it was content to see the Avengers struggle with inevitable death. Suddenly, a beam of scorching plasma pierced through the stone wall, accurately striking the vibranium-powered drill. The sudden attack caught it off guard; if not for the energy released by the vibranium, it would likely have been destroyed in the sun-like heat of the plasma, ruining its plans. Enraged by the imminent destruction, it immediately retaliated, ordering its Iron Legion to launch a saturation attack on the building that had launched the attack, while it remained to face Vision—it was both shocked and proud of its design, but when it realized that Vision wasn't as it had envisioned, the Mind Stone's power ignited a fire of jealousy within it.

"They really took everything from me!"

"You set the parameters," Vision said casually. "You can change them."

"All right."

After a brief period of dizziness and ringing in his ears, the boy rolled over and got to his feet on the rubble-strewn, dust-covered floor. The impact, powerful enough to knock someone unconscious, was somewhat unbearable for the enhanced boy, but still within manageable limits. He stumbled away from the Steel Legion's attack range, his bleeding hand still gripping the plasma pistol tightly. A gash on his forehead from shards of broken tile, and wounds on his arms and shoulders from flying concrete—layers of dark shadows flashed before his eyes, and a constant urge to vomit tested his throat—these objects had traveled faster than bullets in the blast. If he hadn't been wearing light composite bulletproof armor, he would have been torn to shreds or impaled by twisted steel bars. He felt the bleeding on his forehead stop rapidly, the pain in his arm gradually subsiding, and the aftereffects of his concussion slowly lessening. The powerful healing ability wasn't all good; some small particles would require subsequent surgery to remove.

"Guard Zero." Tita's voice was answered by the boy through bone conduction headphones.

"Received, en route to the Cross Rose..." The boy knew where he was going. This was a complete catastrophe, a catastrophe caused by human arrogance; he could even hear the screams of civilians. The monarch was right; if this problem wasn't thoroughly resolved in Sokovia, it would escalate indefinitely until it utterly destroyed humanity. Development is a process of trial and error, but some costs are unbearable for humanity. Ensuring the survival of civilization was the monarch's bottom line. The boy believed the monarch wasn't unwilling to give humanity time to learn from mistakes, but rather that time was what humanity currently lacked most.

The scene was atrocious, like a plane crash site; the homeless men he had briefly encountered were now mangled corpses. The boy stopped and let out a long sigh. He turned his aching shoulder and tore open the inner layer of clothing stuck to his wound. He looked at the steel legion of robots searching for traces in the passage ahead, and with his other uninjured arm, he drew the longsword slung across his back. He activated the switch on the sword; azure currents danced across the blade, and the servo motor in his knee joint emitted a soft hum.

"...Estimated time: three minutes."

"Where did all these people come from? Never mind." Stark glanced at the girls in black power armor and immediately understood that Salomon was behind it. The arrival of the Immortal City drastically reduced the pressure on the Avengers. Bomb guns and chainswords could easily tear through the poorly protected Iron Men of Ultron's Legion—the weight of each robot needed to be precisely calculated to accommodate synchronization signals, flight, and various other functions. This also meant that these Iron Men actually had very little defensive power, especially when facing large-caliber bombs and brutal chainswords. The delicate Iron Men suddenly became extremely vulnerable, their advantages almost nonexistent.

"This is Tita, the commander of the Immortal City's operations division. This battlefield is now under the command of the Immortal City. In the name of the monarch!" The android accessed the Avengers' internal communications. Ignoring the noisy communications, she issued orders to the Avengers in the strongest possible tone.

"Who are you?" Captain Rogers looked up at the three Sky Carriers rising in sync with Sokovia. He couldn't see the Sisterhood wielding chainswords, so he couldn't discern their origins, but he vaguely recognized that the three Sky Carriers resembled the three that rose from the Tri-Wing headquarters in Washington during the Hydra rebellion, giving him some clues. Stark quickly explained, and the others perked up when they heard it was Salomon's territory. "These are Salomon's Sky Carriers. When did he get here?" Steve Rogers raised his voice, his tone full of satisfaction. He slammed his shield down, severing a robot's joint. "I knew he wouldn't miss this battle!"

"Sorry to disappoint you, this is his android army." Stark curled his lip. "Our magical boy isn't here at all. You should have considered that he would do this after he arrived. Friday, where's Vision?"

"Boss, he succeeded. He has isolated Ultron from the Internet."

"Very good," Tita said. "The Immortal City is cleaning up all the subroutines that Ultron left on the Internet, and the armed satellites are about to shoot down the synchronous communication satellite that Ultron seized, completely paralyzing Ultron's information network."

"Hey! Miss! How did you hack into my private communications?!" Stark protested, but Tita ignored him. The three Sky Carriers possessed formidable firepower; any Ultron's Iron Legion appearing within a certain range would be instantly sniped by their super guns. After unloading its combat personnel, the assault transport ship followed the Sisterhood toward the city center, while a special operations team composed of ordinary humans remained on the city's outskirts to help the Avengers clear out the robots.

"Boss, the vibranium-made core magnetic field is gathering the land beneath the city together," Friday concluded. The AI ​​warned Stark that if the city were to fall now, it would cause the deaths of all civilians stranded in Sokovia.

"Okay, miss, do you have any way to land safely in this city?"

"Yes, but please explain first why the Ultron Legion possesses the Immortal City's plasma technology. Although the power is extremely low, I can still tell."

"Well..."

"I don't think this is the time to talk about this, Ms. Tita," Steve Rogers said, panting. The robot was proving difficult to deal with; he was using all his strength to breach its weak points. "Our goal is to save lives, isn't it?"

"No, the combat forces' mission is solely to destroy Ultron," Tita said coldly. "The monarch has already warned you; you must take responsibility for your mistakes."

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(End of this chapter)