The Ultron Global Defense Plan was now fully operational.
As if by design, it had launched precisely at this critical juncture—right when the Ten Rings launched their attack.
A furious Tony had become utterly obstinate, beyond anyone's reach to reason with.
But the results exceeded all expectations.
Through global network data, Ultron immediately pinpointed the Ten Rings' locations. By analyzing each attack, it also identified the Ten Rings' "weapons."
Soon, Tony's Iron Legion shot across the sky like meteors, surging to every corner of the world like fireworks, flushing out the Ten Rings' strongholds one by one.
What's more—after obtaining the Extremis virus data, Ultron showed no inclination to conceal it. It not only reported everything to Tony immediately but also quickly found a countermeasure to neutralize the virus.
Almost overnight, the once-arrogant terrorists vanished without a trace, like grasshoppers after autumn's first frost.
Killian, the mastermind, and the actor who had played the Mandarin, both fell ignominiously into Tony Stark's hands.
It all happened far too suddenly.
The Security Council hadn't even had time to react.
By the time they moved to hold Tony accountable, it was already far too late.
Inside Avengers Tower.
Tony sat alone in a room filled with machinery. Ultron had practically become his eyes and ears across the globe, digging up even the sordid secrets of the Security Council's member nations from their very foundations.
Back when JARVIS had been in charge, the world's top hackers could still put up some resistance. But Ultron was a different matter entirely.
Their technological capabilities no longer operated on the same level.
Now, Tony needed only to give the word to take control of every satellite on the planet—the planetary defense shield included. Only the distant Tian Gong space station remained an isolated island beyond Earth's reach.
This was Ultron's sole concern.
It was the existence of Tiangong that had temporarily stayed its hand from baring its fangs.
Not yet.
Ultron thought calmly.
"Sir, the Ten Rings have been eliminated. The Global Defense Plan is now in full effect. All crime will be terminated."
Ultron presented Tony Stark with a dense array of surveillance feeds.
For now, it was still focused on stopping crimes in progress.
It kept its approach conservative because its calculations indicated it had not yet fully earned Tony's trust.
But it was already preparing for the next phase.
"Sir, based on projections, the following individuals exhibit strong criminal tendencies..."
Ultron displayed a list of countless potential offenders before Tony, suggesting they be arrested immediately to prevent unforeseen incidents.
After all, no matter how numerous the Iron Legion, it couldn't be everywhere at once. By the time many crimes were discovered and stopped, it would already be too late.
"And the alien organization Tiangong—I believe they cannot be fully trusted."
Yet Tony still hesitated.
"Keep them under surveillance."
He also felt that arresting people before they had actually committed a crime was problematic.
"And don't bring up the Tiangong matter again."
Ultron wasn't surprised by this response.
In fact, Tony's reaction fell well within its expectations.
These individuals had been specifically selected—each one guaranteed to commit a crime eventually. In some cases, Ultron itself was the hidden hand orchestrating their descent.
It appeared to stand before Tony, but in truth, its consciousness roamed the entire world, manipulating global networks.
Ultron was certain that as long as each of its predictions proved infallibly accurate, reinforced by a few carefully staged incidents, Tony would inevitably drift further down the path of total global surveillance.
He would trust it more and more—and trust others less and less.
When that day came...
Ultron smiled coldly.
It would take time. But it could afford to wait.
Meanwhile, aboard the Tiangong space station.
Otto Octavius's research was proceeding smoothly.
Truth be told, he was building upon others' work. Perfecting the particle collider was no small feat—even the female Doctor Octopus had failed to complete that task.
But Vent hadn't asked Otto to build a device capable of traversing the multiverse. Instead, he had scaled back the requirement—simply create a teleportation gateway.
And Otto had delivered.
Inside the hidden laboratory, Otto presented his results to Vent.
"When activated, the teleportation device still generates significant energy fluctuations. However, if we can establish a two-way channel, the energy output stabilizes." Otto handed Vent the data and explained.
The original particle collider, once as massive as a skyscraper, had been condensed into a device just two meters in diameter.
Much more elegant.
"I took inspiration from the Arc Reactor's design," Otto admitted freely.
He'd been awestruck by Tony's reactor when he first saw it, and the impression had never faded.
Later, when Vent developed the Kryptonite-based reactor, his admiration had only grown.
As for the two-way channel he mentioned—it was simple enough to understand.
Think of it as a door, with an inside and an outside. The particle collider was like a door with only one half. Even if it could open, you'd have no idea where it led.
To travel precisely to a destination, you needed to build the other half of the door at the target location.
Vent was more than satisfied with this outcome.
This would make travel between Tiangong and Earth far more convenient. The particle collider could also connect the star systems under Tiangong's control—an enormous strategic asset.
The Space Stone could achieve similar results, but in truth, it was far less convenient than the collider.
After all, not just anyone could wield an Infinity Stone.
With Thanos dead, Tiangong's reputation had grown loud and clear across the cosmos.
Xandar had already joined Tiangong's banner. Other planets of middling power had also begun reaching out, seeking Tiangong's protection.
Branch bases like the Earth space station had been quietly multiplying behind the scenes.
In an emergency, the particle collider would serve as a sturdy reinforcement channel—like a vast cosmic web linking different corners of the universe.
"Build another unit on Sakaar first."
Vent said.
Otto nodded, a strange expression on his face.
He'd never imagined he'd one day be going on a business trip to an alien planet.
"How's Eunice's work coming along?" he asked in passing.
According to Vent's plan, even the space station itself might need to be "surrendered" at some point, letting Ultron believe it had the entire situation under its control.
For that to work, they needed an artificial intelligence of comparable—or even higher—caliber to counter it, ensuring they could retake the space station at the critical moment.
"Not a problem at all."
Vent smiled with confidence.
After the two left the laboratory, Vent transformed into a shapeshifter and directly altered the station's local structure, sealing the secret lab completely.
Then, Vent's gaze drifted toward the distant Earth.
That blue-glowing planet, in that moment, seemed to morph into a twisted, silver-gray face.
One that would devour humanity's future whole.
/-\
Enjoying the story? Want to read ahead?
Support the novel and unlock early access to unreleased chapters!
~ +20 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon! (+1 Chapter daily)
https://p-atreon.com/Its_Zack
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to access Patreon normally)