MODOK didn't appear in the movies, but in the comics, this project successfully created a supervillain of the same name.
In this World, the plan is still just a concept; perhaps one day in the future, it would be rebooted by a screenwriter or some major villain with funding.
But now, Harry has perfected it.
In the comics, they used a human as a blueprint to transform into the villain MODOK, but here, Harry doesn't need a conscious vessel, so he can choose tissue cloning to obtain a super AI's brain.
"I plan to use my own cells, modify them, and then perform tissue cloning, but this project hasn't started yet."
After listening, Tony asked, "Sacrificing yourself for science, you're quite dedicated. So why hasn't it started?"
"Like I said, I don't like doing secret research behind my partners' backs, so..." Harry waved his hand.
In reality, it was because the technology wasn't quite mature yet. Harry still had a system task regarding genetic engineering to complete, and he planned to see the rewards of that task before starting the actual operation.
"And before that, I need to deepen my understanding of a few things, starting with this stuff."
Harry took out a vial of reagent.
"Extremis. Tony, I've seen the formula you wrote for Maya Hansen. Your algorithm has issues, but only the two of you can fix the errors."
The formula Tony left for Maya Hansen was like the beginning of a mountain of spaghetti code. Harry could see there were problems, but he couldn't fix this mess himself.
"I'm going to bring your one-night stand in now. That's fine, right?"
"Wait a minute—" Before Tony could even finish, Harry had already brought Dr. Hansen in. "Alright, never mind. Hello, Maya, how have you been?"
"Not great. Your thirteen-year-old son is currently clamoring for his father—" Dr. Hansen smiled teasingly. "Just a joke. So, are we just going to start working through a screen?"
Tony waved his hand. "Normally, I wouldn't turn down an invitation for close cooperation, but I have an official girlfriend now, so—I'll call you after I get back."
"Alright, I understand. Let's start with the telomere algorithm first."
Besides Extremis, Harry had another thing on hand that could be used for this plan.
It was the serum he had snatched from Dr. Stern. He didn't know the exact principle behind it, but based on Samuel Sterns's performance, it also had the effect of strengthening the brain, though it was somewhat unstable.
So, he took out a vial of serum for Dr. Banner.
"Dr. Banner, does this look familiar?"
Banner squinted as he took the serum, and then he clearly remembered—this was the serum replicated by Samuel Sterns!
"Where did you find this?" Holding the serum, he finally remembered Samuel Sterns. "Is he with you?"
Harry shook his head.
In the original movie plot, Samuel was supposed to run into Black Widow while she was wandering nearby in an alley, then attack her, and finally be captured and put into a S.H.I.E.L.D. prison (as per the MCU comics).
But now he was a dead man because at that time, Harry didn't have the confidence to control The Leader.
"You saw the news; he's dead. But his research data is with me."
"So you want to research Gamma Serum too? I've already made my stance clear. This thing should never have been discovered, so—"
Harry interrupted Banner: "Don't be so quick to refuse, Dr. Banner. Even if you don't join, I'll research this myself, but your understanding of this technology is definitely higher than mine.
So, do you want to join this research to ensure you're informed about it, or let me research it secretly on my own?"
Banner still stuck to his view: "This is too dangerous. It's not something we should be researching!"
However, Harry thought his argument was nonsense—in the original story, he had quietly worked with Tony to create Ultron.
"What research isn't dangerous? Atomic energy, AI, aerospace... It's precisely because they are dangerous that we need to stay ahead, isn't it?
And Doctor, this research is completely legal and reasonable. You can't stop me from researching this.
So, are you going to join or not?"
Just like when Tony invited Banner to research Ultron in the original story, hearing this, Banner nodded silently—if you can't talk sense into them, join them.
Harry smiled; he was counting on this psychological trait.
With the next research goal deployed, Tony suddenly asked a question:
"So this AI should have a name, right? Let's call it—"
Seeing the change in Tony's mouth shape, Harry shook his head vigorously: "Not Ultron. That's a bad name."
Ultron wasn't a good guy in any story, and there wasn't even a possibility of repentance.
Setting aside fatalism, what if the walls of the multiverse opened up in the future and it learned bad things from other Ultrons?
"Then Friday? E.D.I.T.H.?"
Harry shook his head repeatedly. Since Jarvis passed away, none of the AIs under Tony's command had been reliable.
"I think we should just call it a simple name, like 'Butler A'."
Banner took his hand away from his chin and commented: "I think that works. Simple and easy to understand. But since it's an intelligent life form, I think it needs a human-style name. How about Emily?"
Harry echoed: "That works perfectly. Then it's settled. The naming ceremony is over."
Tony looked at the two of them gloomily: Was his naming ability really that bad? He had also wanted to suggest 'Karen'.
As the research here was about to continue, Dr. Otto called from the other side:
"Harry! I've succeeded! The Magnetohydrodynamic Generator is finally running stably!"
While Harry's small research group was conducting their studies, Norman hadn't been idle either.
These past few years had been disastrous for the United States mainland. New York, once the financial center, was about to lose its status.
The impact was multifaceted, and the entire U.S. had fallen into a slump.
What to do in a slump? History had already given Norman a textbook demonstration—
Relief—Recovery—Reform.
Although this crisis was exacerbated by external factors, the old methods could still be used.
Regarding relief, with the help of ctOS, data on every expenditure, purchase, loan, and behavior of the people would be recorded. Then, bellwether would calculate the crime probability and the level of assistance needed.
This allowed relief to be more precise. Every cent invested could be accurately distributed to those in need, which was more efficient than broad-scale handouts.
Then came industrial recovery, major infrastructure overhaul, and financial reform.
Industrial recovery was easy to understand: using macro-control to avoid overproduction caused by blind competition. This could also be precisely coordinated through ctOS. All data was laid out before Norman; he only needed to make decisions using his intelligence, which was as high as 6 in the Marvel Universe.
In terms of infrastructure overhaul, with the help of Osborn's machinery, the 300 million people of the United States could easily build a true super-infrastructure network on the mainland, connecting the entire country.
But before that, education reform was needed to upgrade traditional workers into engineers who could operate construction robots.
Finally, regarding finance, currency over-issuance was a matter of credit. Previously, the U.S. had established the foundation of its financial empire through various advantages.
Now, Norman also happened to have cards he could play—namely, technology.
Norman gave the nod to the establishment of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Resource Development in exchange for Osborn's monopoly on space resources. This was for the benefit of Osborn, but he still had one card he hadn't played yet.
And that was Controlled Nuclear Fusion.
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