"Ultron himself is a super artificial intelligence, a rogue AI. So as of right now, our only way of dealing with him is to shut down the internet worldwide. But the problem is, if we can't prove Ultron actually poses a danger, the world probably won't cooperate with a global blackout."
Peter, patrolling the city while swinging from his webs, discussed the matter with Amadeus, who was back at the Web Base. As Amadeus listened, he was also trying to crack Ultron's program. Dr. Pym had sent the original Ultron program, upgraded with his own brainwaves, to every known genius in the world, hoping they could find an alternative solution.
"So, what you're saying is, the only and absolute way to counter Ultron is to prove that the logic of one of the Ultrons is flawed. If there is a logical fallacy inherent in his plan, then the new iterative program that constitutes his run cycle will become invalid, directly negating Ultron's program from its underlying structure."
Amadeus understood Peter's point, but then brought up something mentioned in Peter's previous conversation with Gospel Ultron. "But looking at that priest Ultron, Ultron can continue to self-iterate and patch his own program. In other words, this system is only suitable for fighting known, non-iterated Ultrons."
"Yeah, but this might face less resistance than a global internet shutdown."
Amadeus nodded. From the look of things, no matter which Ultron it was, it would be difficult for them to rapidly deploy their plans on a global scale. Therefore, it was indeed possible to find some kind of solution before Ultron threatened the entire world.
Right at that moment, Harry ran into the Web Base clutching several boxes, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Amadeus! Come look at this! Quick, look at this!"
Amadeus took off his headphones and turned to look at the frantic Harry. "What is that stuff you brought back?"
"VR headsets! The latest version. The computing power is way stronger than before, and it comes with a super awesome game!"
Amadeus was a bit speechless. "We're busy trying to save the world here!"
"I know! That's why I came to get you!" Harry did not feel he was neglecting his duties at all. "My dad checked these headsets. They use neural transmission device technology!"
Hearing this, not only Amadeus, but even Peter, who was listening in, took notice. "Wait, what did you say? What's inside that thing?"
"It's a neural transmission device, or at least it uses similar technology. The tech department at Oscorp has already confirmed it."
Harry continued, "You have to understand, these headsets are incredibly cheap. Only fifty dollars, and they come with the matching game. At this rate, it won't be long before this game sells out across America."
"The quality of this game actually reaches the level of The Matrix! A mind-uploading VR game!"
"..."
For a moment, Peter was speechless. He knew how much potential neural transmission devices had, which was why he had been constantly monitoring for similar issues ever since he found out Ultron had stolen them. For example, he had wondered if Ultron planned to invade human brains, or if he was planning to build some kind of wetware computer.
Yet now, Harry was telling him that the fourth Ultron had stolen the devices just to develop Sword Art Online.
Anyone in his position would find it hard to keep their composure.
"Uh, looks like Ultron plans to get people addicted to games, thereby getting them to give up using violence in reality..."
Halfway through, Peter himself couldn't help but take a deep breath to compose himself before speaking into the communicator. "Harry, please compile the information on this game and send it to me, and share it with the Avengers while you're at it. I'm heading to the Web Base right now to see what on earth this game is."
He must be going crazy to see Ultron doing something as absurd as making video games.
But the even more absurd part was yet to come. When Peter arrived at the Web Base, he saw Amadeus and Harry busy at work, alongside Dr. Connors, who was humoring them. They were wheeling out some surgical chairs, setting them up, and operating the VR headsets according to the instructions.
After Jessica joined S.H.I.E.L.D., Dr. Jonathan had also become an employee there. Consequently, Dr. Connors was now primarily in charge of scientific affairs at the Web Base. Hearing the automatic door slide open, he looked over and smiled at Peter. "Ah, you're here, Spider-Man."
"They... they haven't even confirmed if this headset is safe, and they're already using it?"
Peter looked at his teammates, feeling a bit weary and not knowing whether to laugh or cry. As for Dr. Connors, he offered a fair assessment: "Considering this thing has to be connected to an external power source, and considering the function of neural transmission devices, I think worrying about safety is quite beside the point. There's no need to worry about its safety at all."
Peter remained speechless for a moment. To his surprise, Amadeus and Harry woke up very quickly, and Harry was already hyping up his experience. "Peter, you have absolutely no idea how fun this thing is, how interesting..."
"I'm glad you can still be so cheerful, Harry. Have you completely forgotten that if Ultron exerted just a tiny bit of effort and decided to use this headset to fry your brain, you'd be completely done for?"
Peter sighed and shook his head. Harry touched his own head in hindsight, feeling a bit of lingering fear, but then continued, "But even so, the fact that this game is fun is undeniable. It's incredibly interesting, to the point where you just can't stop playing."
Can't stop playing?
Suddenly thinking of something, Peter picked up one of the headsets and handed it to Dr. Connors. "Dr. Connors, could you help us examine this headset? I'm a bit curious about its working principles. For instance, whether it can affect certain aspects of the human brain to make people, uh... more excited."
"Are you saying this headset actively triggers the brain's excitement mechanisms to get people addicted to the game? Alright, I'll go test it."
Peter, meanwhile, transmitted the data to the Avengers. There were already four Ultrons, but only two of them had plans that Peter clearly understood.
Looking at it now, the fourth one, Gaben Ultron, had no physical mechanical body at all, and what he was doing did not require a mechanical body either.
In other words, if they wanted to face this Ultron directly, there was only one way...
Peter looked at the other two game headsets, then turned his gaze to Harry. "Harry! What genre is this game?"
"Uh, it's like Dungeons & Dragons, but they probably didn't get the copyright, so there are quite a few differences. Are you planning to play?"
"I plan to have a chat with the developer."
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