"The military refused to assist." Nick Fury hung up the phone with a gloomy face. After learning of Killian's plan, Nick immediately communicated with the military, but the communication effect was not good.
"They refused your involvement, didn't they?" Luke asked bluntly and harshly. Just like the Hulk at the time, some extremists in the military considered him their own private property, refusing any interference from anyone or any department. The Hulk was later recruited by Nick because Stark, on Nick's behalf, had made an unspoken deal with General Ross.
"I always believed that if Hydra was defeated and war was eradicated, people's lives would get better and better. But after waking up, everything I saw and came into contact with told me that this was just my own beautiful fantasy. Those people haven't changed, or rather, they are even worse than those in my generation.
"I haven't seen those people come up with any truly effective, practical measures to comfort the victims, improve their lives, and rebuild their homes after the war. They're just vying for power. I don't understand politics very well, but I know they're unqualified!" Captain Steve said in a disappointed tone.
"That's right. Those bureaucrats are never worthy of even a little bit of trust." Frank smiled and said sarcastically. As long as they were dissatisfied with those bureaucrats, they were just like them.
"We can discuss these things after we've resolved the problem. The problem now is that I can only rely on you." Nick interrupted the two people's complaints.
"Where are the soldiers under your command?" Steve glanced at Nick.
"Why do you think those alien weapons haven't caused any major unrest yet? It's because my agents are hunting them down like mad dogs. Congress and the military are also giving me trouble." Nick rubbed his forehead, a look of exhaustion on his face. He felt disgusted, but not surprised, by the fact that he was desperately trying to avoid trouble while his teammates frantically held him back over the distribution of benefits.
"Where's Dr. Stephen? Can we contact him?" Nick turned his gaze to Luke.
"Don't count on him. He's currently taking courses from the Ancient One and is so busy that he doesn't even have time to argue with me." Luke waved his hand. The other party's communication was not on Earth at all.
Nick opened his mouth to say something, but just then the communicator in his hand rang. After Nick answered it, his expression kept changing under the gaze of Luke and the other two.
"What bad news?" Looking at Nick's gloomy face, Steve regretted visiting Luke today.
"Those extremists said they would handle this matter." Nick looked at Steve and replied after hanging up the phone.
"Isn't that great?" Luke smiled calmly. The tactics of those on the other side were only going to make things worse. The military in this world had a terrible record, making it difficult to get them to do anything. They all had their own agendas, but if you let them mess things up, they'd be a real test of their abilities.
If Luke didn't let these people become extremely disappointed with those people, how could he take the opportunity to propose systemic changes later? He had long been dissatisfied with those who were meddling in the affairs above and who had to be fed first before he could do anything.
If Heberon wants to go further, those people must fall.
"What do you think?" Steve asked Nick.
"They do their thing, we do ours." Nick had never had a favorable impression of those extremists. They were a bunch of lunatics who would stop at nothing to pursue power and authority. Ross, while annoying, was considered a moderate figure among the extremists. It was hard to say what they would do this time.
A Quinjet slowly landed on the lawn not far in front of them. The hatch opened, and two of Nick's trusted agents, Hawkeye Clint and Natasha, stepped down from the open cabin deck.
"What about you?" Nick gave Luke one last look before boarding the plane.
"I can go." Luke thought about it, nodded, and got on the plane.
…
Fully armed soldiers ran down from transport planes and tanks and surrounded AIM's base. A middle-aged man with a tough face walked towards the interior of AIM under the protection of a group of soldiers armed with live ammunition.
Two Titan I-type [modified] aircraft produced by Hebron were guarding the rear with full loads of ammunition.
The security guards in the base were roughly pushed away by the soldiers, and the middle-aged man walked forward until a figure who seemed to have been waiting for a long time appeared in front of him.
"Dr. Aldrich Killian." Looking at the man standing in front of him, the middle-aged man forced a smile on his tough face.
"General John Lake." Killian also called out the man's name. John Lake was a well-known and powerful figure in the extremist faction. Before Ross's downfall, he was a powerful figure in the extremist faction with influence comparable to Ross's. After Ross left the military, his influence in the extremist faction became even greater.
The two looked at each other for about three seconds, and Killian was the first to break the silence.
"It's so late, what's the purpose of General Rick bringing so many people to my territory?" asked Killian.
"Let's get straight to the point, Dr. Killian." John looked at the base security guards who were slowly gathering around Killian and said calmly, "Someone has taken advantage of what you're doing, so I have no choice but to come here and help you clean up this mess."
"Who is the one who found my weak spot? Isn't what you are best at making some people disappear?" Killian said with a smile on his face as he confronted John.
"That guy can't do that. His name is Nick Fury. I think you've heard of him. He's the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. He's a tough, troublesome guy." John said Nick's name very straightforwardly. Sure enough, when he said Nick's name, Killian's smiling expression froze.
"It seems that you really know him? Then I can save myself a lot of trouble. Hand it over to me and let me keep it." John took in Killian's facial expressions, softened his tone, and spoke.
"Hand over what?" Killian's face became even uglier.
"The technology of the Extremis virus and the Cosmic Cube! The reason you see me now instead of Nick is because I helped you stop him. But he is not someone who will give up. You can't deal with him. Hand over the cube and your research results. I can make good use of them and help you stop the threat from Nick." John made a tough demand with his ulterior motives exposed.
"I understand. You see, I'm no longer useful to you, am I?" Killian didn't show the anger he should have. A faint smile remained on his face as he met General John's frowning gaze. "I always thought we were like-minded and close collaborators. Now that the chips are down, you're just using me as a pawn? Let me be clear, I'm not someone who wants to be manipulated. I can't possibly hand over the technology to you, let alone the Cube."
"You'll lose everything: your technology, the Cube, your freedom, even your life." John's words were pierced with coldness. "Dr. Killian, I'm the only one who can save you now. I'm the only one who can save AIM! If I leave in despair, you'll be devoured by the wolves and tigers out there. Nick and his S.H.I.E.L.D. are the most ferocious beasts. You shouldn't bargain with me or feel wronged. You should be thinking about your own survival and freedom."
"How do I know that handing over the cube and its technology will allow my AIM and I to survive? You've already got everything, but are you still going to stop those beasts for us, who have no value?" Killian said with a sarcastic smile. "If we're abandoned, our fate might be even worse."
"You have no choice, Doctor." John raised his hands and said firmly. The soldiers behind him raised their weapons.
"No, I have other, better options." Killian calmly shook his head, refuting John's words. "People like you have no idea what my technology can do. It can not only help me deal with this trouble, but also help me conquer the world. Welcome to join this evolution. Survive it, and you will become a new human! Just as Homo sapiens replaced Neanderthals, so too will the new human replace the present human race."
As Killian spoke, a dazzling azure light blazed from the depths of the base. The surrounding buildings were unable to block its penetration, and the light swept over John and the others like a tide. A high-altitude view would have revealed a blue halo, like the effect of an explosion, with high-frequency circles spreading out in all directions.
"ah!"
A soldier holding a gun suddenly fell to the ground with a scream. Under everyone's gaze, his arm and the gun in his hand were combined in a complex structure. At the same time, his body had a distinct metallic color.
ah!
Screams rang out one after another as soldiers fell to the ground like grass being cut.
As John surveyed the scene, he felt a surge of energy within him, budding and ready to break free. He turned, his gaze filled with shock and anger as he glanced at Killian, who was smiling brightly in front of him.
"What did you do?" John shouted angrily at Killian. His voice was different from before, with a strong metallic quality.
"What did I do? I did what you've always wanted! You and your soldiers gained power from me! Powerful and beautiful power!" Dr. Killian's brilliant smile widened until it became twisted and maddening. "If I could make everyone evolve under my influence, my problems would cease to be problems. They would beg me to sell them the stabilizer they need to survive. I would become the most powerful man in the world."
"You're crazy!" John widened his eyes when he heard Killian's illogical and crazy words.
"Scientists are all crazy." Killian pinched his face with his hands, straightened his clothes, and then reached out to John and said, "You still have some time to evolve. Although the possibility of success is not high, just like you were willing to give me a choice just now, I can also give you a choice: life or death?"
"Frax!" John twitched awkwardly on the smooth floor. He felt a high fever in his neck and head, dizzy and drowsy, unable to even maintain consciousness. John wasn't sure if his brain would be damaged if the fever continued, but he knew that if he did lose consciousness, facing the already mad Killian, he would be in great danger.
A green monster similar to the Hulk heard John's call, broke through two walls and rushed in. Under John's final order, it rushed towards Killian.
Behind Killian stood a steel giant about two meters tall, with metal arms as long as a gorilla's hanging on the ground. After raising them and punching twice, he also charged at the green monster Flax.
"It's so lively, are you having some kind of fighting party?" A voice, accompanied by a figure, broke through the ceiling and reached Killian's ears.
A golden figure holding a round shield was suspended in the air.
"Steve Rogers." Killian couldn't help but pronounce the man's name. With the overwhelming news coverage during this period, anyone in a densely populated area with access to the internet and newspapers knew the man's name and deeds.
"Stop it, Killian. You are under arrest." The captain held the shield and made a fighting stance.
"Do you also think I should give in to those rubbish? No, I won't. Stark gave in to them, but I won't be as cowardly as him." Killian shouted loudly, "You are too late! I have completely activated the Cosmic Cube! There are at least hundreds of thousands, millions of people outside who are undergoing the evolution of survival of the fittest! The number of people joining the evolution increases by hundreds of thousands every second! They need my technology! They need me to help them survive! You need it too!"
"Don't bother." A somewhat indifferent voice sounded behind the excited Killian. Killian turned around in surprise, only to see a familiar face.
"Luke Field?" Killian recognized the man behind him. Then, his eyes fell on a familiar black cube floating beside Luke.
"Give it back to me!" The moment he saw the black cube, the anger in Killian's chest almost burst out. He opened his right arm, and inside the gloves he took off was a black and gold metal arm. At this moment, in the palm of this metal arm, a surge of energy waves was ready to go.
Facing the powerful energy surge from the front, Luke simply raised his hand, and before everyone's eyes, Killian's metal right arm completely disintegrated, disintegrating into tiny metal parts in the air. The gushing energy cannon also dimmed, dissipating into the air as the metal limb disintegrated.
The talent that is further transformed and enhanced after upgrading: Mechanical Control.