Ultron utilized a mysterious device capable of regenerating living tissue directly from the human body, reconstructing it into a complete and perfectly formed flesh structure. The impact was unprecedented; this was the core life-support system that everyone had only heard about.
At this moment, inside the expert consultation chamber of the hospital, not only were the top medical authorities present, but dozens of elite specialists from surrounding institutions had also rushed in upon hearing the news. Once the function of the regenerative cradle became known, people were already on their way.
Jay completely ignored the heated debate among the experts and scholars. His entire focus was locked onto the intense exchange displayed on the screen between Ultron and Dr. Cho.
"A metal like vibranium can actually print human flesh and blood directly? Real living organisms? This is utterly unbelievable!" Jay's face was filled with shock and disbelief.
The newly arrived experts were even more stunned. To make Vice President Jay utter words like "incredible" was already proof of how terrifying this technology truly was. Not only Jay, but Tetsuo's expression at this moment mirrored his own.
"I thought the regenerative cradle was merely designed to repair damaged organs at high speed," Tetsuo said slowly. "I never imagined it was something that completely shatters the very definition of life. Viviparous birth, oviparity, none of it matters anymore! It can directly print a living body! Except… it has no will of its own. There are terrifying implications behind this."
Jay turned to Tetsuo excitedly. "Boss, have you ever seen metal like this?"
Tetsuo looked away. "No. But I can tell you this, what you think is impossible often truly exists."
Jay froze for a moment, then laughed. "Boss, do you know what I want to do?"
Tetsuo glanced at him sideways. "Human brain transplantation. What else could it be?"
Jay showed no embarrassment at being caught. Instead, his expression grew serious. "Boss! Vibranium combined with the regeneration cradle is too important! If both can be controlled, then transplanting a human brain into a newly printed body becomes feasible. That means true longevity!"
Tetsuo stared at the screen and replied calmly, "So what? Cloning was condemned by the entire world. Do you really think that once a metal with properties similar to vibranium and the regeneration cradle are recreated, the world will truly allow brain transplantation?"
It was irresistibly tempting. With human brain transplantation, achieving longevity seemed within reach. If possible, the chances were extremely high. But once this technology was exposed, it would inevitably trigger worldwide condemnation.
"Don't talk about this anymore," Tetsuo said coldly. "Our greatest hope should be using this technology to heal the disabled."
Jay snorted softly and turned away.
Not just there, Ashton was also watching the screen with a deep frown. Ultron's plan to construct a new body using the regeneration cradle was something he had already vaguely inferred from the start. What he didn't expect was that Ultron would choose vibranium as the framework.
"The fusion of flesh and metal…" Ashton murmured softly. "Can it truly sustain neuron adhesion and cellular viability at that level?"
Kayden responded, "Many metals already possess biological affinity, such as those used in knee replacements and prosthetic implants. But that is only passive affinity; the flesh-metal Ultron is creating with vibranium must be no different from an ordinary human body. That level of technology is countless generations beyond ours."
Someone from the back hesitated and said, "We don't currently possess anything like vibranium. I don't even know if other alloys could replace it."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Ashton spoke faintly: "We do have something similar."
The entire office fell into an eerie silence, and everyone turned to him.
Kayden stared in disbelief. "What alloy are you talking about, Mr. Ashton? I've never heard of this."
With distant memories flickering in his gaze, Ashton smiled faintly. "It's something I saw in a memory fragment from my previous life. There exists a metal with an extremely high affinity for the human body. It's called Adamantium."
Bai Yuekui froze. "Adamantium? I've never heard of that."
Ashton sighed in regret. "Unfortunately, I don't know the synthesis process. But I'm certain, Adamantium is very likely no weaker than vibranium."
No one present had ever seen the so-called Adamantium, but judging from Ashton's certainty, it didn't seem like a falsehood.
Ashton quietly opened his account and accessed a hidden memory clip only he could view. Within the footage was a fierce young man. From between his knuckles, multiple bright silver metal blades extended outward.
"Adamantium…" Ashton felt a splitting headache. He only knew of its existence, but had no idea how it was forged. Nor could he verify it; no one else from that era still existed.
[Inside the genetics laboratory, the massive regeneration cradle suddenly opened, exposing freshly printed flesh within. Clear muscle fibers rippled like living silk; it looked almost identical to a real human body.]
[Dr. Cho stared at the cell fusion data. "So perfect… Vibranium atoms aren't merely compatible with biological cells; they bond at the molecular level. S.H.I.E.L.D. never imagined..."]
[Ultron interrupted coldly: "As the most omnipotent substance in this world, they only used it to build a small shield. Typical human thinking. They see only the surface and never conduct true deep research."]
[Beside them, Loki's scepter suddenly cracked. A golden gem, no larger than a peanut, floated into the air. Ultron lifted it and gently placed it upon the forehead of the newly formed body.]
[Instantly, dazzling light surged outward, connecting through every inch of flesh and nerve.]
The audience held their breath.
"It's over! There really was something hidden in the scepter!"
"Is that one of the Infinity Stones?"
"With an Infinity Stone and a vibranium body, he's invincible!"
"How are the Avengers supposed to stop this?"
"Why does the corpse look alive now?"
"Ultron said this is evolution, human evolution!"
"The new Ultron will surpass humanity itself!"
[At Barton's home, the team mobilized rapidly. Rogers fastened his shield onto his back, saying, "I'm taking Natasha and Barton."]
[Tony called from behind, "Good. I'll go to NEXUS and meet you."]
["If Ultron is truly building a flesh body…" Tony turned back. "Then he'll be stronger than any of us."]
["There are machines built by machines." Rogers sighed. "I miss the days when I was the most advanced weapon."]
[Fury stepped forward. "Dr. Banner, come with me first. May I borrow Miss Hill?"]
[Hill raised an eyebrow. "That's an obvious yes. What are you planning?"]
[Fury laughed. "No idea. But it'd better be dramatic."]
[Deep within a hidden cave, Thor led Dr. Eric to the edge of a luminous pool.]
["That's it," Eric said softly. "The Water of Vision."]
[Thor replied, "Every kingdom leaves its reflection here. If the spirit of the water accepts me, I can return to my dreams and retrieve what I've forgotten."]
[Eric warned, "Those who enter the water face unbearable trials."]
[Thor smiled faintly and stepped forward.]
The audience erupted in gasps.
"The Water of Vision? I've never even heard of such a thing!"
"Could this be the secret behind ancient Terra's civilizations?"
"Was it Wanda who manipulated the visions Thor previously saw?"
[After Thor entered the pool, lightning exploded across the sky. Images flashed wildly: Loki's scepter, Aether particles, the Cosmic Cube, the Infinity Stones. Thunder shook the heavens.]
The audience fell silent.
[Back in Dr. Cho's laboratory.]
["The cells need hours to fully integrate," Dr. Cho said. "But we can begin a stream-of-consciousness upload." A neural conduit linked into the back of Ultron's skull. "Let's imprint the core program first."]
[Wanda trembled. "I can feel him… He's dreaming."]
["That's not a dream," Dr. Cho said. "It's basic consciousness."]
[Suddenly, Ultron rose. Wanda screamed and stumbled backward, but her brother caught her just in time.]
["You said we would destroy the Avengers," Wanda cried.]
[Ultron tilted his head. "And we still will."]
["All good people will die," she whispered.]
["It will be better this way."]
["You're insane!" she sobbed.]
[Ultron's eyes burned cold. "Extinction has happened countless times before. When the earth stabilizes, God throws another stone. And he will throw it again. We must evolve."]
[Ultron's gaze fixed on her. "God does not pity the weak."]
Viewers listened intently to Ultron's words, and suddenly, they erupted with uncontrollable fury.
"Damn it! What kind of rotten theory is this?!"
"I just realized Ultron's face really looks like my grandfather!"
"Touching logic, truly touching, this logic deserves to be torn apart!"
"The real issue is Wanda! If it weren't for her, would things have ever gotten this bad?!"
"That's right! Without Wanda, Ultron would never have obtained the Vibranium!"
"He clearly doesn't understand anything, yet he still insists on committing evil!"
"With his twisted logic, the entire world should have been wiped out long ago!"
"No, did you hear that? Before the dinosaurs? What even is a dinosaur?!"
"This… I've never heard of it either. And he even mentioned more than a dozen mass extinction events before that!"
"Damn it! How long is Terra's history supposed to be?!"
"At least tens of thousands of years! Maybe even far beyond that!"
Inside the entire Administration office, an oppressive silence fell once again.
Hawking kept his gaze fixed unblinkingly on the massive screen. With a shocked and trembling voice, he said, "Before the Terra Earth Age, there was the Age of Dinosaurs? And before the Dinosaurs… more than a dozen mass extinction events? A mass extinction event! That's an extraordinary natural phenomenon!"
Kasey frowned, confusion evident in her voice. "But in all current life research, we haven't found any traces of a dinosaur age. No fossils, nothing. And besides… wasn't 'dinosaur' supposed to mean 'dragon'? Dragons are supposed to be fictional creatures, aren't they?"
The director looked even more troubled. He had initially thought this was just another Ultron threat, another attempt to destroy the world. But now, the sudden mention of over a dozen mass extinctions before the Earth Age forced everyone's thoughts into a terrifying new realm. The implication of this captured image was simply too overwhelming; its impact far surpassed any previous historical projection scene recorded!
The archaeologist spoke in a low, solemn tone: "I've explored nearly every ruin of the Terra Federation. And it's true, no remains of the so-called dinosaurs. Not even fragments of an earlier biological civilization. It seems… our history is even longer and deeper than we ever imagined. If we can complete the excavation of this forgotten era, I believe the historical fault line of the Terra Federation will experience a monumental breakthrough!"
Everyone present nodded gravely.
Johan sighed heavily. "For now, we can only hope that the captured footage to come will reveal more fragments from other eras. At least then, we'll have more reference points to reconstruct reality."
The director slowly approached the window, gazing out at the bustling streets filled with traffic and people below.
"In the Earth Age, there were Tony, Rogers, the Cosmic Cube, the Chitauri invasion, even the Nine Realms beyond, Dark Elves, and Ether particles. There were also unknown Infinity Gems… and that terrifying purple monster. But before all that, there was the Dinosaur Era, and beyond that, more than a dozen mass extinction periods."
"It's… beyond belief in its magnificence." The chief turned back slowly, his expression grim.
Darwin's voice trembled as he asked, "Why do I suddenly feel that the so-called historical discontinuity of our Earth Age… might itself be a mass extinction? I just don't know, was it the extinction following Ultron's final victory… or an even more terrifying force beyond our imagination?"
The crowd instantly panicked. It wasn't just the experts, outside, countless civilians, after hearing Ultron speak of the so-called mass extinction events, also fell into deep, uncontrollable fear. Mass extinction. In the current records of the Terra Federation, such a catastrophe had never officially been documented. But clearly, this was a harbinger of something far worse.
The broadcast was still ongoing.
[Ultron's increasingly frantic tone deeply stirred Wanda's unstable emotions. Ultron reached out and gently stroked the regeneration cradle. Inside, a new body was gradually taking shape for him. It was essential. Only with this body could he become the strongest existence.]
[At this moment, he seemed faintly aware that everything he had done was already shaking the entire Earth.]
[Wanda quietly released a dark red energy wave from her palm, silently removing Dr. Cho's control. The entire process was perfectly concealed, and Ultron remained unaware of anything unusual.]
[Pietro stared at the scene and asked coldly, "Who decides who is weak?"]
[Ultron gripped the regeneration cradle with both hands and sneered, "Strong or weak? Hahaha, life itself makes that judgment!"]
[Wanda and Pietro exchanged a silent glance.]
[Suddenly, Ultron lifted his head sharply, as if sensing something. "They're here. Quinjet… we need to get ready."]
[Dr. Cho stepped forward calmly. "No problem."]
[She immediately operated the control console, halting the upload phase of the regeneration cradle. Ultron exploded into a violent rage. He lifted his head, unleashing raging red energy fluctuations from his palm, and violently blasted Dr. Cho away.]
[Pietro immediately grabbed Wanda and vanished at extreme speed.]
[Ultron roared furiously toward the passage outside, "Run! Run all you want! You'll understand eventually!"]
[The surrounding robots launched a slaughter, and everyone in the laboratory was caught in chaos.]
[Ultron declared, "You all will understand when you finally see it."]
[He reached behind his head and violently unplugged the upload cable. "I just need a little more time."]
[Several robots pushed the entire regeneration cradle out of the laboratory.]
"Wow! Incredible! The transmission was cut, Ultron can't use the body!"
"Great timing! I was worried just now!"
"It looks like Ultron really can't destroy the world this time!"
"Mass extinction… how could he even think of something like that?!"
"As expected from an intelligent program! Mechanical logic truly is terrifying!"
Ultron's transmission was forcefully cut off. Not only did the audience breathe a collective sigh of relief, but even the director and everyone nearby let out a long, suppressed breath.
Meanwhile, inside Apollo's Laboratory, the founder's face flushed with excitement. He stared at the endless data streaming across the screen.
With trembling enthusiasm, he shouted, "It's almost here! It's finally coming! The Network is truly the strongest information processor! It's the pinnacle of perfection!"
Suddenly, he activated another terminal, a new synchronized linking program flashing to life.
"I know linking Apollo directly to the Network is risky. I just hope this backup mechanism works."
This was his latest AI safety protocol, designed to prevent unforeseen disasters.
[In a building nearby, Rogers leapt down from the aircraft. Gazing at the laboratory ahead, he said through the comms, "Two minutes to prepare. Don't stray too far."]
[Moments later, Rogers sprinted at full speed, charging directly into the abandoned laboratory. "Dr. Cho, are you alright?!"]
[As he tried to tend to Dr. Cho's wounds, she struggled weakly and whispered, "He's uploading himself into a new body…"]
[Rogers asked urgently, "Where?"]
["Inside the regeneration cradle. There's a gem, an actual gem. Its energy is uncontrollable. You can't destroy it directly," Dr. Cho gasped. "You must… deliver the cradle to Stark…"]
[Rogers nodded heavily. "Then I have to find it first!"]
"Beauty's not going to die, right?"
"What a beautiful wife!"
"I like her! But Dr. Cho really knows what she's doing, sending the cradle to Tony."
"Tony's deep into gem research, and Ultron's program was his creation."
"But… I still feel uneasy handing it over to Tony. He once wanted to encase the entire world in steel."
"This… It's hard to say. But it's definitely better than letting Ultron get it!"
Opinions split among viewers. Yet, the most urgent mission now was clear: reclaim the regeneration cradle.
[Rogers said through the channel, "Did everyone hear that?"]
[Hawkeye, piloting the aircraft, responded, "Understood!"]
[Black Widow activated multiple monitoring systems. "I've detected a private aircraft flying across the city. No registered flight record. It might be him."]
[Hawkeye's scanners picked up suspicious activity. "Confirmed. A bus, right beneath you, Captain! Right at the ring bridge!"]
[Zooming in, the scanners confirmed that several robots were driving the vehicle.]
["It's them! Three robots are guarding the cradle. One's in the driver's seat," Hawkeye said decisively. "I can take out the driver."]
[Rogers immediately responded, "No! If the truck crashes, the gem will explode, destroying the whole city! We need to draw Ultron out."]
[Rogers climbed onto the overpass. Watching the bus's route, he suddenly leapt forward. Just as it emerged from beneath the bridge, Rogers landed firmly on the roof. Inside, Ultron immediately sensed the movement above.]
["No… no… no…" Ultron looked upward and launched an immediate counterattack. "Get out of my way!"]
[BOOM! An explosion shattered the roof; Rogers barely managed to grab onto the edge.]
[Another blast followed, ripping the shattered door free and dragging it along the ground.]
[Rogers gripped the torn metal, sliding violently. "He's furious… and I intend to keep him that way."]
[Hawkeye shouted through the comms, "You're no match for him, Captain!"]
[Rogers replied helplessly, "Thanks for the confidence, Barton."]
[As Rogers forced his way deeper into the vehicle, Ultron cut off the transmission again. The entire regeneration cradle is suspended mid-upload. A violent shockwave sent Rogers flying back, but he narrowly escaped and leapt onto a second vehicle.]
[Ultron sped forward, roaring, "Do you even know what's inside?!"]
[A red energy blast surged toward Rogers as Ultron shouted, "It's the power to change the world!"]
[Rogers pulled out his shield. With a full-force spin, he slammed it directly into Ultron.]
[BANG! The shield rebounded, and Rogers caught it instantly. "And that's exactly why… it's not a good thing!"]
[Ultron dodged, unleashing a storm of crimson laser fire. The two clashed violently amidst the chaos of traffic on the speeding vehicles. Though Ultron's current body was incredibly powerful, Rogers' shield struck deep into his armor frame.]
["Damn it!" Ultron flung the shield away and resumed his relentless assault.]
[Just as Rogers teetered on the edge of being overwhelmed, Hawkeye's aircraft surged forward. The rear hatch burst open, and a black motorcycle shot out like lightning. Black Widow, riding at breakneck speed, weaved flawlessly through the heavy traffic.]
[Spotting the shield on the ground, she said casually, "They always throw things everywhere."]
[As she spoke, she effortlessly scooped up the shield.]
[Hawkeye reported urgently, "They're inside the overpass. I don't have a clear shot!"]
[Black Widow asked sharply, "Direction?"]
[Hawkeye answered, "Left turn, now!"]
The high-speed chase continued with terrifying precision, thrilling the audience to the core.
"Black Widow is insane! Her driving's unbelievable!"
"She picked up the shield again!"
"Look at that, once Rogers drops the shield, he really looks… exposed!"
"I feel like he's just taking hits head-on now!"
"Black Widow is so badass!"
"Black Widow, be my wife!"
"You're fangirling over a hero and calling her your wife?!"
"My god, I'm dying of laughter reading these comments!"
"This motorcycle chase is insane!"
"Absolutely insane!"