The genetically enhanced hematopoietic system roared to life like an engine pushed to its limit, rapidly replenishing the boy's lost blood. Though his wounds clotted far faster than any normal human's, he had still bled a great deal—congealed blood and dark motor oil had seeped into the joints of his servos, making the hydraulic systems even noisier. Behind him, the dark corridor, powerless and faintly flickering, was littered with the sparking remains of nearly a dozen robots. Their cooling incisions radiated residual heat and the acrid stench of burnt electronics. A bony, skittish mongrel dog, drooling and nervous, sniffed cautiously at a decomposing hunk of a vagrant's flesh. After confirming the boy wasn't a threat, it began to feast hungrily.
The boy swayed and shook his head, trying to dispel the shadows swimming before his eyes.
The burns and wound on his thigh were from his own mistake—but fortunately, he'd taken down the robots. He didn't know what hardware they carried, but Ultron had clearly noticed something different about him. The body, refined through alchemical genetic modification, was far superior to the average human, and that intrigued Ultron—so much so that it had sent even more bots to hunt him down. That was peculiar, given that Ultron had no love for organic life and sought only to preserve his mechanical offspring.
Maybe Ultron just wanted an extra test subject. Who knew?
With trembling fingers, the boy opened a pouch at his waist and pulled out a medical-grade pulse injector. He jabbed himself in the wound. He repeated the process twice more, the third shot going straight into his carotid artery. Only after these injections did he feel stable enough to move forward, to face the next wave of enemies.
The shrill whine of chainswords and the feral roar of explosive rifles served as his compass. The boy picked up his longsword again, killed the scavenging dog, and stumbled down the stairs, clutching his abdomen. "Mission... still active," he muttered, scraping his back along the rough iron rail with every step. Each movement felt like a rope yanking at his internal organs. "I will guide the Sisterhood to the Eastern Orthodox church at the city center… it's a key point… needs heavy fire support."
"Received." The cold voice of an intelligence officer responded. The boy could even hear the ambient sounds of a noisy keyboard and low conversation aboard the sky carrier. As the sound of explosive rifles drew nearer, he took a deep breath and quickened his pace.
"Ha! He's here!" Catherine cheerfully grabbed his arm. Her chainsword was dripping with oil. When the boy emerged from the building, she had been cursing at the robots and trying to wipe the blade clean. Though she wore a helmet, the boy could sense the genuine joy in her voice. Other androids peeked curiously from behind her, trying to get a look at the legendary Royal Guard Zero.
"We've found Royal Guard Zero. Sharing intel with squads two and three," Catherine reported gleefully. "Now, time to execute the destruction protocol."
"Thor's already headed toward the city center." Catherine didn't need Tita to tell her—she saw the movement on her helmet's digital display. Both the steadily advancing Sisterhood and Thor himself had already exerted tremendous pressure on Ultron. Catherine was ready to confront him head-on. It would be a challenge, but she considered herself the greatest swordswoman in Immortal City—capable of handling this. Sokovia was now close to breaching the cloud layer. Before Catherine could say much else, a thick blanket of clouds engulfed the city, infiltrating every crevice. The thinning air, plummeting visibility, and sharp drop in temperature tested everyone to the limit.
Few in the world could physically withstand the cloud layer. When the leaden cumulonimbus clouds pressed downward, nearly every normal human succumbed to despair. "Activate life-support systems," Catherine ordered her squad. The seal at the neck of their power armor engaged instantly, and the onboard oxygen recycling systems came online. Similar commands were echoed in squads two and three. In the darkened air, their blood-red visors appeared even more terrifying, and their sealed systems cut them off from the outside world's sounds entirely.
But their internal comms still worked.
"You still with me?" Catherine asked, glancing at the boy now cloaked in mist. He had donned a mask and was wheezing through it, trying to maintain his oxygen levels. He nodded.
"Good." Catherine handed him a grenade launcher. "You're not much use in the upcoming fight, but you can still use this."
"Got any ideas, Stark?" Captain Rogers helped a wounded civilian up. The fog had impacted his visibility as well.
"Not yet. So far, the only option is to blow the city up. I could try to seal the helix tower's energy core and redirect the atomic collisions to reverse the amplification," Stark said helplessly. "Whatever happens, we have to make sure the blast doesn't reach the ground. If you've evacuated—"
Rogers cut him off. "Miss Tita, what's the status of the civilian evacuation?"
"So far, only a few hundred women and children have been evacuated. Each assault transport can only carry fifty mortals—assuming they're not carrying luggage. That's nowhere near enough for the total number of civilians. And don't forget, the sky carriers launched fully armed and loaded. They can't carry more. Let me reiterate: the sky carriers are combat vessels!" Tita's tone held clear irritation—Steve Rogers kept trying to seize control of the situation. "If you don't deliver a solution before the city reaches a critical altitude, the sky carriers will fire and obliterate this city. Don't interrupt me, Steve Rogers. Between all of humanity and the lives of Sokovia's people, you know which we must choose."
"She's right. We have to make a choice, Cap," Stark said. "The higher the city gets, the worse the impact radius will be. In the end, it'll be just like the meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs."
"Cap, there's nowhere safe to move civilians. If Stark has a way to destroy the city…" Natasha Romanoff trailed off, unsure how to finish. But Steve Rogers shook his head firmly. Even now, he wouldn't abandon the lives of Sokovia's people.
"We destroy the city only after everyone is safe."
Hearing this, Tita let out a cold laugh. "The Monarch once said: placing hope in the Avengers is like sending civilization down a dead-end path," she said. "Even a non-utilitarian could solve this equation. You don't have the right to let people outside of Sokovia die, Steve Rogers. But you should be grateful—nothing escapes the Monarch's contingency planning."
"What do you mean?" Natasha Romanoff picked up on a hint of hope in her voice.
"I mean this scenario is still within the Monarch's plan. Including the civilian resettlement and the city's destruction," Tita said, thoroughly enjoying the lesson she was teaching them. "Halloween is over. No more trick-or-treating. Avengers, foolish mortals—can you finally see the Monarch's wisdom? Can you finally understand the righteousness of His choices?"
"Now's not the time for surprises, ma'am," Rogers sighed deeply. "Do you have a better idea or not?"
------------------
Enjoying the story? Support the author and get early access to chapters by joining my Patre@n!
Find me at: patre@n*com/Mutter
You can read each novel for $5 or get them all for just $15.
Fairy Tail: Igneel's Eldest Son (Chapter 256)
I Am Thalos, Odin's Older Brother (Chapter 336)
Reborn in America's Anti-Terror Unit (Chapter 542)
Solomon in Marvel (Chapter 924)
Becoming the Wealthiest Tycoon on the Planet (Chapter 1284)
Surgical Fruit in the American Comics Universe (Chapter 1289)
American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop (Chapter 1316)
American TV Writer (Chapter 1402)
I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld! (Chapter 570)
Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 660)
[+50 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]
[+5 Reviews = +1 Extra Chapter]