Chapter 252: Unita's Vessel, The War Ends
To think that an Infinity Stone had been hidden right under their noses—this completely blindsided Allen.
As it turned out, Unita's true nature was that of the Mind Stone.
According to the original storyline, the Mind Stone was the source of Vision's power.
But now, with no sign of Vision among the Avengers, it was clear that Captain Steve must have retrieved the Stone long ago and deliberately concealed it within the Arkham Fortress.
At that moment, Skynet's eyes emitted scanning beams, analyzing the Mind Stone.
"Such an immeasurable source of power exists in this world…"
Skynet released its grip on Superman, unable to resist moving toward the Mind Stone.
Batman, meanwhile, reached for his utility belt, ready to take them all down if necessary.
Previously, Allen had frightened off the Bat God and explained the nature of the Infinity Stones.
Judging from Allen's stunned expression just now, it wasn't hard for Bruce to guess that this truly was one of the Infinity Stones.
Skynet was already virtually invincible—if it now gained the power of the Mind Stone, it would become completely unstoppable.
But the next second, Bruce let go of the idea of detonating the nuclear grenade.
Golden light radiated from the orange-yellow Mind Stone, flowing straight into Skynet's body.
"No—!"
"Get out! You can't control me!"
"..."
Skynet clutched its head in agony, roaring in a hoarse voice.
Clearly, the artificial intelligence Unita was initiating a data invasion.
The two weren't even on the same level—it was a complete one-sided slaughter. Skynet could only resist passively, ultimately unable to stop the overwhelming data torrent.
The originally crimson signal lights gradually turned orange-yellow.
As Skynet ceased its howls, it calmly walked over to the Mind Stone and retrieved it.
The armor at its chest parted, forming an energy chamber to house the Stone.
Instantly, brilliant golden light spread across the surface of the machine, transforming its original red energy glow into a golden hue.
"Die!"
Now free from the suppressing infrared beams, Superman Clark had recovered some of his strength.
As soon as he regained consciousness and saw Skynet integrating with the Stone, heat vision erupted from his eyes.
The searing beams pierced straight through Skynet's body—like slicing through a ghostly apparition.
The power of the Mind Stone allowed control over the state between matter and immateriality.
At that moment, Skynet underwent a radical transformation in appearance.
Gone was the menacing, monstrous form—replaced by a stunning female robot more attractive than any real human.
The change in form and even apparent gender was so drastic it was almost absurd.
Of course, robots don't technically have a gender.
"Unita Sun Sun."
Allen leaned in and asked, "Can you produce synthetic skin?"
"Apologies, Commander. This vessel does not support that function," Unita replied.
Without synthetic skin, there was no real fun to be had.
Allen couldn't help feeling disappointed and muttered, "I consider myself a tough guy, but even I can't go that far with metal parts."
Still, Clark's heat vision had blasted through the fortress's metal walls—this wasn't something that could be brushed off lightly.
"Compensation!"
Allen shouted angrily, "Look at what your laser gaze did—ruined my entire cyberpunk décor!"
Cyberpunk?
At best it was just some 304 stainless steel paneling.
Clark roughly grasped the situation—it seemed the Skynet crisis had been resolved, replaced by an ally AI.
He calmly replied, "I don't have any money."
Clark spoke with remarkable confidence—after all, his day job was as a newspaper reporter. His monthly salary barely covered living expenses, let alone dates with Lois.
Outwardly, Superman might seem all-powerful—
But in reality, he was broke.
"So now you're playing deadbeat?"
Allen narrowed his eyes and threatened darkly, "Don't make me expose you as Clark Kent, reporter for the Daily Planet."
"Don't do that."
Clark's expression changed instantly, and he looked to Bruce for help.
He didn't want his human identity exposed—it could endanger his loved ones.
"Allen, I'll cover it. Name your price," Bruce offered.
The Wayne Group had already suffered billions in losses today—what was a little more?
"Just a small goal—one hundred million," Allen said bluntly. "Batsy, transfer it from Wayne Enterprises to Joker's campaign fund."
"You're seriously endorsing the Joker for mayor?"
Bruce frowned deeply.
A hundred million-dollar donation from Wayne Enterprises to Joker's campaign was effectively a public endorsement. It would surely sway the votes.
"I always play things straight," Allen said matter-of-factly. "My ultimate goal is to make Arthur president."
"Fine. I'll agree to it," Bruce said coldly. "But if I catch even a whiff of criminal activity, I won't show mercy."
"Feel free to supervise all you want," Allen replied nonchalantly.
These days, the Comedy Troupe couldn't be bothered with petty crime. Their extensive network of peripheral members relied on maintaining basic order to make stable profits.
Besides, Bruce had come to realize that seasoned criminals rarely caused trouble anymore—it was the newcomers who were most active. That's why he had entrusted Gotham's future to Damian, hoping he would one day wear the Bat-suit and succeed him as Batman.
"Sun Sun, please whip—"
Allen gave a sheepish smile, catching himself mid-sentence. "Almost let my true thoughts slip. Sun Sun, please bring this crisis to an end."
"Understood, Commander," Unita responded.
The moment the words left her mouth, she sprang into action to neutralize the threat.
At the same time, across all battlefields, the Skynet subunits commanding the Amazo abruptly shut down.
Sparks and smoke erupted from their bodies as they all collapsed in unison—signaling the end of the global livestream broadcasts.
With no tactical orders incoming, the Amazos halted all attacks and simply waited in place for new instructions.
Right then, all Amazo robots spoke in unison:
"Skynet is dead. Crisis averted."
The gathered heroes were baffled. How had they suddenly won?
It was like playing a multiplayer game where all three of your team's lanes collapse, everyone's blaming each other and cursing out teammates' families—only for the enemy team to suddenly surrender first.
Among the many teams, none felt more awkward than the Avengers.
They'd been on the verge of defeat—yet now they were inexplicably the victors.
The Amazos removed the steel bindings from the heroes, freeing them. Wanda no longer needed to maintain her magical shield.
Looking around, rows of Amazos stood like surrendered soldiers, awaiting judgment.
U.S. leadership let out a collective sigh of relief.
Based on the flood of intel they'd received, they had been on the verge of authorizing nuclear strikes.
After this ordeal, nations around the world came to recognize the terror of advanced AI and proposed restrictions on further exploration in the field of artificial intelligence weaponry.
Skynet, a relic of the last century, had evolved into something terrifying beyond belief—a prospect that truly chilled the spine.
Of course, debts would be settled, cities rebuilt, and reparations paid. Life would go on.