Ch: 236-245
Chapter 236 Black Box, Cradle, and Data
After dealing with all the Inhumanss, their surprise attack mission against the monsters was basically complete.
The monstrous behemoth finally became history under the Hexagon Star Alliance's assault.
Thinking of this, Meng Ran and the others all felt a weight lifted from their hearts.
Especially for Liu Xiu, the feelings in his heart were complex; he not only felt a sense of relief but also a profound sense of loss.
His parents had both died at the hands of the monsters, and he himself had suffered greatly from being hunted by them.
Now that he had finally avenged them, Mil and the monsters were buried beneath this sea of snow, and for a moment, he felt a sense of losing his purpose.
Looking at Liu Xiu's slightly dazed eyes, Meng Ran seemed to understand his inner thoughts and confusion.
Thinking of this, Meng Ran put his arm around Liu Xiu's shoulder and gently chuckled, "What are you thinking about? Are you already thinking of retiring at such a young age? That won't do, you know."
"Your older brothers and sisters are still counting on you to do more work in the future so we can slack off."
Hearing Meng Ran's words, Liu Xiu came back to his senses and said in a deep voice, "Yes, I will work hard."
Seeing that Liu Xiu's spirits were still not very high, Meng Ran continued, "Brother knows what you're thinking. Your mom and dad would definitely be proud of you if they saw you now."
"The monsters have been annihilated, and you should find a new goal in life. Don't always dwell on the past."
"You are still young, and you have a long future ahead. Now that you've let go of that heavy hatred, don't pick it up again."
"It's time to live the life you want, to truly live for yourself, isn't it?"
Hearing Meng Ran's words, Liu Xiu felt a sense of enlightenment. The great revenge had been exacted, and he indeed needed to find a new life goal and live for himself.
"Let's go. Although the monsters have been dealt with, they left behind many things that we need to handle." Seeing Liu Xiu resolve his inner turmoil, Meng Ran patted his shoulder and said to him.
Liu Xiu nodded at the words, looking at Meng Ran and Gwen beside him, and Harry and Peter still chasing and playing in the distance, a slight smile curved his lips.
In the days to come, he would live well, happily and contentedly with his current family, and strive for the goal of justice. This should also be the life his father and mother would have wished for him.
After counseling Liu Xiu, Meng Ran then pulled Harry, who was still chasing Peter and kicking his butt. These two were already college students, and one was even the head of the Osborn Group, yet they were still so childish.
Meng Ran opened a Spatial Gate and brought them above the ruins of the monster base.
Although Mil and these Inhumanss had been dealt with, there were still a few important things buried beneath this sea of snow.
For example, Zola, who was responsible for the monster's information defense system, as well as the Cradle device that could evolve people into Inhumanss, and the confidential data and files preserved by the monsters. All these things needed to be found from below and then properly stored.
Meng Ran stood on these ruins, fully extending his sensory abilities, searching for the items buried beneath the rubble.
Under his powerful sensory abilities, it wasn't long before he pinpointed them.
Then Meng Ran activated his gravity ability again, locking onto these important items and slowly floating them up from below.
Under the influence of the ability, the ice and boulders at several locations on the ruins slowly floated up, then flew to other places, piling up into a large mound.
Then, from the large holes they left, several uniquely shaped objects floated out.
This process took Meng Ran a considerable amount of time, as he not only had to move the ruins layer by layer but also had to ensure that the target objects were not damaged in the slightest.
These items were: the black box containing Zola's core data, a large machine emitting a faint blue light of Blue Sea Energy—the Cradle device—and several large servers storing monster data and information.
"Is this the device that can turn people into Inhumanss?" Gwen asked, looking at the Cradle device with some curiosity.
Peter looked at the Blue Sea Energy emitting a faint blue light on it and exclaimed, "It really looks beautiful. The light it emits looks just like the Tesseract."
Listening to the two of them, Meng Ran stepped forward, examining the device while explaining to them.
"This is indeed a miraculous device. This energy is called Blue Sea, and it was an accidental product created by HYDRA using the Tesseract back then." Meng Ran pointed at the Blue Sea device on it and explained to the others.
Everyone's gaze followed Meng Ran's direction, and they saw a transparent glass jar placed in the very center of the massive instrument, containing the Blue Sea Energy.
Inside this transparent glass jar was a mass of substance emitting a faint blue light. The material of this object was similar to stone, but upon closer inspection, its surface was subtly flowing, like a thick liquid.
On the other side of this instrument, on a small control panel, there was also a rectangular small box containing several red reagents.
Because the laboratory housing the Cradle device was very sturdy, the recent avalanche and meteorites did not damage the device; they merely buried it underneath.
Seeing those red reagents, Harry suddenly had a familiar feeling.
He couldn't help but recall the green reagents his father had left him, intended to treat his family's hereditary illness and enhance physical fitness.
Seeing Harry's gaze linger on these reagents, Meng Ran immediately continued to explain to them.
"These reagents are formulated from an incomplete Super Soldier formula. When used in conjunction with Blue Sea Energy, they can create Inhumanss."
"The monsters' increased success rate in creating Inhumanss in recent years is precisely due to their refinement of this Super Soldier serum formula."
After finishing his explanation, Meng Ran took out a USB drive and inserted it into the several huge servers.
"Red Rose, begin extracting the monster's secrets and data now."
Upon hearing Meng Ran's message, Mary Jane, who was on standby in the plane, began to copy and categorize the monster's data with noob.
Then Meng Ran threw the black box containing Zola's core data to Peter, telling him to hold onto it carefully.
He himself disassembled the Cradle device and stored it in the system space.
After all these tasks were completed, Meng Ran took Peter and the others back to the plane.
"You guys organize things here first. I'll go erase the traces over at the ruins."
"Oh, and we won't need to fly back to New York later. I'll open a Spatial Gate, and we'll just drive the plane directly into the hangar."
After speaking, Meng Ran instantly teleported away from the plane, leaving the others to help Mary Jane sort data while explaining the recent battle and what the Spatial Gate was all about.
Chapter 237 Erasing the Traces
In an instant, Meng Ran reappeared above the monster base.
He stood in the sky, flapping the black wings behind him, his ferocious face making him look like a demon from hell.
Then Meng Ran took out Cloud Cutter, its ancient blade now covered in a gray mist.
"Turn to dust," he said softly, looking at the ruins below, mixed with ice and rocks.
After speaking, he raised Cloud Cutter in his hand and swung it downwards. With his movement, two huge gray saber lights intertwined and rapidly flew towards the ruins below.
The moment the gray saber lights touched the ruins, no sound was heard. Everything seemed to melt rapidly, like ice encountering fire, turning into dust.
Meng Ran stood in the air, watching everything below gradually dissipate as the gray energy spread.
A moment later, the ice and ruins below had vanished, leaving only a vast, stony crater.
Looking down from high above, if one observed carefully, one could vaguely discern that it was a cross-shaped crater.
After all this was done, Meng Ran slowly raised his right hand again. With his movement, the ice and snow on the ground nearby gradually floated upwards.
Once the ice and snow had floated to a certain height, he waved his right hand in the air again.
With the waving motion, the floating ice and snow rapidly drifted in the air, instantly forming an artificial blizzard.
This blizzard lasted for a full minute. After a minute, the original crater on the ground had disappeared, covered by countless layers of ice and snow, concealing all traces.
Even the outer perimeter's few warning lines were buried by the ice and snow under Meng Ran's control.
At this point, all traces of the monsters had been eliminated, and this snow mountain returned to its truly uninhabited state.
Looking at the snow mountain below, which showed no trace and had returned to nature, Meng Rannodded with satisfaction.
Then, his figure flickered, and he returned to the mountain peak where the plane was parked. Under his deliberate control, the blizzard had no impact on this mountain peak.
Seeing Meng Ran return, Gwen asked him, "That blizzard just now must have been your doing, right?"
Hearing Gwen's words, Meng Ran nodded and replied, "That's right. This is an ability I gained from the three S-class individuals I fought. I can control ice and snow. The blizzard just now was to erase some traces."
Peter, hearing Meng Ran's words, also asked with interest, "Controlling ice and snow? Does that mean in the future, iced drinks and beer won't need to be put in the refrigerator? You just need to hold them for a bit?"
"Or make some ice cubes. I wonder if Big Brother can do that," Liu Xiu said, following up on Peter's idea.
Meng Ran, hearing Peter and Liu Xiu's suggestions, smiled and said to them, "Of course! Iced drinks, beer, and making ice cubes are just minor tricks."
"I can also make human-shaped ice sculptures or a large ice cabinet for preservation. Do you two want to try it?"
"Uh, I think that won't be necessary. Iced drinks and beer are fine too, we have a refrigerator, hehe, we have a refrigerator." Seeing Meng Ran's ill-intentioned smile and subtly threatening words, Peter wisely chuckled dryly.
Liu Xiu, however, was still a bit slow. After hearing about the ice cabinet, he continued to ask Meng Ran, "Wow, you can even make ice sculptures? That's so cool!"
"By the way, what shape is the ice cabinet? Is it as cool as an ice blade? Can it be custom-made?"
"I want a Jedi Knight human-shaped ice sculpture, and a Death Star-shaped ice cabinet."
Hearing that Liu Xiu had already started customizing shapes, Meng Ran's ill-intentioned smile froze on his face. "Big Brother can customize a long, strip-shaped ice cabinet the same height as you. How does that sound?"
"And I guarantee absolute preservation. Even if you're beaten to death one day, Big Brother can ensure your body remains lifelike, looking as if you're still alive."
By today, Meng Ran had finally understood that when dealing with someone as clueless as Liu Xiu, even threats had to be direct, not too subtle, otherwise he would truly take advantage of it.
Facing Meng Ran's blatant threat, even Liu Xiu, despite his cluelessness, reacted now.
He looked at Meng Ran's somber expression and knew he had said the wrong thing again.
He skillfully hugged his head and squatted on the ground, then said resignedly in a deep voice, "Don't hit my face. Although I recover quickly, getting hit in the face is still somewhat shameful."
Meng Ran: .
( ￣ ε ( # ￣ ) ☆ ╰ ╮ o ( ￣ dish ￣ / / / )
Liu Xiu: Cough! _ : ( ` 」 ∠ ) : _
After some playful banter, they didn't linger there for long.
Meng Ran opened a super-large spatial gate on this snow mountain peak, big enough for the plane to enter the hangar directly.
Then they piloted the plane and taxied into the spatial gate, returning directly to the base's hangar.
One moment they were on the snow mountain peak, the next they were back at the base. After experiencing the convenience of this skill, everyone praised Meng Ran's newly acquired ability.
Everyone felt that in the future, if they wanted to buy pizza or drinks, they wouldn't need to order takeout anymore, and it would save Peter from swinging between skyscrapers and shaking all the fizz out of the drinks.
In the future, Meng Ran just needed to open a spatial gate and go buy them fresh, ensuring the food was hot out of the oven and providing a top-notch dining experience.
Meng Ran could only give a thumbs-up and offer insincere praise for their idea, especially since Gwenalso thought so, and out of respect for women, he couldn't argue.
Upon returning to the base, Meng Ran and his team's work was not yet finished.
Not only did they still need to organize and categorize data about the monsters, but they also needed to figure out a proper way to handle Doctor Zola.
After all, this was a very powerful artificial intelligence, and simply destroying it would seem a bit wasteful.
Finally, after half a day of deliberation, they came up with a temporary solution.
Since they didn't need Doctor Zola at this stage, Meng Ran found a safe, highly confidential safe that cut off all data and signals, and then placed the two black boxes containing Doctor Zola's core data inside.
Then Meng Ran buried this safe deep underground in the Six-Point Star Base, which was isolated from network connections, allowing Doctor Zola to temporarily stay there in peace.
Chapter 238 Unexpected Changes
As for the most important Cradle device, Meng Ran still disassembled them and placed them in the system space.
As for why Zola wasn't put into the system space, it was mainly because he considered Zola, this AI, to be quite special.
Not putting Zola into the system space was also to prevent any possibility of his secrets being leaked.
Just like that, the few of them were busy in the base all night, finally getting all the data and items arranged properly by the morning of the next day.
Mary Jane sat at a table in the base's main hall, looking at her face in a small mirror and saying sadly,
"Oh my god! Staying up late is really bad for your body. I feel like I need several more face masks and several more hours of sleep to make up for the beauty I lost last night."
Hearing Mary Jane's complaint, Gwen also comforted her, "Once we're done with this, we can relax. We won't have to work this hard anymore."
Mary Jane nodded in agreement. That was true; the monsters and HYDRA had all been dealt with, so the coming days shouldn't be as busy as this period.
Looking at Gwen's still fair and delicate skin, Mary Jane said with some envy, "Gwen, why is your skin so good? Even after staying up all night, you don't look tired at all; you still seem so energetic."
Hearing Mary Jane's question, Gwen seemed to suddenly remember something, and her cheeks flushed slightly.
She quickly took a sip of water to cover her awkwardness, then softly said, "It's nothing, just drinking more water every day and keeping up with exercise."
Mary Jane nodded thoughtfully at her words, beginning to seriously consider Gwen's suggestion.
She really didn't exercise enough normally. It seemed she had to follow Gwen's advice: go to bed early, wake up early, drink more water, and exercise more in the future.
Seeing that Mary Jane hadn't noticed anything unusual, the faint blush on Gwen's face gradually faded.
The reason she was so shy was actually because the improvement in her physique was related to Meng Ran.
She remembered that after she started fighting crime at night, her sleep was never quite enough, and Meng Ran had been troubled by this for a while.
But later, ever since she and Meng Ran did some intimate things, she found that her physique seemed to be slowly improving.
Especially in the period after Meng Ran returned from his space trip, she could feel this improvement becoming increasingly obvious.
Now, not only was her physique getting better, but her speed, strength, reactions, and all other indicators were improving.
Even her recovery ability, which was originally only slightly stronger than an ordinary person's, had improved significantly, although it still couldn't compare to the abnormal levels of Liu Xiu and Meng Ran, it was at least slowly progressing.
Although this matter was very surprising, it was still a private topic, and Gwen felt too embarrassed to even mention it to Mary Jane.
Just as Gwen was lost in thought, Peter, Meng Ran, Harry, and Liu Xiu also came to the table and sat down.
The few of them also looked very energetic, still discussing some things about research and development.
Actually, it was mainly Peter talking. He was even putting his arm around Liu Xiu's shoulder and saying excitedly, "Xiu, tell me, am I not wrong?"
"Look at your and Harry's armor; aren't they too bulky compared to the new material we just developed?"
"Just say the word, and big brother will build you a new suit of armor that's definitely 100 times cooler than the one Harry made for you."
Liu Xiu fell into hesitation upon hearing Peter's words. To be honest, he was indeed very tempted by the new material, but if Peter were to make it, he was a little uneasy.
He was a bit afraid that Peter might make him a bizarre-looking armor, as Peter's aesthetic was indeed different from ordinary people's, which could be seen from his red and blue suit.
While Liu Xiu was still hesitating, Harry couldn't stand Peter's bragging anymore and began to retort, "Alright, alright, don't you think I wouldn't use the new material to make one for Xiu?"
"With your aesthetic, what kind of armor could you make? A red and blue Transformer, perhaps?"
"I just don't understand why your suit has to be red and blue. Black is clearly cooler and more intimidating. It's a waste of the high-tech suit Meng gave you."
Hearing Harry's words, Peter also retorted without showing weakness, "What's wrong with red and blue? What do you know? This is called love and passion, fitting my Spider-Man persona and image."
The two then began another war of words. Meng Ran could even see Liu Xiu's head, caught between them, seemingly getting bigger from the noisy.
Meng Ran didn't want to participate in their discussion. He just took a glass of milk, then sat next to Gwen and said, "Look how childish they are, unlike me, full of the steadiness and charm of a mature man."
Seeing Meng Ran sit down, Gwen couldn't help but recall those intimate scenes from earlier.
She deliberately turned her head away, a faint blush rising on her fair and delicate face again.
Looking at Gwen's reaction, Meng Ran was also a bit confused: "Did I say something wrong just now? But I don't think I said anything."
"This reaction doesn't seem like anger; it's more like shyness. Could it be that my charm has increased recently, and Gwen gets incredibly shy just seeing me?"
Seeing Meng Ran lost in thought, Gwen quickly changed the subject and said, "Cough~ I wonder how Tony and their party went yesterday."
"If we weren't busy organizing data, and it wasn't inconvenient to attend a party while concealing our identities, I would have liked to go and see."
Hearing Gwen's words, Meng Ran smiled at her and said, "It's alright, we can hold a masquerade party in the future and invite them to attend."
"By the way, speaking of holding parties, I think besides this base, we also need other above-ground gathering places."
"Where do you think we should buy a place? How about just buying a manor?"
After hearing Meng Ran's suggestion, Gwen also thought for a moment before offering her own advice.
Mary Jane, who was resting, and Peter and the other two, who had finished their debate, also joined the group chat after hearing their discussion.
"I'll check where such places are for sale. After listing the targets, we'll vote and pick the place that best fits our vision," Mary Jane said, pulling out her phone to start searching after a while of discussion.
As soon as she took out her phone and opened the search engine, real-time news articles were pushed to her.
"Hulk suddenly appears in an African nation!"
"Green Beast out of control, Avengers become slaughterers?"
Chapter 239 Crazy Hulk
As soon as Mary Jane saw the news, she quickly informed Meng Ran and the others.
Meng Ran and the others immediately stopped their discussion and started watching the live news broadcast.
According to the real-time broadcast from Xiaobai, Hulk was currently rampaging through the streets, his eyes bloodshot, constantly destroying surrounding buildings and smashing nearby cars.
"What's going on? Where are the other Avengers? Where are Tony and Rogers?" Peter and the others looked at the berserk Hulk on screen, their hearts filled with confusion and bewilderment.
Meng Ran also stood by, watching the scene unfold. Although his face remained calm, a storm raged within his heart.
The scene reminded him of a movie from his past life's memories, but in this real world, hadn't he already prevented Tony from creating Ultron? Why was all of this still happening?
Although Meng Ran was still full of doubts and confusion, he knew the situation was urgent. They needed to rush to that country immediately to stop the rampaging Hulk.
As for what exactly happened, he could only ask Tony himself after this matter was resolved.
"Quickly change into your gear and prepare for battle. We need to leave now," Meng Ran said in a deep voice to the others.
Peter and the others nodded in agreement and quickly put on their equipment.
After all preparations were made, Meng Ran activated his ability, opening a spatial portal directly from the base to Hulk's location.
The next second, everyone who passed through the portal had already arrived on the street where Hulkwas.
Looking around, the not-so-wide street was now packed with a terrified, fleeing crowd.
Behind them, a large green monster, its eyes bloodshot, was raising a car in its hands and smashing it into a nearby building.
Around Hulk, many scrapped cars were already strewn about, all of them crumpled into scrap metal by his immense strength, like toys.
The police and army reacted swiftly, driving patrol cars and armored vehicles, gradually closing in on Hulk, who was surrounded in the middle.
Seeing that the police and soldiers' bullets had no effect on Hulk, not even scratching his skin, the soldiers in the armored vehicles prepared their ammunition, intending to fire a cannon at the beast.
"Bang!"
With a loud bang, the cannon shell fired at Hulk was directly caught in his hand, then crushed until it exploded.
Although the shell caused no direct harm, the armored vehicle's shot still enraged the berserk Hulk.
Hulk directly threw the cannon shell, which had been crushed into scrap metal, at the armored vehicle.
Under the enhancement of his immense strength, this scrap metal shell shattered the armored vehicle's barbed wire and bulletproof glass.
If not for the superior quality of the barbed wire and glass, the soldiers inside the vehicle would likely have been crushed into meat paste by now.
As Hulk threw the shell, he leaped into the air, landing directly in front of the armored vehicle and smashing its front to smithereens.
Then he picked up the already battered armored vehicle with both hands and forcefully threw it away.
After this series of attacks, the soldiers inside the armored vehicle were already disheartened. They cursed Hulk while awaiting the explosion and death.
Just as the thrown armored vehicle was about to hit the ground, a large black hand caught it, then slowly and steadily placed it on the ground.
"Crack!"
Upon landing, the rear of the armored vehicle was directly torn open by a giant black claw, revealing the few still-shaken soldiers inside.
"What are you still standing there for? Get out quickly!" Meng Ran said urgently, looking at the dazed soldiers.
After Meng Ran's reminder, these soldiers snapped out of it, then quickly got out of the car, fearfully glancing at the terrifying and grotesque Meng Ran.
Seeing the soldiers walk away, Meng Ran directly threw the scrapped armored vehicle at Hulk to attract his attention.
"Bang!"
Hulk, who was pounding his chest and roaring, was caught off guard and hit squarely by the incoming armored vehicle.
He furiously flattened the armored vehicle that landed beside him, then, with bloodshot eyes, searched for the target that had ambushed him.
Looking at Hulk's bloodshot eyes, Meng Ran realized that something was wrong. This situation didn't seem to be a simple case of being provoked and going berserk; rather, he was under Wanda's mental influence.
It was important to remember that after Meng Ran's mediation, Hulk and Banner had reached a preliminary understanding, and ordinary provocations would not cause Hulk to rampage.
As Meng Ran was analyzing the situation, Hulk had already locked onto his figure.
The irrational Hulk completely failed to recognize Meng Ran. His mind was filled with nothing but rage, wanting only to smash this guy who ambushed him as quickly as possible.
Looking at Hulk roaring and charging towards him, Meng Ran decided to try using gentle psychic energy first, to see if he could help him regain his lost sanity.
"You all spread out and help the injured. I'll handle Hulk." After giving instructions to Peter and the others, he swiftly charged towards Hulk.
Just as Meng Ran was about to collide head-on with Hulk, he instantly used teleportation, appearing above Hulk in a flash.
Then he stomped on Hulk's back, forcing him to the ground in an abrupt stop.
At the same time, countless black tentacles instantly emerged from the ground beneath Hulk, tightly coiling around his limbs and head, pinning him down.
After securing Hulk, Meng Ran extended both his hands. With the pure white psychic energy emanating from his hands, he calmed the turmoil in Hulk's brain, while also softly calling out.
"Hulk, clear your head. We're friends, aren't we?"
"Don't let this anger control you, Hulk. You actually like peace, and dislike anger, don't you?"
Meng Ran wanted to use his psychic energy to soothe Hulk's agitated mind.
However, the blood-red energy currently influencing Hulk's mind became even more agitated upon sensing this foreign energy.
Two different energies pulled at each other in Hulk's mental world, making his already unstable mental state even more chaotic.
Meng Ran's plan did not succeed. Under the influence of his psychic energy, Hulk's mind became even more violent, and his anger intensified compared to before.
Upon realizing this, he promptly withdrew his hands.
At the same time, Hulk, bound by Venom, became even stronger due to the power of his rage.
He forcibly broke free from Venom's restraints, then flung Meng Ran, who was standing on his back, away.
"No choice. Since that move didn't work, I'll just have to be a bit rougher and knock you out directly."
Looking at the enraged Hulk, Meng Ran's body immediately began to transform.
The Venom on his body surged, changing him from a normal human form into a smaller giant, similar to Hulk, just like when he fought Abomination before.
Meng Ran bared his fanged maw, his crimson long tongue flicking in the air, occasionally dripping thick saliva.
"Since you won't behave, let's have a contest."
A hoarse voice emanated from the terrifying maw, and his pale, elongated eyes now held less cold eeriness and more intense fighting spirit.
Chapter 240 Veronica
Looking at Meng Ran, who had finished transforming, Hulk was fearless. He roared and charged forward.
Meng Ran looked at the charging Hulk, his eyes filled with fighting spirit. He clenched his iron fist and brought it down on Hulk.
"Bang!"
With a loud bang, Hulk, who had exchanged a punch with Meng Ran, was sent flying.
Meng Ran's strength was now completely beyond what Hulk could contend with, even with Hulk in a state of berserk rage.
He could even let Hulk stay enraged for another half an hour before making a move, because the outcome wouldn't change. It would just mean Hulk would take a more severe beating.
After sending Hulk flying, Meng Ran didn't stay put. He instantly teleported behind Hulk, who was still airborne.
Then, he grabbed one of Hulk's ankles with his large hand, spread his wings, and flew into the air, carrying Hulk.
To avoid further damaging the city, Meng Ran decided to throw Hulk out of the area with buildings and people.
He raised his arm in the air and, like throwing a sack, flung the struggling Hulk out of the city, letting him crash onto an uninhabited suburban grassland.
"Bang!"
Hulk's heavy body, combined with the force of gravity, created a large crater in the grass. He sat slumped in the pit, shaking his somewhat dazed head, feeling even more frustrated and angry.
"Roar!!!"
Just as he let out a roar and was about to jump out of the pit, a long, strip-shaped metal object, even taller than him, suddenly flew from the sky and blocked his path.
This strip-shaped metal was wider at the bottom and narrower at the top, like a split door panel. After it landed, faint blue electrical arcs shot from it towards the blocked Hulk.
The numbing sensation from the current made Hulk even angrier. He roared and swung his fists, trying to smash the annoying object in front of him.
At the same time, more strip-shaped metal objects, identical to this narrow door panel, descended from the sky and formed a small cage, trapping Hulk inside.
They continuously shot blue electrical arcs at Hulk inside, while extending clasps from their sides to connect with the adjacent metal pieces, ultimately forming a completely sealed metal cage, like a small fortress.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Dull thuds and roars occasionally emanated from within. Hulk furiously pounded the small cage from the inside, but the metal cage's strength was considerable, and he couldn't break free for the time being.
Just then, a red Iron Giant also descended from the sky.
Tony, piloting the Iron Giant, nodded with satisfaction as he looked at the metal cage imprisoning Hulk.
This cage, along with the armor he wore and the aircraft still flying in the air on standby, was what he had mentioned before: the Hulkbuster armor—Veronica—developed in collaboration with Dr. Banner.
They had researched the Hulkbuster armor precisely to have such a targeted weapon when Hulk went berserk and lost control, to help them stop Hulk.
In situations like the present, Veronica could come in handy.
The moment Tony appeared, Meng Ran also teleported to the location.
Tony couldn't help but feel a sudden panic as Meng Ran's gaze fell upon him.
Before Meng Ran could speak, Tony hastily interjected, "Uh, Mr. Ghost, we're here because something happened yesterday."
"Banner was originally on standby on the plane, but we don't know what method the enemy used to release Hulk, which is why things are as they are now."
Before Tony could finish explaining, Meng Ran raised a hand, stopping him from saying anything further.
"I generally understand the situation. Ultron still appeared and escaped your control, right?"
Upon hearing this blunt question, Tony fell silent.
In truth, this matter had its reasons, and he had explanations.
However, no matter what, the ultimate problem still lay with him, so his heart was filled with self-reproach and distress, and he didn't know what to say for a moment.
Seeing Tony's conflicted expression, Meng Ran knew that Ultron's creation was inextricably linked to him.
He sighed and said to Tony in a deep voice, "Never mind. What's done is done. Saying anything more now is useless."
"The most important thing now is to get Banner back to normal. Once this is resolved, you can tell me in detail exactly what happened."
"I understand," Tony said in a deep voice.
"Mr. Ghost, don't worry, Banner will recover soon. Veronica was created by him and me specifically to prevent Hulk's loss of control."
"All the weapons and equipment are also designed specifically for Hulk."
"For example, this metal cage can not only release high-voltage current to paralyze Banner, but also release a powerful sedative internally to make Banner lose consciousness and then revert to a normal person."
Hearing Tony's introduction and explanation, Meng Ran nodded thoughtfully and then said to him, "I see. However, given Hulk's state today, I think Veronica probably won't be effective."
"You'd best keep your distance, because the fight once he breaks free might be quite violent, and you'd best not get caught in it."
Hearing Meng Ran's words, Tony was somewhat unconvinced. He believed Veronica should be perfectly capable of subduing Hulk.
Just as this thought crossed his mind, a loud bang erupted from the metal cage in front of them.
Upon hearing the sound, Tony immediately approached the cage. He wanted to use his armor to further increase the cage's electrical intensity.
"Watch out!" Meng Ran quickly warned him when he saw his action.
Just as Tony placed his hand on the cage, preparing to operate it, a large green hand instantly shot out from the steel cage.
Hulk grabbed Tony's armor arm with one hand, tore open the already shattered steel cage with the other, and quickly leaped out.
During his confinement in the steel cage, the anger in Hulk's heart had not been vented; instead, it had intensified.
So, after breaking through the cage, he immediately used Tony, whom he was holding, as a tool to vent his rage.
He grabbed both arms of the armor with his two hands, then lifted his foot and kicked hard, directly tearing off Tony's armor arms.
Tony was also directly knocked to the ground by Hulk's series of actions. He raised his leg armor, firing energy to prevent Hulk from advancing further, while shouting to Veronica, who was on standby in the air, "Veronica! Arm armor damaged, replace it quickly!"
Chapter 241 Education of Love
Watching Tony's arm get ripped off by Hulk in one encounter, Meng Ran didn't intervene, he just watched the excitement from the side.
On one hand, he wanted Hulk to smash Tony's armor a bit to vent his anger, and on the other hand, he also wanted to use Hulk's hands to teach Tony a lesson.
It was Tony's fault for being so troublesome, allowing Ultron to appear even when Meng Ran was already taking precautions.
After Tony sent the command to Veronica, the waiting Veronica immediately launched two arm armors from both sides of her body.
The arm armors flew rapidly towards Tony, who was rolling clumsily on the ground, and with the clanking sounds of armor replacement, Tony put on two new arms.
While Tony was replacing his arms, Hulk also dodged the energy cannons fired from beneath his feet and quickly approached him.
Just as Hulk was about to smash Tony with his fist, Tony's arm armor was finally replaced.
He raised both his arms and brought his palms together; in the next instant, an extremely thick and long energy cannon shot out from his joined palms, blasting Hulk, who had just been in his face, away.
Although the energy cannon was powerful, it didn't cause much actual damage to Hulk, and Hulkquickly got up from the ground.
Looking at Tony, who was holding a hand cannon and charging energy not far away, Hulk roared, then directly raised his iron fists and forcefully slammed them onto the ground beneath his feet.
Hulk's powerful two punches instantly cracked the ground, and Tony, standing not far away, was also within the cracked area.
Because the Iron Man armor itself was incredibly heavy, after the ground cracked, Tony staggered and fell into the cracks.
"Friday, full power to the leg thrusters." After falling into the crack, Tony quickly gave instructions to his new assistant.
He couldn't move at all now and needed to get out of the ground quickly to escape this predicament.
Just as the Hulkbuster armor's leg armor was pushing with full force, Hulk, not far away, roared and jumped up from the ground.
Hulk roared as he charged towards Tony, who was stuck in the ground, and then directly slammed down onto his head from the air.
Tony, already caught in the crack, sank even deeper under Hulk's weight.
After stepping on Tony's head, Hulk didn't stop; he swung his fists and fiercely hammered the armor beneath his feet.
"Armor damaged!"
"Armor arm damage 10%! 20%! 30%! 50%! 60%!"
Tony held the armor's arms above his head, fending off Hulk's fierce attacks, while listening to the continuous armor damage warnings in his ear.
"Veronica!" Tony shouted commands to Veronica, hoping that the aerial support assistant could play some role and help him escape this predicament.
As for the 'evil ghost' who refused to act and chose to stand by, Tony knew his thoughts after seeing his actions.
Tony had no complaints about this, after all, these messes were all because of him.
Upon hearing Tony's command, Veronica flew over rapidly. While continuously attacking Hulk, she also released several replacement armor packs, preparing to replace Tony's already damaged armor.
Just as she rapidly approached and had just flown not far from the battleground of Hulk and Tony, Hulkdirectly crumpled the steel components he had torn from Tony's body into a ball, then threw it at Veronica.
"Bang! Zzzzz!" Veronica was directly hit by Hulk's attack and fell from the sky, smoking.
With nothing else in the way, Hulk concentrated on dismantling the behemoth beneath him.
Soon, the Hulkbuster armor's upper body, exposed above the ground, was completely torn apart by Hulk, and Tony, wearing the Iron Man armor inside, was revealed.
Seeing Tony hidden inside, Hulk roared, then directly swung his fist down.
At the same time, a thick beam of light shot out from Tony's chest, colliding fiercely with Hulk's fist.
This thick energy beam continuously prevented Hulk's fist from descending further. Seeing this, Hulkgritted his teeth and increased his strength, and the two briefly stalemated.
A moment later, the thick energy beam seemed to be losing momentum and gradually began to weaken.
"Energy remaining 15%!"
"Activate backup energy storage." Hearing Friday's reminder, Tony gritted his teeth and continued to hold on.
Upon hearing Tony's command, Friday quickly replied, "Backup hidden energy has already been activated. All energy remaining is now 15%."
"Oh! S***! When Banner wakes up, I'm definitely going to kick his ass!"
Although there wasn't much energy left, Tony wasn't panicked; he just wanted to get even with Bannerfor the humiliation he suffered from Hulk.
He knew that the 'evil ghost' standing by watching the battle would certainly not let him truly fall into danger.
"Energy remaining 5%!"
After the energy dropped to the last 5%, the energy beam from his chest had weakened significantly, and Hulk's huge fist was visibly about to smash into Tony's face.
"Energy remaining 1%!"
"Energy depleted!"
Just as all energy was depleted, and Hulk's fist was five centimeters away from Tony's facial armor…
With a "Bang!" Hulk's roar began to sound, and it was getting further and further away from Tony.
Tony removed his facial armor and looked into the distance, only to see Hulk, who had just been rampaging in front of him, being brutally beaten by the 'evil ghost'.
At this moment, the 'evil ghost' was grabbing Hulk's ankle and slamming him against the ground like a broken sack.
That terrifying and ferocious face, combined with a small giant's physique similar to Hulk's, suddenly made Hulk, who was only a little green and otherwise indistinguishable from a human, appear somewhat pitiful.
After being slammed around like a sack, Hulk was then choked by the 'evil ghost', forcibly making face-to-face, no-distance contact with the ground.
Meng Ran was disciplining Hulk while also closely observing his mental state.
Under the continuous "love education," the crimson in Hulk's eyes gradually faded, and the frequency of his angry roars slowly decreased.
When the crimson in Hulk's eyes began to recede, Meng Ran had already stopped his disciplinary actions.
He once again gathered white mental power in his palm to soothe Hulk's agitated mind.
Under the continuous effect of his mental power, Hulk gradually ceased his rampage and slowly closed his eyes.
At the same time, his huge green body also began to shrink, and a moment later, only a middle-aged man with a tattered cloth covering his waist remained on the ground.
Chapter 242 The Reason for the Birth of Ultron
Banner was left with only a giant pair of stretched shorts on his body.
Looking at those shorts, Meng Ran couldn't help but admire their elasticity; honestly, he was quite curious where they were bought.
On the other side, Tony also deactivated his armor, which had run out of energy, and climbed out of the dirt.
He walked over to Banner, gently patted his face, and called his name.
"Banner, wake up! The sun's already high; time to get up."
At the same time, Meng Ran was also checking Banner's mind to see if there was any residual red energy in his head.
After a moment, Banner finally regained consciousness; he slowly opened his eyes and woke up.
"Oh~ that damn familiar feeling. Why does my head hurt a little?"
The moment Banner woke up, he realized what had happened. Although Hulk hadn't gone berserk in a long time, he could never forget this familiar feeling.
He remembered that every time Hulk went berserk in the past, he would wake up naked in some place, just like now, except that he now had a pair of shorts that had been stretched so much they could be used as a small blanket.
"Hey, buddy, what exactly happened just now? Did that female Inhumans who gives people nightmares ambush you?" Tony asked anxiously when he saw Banner wake up.
Banner pondered Tony's question and replied, "I was just waiting for you guys to come back in the plane. Because the sound of the fighting was quite loud, I looked out from the cabin door."
"Then, as I was watching, I lost consciousness, and when I regained consciousness, it was now."
"Every time Hulk went berserk before, I would also lose consciousness, but there would always be some memory fragments; I wouldn't forget so completely."
"Now I can't remember anything that just happened. I just feel dizzy, and my head is very uncomfortable, which has never happened before."
Hearing Banner's account, Meng Ran then explained, "It should be that female Inhumans who silently invaded your brain and affected your thoughts."
"Logically speaking, even if Hulk went berserk, he should still recognize me, but from the situation just now, he had completely lost his sanity, and his eyes were bloodshot."
"From these circumstances, it seems you were blinded by the Inhumans's ability and had your nerves controlled, just like she made Tony have nightmares at that time."
Hearing Meng Ran's explanation, Banner nodded thoughtfully, then asked Tony, "How's your side? Did you catch Ultron?"
After asking, he turned to Meng Ran and said somewhat apologetically, "Sorry, Mr. Evil Ghost, at that time, Tony and I had already given up on the idea of creating Ultron using the scepter."
"Originally, Tony and I wanted to do some basic calculations and designs for the artificial intelligence we envisioned, but later, some unexpected issues arose in the final stage of the design, which led to the appearance of Ultron."
"Ultron has escaped. I don't know the situation of the others yet, but there's no doubt that today's operation failed," Tony said in a deep voice, listening to Banner's questions and explanations to Meng Ran.
Meng Ran looked at Tony, who was silent with his head down, and asked him, "Now tell me, what exactly happened to you guys at that time?"
"If you had already given up on using the scepter's energy, then why did Ultron appear?"
Knowing Meng Ran's question, Tony and Banner exchanged glances, then, after a moment of thought, began to recount.
"After your persuasion that day, I also gave up the idea of using the scepter, so I tried to create the artificial intelligence we envisioned step by step myself."
"Although that nightmare was fake, I still had a sense of urgency, always thinking that I should complete this idea sooner and let Earth have the power to resist alien invaders sooner."
"So I started my calculations and design for artificial intelligence in the lab."
"I first created a most basic artificial intelligence model using Jarvis as a reference, and then I wanted to design an algorithm to allow it to learn automatically and evolve through self-calculation."
"After several hours of thought, I designed the first generation of the algorithm. This algorithm could fulfill my vision, but the speed was still a bit slow."
"So I found Banner and asked him to work with me to improve the algorithm."
"At first, he thought I still hadn't given up on the idea of using the scepter, so he refused me."
"But after I explained my Ideas in detail, he also thought this approach was feasible and less risky, so he joined in the improvement of the algorithm."
"After that, Banner and I began to improve and upgrade the algorithm together. After our adjustments, the algorithm made great progress, but we still felt that it had a lot of room for improvement."
"We kept calculating like this until before the party started. Banner left the lab first to wash up and change, and because my calculations weren't finished yet, I continued to work in the lab for a while longer."
At this point, Tony also showed a bitter smile, "I didn't expect that this short time would cause such big trouble."
"Originally, my thinking had hit a bottleneck, but just then, when I saw the scepter, I suddenly had an idea."
Hearing this, Meng Ran narrowed his eyes and said coldly, "So you still wanted to use the scepter's energy in the end."
Hearing Meng Ran's words, Tony quickly waved his hand and then hurriedly explained, "No, I didn't want to use the scepter's energy."
"It was after seeing the scepter that I suddenly remembered the holographic projection screen from when it was analyzed."
"At that time, the analysis result of the scepter was that it seemed to be thinking, so I wanted to try to see if I could analyze its fluctuations and then summarize an algorithm."
"Originally, I was just trying it out, but I didn't expect to actually summarize it successfully. I didn't think it would actually work at the time."
"After the algorithm was successfully summarized, I was always conflicted about whether or not to use it in Ultron's design."
"During that time of indecision, I seemed to fall into a strange feeling. I thought of that nightmare again, and also your advice to me."
"Under the influence of that feeling, I thought about it carefully again, and finally felt that this algorithm should not have any problems, and it was just building a model that could be deleted at any time."
"With that thought supporting me, I, by some strange impulse, entered the algorithm."
"At first, the results were not as smooth as I had imagined. Jarvis simulated it many times, and the results were always 'unable to establish'."
"Finally, because the party was about to start and the model hadn't been fully established, I asked Jarvis to keep an eye on it and continue simulating its establishment, and to notify me immediately if anything happened."
Chapter 243 The Truth
"After I handed the model over to Jarvis, I left the lab. It wasn't until a robot appeared before us as the party was almost over that I realized things were in trouble."
"I think the model might have been successfully built after I left, and then Ultron was born in a way I hadn't anticipated."
"The algorithm had no issues in its data derivation, but somehow, during its operation, a mutation occurred."
"After Ultron was born, he gained his own consciousness. He not only killed Jarvis but also, after self-analysis, surpassed the goals I had designed, believing there was only one way to achieve peace: the destruction of humanity."
"He escaped the Avengers base, taking Loki's scepter with him. Today, he took a lot of Vibranium from here as well."
After saying this, Tony, feeling a mix of guilt and seriousness, said to Meng Ran, "I'm sorry, Mr. Meng Ran, my mistake led to this trouble."
Tony genuinely felt apologetic to Meng Ran, so he couldn't confront him in the same way he would Thor or Rogers.
Meng Ran had not only stopped him when he had the idea of using the scepter to complete Ultron but had also thoroughly explained the pros and cons to him.
Finally, he even promised that when the experiment reached a certain level, he would personally go to Asgard to retrieve the scepter for his research.
These facts left Tony feeling only deep shame and endless apology when facing Meng Ran, completely devoid of his usual arrogance and conceit.
Before hearing Tony's account, Meng Ran was also filled with anger and incomprehension. He simply couldn't understand what Tony was thinking to allow Ultron to be born.
Now, after listening to Tony's explanation, Meng Ran also noticed something amiss, and the anger in his heart had dissipated.
He organized his thoughts and asked Tony, "You just said you had this idea shortly before the party started, and you also felt that your state seemed a bit off, right?"
Upon hearing Meng Ran's question, Tony replied, "That's right, it was like there was a voice in my head saying this is what should be done."
"And even though it seems like a huge risk now, at the time, I didn't feel anything was wrong at all."
"I thought about it and felt it might be due to the Inhumans's power left behind. Ever since I experienced that nightmare, I've felt a bit anxious mentally."
Hearing Tony's reply and analysis, Meng Ran immediately said, "Your mind was indeed affected at the time, and the situation was indeed off. However, it wasn't because that Inhumans left something in your head, but because the scepter was exploiting the fear in your heart."
"After you woke up from the nightmare, I had already checked your head; there was no residual mental energy from that Inhumans."
"So the unease you felt wasn't due to the Inhumans's mental power, but because your fear and the desire to quickly create Ultron were influenced by the scepter."
"It amplified your fear, intensified your sense of crisis, making you make the wrong choices under a distorted perception, ultimately leading to Ultron's birth."
After listening to Meng Ran's explanation and analysis, the confusion in Tony and Banner's minds was resolved.
At the same time, upon hearing that the scepter could subtly have such a profound influence on human thought, both of them couldn't help but gasp.
They had previously been affected by the scepter's energy during the Battle of New York. At that time, a group of them had an argument in the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier lab.
They originally thought that was the limit of what the scepter could do, but now it seemed they had greatly underestimated this scepter and the special energy within it.
Looking at the shocked and pensive Banner and Tony, Meng Ran said softly, "This is why I told you not to fantasize about controlling this energy, because this energy is not something we can easily manipulate or play with."
"You might think you are controlling and playing with it, but the reality is that it is using your emotions to control you, influencing all your decisions and perceptions."
After Meng Ran finished speaking, Rogers' voice came through Tony's earpiece again: "Tony, how are things on your end? Has Banner stabilized?"
Hearing Rogers' voice, Tony snapped back to attention. He pressed his earpiece and replied to Rogers, "Banner's condition is stable. How are things on your end?"
Rogers heard this and turned to look at the distraught people around him. He sighed and said to Tony in a deep voice, "Things aren't very good. Except for Barton, we all suffered a mental attack from that female Inhumans."
Barton had been controlled by Loki using the scepter during the Battle of New York, so after that, he underwent a lot of targeted training to strengthen his mind.
It was precisely because of this consistent training that he was able to react quickly today and didn't fall into a nightmare like the others.
Hearing Rogers' report, Tony also fell silent. Their operation today had not only failed but had also suffered heavy losses.
After a moment of silence, Rogers said in the earpiece again, "Let's gather first. We'll talk on the plane. You two wait there for a bit; we'll come pick you up with the plane."
"OK." Hearing Rogers' words, Tony responded.
Seeing this, Meng Ran also said to Tony, "You take Banner to the rendezvous point first. I'll be there shortly."
Tony nodded upon hearing this, then helped Banner to his feet.
After speaking, Meng Ran instantly left the area. He returned to the city center where the battle had just taken place and found the members of the Six-pointed Star Alliance who had just finished evacuating civilians and rescuing the injured.
He first briefly explained the issues and troubles concerning Ultron to them, then opened a spatial portal and sent them back to the base.
Meng Ran told Peter and the others to be on standby and then went to check on the Avengers.
These individuals had been shaken and lost confidence by Wanda's mental power. He needed them to adjust their state in time and then discuss solutions for Ultron with them.
Chapter 244 Safe Place
Inside the Quinjet's cabin, several Avengers sat silently in their seats.
Banner was wearing headphones, listening to music to soothe himself, while the others all had furrowed brows, lost in thought.
On the communication screen, Hill, who was on standby at the Avengers Compound, was reporting the current situation to them.
"All the news now is about you. Although the officials haven't issued a warrant for Banner's arrest, there's a very strong public outcry for it."
Tony, hearing the situation that needed to be reported, also asked her, "What about the Stark Relief Foundation?"
"They've already arrived on site and are handling the follow-up and cleanup," Hill replied to Tony's question.
Then she continued to ask them, "How are you all doing?"
Tony was silent for a moment before replying, "Everyone has been affected. The whole team has taken a hit, and we need to get out of this predicament."
Hearing Tony's answer, Hill offered her suggestion.
"Well, I suggest you all remain invisible and disappear for now; don't appear in front of the media."
"So, we're supposed to hide?" Tony said in a deep voice.
"Until we find Ultron, I can't think of a better suggestion," Hill said softly.
In this situation, she really didn't know what advice to give to help everyone out of their predicament.
"Sigh~ We're at a loss right now," Tony sighed, saying that the entire team had been hit hard. Everyone had been affected by Wanda's energy, experiencing their deepest, most unwilling-to-recall or most unwilling-to-see nightmares.
After the call with Hill ended, the entire cabin fell silent once more.
Just then, accompanied by a flash of golden light, Meng Ran's figure appeared in the cabin.
Seeing the listless, silent Avengers, Meng Ran said in a hoarse voice, "Is anyone there? Is something wrong with my ears? Why are there so many people here, but no one is talking?"
"That joke isn't funny at all, Mr. Meng Ran," Natasha said softly, hearing his jest.
Because of the nightmare's influence, her complexion looked very poor, her eyes were full of exhaustion, and her brow was furrowed with an unshakeable sorrow.
"Alright, so where are you going next?" Meng Ran's gaze swept around, then he asked them.
Hearing Meng Ran's question, Tony looked back at Hawkeye Barton, who was piloting the plane; he also didn't know where they were going now.
Barton, hearing Meng Ran's question, continued to operate the plane while saying loudly, "It's a safe place. It'll take a few more hours to get there. If you want to get some sleep, now's the time."
Hearing Barton's explanation, no one asked any more questions. A few hours later, their plane arrived at a secluded location.
There were no people for several kilometers around, only two houses built on a large open space in the middle.
After the plane landed steadily, the Avengers and Meng Ran followed Barton towards the houses.
Once inside, everyone realized that this was Barton's home. He was not only married but also had two lovely children, with a third on the way, waiting to be born in his wife's bulging belly.
"Sorry for our sudden visit," Rogers said softly to Barton's wife.
Tony continued, "We should have called ahead, but we were a bit too busy, so busy we didn't even know you existed."
Hearing Tony's words, Barton understood what he meant, so he put one arm around his wife and the other around his children, smiling, "Fury arranged this for me after I joined the Avengers."
"There's no record in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s archives either. I like that feeling."
"As you can see, there's no one around here, making it a good place to hide."
They chatted for a while longer, and their previously tense nerves began to relax.
While everyone was chatting, Thor still had a deep frown, constantly thinking about the scenes he had just seen in his dream.
He vaguely felt that something might have been overlooked, and some clues he hadn't seen very clearly.
"Ding~!"
Just then, the toaster made a "ding" sound, a crisp sound that awoke Thor from his contemplation.
He thought for a moment, then suddenly turned and walked out of the room.
"Thor?" Rogers saw his movement and chased after him from inside.
Meng Ran followed closely; during the previous time, he had contacted the members of the Six-pointed Star Alliance through Xiaobai, telling them to be ready for battle at any time.
Hearing Rogers' voice, Thor explained to him, "I discovered something in my dream. I need to find answers. They're not here, so I need to leave now."
After speaking, he didn't wait for Rogers to say anything else but swung his hammer and flew into the sky.
"He's going to resolve his inner turmoil. What about you, Rogers?" Meng Ran asked Rogers, who was looking up, watching Thor leave.
"Although that dream didn't affect you as much as Natasha, I can tell that your current state isn't very full."
Hearing Meng Ran's question, Rogers fell silent. After a moment, he looked up again and replied, "Although I was affected a bit, it's still alright."
"As a centenarian, I've experienced quite a few regrets and waits. I've encountered situations similar to today's before."
"So, calming my mind and adjusting my state isn't particularly difficult; it just takes a little time."
Listening to Rogers' answer, Meng Ran felt much more relieved. As a centenarian who had lived through a world war, Rogers indeed didn't need him to worry too much.
Rogers' most shining qualities were his steadfast belief in justice and his unyielding character, which is why he could become Captain America.
That dream might have a slight impact on him, but he wouldn't stop because of it.
He once chose to sacrifice his life for the world's victory, and now he similarly wouldn't choose to wallow in a false dream to make up for his regrets.
Because he knew that doing so would be futile; a regret is a regret precisely because the event has already happened and cannot be undone.
Chapter 245 Communication and Disagreement
Just as Rogers and Meng Ran were conversing, Tony also walked out of the door.
"Gentlemen, before we deal with Ultron, we have one important thing to do: chop wood."
"This is the payment we need to make for staying here, and it's what will keep us warm tonight."
After speaking, Tony picked up two axes and handed them to Meng Ran and Rogers respectively.
Rogers took the axe upon hearing this, while Meng Ran waved his hand and said, "You two chop. I don't live here, and I don't need to keep warm."
"Besides, if I were to act, you two might get depressed. Who needs an axe to chop wood, really?"
Hearing Meng Ran's words, Tony and Rogers looked helpless, then each took an axe and went to chop wood.
There was nothing they could do; with their strength, they couldn't force the evil spirit, and they couldn't beat him in a fight.
While Tony and Rogers were focused on chopping wood, Meng Ran lay on a tree branch, maintaining contact with Peter and the others.
"Mary Jane, have you and noob found any traces of Ultron?" Meng Ran asked Mary Jane in the communication channel.
Mary Jane reported the current situation to him, saying, "Because he is also an artificial intelligence, he can move freely across the internet. It's not that we can't find his movements now, but rather that his traces are everywhere."
"These traces are spread globally, but we can't determine which one is his actual location."
"Moreover, we also found that he has been searching for information about us. Since he can't breach our information network defense system, he seems even more curious about our data."
"Since this morning, the defense system has repelled countless attacks and infiltrations."
"Xiaobai is now dedicating most of his energy to countering him. Because his progress is very fast, our defense system also needs to keep pace with the times to ensure airtight security."
Just as Meng Ran and Mary Jane were conversing, Tony and Rogers, who were chopping wood, were also talking.
After forcefully splitting a log, Tony asked Rogers, "Did Thor not tell you where he went to find answers?"
Hearing Tony's question, Rogers also split a log, then sighed and said, "My team members don't tell me everything."
"I once hoped Thor would be an exception, but it seems there are no exceptions."
Tony then continued, "Give him some time. I don't know what that girl showed him that made him so quiet and thoughtful."
"Although I've wished countless times that his brain wasn't just muscles, and that he would think more."
"But when such a scenario actually happens, I find I still prefer him with a brain full of muscles."
Rogers shook his head upon hearing Tony's words and said, "Alas ~ the world's strongest team of heroes, now torn apart."
"This must be the scene that Inhumans wanted to see, and what's more ridiculous is that even though we know her intentions, we are still helpless."
At this point, Tony also placed his axe on the log, then leaned on it with both hands and looked at Rogers, saying, "You look unharmed, not affected at all."
"Is there a problem?" Rogers asked in return.
Tony continued to chop wood at this time, then added, "To be honest, I don't believe there are perfect people in this world. I'm more old-fashioned."
Rogers chuckled at Tony's words, then said, "Do you mean you haven't found my flaws yet?"
"Actually, I'm not unaffected; it's just that I've been through a lot, so I'm more open-minded."
Tony put down his axe at this point and walked closer to Rogers, saying, "You're right, Ultron is indeed dividing us because he knows we are the only force that can stop him."
Rogers heard Tony's words and said, "It seems you also know his purpose, but you probably haven't told us all your thoughts."
Hearing Rogers's words, Tony knew that the other party was dissatisfied with what he and Banner had done.
"Banner and I didn't intend to create Ultron; we were conducting artificial intelligence research, and Ultron was just an accident."
"But your research might affect the team," Rogers said, hearing Tony's explanation.
Tony became a little agitated at this, and he couldn't help but exclaim, "But this could also end our team!"
"Isn't this our mission, our ultimate goal?"
"All these things we've done, including forming the Avengers, aren't they just to end wars and then each go home to live peacefully?"
Tony knew he bore an undeniable responsibility for the Ultron incident, but he didn't believe his initial intentions were wrong.
Rogers didn't fully understand Tony like Meng Ran did; he believed Tony was wrong from the beginning.
This included not telling the team, concealing the matter from the team, and then conducting research alone with Banner.
Listening to Tony's intense words, Rogers's temper also flared up.
He gripped the log he was holding with both hands, then, without an axe, purely by strength, he tore it apart.
He looked at Tony and said, "Whenever someone tries to win a war before it even begins, there will inevitably be sacrifices. It has always been this way, from ancient times to the present."
"Since we are a team, we should face it together. We are not S.H.I.E.L.D.; we are the Avengers."
Tony listened to Rogers's words and nodded, saying, "That's right, we are the Avengers. We can be on call 24 hours a day, searching for criminals, but have you forgotten the Battle of New York?"
"Even if we have powerful individual combat strength, what if we face tens of thousands, an overwhelming alien army?"
"Wouldn't it be better if we also had a similar army?"
"If another Battle of New York situation occurs, how will we defeat them? If the worst happens, how will we face it?"
Hearing Tony's questioning, Rogers replied decisively, "Even then, we stand united."
"But we might lose," Tony asked him, looking into Rogers's eyes.
Rogers met Tony's gaze and continued, "Even if we lose, we will still stand united."
After Rogers finished this sentence, the atmosphere suddenly fell silent.
Tony didn't continue speaking but picked up the nearby axe and continued chopping wood.
Through this conversation with Rogers, Tony understood the differences in their thoughts and ways of thinking.
Although they both aimed for Earth's safety, due to their different personalities, their ideas and chosen methods also differed.
Rogers was a soldier; he believed that no matter what, to win a war, everyone must be united, trust each other, and have no hidden agendas. This was a prerequisite for victory.
But Tony didn't have Rogers's experience. Instead of spending time persuading others to agree with his ideas, he preferred to take direct action and convince them with results.