Facing the countless cannon barrels aimed at him, and the APU exoskeleton units below raising their mechanical arms in unison, Nolan already knew what choice they had made.
It was a reasonable choice. They were soldiers.
But once a choice is made, no matter the reason, the consequences must be borne.
As Nolan stood in silence, the roar of rotating machinery erupted.
A storm of bullets tore through the air toward him. At the same time, the Titan mechs unleashed a barrage of bombardment.
Even if these Titans were only downgraded versions of Nolan's own designs, their overwhelming firepower was still a nightmare for any enemy foolish enough to stand before them.
Explosions thundered.
Nolan was swallowed whole by the barrage.
Every weapon fired without restraint, pouring out its full payload.
Carol Danvers remained expressionless.
Attacks like this could never break through the defenses of Nolan Locke's armor.
And just as expected
When the bombardment finally ceased, Nolan stood there, completely unharmed.
Inside the AT field, his expression was calm.
He did not even glance at the soldiers. Instead, his gaze drifted into the distance.
There was someone there he wanted to see.
But before that, he had to deal with what stood before him.
"We've been at this for a while," Nolan said calmly. "My turn now."
To the soldiers, his voice sounded like a death sentence.
"How is that possible… He's still alive after all that?"
Inside one of the APU units, a soldier muttered in disbelief.
In the command vehicle, Nick Fury's face darkened.
That level of saturation attack should have at least injured him, or at the very least left him battered.
But Nolan looked as if nothing had happened at all.
"Is the Emperor Titan ready yet?" Fury demanded, tension creeping into his voice.
"The main cannon is at 82% charge. Estimated 15 seconds to full charge. Secondary cannons are at 77% and can fire at any time."
The reporting agent hesitated. "Director, should we fire early?"
"No. Wait until full charge. I don't want to alert him."
Fury's voice was cold.
He knew it would cost lives, but that did not matter.
Even if the Emperor Titan's massive form could not be hidden, as long as the Titan army remained engaged, Nolan would not expect a direct main cannon strike.
And that kind of opportunity would only come once.
If Nolan could hear his thoughts, he would have laughed.
Anyone else might hesitate.
Nick Fury would not.
On the battlefield, a Titan colonel spoke up.
"All units, continue the attack. Show him that no one survives Titan firepower."
But the moment he finished speaking, his mech suddenly moved on its own.
He froze.
"I didn't input any commands… why is it moving?"
Then he looked around.
What he saw made his blood run cold.
Every Titan mech in the sky had turned their weapons… downward.
Toward the ground forces.
Toward the APU units that supported the Titan system.
In that instant, dread consumed him.
"This isn't normal… what's happening?"
The answer came to him almost immediately.
"Nolan Locke has taken control of the Titans! That bastard deceived everyone!"
He shouted, but it changed nothing.
Even reporting it to Fury would not help.
On the ground, the APU pilots felt a chill spread through their bodies.
What did it feel like to be targeted by hundreds of Titan mechs?
Now they knew.
Nolan remained expressionless.
This farce needed to end.
"Fire."
At his command, every Titan mech opened fire.
The battlefield was swallowed in smoke and destruction.
Within seconds, the area spanning dozens of miles became a wasteland.
The scattered counterfire from APU units was meaningless.
Against the Titan army, it was nothing more than a futile gesture.
But slaughter was not Nolan's goal.
Soon, the explosions ceased.
Inside the command center, Fury snapped.
"Fire! I don't care about the consequences. Fire everything! All Emperor Titan weapons, fire now!"
He was losing control.
Nolan Locke had taken over the Titan system.
Combined with his personal power and Carol Danvers, who Fury already considered unstoppable
If Nolan wished, he could overturn the entire world.
"We have to kill him… we have to!"
Fury roared, his composure breaking.
The Emperor Titan pilots immediately began executing the command.
"KV-37 missile system ready… launch failed. Repeating… launch failed. Damn it, my authorization's been restricted!"
"Plasma annihilation cannon… unable to activate!"
"Apocalypse system… activation failed!"
Panic spread through the cockpit.
Everyone reached the same terrifying conclusion.
They looked at Nolan, standing in the sky.
He had prepared for everything.
Any intelligent weapon produced by Locke Technology could be under his control.
And with Locke Technology's dominance in military systems
Earth was finished.
The energy gathering at the Emperor Titan's main cannon slowly faded.
All secondary weapons powered down.
The night fell into a suffocating silence.
Carol flew up beside Nolan, her face filled with disbelief.
"What did you do?"
Nolan shrugged lightly.
"You saw it yourself."
She had. There was no denying it.
But before she could react, Nolan spoke again.
"I'm just a traveler in this world. I never trusted it completely, so I prepared contingencies.
But I won't be here forever. I never planned to rule the world. All I ever wanted was to make money.
And now… Carol, I'm leaving soon."
His voice was sincere.
"I don't even know if we'll ever meet again. But I won't let everything I built be trampled. So I had to prepare."
Carol's expression grew complicated.
For the first time, she did not know whether to believe him.
Nolan pressed on.
"Everything proves I was right.
Locke Technology has never harmed this world. Our creations have improved countless industries.
Abomination abandoned his humanity for power and slaughtered hundreds. I eliminated him.
And yet Fury brought him back, just to hunt me down.
If he hadn't done that, I would have left soon. Locke Technology would have continued benefiting the world.
So tell me… who says the world must be controlled by them to become better?"
He met her gaze directly.
"Locke Technology will become a Sword of Damocles over humanity. It won't fall, but it will remind them that danger always exists.
The company will be run by the AI Red Queen.
In times of crisis, control can be temporarily handed to those worthy of trust.
And when humanity no longer needs it, Locke Technology will disappear.
Isn't that… a better outcome?"
Carol fell silent.
She knew he was twisting the truth.
Yet if no one controlled it, perhaps an AI-run system really could be better.
In the end, she only asked:
"You're leaving this universe?"
"Yes."
Nolan nodded.
"I hope I can return soon, but I can't promise it.
So… I'll leave Locke Technology to Susan.
Or… would you be willing to take part in it?"
He looked at her with unmistakable sincerity.
For once, Nolan was completely focused.
No matter the reason, at this moment, Carol had to matter.
Her reaction could determine the future of this world… and whether she would punch him next.
Carol's gaze wavered.
Nolan did not press further. Instead, he let a trace of disappointment show.
Sincerity was his greatest weapon.
On the scorched battlefield, everything lay in ruins.
Except Nolan's conviction.
After a moment, the tension eased.
Nolan spoke again.
"This isn't over yet. I think Nick Fury is very eager to see me right now."
"What are you going to do?" Carol asked.
Nolan only smiled.
In the darkness, a convoy sped across uneven terrain at nearly 100 kilometers per hour.
Inside the vehicle, Nick Fury appeared calm.
In reality, panic churned beneath the surface.
Nolan had control of the Titan system.
Combined with his own power and Carol
He could overturn the world at any moment.
"Faster," Fury ordered.
"We're already at the limit, sir."
Fury said nothing.
Then suddenly
The vehicle slammed to a stop.
"Director, two people ahead!"
Fury's heartbeat spiked.
"Drive through them!"
He gave the order instantly.
But in the next moment
With a metallic screech, the reinforced alloy door was twisted open like paper.
"Hey… long time no see, Director Fury."
Nolan stood there.
Fury took a deep breath.
"What do you want? I'm the Director of SHIELD. If you act recklessly, I guarantee you'll see your face on every wanted list by morning."
Nolan only smiled, amused.
"You gave me such a generous 'gift.' Don't you think I should return the favor?"
Fury glanced at the agent beside him, then raised his gun at Nolan.
"Do you think that can threaten me?"
Nolan scoffed.
Beside him, Carol's expression was conflicted.
"Danvers, why are you helping a criminal?"
Fury seized the opportunity.
He knew Carol's sense of justice.
Whatever bond she had with Nolan, it had to be fragile.
But after a moment of silence, Carol spoke.
"Fury… I used to think you were a good agent.
But now… you're the one who brought this crisis upon the world."