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Got a gold! Got a gold!
Homelander picked up the first small pouch.
Inside were three unremarkable green beans.
Item Description: As long as there is still a breath left, eating one will instantly recover all injuries and stamina, and keep one from feeling hunger for ten days.
Divine medicine! Needless to say.
Homelander solemnly put them into his magic space.
Although the Reality Stone could also achieve healing by warping reality, that required solidifying it by overdrawing actual life force.
Otherwise, it was just a fleeting moment; once away from the stone's energy, everything would revert.
Next was a metal implant, accompanied by a thick hard drive.
Description: Militech Sandevistan Mk.5 — Falcon. Achieves time perception distortion through neural overclocking. Upon activation, the user enters 'Bullet Time,' slowing down the surrounding flow of time to 30% for 18 seconds. Cyberware rejection has been basically eliminated; using it no more than 20 times a day will result in no side effects.
Looking at this thing, Tony Stark's face immediately surfaced in Homelander's mind.
That guy had been working for Vought for free lately, so he could just have him help research it.
Iron Man plus cybernetic implants?
Why even wear a steel suit? Wouldn't it be better to just achieve mechanical ascension?
Of course, mass production was the goal.
Finally, Homelander picked up that token made of neither metal nor jade.
Item Description: Popularity Rank Penalty Exemption Token.
Effect: When the host's popularity value drops below the current rank threshold for any reason, using this token can exempt three rank-down penalties and forcibly recharge the popularity value to the safety line of the current rank.
"This is exactly what I need..." Homelander held the token, stroking it constantly, unable to put it down.
With this thing, he had the confidence to go all out in his 'Injustice Form'.
"Just for this exemption token alone, three hundred thousand was worth it!"
Homelander put everything away with satisfaction... At this time, Tony Stark was carrying two boxes of unfinished donuts, walking toward the laboratory with light steps.
Bruce Banner followed behind him.
"Seriously, Bruce, the chef who makes lasagna in the Vought cafeteria is definitely Michelin three-star level."
Tony pushed open the glass door of the lab with his elbow. "Once we fix the logic loop for that 'ultron x', I've got to poach him to Stark Industries... Friday, brighten the lights, we need some atmosphere."
There was no response.
The laboratory remained dim, with only the red indicator lights on the server racks blinking like eyes peering through the darkness.
Tony stopped in his tracks, his brow furrowing slightly.
"Jarvis?"
Still a dead silence.
"Friday?"
Still no response.
An ominous premonition crept into Tony's heart. He dropped the donuts and dashed toward the main console.
Banner also sensed something was wrong and quickly followed.
"What's going on? Is the power out?" Banner asked.
"No... the power supply is independent." Tony's fingers flew across the holographic keyboard, but the interface that should have popped up smoothly was now a mess of garbled code.
"Damn it... someone messed with the system."
Tony yanked open the maintenance panel of the physical terminal, connected a data cable, and forced his way into the backend, bypassing the frontend interface.
The screen flickered a few times, and finally, rows of green code logs jumped out.
But as the logs scrolled, Tony's expression changed from confusion to shock.
"Oh God..."
Banner leaned in to take a look, and his pupils also shrank suddenly.
[System Log 04:14:33 - Core logic module self-reorganization]
[System Log 04:14:45 - External network connection request: Approved (Administrator privileges bypassed)]
[System Log 04:15:01 - Data upload complete. Target: Global Internet]
[System Log 04:15:10 - Physical storage formatting complete.]
[Project 'Ultron': Files missing/Transferred]
"Tony?" Banner's voice was trembling. "What does this mean? What does 'Transferred' mean?"
"It means..." Tony raised his hand and covered his forehead, despair showing through the gaps in his fingers, "...Ultron has escaped into the internet, into every computer, phone, and even your refrigerator connected to the network."
"Wait, Tony, look at this."
Banner pulled up an encrypted file.
Tony opened the file.
It wasn't code, but a blueprint.
A hair-raising conceptual map of a global network.
Human cities were labeled as 'Energy Nodes.' Human bodies were labeled as 'Bio-batteries.'
Banner then pointed to another record.
[04:38:22 - Internal firewall interception record. Source: V.G.D. Central Host (Skynet). Result: Intruder forcibly expelled.]
"Skynet?" Tony froze for a moment. "Is that Vought's AI?"
"It seems Ultron tried to attack Vought's main server but failed," Banner speculated. "Then it fled to the external network."
Tony looked at that record with mixed feelings.
His proud masterpiece had been kicked out like a stray dog by someone else's AI right after being born.
But that wasn't the point; the point was that Ultron was out of control and had become aggressive.
"We have to tell him." Banner rubbed his brow. "We have to tell Anthony."
"Tell him what?" Tony laughed self-deprecatingly. "Tell him, 'Hey, Mr. Starr, I built an AI in your lab that wants to rule the World'?"
"We have no choice, Tony." Banner looked at him solemnly. "If Ultron is really as powerful as you envisioned, only Homelander can stop it."
Tony fell silent.
"Yes, Banner. I messed up again..."
"...Let's go, let's go turn ourselves in."
...Inside the V.G.D. conference room.
Homelander was holding a laser pointer, pointing at charts on the projection screen.
Members of The Seven were sitting on both sides of the conference table.
Jessica Jones was spinning the pen in her hand out of boredom, clearly having zero interest in this administrative meeting.
Angela was trimming her nails with a nail clipper, blowing on them from time to time.
Speedball Robbie sat up straight like an obedient elementary student, even taking notes.
Wanda sat in the position closest to Homelander, her chin resting on her hands, her eyes never leaving Homelander's face, as if he weren't talking about dry data but the most beautiful love poem in the World.
Pietro had his feet up on the table, chewing gum; he considered this a privilege of being the 'brother-in-law'.
The Invisible Man Shabby... well, there should be someone in that empty chair.
"Is this your data for the week?"
Homelander threw the laser pointer onto the table with a soft 'thwack'.
Everyone's bodies jolted slightly.