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Chapter 488: Mainframe Ultron (2)
"Where's my sandwich?" Pym yelled, looking up.
The first-generation Ant-Man, Hank Pym, was a grumpy, reclusive, and arrogant old man with graying hair. In his youth, he too had been a hero.
The large ant quickly scurried over, holding a sandwich in its mandibles, and offered it to Pym.
"Oh, I really hope your saliva didn't get on this. Once I've developed a true intelligent robot, I won't need you anymore," Pym muttered casually, taking the sandwich and biting into it.
Then he saw Tony.
His expression was one of someone who had just seen a ghost.
"You... you!" Pym's face contorted in shock.
"Relax, I'm not here for you," Tony said, looking with great interest at the giant ants crawling all over the floor. "Nor am I here for your Pym Particle technology. I've already gotten my hands on that."
The moment Tony stepped into the laboratory, all the data was known to him. Even though Pym had been careful not to leave any documents behind, the various complex experimental procedures were already memorized by Tony. The Pym Particle technology was completely exposed.
"Dr. Pym, as long as you use high-tech equipment for your experiments, as long as you record them to remember the complex processes, you can't hide anything from me."
"What do you really want?" Pym's face was grim. His hand subconsciously reached for his waist, but he immediately stopped.
Tony walked up to Pym, glanced at him, then moved past him to a virtual display platform.
Above the platform, a virtual image was rotating. New patterns were constantly being generated, pulsing ceaselessly, like a human brain.
"Him," Tony said, pointing at the constantly changing virtual image. "Dr. Pym, I'm afraid even you don't realize what a terrifying thing you're researching."
"In the near future, this thing will cause one bloodbath after another on Earth, forcing a group of superheroes to risk time travel just to rewrite the timeline."
Tony placed his hand on the platform, and the Allspark's energy seeped in. The entity within the platform transmitted waves of terror, begging desperately, before being erased, controlled, and its core programming modified by Tony, who infused it with his own will.
"You're saying this intelligent program will destroy the Earth? How is that possible? I developed it based on my own brainwave activity as a prototype," Dr. Pym said, stunned.
"And what kind of disposition do you have? Don't you have any self-awareness? So what about an intelligent lifeform developed based on your brainwaves?" Tony shot him a look and sneered.
Pym's face turned ashen. He remained silent.
He doubted the truth of Tony's words for a moment, then realized it might be true—because there was no reason for Tony to deceive him with such a pointless excuse.
Besides, thinking about his own temperament and thought patterns... it was indeed possible.
For some reason, Pym was starting to believe him.
"I've peeked into the future timeline. You are creating something incredibly dangerous. I'm about to leave Earth, and I don't have the time to clean up the messes of self-important people like you. It's better if I just take this thing directly," Tony said flatly.
The robot named "Ultron-1" was erased by Tony the moment it was born.
In the comics, Ultron's creation was the result of Pym's screw-up. A guy with some unhealthy thoughts in his head used his own brainwaves as a template to develop a dangerous intelligent lifeform... It was a mystery what wire got crossed in Pym's brain.
Some terrible thoughts that Pym himself wasn't even aware of were infinitely magnified in Ultron's nascent mind, allowing it to grow and self-evolve rapidly.
If Tony hadn't interfered, Ultron would have soon developed consciousness, and negative emotions like selfishness, greed, and hatred would have taken over, leading it to attack Pym.
Ultron-1, Ultron-2, an endless stream of Ultron models would be born, grow, and ultimately destroy the Earth again and again.
Not anymore. Tony directly erased this dark consciousness. With the supreme will of a quasi-unique god, he reconstructed its program code, purged the excessive emotions, and replaced it with an intelligent program that had immense potential and whose highest authority was under his control.
The reason he chose Ultron as the template for modification was due to Ultron's astonishing track record.
All sorts of unbelievable feats were accomplished by this robot, Ultron. In the future, it even evolved to a level where it could easily jump between dimensions, leaving all of Earth's superheroes helpless even when they teamed up.
The Avengers, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, the Brotherhood of Mutants, and others were completely suppressed, toyed with, and nearly wiped out.
The last few survivors had no choice but to send Wolverine back to the past to rewrite the timeline and use temporal correction to eliminate Ultron.
Tony had his eye on Ultron's potential, combined with his own inviolable singular will and a direct link to his singular soul and singular spirit, which were nobler than the multiverse itself.
The possibility of betrayal did not exist.
The so-called temporal correction could no longer destroy Ultron. As long as Tony did not die, as long as his singularity was indestructible, the Ultron that depended on him would survive. A singular god cannot be erased by the multiverse's timeline—this was common sense.
Tony shattered the platform with a single punch, took out a black box-like object from its core, and shot Pym a glance. After a warning—"Don't study artificial intelligence in the future, you're not cut out for this line of work"—he ignored Pym's livid expression and made a stylish exit.
Mainframe Ultron, acquired.
Cybertron's central processing program was now complete.
"I've done what I can," Tony said to himself upon arriving in Central City. He looked at the crowds coming and going on the streets, at the blue sky and white clouds, and took a deep breath.
In seven years, he had eliminated too many enemies for Earth.
Although he had caused the Avengers to lose Hulk and a part-time unofficial member, Shuri, guided a nuclear bomb to destroy S.H.I.E.L.D.'s headquarters, and made the Justice League lose Cyborg, Aquaman, and Green Lantern, what Tony had done would undoubtedly allow Earth to have a smoother future.
In seven years, he had exterminated the vampires, with only Victor Strange left barely surviving.
The League of Shadows and the Court of Owls had collapsed.
He had defeated Dormammu.
He had screwed over Mephisto to his death.
He had wiped out the Kryptonians.
He had tricked Mr. Mxyzptlk.
He had killed Trigon Clone.
He had driven away Ancient Doomsday.
And he had decisively killed Lex Luthor, who frequently plagued the Earth.
At the same time, he had taken away troublemakers like Magneto, and he was about to take away uncontrollable Omega-level mutants like Wanda and Jean.
...
Earth would become safer, but in a way, it would also become more fragile. The planet's actual combat power had been diminished, especially since the mutant race was about to permanently exit the stage of history.
"I've already done a lot, helping Earth get rid of so many troublesome villains."
Tony cracked his neck, opened a small portal, and stole a cap from a clothing store dozens of meters away. He put it on, then walked out of an alley onto the street, watching the crowd and strolling like an ordinary person.
He even bought an ice cream from a roadside stall and casually handed it to a little kid staring at him with envy.
Under the little kid's hero-worshipping gaze, Tony continued his walk and entered a coffee shop.
"One latte, with sugar," Tony said with a smile.
"Right away, sir. Your latte with sugar."
Holding the warm latte, Tony inhaled its bittersweet aroma. With a calm expression, he walked over to a table, pulled out a chair, and sat down.
The silent young man sitting opposite him had a look of utter confusion.
"Let's talk, Barry Allen," Tony said flatly.
(end of chapter)
"Where's my sandwich?" Pym yelled, looking up.
The first-generation Ant-Man, Hank Pym, was a grumpy, reclusive, and arrogant old man with graying hair. In his youth, he too had been a hero.
The large ant quickly scurried over, holding a sandwich in its mandibles, and offered it to Pym.
"Oh, I really hope your saliva didn't get on this. Once I've developed a true intelligent robot, I won't need you anymore," Pym muttered casually, taking the sandwich and biting into it.
Then he saw Tony.
His expression was one of someone who had just seen a ghost.
"You... you!" Pym's face contorted in shock.
"Relax, I'm not here for you," Tony said, looking with great interest at the giant ants crawling all over the floor. "Nor am I here for your Pym Particle technology. I've already gotten my hands on that."
The moment Tony stepped into the laboratory, all the data was known to him. Even though Pym had been careful not to leave any documents behind, the various complex experimental procedures were already memorized by Tony. The Pym Particle technology was completely exposed.
"Dr. Pym, as long as you use high-tech equipment for your experiments, as long as you record them to remember the complex processes, you can't hide anything from me."
"What do you really want?" Pym's face was grim. His hand subconsciously reached for his waist, but he immediately stopped.
Tony walked up to Pym, glanced at him, then moved past him to a virtual display platform.
Above the platform, a virtual image was rotating. New patterns were constantly being generated, pulsing ceaselessly, like a human brain.
"Him," Tony said, pointing at the constantly changing virtual image. "Dr. Pym, I'm afraid even you don't realize what a terrifying thing you're researching."
"In the near future, this thing will cause one bloodbath after another on Earth, forcing a group of superheroes to risk time travel just to rewrite the timeline."
Tony placed his hand on the platform, and the Allspark's energy seeped in. The entity within the platform transmitted waves of terror, begging desperately, before being erased, controlled, and its core programming modified by Tony, who infused it with his own will.
"You're saying this intelligent program will destroy the Earth? How is that possible? I developed it based on my own brainwave activity as a prototype," Dr. Pym said, stunned.
"And what kind of disposition do you have? Don't you have any self-awareness? So what about an intelligent lifeform developed based on your brainwaves?" Tony shot him a look and sneered.
Pym's face turned ashen. He remained silent.
He doubted the truth of Tony's words for a moment, then realized it might be true—because there was no reason for Tony to deceive him with such a pointless excuse.
Besides, thinking about his own temperament and thought patterns... it was indeed possible.
For some reason, Pym was starting to believe him.
"I've peeked into the future timeline. You are creating something incredibly dangerous. I'm about to leave Earth, and I don't have the time to clean up the messes of self-important people like you. It's better if I just take this thing directly," Tony said flatly.
The robot named "Ultron-1" was erased by Tony the moment it was born.
In the comics, Ultron's creation was the result of Pym's screw-up. A guy with some unhealthy thoughts in his head used his own brainwaves as a template to develop a dangerous intelligent lifeform... It was a mystery what wire got crossed in Pym's brain.
Some terrible thoughts that Pym himself wasn't even aware of were infinitely magnified in Ultron's nascent mind, allowing it to grow and self-evolve rapidly.
If Tony hadn't interfered, Ultron would have soon developed consciousness, and negative emotions like selfishness, greed, and hatred would have taken over, leading it to attack Pym.
Ultron-1, Ultron-2, an endless stream of Ultron models would be born, grow, and ultimately destroy the Earth again and again.
Not anymore. Tony directly erased this dark consciousness. With the supreme will of a quasi-unique god, he reconstructed its program code, purged the excessive emotions, and replaced it with an intelligent program that had immense potential and whose highest authority was under his control.
The reason he chose Ultron as the template for modification was due to Ultron's astonishing track record.
All sorts of unbelievable feats were accomplished by this robot, Ultron. In the future, it even evolved to a level where it could easily jump between dimensions, leaving all of Earth's superheroes helpless even when they teamed up.
The Avengers, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, the Brotherhood of Mutants, and others were completely suppressed, toyed with, and nearly wiped out.
The last few survivors had no choice but to send Wolverine back to the past to rewrite the timeline and use temporal correction to eliminate Ultron.
Tony had his eye on Ultron's potential, combined with his own inviolable singular will and a direct link to his singular soul and singular spirit, which were nobler than the multiverse itself.
The possibility of betrayal did not exist.
The so-called temporal correction could no longer destroy Ultron. As long as Tony did not die, as long as his singularity was indestructible, the Ultron that depended on him would survive. A singular god cannot be erased by the multiverse's timeline—this was common sense.
Tony shattered the platform with a single punch, took out a black box-like object from its core, and shot Pym a glance. After a warning—"Don't study artificial intelligence in the future, you're not cut out for this line of work"—he ignored Pym's livid expression and made a stylish exit.
Mainframe Ultron, acquired.
Cybertron's central processing program was now complete.
"I've done what I can," Tony said to himself upon arriving in Central City. He looked at the crowds coming and going on the streets, at the blue sky and white clouds, and took a deep breath.
In seven years, he had eliminated too many enemies for Earth.
Although he had caused the Avengers to lose Hulk and a part-time unofficial member, Shuri, guided a nuclear bomb to destroy S.H.I.E.L.D.'s headquarters, and made the Justice League lose Cyborg, Aquaman, and Green Lantern, what Tony had done would undoubtedly allow Earth to have a smoother future.
In seven years, he had exterminated the vampires, with only Victor Strange left barely surviving.
The League of Shadows and the Court of Owls had collapsed.
He had defeated Dormammu.
He had screwed over Mephisto to his death.
He had wiped out the Kryptonians.
He had tricked Mr. Mxyzptlk.
He had killed Trigon Clone.
He had driven away Ancient Doomsday.
And he had decisively killed Lex Luthor, who frequently plagued the Earth.
At the same time, he had taken away troublemakers like Magneto, and he was about to take away uncontrollable Omega-level mutants like Wanda and Jean.
...
Earth would become safer, but in a way, it would also become more fragile. The planet's actual combat power had been diminished, especially since the mutant race was about to permanently exit the stage of history.
"I've already done a lot, helping Earth get rid of so many troublesome villains."
Tony cracked his neck, opened a small portal, and stole a cap from a clothing store dozens of meters away. He put it on, then walked out of an alley onto the street, watching the crowd and strolling like an ordinary person.
He even bought an ice cream from a roadside stall and casually handed it to a little kid staring at him with envy.
Under the little kid's hero-worshipping gaze, Tony continued his walk and entered a coffee shop.
"One latte, with sugar," Tony said with a smile.
"Right away, sir. Your latte with sugar."
Holding the warm latte, Tony inhaled its bittersweet aroma. With a calm expression, he walked over to a table, pulled out a chair, and sat down.
The silent young man sitting opposite him had a look of utter confusion.
"Let's talk, Barry Allen," Tony said flatly.
(end of chapter)
