Although Tony Stark and Reed Richards had already pinpointed Ultron's location, figuring out how to completely eliminate him remained a significant challenge. In fact, it was such a difficult task that the Avengers Alliance didn't even have a temporary solution.
"Since Ultron has developed self-awareness, is there a way to completely trap him within his physical body?" Steve's eyes flickered slightly as he hesitantly asked, "If we could lock Ultron in his body and then destroy it, wouldn't that mean he wouldn't be able to come back? After all, when you think about it, Ultron doesn't really possess any supernatural powers..."
"You mean trapping him in his body and cutting him off from the internet?" Tony Stark immediately caught on to Steve's straightforward thinking and hesitated for a moment before exchanging glances with Reed Richards. Then he spoke softly.
"If we could truly isolate Ultron's data within his body and disconnect him from the network, it might indeed be possible to kill him once and for all. But how can we ensure his data stays confined to that body? J.A.R.V.I.S., do you have a way to block him completely? Victor?"
"It's not that easy," Victor Stone sighed helplessly, speaking in a low voice. "Ultron and I share some similarities, but clearly, Ultron leans more toward the data side of things. My body is important to me, but it isn't something that can be entirely destroyed. Ultron, on the other hand, can transfer his physical form at will."
"Other than losing access to the Venom symbiote, Ultron can create countless inferior android bodies. He could even clone the bodies of superhumans and use machines and data to control them—it's not impossible!"
"That's why I doubt Ultron would ever store his entire consciousness or data within a single body. It's likely that he has already distributed fragments of his consciousness and data across Earth's various networks as a precaution to avoid being wiped out. Otherwise, he wouldn't be so brazen about exposing himself!"
"Especially now, Ultron has almost achieved his goal of retaliating against the Avengers. The Alliance's reputation is in shambles, and apart from not having wiped out all humans on Earth, he has no other objectives. He can afford to engage us in open confrontation without worry."
As the Avenger most similar to Ultron, Victor Stone had a better understanding of Ultron's personality. Yes, Ultron had a personality—something Victor had confirmed after interfacing with Ultron's data and consciousness. No one understood Ultron better than him.
"No wonder he's so bold about revealing himself. Turns out he really has nothing to fear!" Reed Richards and Tony Stark exchanged glances again, realizing that Ultron's arrogance and overconfidence were not baseless. Ultron indeed had reasons to act so inflated and self-assured.
"So, do any of you have a plan to counter this?" Robert turned his attention to the silent group of Kamar-Taj disciples nearby. Since Ultron was proving to be such a headache, Robert had summoned some of the students from Kamar-Taj for assistance.
"Wait, are you overestimating us a bit, Saiyan?" Constantine responded with a bitter laugh at Robert's question. "If even you can't figure it out, what makes you think we can? Forget about us—if the Ancient One were still around, she probably couldn't handle this either."
"Exactly. I've studied countless books and secret records in the library, learning about methods to deal with beings from various dimensions. But none of them cover how to handle a robot or artificial intelligence," Wong said, spreading his hands and laughing bitterly. "After all, entities like these aren't considered part of the supernatural realm as we understand it, so they fall outside our expertise."
"True. If Ultron were a normal living being, trapping him within his body wouldn't be a problem. We could even separate his soul from his body. But we're talking about a consciousness made of data, a super-intelligent AI. Even if it claims to be a lifeform and you treat it as one, does it really have a soul?" Doom frowned deeply, his expression uncertain as he raised these questions.
"If you're talking about artificial beings as I know them, then yes, they would have souls. But in Ultron's case, I doubt it," Robert mused. The thought flashed through his mind that while Ultron's appearance resembled that of a human aside from its metallic sheen, it was fundamentally different from artificial beings wholly modified by humans. Granting such an entity self-awareness was already unexpected. Robert couldn't believe that Tony Stark and the others had managed to create a true soul for an AI.
"We can't do much against Ultron, but could the Reality Stone be of any use?" Kamar-Taj's Kaecilius hesitated before speaking up. "The Reality Stone's mysterious nature and rules aren't something that can be matched by sheer force. Perhaps it could affect Ultron?"
"It might be worth a try, but if the stones clash, it could lead to unforeseen consequences or cause even greater chaos," Robert said after some thought, slowly shaking his head. While he hadn't fully studied the Infinity Stones, Robert had always been wary of placing two stones together, let alone using them to collide. Doing so could easily create an even bigger disaster.
After all, the energy contained within a single Infinity Stone was already vast beyond measure. The collision of two stones could result in catastrophic consequences. While Earth's structure might endure the physical energy clash, tampering with space or altering reality could yield unpredictable outcomes.
"But aside from the Reality Stone, it doesn't seem like there's any other power capable of countering Ultron," Kaecilius said helplessly, spreading his hands. "Unless you can find an even stronger AI to completely suppress Ultron. After all, the Power Stone wouldn't be effective against him either."
"Actually, there might be a way!" Tony Stark's eyes suddenly lit up after hearing Kaecilius's words. He quickly began reaching out to the Green Lantern Corps.
While Ultron, J.A.R.V.I.S., and Victor Stone operated on a super-intelligent level that surpassed Earth's technological standards, reaching what could be considered cosmic-level AI, they were not the pinnacle of AI in the universe.
Although the Green Lantern Corps' AI wasn't necessarily the most advanced in the cosmos, it was undeniably powerful. Otherwise, the Corps wouldn't be able to gather intelligence from across the universe. In some ways, the Green Lantern rings could even be considered a fusion of the Corps' AI and the power of will.
If the Green Lantern Corps' AI could help intercept Ultron, there might be a chance to completely trap Ultron within his current body. This option was clearly safer than resorting to the Reality Stone.
While the Avengers began coordinating with the Green Lantern Corps, Ultron faced unexpected difficulties in Wakanda...
Previously, the theft of large quantities of metal materials in Wakanda had caught the attention of the Wakandan royal family. Although the stolen materials were not as valuable as vibranium, the sheer volume made the losses significant—certainly not a trivial amount.
Moreover, the Wakandan royal family had been keeping an eye on Ultron. They were aware of the reports about Ultron and his vibranium-constructed mechs attacking humanity.
After all, if cities across the globe were being targeted but Wakanda remained untouched, it would make Ultron's location suspiciously obvious. So, when Ultron used vibranium mechs to attack Wakanda, he inadvertently exposed himself.
The Wakandan royal family wasn't foolish. Although they knew the Avengers had their own vibranium supply, they also knew the Avengers didn't trade vibranium. A quick check of their own vibranium transaction records confirmed that no such volume had been sold. Naturally, the Wakandan royal family began to suspect that Ultron was hiding in Wakanda, acting as a thief stealing their vibranium resources.
This news was reported to King T'Chaka and his successor, T'Challa, by Princess Shuri. Furious, T'Challa immediately donned his Black Panther suit and headed toward the vibranium mines. The royal guards quickly followed.
However, during this time, Ultron deployed small robots to infiltrate Wakanda's royal palace in an attempt to copy the data for the Black Panther suit.
"Alert! Unauthorized signal detected!" To Ultron's surprise, Wakanda's royal palace was tightly secured. Its firewall was incredibly robust.
This wasn't a case of Ultron being careless—he simply hadn't anticipated that Wakanda's palace system would only have a single signal source tied to its central control system. The sudden appearance of an additional signal was as obvious as a fish suddenly appearing in an otherwise empty bathtub.
"Damn it! Ultron is really here! Lock onto the signal source immediately!" Princess Shuri cursed, rushing to the central control system to assist in locating Ultron's position while directing her brother, T'Challa.
Even more surprising to Ultron, Shuri and Wakanda's central control system were as skilled as J.A.R.V.I.S., successfully pinpointing his location.
This was due to Wakanda's relatively clean and isolated data environment. Within their network, Ultron's interference stood out even more than a blip on a radar.
"This is troublesome. I've been exposed already? And not because Tony Stark or his crew found me, but because of this strange and isolated nation?" Ultron muttered, baffled. "So, isolating high-tech for royalty while leaving the masses in a primitive state actually has its benefits, huh? But even if you've found me, can you reach
me?"
Though Ultron had been discovered, he remained calm and confident, as if he had no fear of Wakanda's forces reaching him.
Indeed, Wakanda's forces couldn't reach Ultron. Between them and him was the nation's most precious resource: vibranium.
Ultron wasn't operating from the vibranium mines that Wakanda had already excavated. Using the Space Stone, he had located an unmined vibranium deposit deep within a mountain. By removing part of the mountain and working from an inaccessible direction, Ultron had created his mech factory in secret. As a non-living entity, Ultron didn't need oxygen or food—only energy from the Space Stone.
When T'Challa ventured deep into the mines, he found himself at a dead end. Despite having Shuri's holographic map and knowing he was close to Ultron, there was no visible path forward.
"How did he even get in?" T'Challa stared at the unmined vibranium in confusion, his anger stalling as he tried to figure out what to do.
"Well?" Shuri was just as puzzled by T'Challa's question. Though intelligent, even she was momentarily stumped. But then, a thought struck her. "Ultron's mechs appear out of thin air. Maybe he has some kind of spatial technology and teleported directly into the vibranium deposit..."
"Spatial technology? Is that even possible? The Avengers' technology has advanced to this level?" T'Challa's eyes widened as he turned toward the vibranium mines. "What should we do now?"
"I don't know. We don't have that kind of technology..." Shuri replied, slumping in frustration.
"You might not, but I do. I was trying to operate in secret, but since I've been exposed, there's no point in hiding anymore," Ultron's voice echoed suddenly. At the same time, spatial portals opened across Wakanda, and countless mechs appeared in the skies, throwing the entire nation into chaos.
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