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*****
Gwen and the others cautiously explored the base. Three-Eyes moved ahead of the group, keeping watch over their surroundings, while Tony scanned the base with his armor, simultaneously mapping it as they searched.
The base was larger than they had imagined.
Boom… boom… boom…
The sounds of battle from outside continuously intruded into their ears, like the pounding of drums urging them forward, accelerating their movements without them even realizing it.
Avoiding the replicant weapons that kept surging out of the base and joining the battlefield, the group moved quickly toward the directions where these weapons had appeared.
As they continued exploring, Tony's mapping began to reveal a clear outline.
An inverted pyramid extending downward.
From the portions they had mapped so far, the base appeared to have five levels.
They were currently on the third level. Normally, the consciousness-backup device should be located on the fifth.
"Hm?"
Suddenly, Gwen stopped, as if sensing something, and instinctively turned into a side corridor on the left.
Tony froze for a moment. "We need to hurry to the next level."
"I think… something's there."
Gwen hesitated, feeling a strong emotion that made her spirit tremble. She had to see it for herself.
Her gaze hardened, and in a quiet voice she said, "I'll check it out. You guys go to the next level."
"No!"
Peter grabbed Gwen's arm. "Have you forgotten the horror-movie rule?"
They couldn't split up…
Gwen paused, then chuckled. "Peter, this isn't a horror movie."
"This is scarier than a horror movie," Peter replied stubbornly, staring at her.
Just as Gwen was about to relent, Tony spoke up. "Then let's quickly check it out, and then head to the next level."
Perhaps Mister Sinister, in defiance of convention, had placed the consciousness-backup device on the third level.
The group moved swiftly.
They passed through long, dark corridors, and upon reaching one lined with cameras, the space suddenly opened before them.
It was a vast circular chamber, resembling an ancient coliseum.
At the center stood a conspicuous device.
It looked like a vertical coffin, or perhaps a stasis pod. Two replicants guarded it, but that hardly mattered—their attention was immediately drawn to the person inside.
Superman. Clark.
The sight stunned them. Gwen nearly cried out in shock. Clark hadn't died!
She stared at the stasis pod, her heart pounding with relief and disbelief.
At that moment, Mike's voice came over their communicators.
"Mister Sinister is out. Move quickly."
Confident in his own strength and that of his replicant weapons, Mister Sinister had appeared on the battlefield, eager to witness these unfamiliar abilities firsthand.
Hearing Mike, Gwen and the others snapped into action.
Now was not the time to rescue Clark.
If they acted carelessly, they would alert Mister Sinister—and then his consciousness backup…
First, they needed to purge the backups!
Decision made, Gwen gave one last look at Clark in stasis, nodded to Tony and the others, and moved quickly.
Having completed the search of the third level, they began exploring the fourth.
The fourth level was much smaller than the third. As they entered, they spotted replicants in nutrient tanks and dense arrays of cloning equipment, confirming they were on the right track.
Unfortunately, they still hadn't located the machine storing Mister Sinister's backups.
Just as they were about to move to the final level, Tony stopped the group. Pointing at the cloning equipment, he muttered thoughtfully, "Perhaps these machines are linked to the device storing Sinister's backups. I'll try connecting."
He approached the instruments, linking his armored suit to the network and initiating the interface.
Research logs, gene storage, genome sequences…
J.A.R.V.I.S. quickly scanned everything.
Two minutes later, Tony's eyes lit up.
He had found it!
Following a hidden access route traced from the previous gene storage logs, he located Mister Sinister's consciousness backups—thirteen in total—scattered across the globe.
As Tony examined the data, he began purging the backups using the program.
Previously, during an Avengers mission, they had encountered a similar individual. That person had uploaded their consciousness into machinery. After neutralizing them, Tony had studied the leftover data. The current purge system was developed based on that research.
The purge went smoothly, but Tony noticed something unusual afterward.
Several of Sinister's backup consciousnesses had activation records, all originating from here—on the fifth level.
Seeing this, and recalling the experimental logs they had glimpsed earlier, Tony's eyes narrowed.
There was something terrifying on the fifth level. Now that the backups had been purged, that entity had likely already activated.
"Move!"
He whispered, dashing toward the third level.
Gwen, Peter, and Three-Eyes followed.
Though curious about what was happening, it was clear from Tony's expression that questions could wait.
They moved quickly. Leaving the fourth level, they headed straight for the area where Clark had been discovered.
Meanwhile, in the dark fifth level, two crimson points appeared.
Bang!
From a shattered nutrient tank emerged a figure. Green nutrient fluid dripped from his body, forming like droplets from a sculpture as he stood perfectly still.
Seconds later, he began to move, seemingly acclimating to his body.
Back on the third level, Tony and his team reported to Mike that the backup consciousnesses had been successfully purged.
The moment Mike received the news, standing silently on the beach, a red gleam flashed in his eyes as he surveyed the distant battlefield.
Bang!
A shallow crater appeared beneath him as he vanished from sight.
He had been waiting for this moment for a long time.
With his eight manifested figures still engaging enemies, only Nagato and Itachi remained.
Boom!
With terrifying sonic force, Mike smashed through the replicants blocking his path and surged directly toward Mister Sinister.
Seeing this, Nagato and Itachi smiled, gathering their remaining chakra to strike down the enemies around them.
Meanwhile, Tony and the others, utilizing Luke's purification ability, successfully ambushed and eliminated two powerful mutant replicants controlling Clark's mind.
Gwen opened the stasis pod and, seeing Clark's eyes closed, felt tears well up.
(End of Chapter)