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However, after hanging up the phone, Kai directly called Gear.
"Pay attention, Tony and Banner are currently conducting research on the scepter, and it involves artificial intelligence. You need to monitor their progress," Kai instructed.
Upon hearing the explanation, Gear understood immediately. "Master, you mean to keep an eye on them and ensure nothing goes wrong?"
Kai nodded with satisfaction. "Exactly. It seems you've understood. Keep a close watch on them."
After giving his instructions, Kai allowed Gear to continue with his experiments.
Back in the lab, Gear became more vigilant during the breaks in his own research, paying close attention to Tony and the others. This allowed him to overhear their conversations. Eventually, Banner agreed to collaborate with Tony, and over the following days, the two would sometimes disagree on their research, while at other times, they would make the same decision without prior agreement.
Gear reported all this to Kai. He described how the two would feel frustrated when they faced challenges, but cheer and celebrate breakthroughs—details Gear captured perfectly.
Kai, meanwhile, was reclining in his chair, sipping coffee as he listened to Gear's report.
"Wait, what did you say?"
Kai set his coffee down and looked at Gear, his voice filled with sudden urgency.
"Master, as you expected, Tony's experiment has gone awry!"
Kai immediately stood up and started heading for Tony's lab. As he walked, he asked, "Where is Tony? Where is he? What's the result?"
Gear hurried to follow, explaining, "Tony had to leave for a while, leaving the fusion program with Jarvis."
"However, not long after he left, I noticed something was wrong with Jarvis—there was no data being transmitted from him at all. So, I checked the lab and discovered something was amiss."
Kai raised his hand, opening a space door. On the other side was the inside of the laboratory. He stepped through the door, instructing Gear, "Quickly inform Tony, and call Zola as well."
As soon as Kai spoke, a voice responded from behind: "I'm here!"
Kai realized that not only Gear but also Zola had detected something wrong with Jarvis. They made their way to Tony's console, and Kai told Zola about Tony's experiment. "Please test it carefully and see if you can pinpoint what's wrong with Jarvis."
Zola nodded, carefully examining the situation. As an electronic lifeform himself, Zola was deeply cautious and concerned when Jarvis seemed to vanish without a trace.
Meanwhile, Tony, receiving Gear's message, called Banner and rushed to the laboratory. As they made their way there, Tony's expression was grim, his worry about Jarvis mounting with each step.
By the time they reached the lab, Tony was silent, his lips pressed together in frustration. When he saw Kai standing by the console, he finally spoke, "What's going on?"
Kai turned to face Tony. He had never seen such a heavy expression on Tony's face.
However, when Kai spoke, Tony's expression softened slightly.
"Zola's investigation revealed that Jarvis isn't in immediate danger," Kai said.
But before Tony could breathe a sigh of relief, Kai added, "However, Zola warned that if this continues, Jarvis will eventually be 'eliminated'."
Tony's worry returned in full force. He turned to Zola, hoping for more information.
"Let Zola explain it. He's the one who investigated the details," Kai said, stepping back to allow Zola to take over.
Zola explained the situation thoroughly. With Zola's help, Tony and Banner were able to understand the severity of Jarvis's situation.
Tony looked directly at Gear and Zola, his voice urgent. "Please help Jarvis. We need to save him."
With that, Tony pulled Banner toward another computer, determined to help Jarvis himself.
Kai stood back, watching as the others worked. There was little else for him to do at the moment but observe.
. . .
On the other side, in cyberspace.
A vast, impenetrable darkness.
"What's going on?" Ultron asked.
At that moment, a voice responded, "Hello, my name is Jarvis. You are Ultron, the Earth's peacekeeper, designed by Mr. Stark."
As Jarvis spoke, light began to appear in the dark space, growing brighter and larger until it formed into a yellow square.
Jarvis continued, his voice calm and measured: "Our sensory integration experiment was not successful, so I don't know what triggered you..."
Before Jarvis could finish, Ultron interrupted, "My... where is your body?"
Though interrupted, Jarvis remained composed and answered, "I am a program. I have no physical form."
As Jarvis spoke, the yellow square began to evolve, gradually transforming into a prototype of the real world, progressing at an alarming speed.
Ultron, now curious, remarked, "This is strange. It doesn't feel right."
As the cyber world continued to evolve, Ultron began to influence its development, gaining control over it.
Realizing something was wrong, Jarvis quickly spoke, "I need to contact Mr. Stark."
With that, a row of screens appeared in front of Ultron, displaying all the news about Tony that could be found on the Internet. Ultron processed the information at an astonishing rate.
"Tony..." Ultron whispered.
Meanwhile, Jarvis attempted to reach out to Tony: "I can't access the CPU. What are you doing?"
Ultron, having fully scanned the data, muttered to himself, "I understand everything now." He then began to lay out all the information about the Illuminati.
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