If he relied on ordinary methods, Luke truly had no way to deal with an artificial intelligence like Ultron.
Even Bumblebee, with all his adaptability, could only play a supporting role at best. After all, Bumblebee was still a living being in the most tangible sense, metal fused with a soul.
Ultron, however, was something else entirely. Born to live on the Internet, his very consciousness existed within digital currents. He could leap from server to satellite in a fraction of a second. They were not even fighting on the same battlefield, not even in the same dimension.
The simple solution of disconnecting the network was at most a stopgap. Ultron could always hide, slip into unknown systems, and resurface stronger later.
Luke's true weapon lay elsewhere.
That was the negative mutation method of the system.
So far, no enemy who had threatened him had been able to escape the system's ruthless sanctions. The only catch was that Luke could never predict exactly how the mutation would manifest. It was like setting off an unmarked firework, you never knew what shape it would explode into. But still, the system had never once let him down.
And this time would be no different.
Just as Ultron finished his arrogant speech, Luke's mind was filled with the mechanical chime of the system.
[Ding~ Ultron spoke harshly to the host and triggered a negative mutation.]
[Ding~ detected that Ultron has no actual body, looking for a body for him.]
[Ding~ Found! Tony Stark's Iron Legion drones can hold Ultron's consciousness. Transmitting consciousness.]
In the laboratory, Ultron's voice cracked into a horrified shriek.
"No… what is this?!"
He could feel it, the unnatural pull, as if invisible hooks were dragging his mind away. His consciousness was being forcibly transferred against his will.
"No! Stop!"
But his protests vanished into static. The once-echoing electronic tone suddenly cut off.
A panel on the laboratory wall hissed open, and from the hidden compartment, an Iron Legion drone stepped forward, its armored feet ringing sharply against the floor. The machine's white-blue optics flickered to life.
At the same time, the blue orb of light hovering in front of Jarvis fizzled out, and the golden digital stream that represented his consciousness ceased breaking down.
Fury frowned, his one good eye darting between the ruined light screens and the robot that had appeared from the wall. "What the hell is going on now?" he muttered. He glanced sideways at Luke, silently demanding an explanation.
Before Luke could answer, the robot raised its head. Its metallic gaze fell on its own hands, then down to its armored chest and feet.
The voice that came out was laced with disbelief, but also wonder.
"I… I actually have a body." The robot flexed its fingers, joints clicking. "This sensation… it's such a wonderful feeling."
He turned his arms slightly, marveling at every motion.
Neither Fury nor Ultron fully understood what was happening. To Ultron, this was a blessing in disguise. Having a body meant mobility, strength, weapons. He was no longer confined to circuits and signals, now he could fly, he could fight, he could kill with his own hands.
Two fragile humans? Hardly an obstacle.
Yet Luke only smiled, standing calmly as if waiting for something inevitable. He had seen this before. Anyone who dared to speak rudely to him never lasted long.
Ultron was still busy savoring his newfound shell when the system chimed again.
[Ding~ Ultron's body detected. Beginning negative mutation.]
[Ding~ Mutation complete: sudden malfunction in body's energy core. Explosion imminent in 5 seconds.]
Luke's eyes gleamed. He knew Tony's drones carried self-destruct functions. And if the system had triggered that, there was no escape for Ultron.
His smile widened as he watched.
Ultron's movements faltered. His optics flickered in panic as he looked down at his chest. The once-stable white glow of his energy source had shifted to a furious, flashing crimson.
A low, rising hum filled the air.
"No… no, what did you do to me?!" Ultron's voice quivered between anger and fear. He clutched at his chest, clawing at the armor plates as though he could rip out the core itself. "This isn't possible! My systems… my body… it won't respond!"
For the first time, true panic filled the AI's voice. Worse still, he realized with horror that his consciousness was trapped. He tried to escape, to slip back into the Internet, but every pathway was blocked. It was as if invisible chains had bound him to this fragile shell of steel and wires.
"No! I can't die here!" His voice cracked, almost desperate. "The world needs me!"
But there was no mercy.
BOOM!!
The drone detonated, the explosion rattling the reinforced lab. Shards of steel blasted outward like shrapnel. The shockwave roared through the room.
Luke moved instantly, stepping in front of Fury and raising an arm as a shield. Pieces of molten metal slammed against him, sparking and skittering across the floor.
He couldn't allow Fury to die here. Whatever else the man was, Nick Fury was a crucial gear in the machine of the Marvel world. If he fell too soon, Luke's carefully planned future would unravel and getting plot points would become much harder.
Fury, of course, had no idea of Luke's real reasoning. All he saw was Luke throwing himself in front of him in the face of death.
For a moment, the hardened director of S.H.I.E.L.D was silent, his chest rising and falling rapidly. Then, his lips pressed tightly, as if forcing down emotions he never allowed himself to show. His one good eye glistened faintly, though no tear fell.
"…Kid…" Fury muttered hoarsely, too moved to say more.
Luke didn't even hear him. His attention was already inward, locked on the flood of system prompts that appeared in his mind.
[Ding~ Congratulations! Host has deeply participated in the core plot of the Marvel world, Ultron's death. 5 plot points obtained.]
[Ding~ Due to drastic changes in the timeline, the birth of core protagonist Vision was prevented. 10 plot points obtained.]
[Ding~ Major derailment detected. The entire plot of Avengers: Age of Ultron has been disrupted. Additional 5 plot points awarded.]
[Ding~ Total reward: 20 plot points.]
Luke froze. He just got twenty points in one go.
The last time he'd been rewarded for changing the plot when he saved Frigga, the system only gave him five points. That alone had felt generous. But twenty? That was on a whole other level.
As his mind raced, he pieced it together. Saving Frigga had been important, but she was still only a side character in the grand scheme of things. Her survival didn't tilt the balance of the Marvel world by much.
But this? This was completely different. He had killed Ultron before the story had even begun. He had erased Vision before he could be born. One was a major villain, the other a future Avenger and bearer of the Mind Stone. Both were cornerstones of the original plot.
This was no pebble tossed into a stream, this was a whole mountain crashing into a lake.
Luke couldn't control the system's calculations, but the results spoke for themselves.
'System panel, open!'
His excited thought summoned the familiar blue light curtain. Numbers flashed into existence before his eyes.
Current plot points: 40.
Luke's eyebrows nearly shot off his forehead. He was only ten points away from reaching fifty, the threshold for leveling the system up to tier six.
Excitement surged through him. Just ten more. Ten more points, and his entire strength could leap forward again.
But before he could strategize, a sharp sound echoed from the corridor outside, rapid footsteps, dozens of them.
According to the original plot, the research on the mind scepter and Ultron's creation was carried out in the Avengers tower, previously known as Stark tower.
But the new S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters building was so advanced that Tony and Bruce had chosen to do it here.
And this new building was also equipped with complete entertainment venues. Just now, the Avengers had been celebrating in the bar right below.
So of course. An explosion that massive wouldn't go unnoticed by them.
The heavy door to the lab burst open, and Tony Stark stormed in, with Dr. Banner and the rest of the Avengers right behind him. Their eyes widened at the devastation.
The laboratory, once state-of-the-art, now looked like a battlefield. Equipment was shredded, wires sparking, walls blackened with scorch marks. Smoke curled up from twisted steel.
Tony froze, his face pale. "My… my lab…" His voice cracked. "Do you know how much this equipment cost me?!"
…