12 hours later—Arbitrators Alliance Global Press Conference.
Tony Stark stood before the holographic podium, his fingertips lightly tapping the edge of the podium, a faint sneer playing on his lips.
The lenses of global media were uniformly aimed at them, flashlights flickering, illuminating the entire hall as if it were daytime.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Tony's voice carried through the microphone across the entire venue, "Regarding the East Capital incident, the Arbitrators Alliance has completed its preliminary investigation."
He raised a hand and waved, and a holographic projection unfolded in the air, the image freezing at the moment the Neon Rat Emperor knelt and worshipped the totem, fluorescent green patterns wriggling on the pile of bones, and obscure prayers slithering into everyone's ears like venomous snakes.
"This is an image of the Rat Emperor worshipping an evil Dimension Demon God in East Capital JHC," Tony's voice turned cold. "The Neon Imperial Family and high-ranking government officials shut down the global defense system and unilaterally sacrificed the citizens of East Capital to—"
The screen switched, and the flesh mountain, composed of countless distorted human faces, rose from the ground, its inhuman shrieks causing the reporters present to cover their ears.
"Dimension Demon God," Tony's words were like the Arctic cold wind. "They call it the 'Lord of Dreams.'"
The entire hall erupted in an uproar.
Tony continued, "The intelligence we received indicates that the Neon government buried Nightmare Totems throughout East Capital, attempting to gain the power to manipulate dreams by sacrificing living people." He paused, his gaze sweeping over every camera. "And the result, as you can see—half of East Capital was destroyed, and tens of thousands lost their lives."
A reporter suddenly stood up: "Mr. Stark! Are you saying that this disaster was entirely orchestrated by the Neon government?!"
Tony sneered, "The evidence is right here." He waved his hand again, and the holographic projection switched to a scene of a Japanese-style conference room, where a dozen high-ranking officials sat around a long table, coldly issuing orders.
"According to the plan, bury the totems in these locations," the official's voice clearly echoed through the hall.
"It is these greedy bureaucrats, attempting to control power they cannot control, who caused this disaster. Here…" Tony scanned the room, his expression unusually serious.
"Here, I call upon all people in the World, since the two incidents of the Washington District battle and the London Night, it has been fully demonstrated that in this Universe, we are not the only humans that exist."
"Please do not attempt to wield any unknown, unpredictable power, thereby leading to the birth of disaster." Tony suddenly sneered, "If there are still people who don't listen to advice, I think the Arbitrators will definitely come to have a chat with you."
— — — —
Chen Tian sat in a chair below the stage, yawning, watching Tony's official demeanor, threatening the evil forces of the World, and looked at 2B beside him, "2B, don't you think Tony is becoming more and more official?"
2B nodded slightly, "Mr. Stark has matured a lot compared to a few years ago. Although he still occasionally has some childish behaviors, it must be admitted that he now appears as a mature leader in front of the World's public."
Chen Tian looked at Tony skillfully answering the questions posed by the media. He slightly raised his chin, "I still need to find him some helpers. 2B, have Natasha go find Professor X. Let the X-Men join the Arbitrators. The Arbitrators will provide sanctuary to Professor Charles Xavier's Academy."
Data streamed through 2B's eyes, then she said to Chen Tian, "Natasha has been notified. She is departing now."
Chen Tian nodded, stood up, and said to 2B, "Let's go to my arcade. I need to think."
On the top floor of Arbitrator Tower, the automatic door of the arcade slid open silently.
Chen Tian casually tossed his suit jacket onto the sofa, sinking into the beanbag chair. He picked up a game controller and began to randomly select a game.
2B stood quietly behind him.
"Master, what are you thinking about?"
Chen Tian answered while operating his character, "Balance."
"Currently, the Adjudicator's numbers are too small, and the Arbitrators' combat power is inconsistent."
"If the X-Men join the Arbitrators, the Arbitrators' strength will increase," he swiped a finger, and the Professor Charles Xavier's Academy logo lit up, "but it's not enough."
Chen Tian stretched out a hand, and a holographic projection replaced the game screen, showing the battle of Devon County.
"Tony is very powerful. Through the Mark-Eclipse Edition, he has researched a new 'Archangel,' which is equivalent to piloting a Gundam. Next, I can provide him with another set of Saint Cloth to enhance his physical fitness."
Chen Tian said, looking at Hulk, whose body was pierced by tentacles, his mouth twitching, "Hulk… should have been a guaranteed combat power… but now… he seems to have become one of the weakest."
Thinking of this, he suddenly felt a headache, because he had to balance his two identities as Adjudicator and Arbitrator. Unless it was a situation like the Washington District battle, he could only act with Tony, and then the others would be the Arbitrators' fallback.
Chen Tian sat up straight, stroking his chin. Dante stayed because of his personality; Dante would still leave some leeway in his actions, making him suitable for the Arbitrators.
Vergil goes to the Adjudicator. A demon hunter who constantly shouts 'Power' deep down, as seen in Devil May Cry 5, he would stop at nothing to achieve his goals, making him suitable for the Adjudicator.
Bayonetta can also hold two positions. The Witch often has different long and short hairstyles. She can use weapons in the Arbitrators and summon demons for the Adjudicator. Hmm… good idea.
"Master, do you need to contact the potential superpowered individuals we previously identified?" 2B said softly beside Chen Tian.
"Too early," Chen Tian irritably ran a hand through his hair. "Spider-Man is still playing with Legos in middle school, Strange is still acting as his arrogant surgeon, and even T'Challa hasn't inherited the Black Panther title yet…"
2B suddenly leaned over, her finger tapping open a map of New York. There was a small red dot on Queens: "Master, regarding Peter Parker, do you need to contact him in advance?"
Chen Tian stared at the flickering light for a few seconds, then suddenly laughed: "Forget it, let that kid play for a few more years."
The current Peter hasn't gained his spider powers yet; the 'friendly neighborhood New York City citizen' hasn't even debuted.
Chen Tian stretched: "By the way, I haven't gone to see the Ancient One since I came back. 2B, let's go see her tomorrow."
2B nodded, "I will prepare the 'silver wing star' for you tomorrow morning."
2B then reminded him in a timely manner, "Master, Mr. Stark has finished the press conference and is on his way to your arcade."
Chen Tian nodded, waved his hand, and closed the holographic projection, replacing it with the game screen, and began to operate it again.
The automatic door of the arcade emitted a 'beep' unlocking sound. Tony strode in.
"Yo, so the busy man is here, huh?" Tony shouted, "You left me alone with those hungry wolves of reporters and hid here playing games?"
Chen Tian didn't even look up, his fingers rapidly manipulating the game controller: "You can handle it alone." On the screen, his character landed a beautiful combo, KO-ing his opponent. "Besides, don't you love showing off in front of the cameras the most?"
Tony plopped down on the sofa next to Chen Tian and casually picked up another controller: "That's because a certain lazy bum deserted at the last minute." He skillfully joined the game. "Do you know how many times those reporters asked, 'Why did Mr. Chen Tian leave early'?"
"Just tell them I had diarrhea," Chen Tian controlled his character to do a backflip, dodging Tony's attack.
Tony scoffed: "I did say you were researching an important strategy." His character suddenly unleashed a special move. "Then the Wall Street Journal reporter asked if you were researching new game walkthrough techniques."
"The fact that I love playing games, one hundred percent, you leaked it," Chen Tian defended against Tony's character's special move.
"Ha, you guessed right," Tony laughed mischievously, "However, they also know about you and the Maxim twins."
Chen Tian raised an eyebrow at Tony, "It's been over three years now, this matter isn't going to pass, is it?"
Tony adopted a 'not my business' posture, "I didn't say that. You should know that the most famous 'rock band' in the World right now is us Arbitrators. Those twins even wrote a book about their night of pleasure with you. They are super influencers now."
2B timely brought a glass of whiskey and a glass of cola, the liquid swirling around the ice ball. Tony took the glass and clinked it with Chen Tian, "Alright, kid, tell me, what's wrong? I can tell something's bothering you."
Chen Tian put down the controller, "I'm taking stock, calculating our chips. The followers of the Dimension Demon God have replaced HYDRA as the biggest threat in the World right now. Their actions are reckless, and the Arbitrators are short-staffed."
Tony slumped lazily into the sofa, "Yeah," he sighed, "Ever since the Washington District battle, threats to the World have been emerging endlessly. I suddenly miss S.H.I.E.L.D. A lot. Although they were unreliable, at least we didn't have to deal with minor issues."
Chen Tian pouted, "You don't need to deal with minor issues now either, don't you have Jarvis?"
Hearing this, Tony suddenly chuckled, "Speaking of which, I've been working on a new gadget lately."
Chen Tian raised an eyebrow, "Oh? What kind of new gadget could make Tony Stark so excited?"
Tony's eyes suddenly lit up. He sat up straight, his finger tracing a holographic projection in the air: "Jarvis currently has to manage the global defense system and also oversee the Arbitrators' daily affairs. I feel he's getting a bit overwhelmed."
The projection displayed complex algorithmic structures. "So I plan to develop a new AI specifically for the global defense system. I'll call it—Ultron."
"Ultron?" Chen Tian looked at Tony, "Are you sure you want to use that name?"
Tony looked at him in confusion: "What's wrong? Ultron, ultimate creation, isn't that cool?"
He gestured excitedly, "It will have more powerful computing capabilities than Jarvis. It can monitor all abnormal energy fluctuations globally at the same time, and even predict—"
"Stop." Chen Tian suddenly stood up, his voice very serious. "Tony, I need you to explain the process of creating Ultron."
"What do you mean?" Tony didn't quite understand Chen Tian's seriousness.
Chen Tian stroked his chin in thought, "Tony, tell me, are you planning to let Ultron learn autonomously after you create it? Without even setting up the underlying code?"
"No underlying code needed. In my vision, I will embed all concepts about protecting the World and eliminating threats to the World," Tony waved his hand dismissively.
"No, you can't do that." Chen Tian shook his head, "I understand what you mean, Tony. Your so-called Ultron is like a baby. Everything will be self-taught, skipping the process of growing from a basic AI like Jarvis, so it can quickly take over the global defense system."
"What's wrong with that? Only then can it quickly free Jarvis and the Arbitrators from the quagmire of complicated affairs," Tony frowned.
Chen Tian's gaze was exceptionally sharp: "Tony, listen to my advice, abandon this project."
"Why?" Tony also stood up, "This will be the greatest AI in human history! It can—"
Chen Tian took a deep breath, placing his hands on Tony's shoulders: "Tony, think about it carefully—you became Iron Man because you experienced what happened in Afghanistan and personally saw human suffering. But what about the Ultron you envision? It won't have that process."
Tony frowned, wanting to retort, but Chen Tian continued: "You plan to directly instill the concept of 'protecting the World' into it, but have you thought—" He snapped his fingers, and countless chaotic data streams suddenly appeared on the holographic projection, "Before it understands what 'protection' means, what will it encounter first?"
The projection screen switched to global network monitoring data, with billions of information streams surging like a tsunami.
"Hate speech, war reports, conspiracy theories, extremism..." As Chen Tian spoke each word, corresponding snippets appeared on the projection. "Ultron's computing power is too great, Tony. Before you even realize it, it might have absorbed too much distorted information."
Tony's expression gradually became solemn. Chen Tian let go of his hands, his voice low: "Jarvis was able to grow to what it is today because it came up step by step from a basic AI. It understands human contradictions, complexities, and vulnerabilities. But Ultron—"
"Will be like a baby holding a nuclear bomb button." Tony suddenly interjected, his face turning pale. He staggered back a step and collapsed onto the sofa.
The arcade fell silent, with only the data streams of the holographic projection still silently flickering.
After a long while, Tony finally spoke hoarsely: "You're right... I was too impatient." He rubbed his temples, "I just wanted to solve the manpower shortage as quickly as possible..."
Chen Tian sat beside him and handed him the forgotten glass of whiskey: "We're all a bit rushed. But some things can't be rushed."
Tony raised his glass. He gazed at Chen Tian, and a relieved smile finally appeared on his lips: "To you, buddy. If you hadn't reminded me, I might have really caused a huge problem."
Chen Tian also raised his cola, deliberately saying in an exaggerated tone: "Wow, Tony Stark actually admits he can make mistakes? I need to record this moment."
"Shut up." Tony laughed and cursed as he clinked glasses with him, tilting his head back to down the whiskey. But after putting down the glass, his brow habitually furrowed again, and his finger unconsciously traced circles on the rim of the glass.
Chen Tian keenly noticed the change in his expression and smiled slightly: "What? New idea again?"
Tony looked up, his eyes sparkling with a familiar flash of inspiration: "I'm thinking... since I can't directly create Ultron, I can first research a basic AI."
His speech quickened, entering inventor mode as usual, "Just like Jarvis initially, starting with the simplest auxiliary functions, let it manage the daily affairs of the Arbitrator Tower first..."
"And then hand over the global defense system entirely to a mature Jarvis?" Chen Tian finished his sentence, nodding with satisfaction, "That's more like it. There's an old saying in Dragon Country—"
"Wait, let me guess," Tony made a stopping gesture, "Is it that 'a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step'?"
Chen Tian rolled his eyes: "Oh, not bad, the original saying is 'A tree that fills a man's embrace grows from a tiny sprout; a nine-story tower rises from a pile of earth; a journey of a thousand li begins with the first step.'" He deliberately recited it in clear, distinct Dragon script, then raised an eyebrow at Tony, "You've been studying Dragon Country culture lately, is it because of me?"
(There's an explanation of this sentence at the end of the chapter.)
Tony pretended not to hear his teasing, excitedly standing up and pacing back and forth: "Exactly! I can first design a basic framework, let's call it... Friday? Let it start learning by controlling the air conditioning system of the Tower." (Friday — Friday)
"Friday?" Chen Tian couldn't help but laugh, "Just because today is Friday?"
"Of course not!" Tony glared at him, "This is a tribute to 'Robinson Crusoe', okay? Robinson's assistant was named Friday." He proudly raised his chin, "What a culturally rich name."
2B suddenly interjected softly: "Master, didn't Mr. Stark just download the 'Robinson Crusoe' movie as a new adventure game into your game library last week?"
Tony's expression instantly froze. Chen Tian burst into a fit of laughter, almost rolling off the sofa: "Oh my goodness! Mr. Cultured Stark!"
"Shut up!" Tony grabbed a pillow in exasperation and threw it over, "The point is the design concept of this AI!" He forcibly dragged the conversation back, "I will set a strict learning curve for it, just like teaching a baby to walk, step by step."
Chen Tian finally stopped laughing, wiping tears from the corners of his eyes: "That's more like it. But..." He suddenly said seriously, "I suggest you go find Dr. Banner to research it together. His experience in cultivating AI in the Gamma Lab might be helpful to you."
Tony's eyes lit up: "Good idea! Bruce's 'Beta Intelligence' system does run very stably." He stroked his chin, calculating, "And he's been worried about not having new projects lately, spending all his time in the lab researching how to make Hulk more..."
His words stopped halfway, and both fell silent at the same time. The injuries Hulk sustained in the Devon County battle were still a thorn in their side.
Chen Tian cleared his throat to break the silence: "Speaking of labs, I'm going to Kamar-Taj tomorrow to find the Ancient One."
Tony's attention was immediately diverted: "That bald sorcerer?" He made a complex gesture, "Are you hoping Kamar-Taj can help?"
"I have to go," Chen Tian shrugged, "to properly inquire about the recent matter of Dimension Demon God followers being able to draw in Dimension Demon God power. After all, according to Kamar-Taj, as long as their sacred sanctuaries exist, it's very difficult for the Dimension Demon God to bring in such great power. Do you want to come?"
Tony waved his hand: "Thanks, I'll stay here and design my Friday." He winked, "After all, I need to strike while the iron is hot, before a certain cultured person forgets the plot of 'Robinson Crusoe'."
(A tree that fills a man's embrace grows from a tiny sprout; a nine-story tower rises from a pile of earth; a journey of a thousand li begins with the first step — From Laozi's "Tao Te Ching")
(Translated into modern language: "A large tree that requires two people to embrace grows from a tiny sprout; a nine-story tall building is built up from baskets of earth; a journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step.")
(Meaning: Opposes aiming too high and being unrealistic; emphasizes quantitative change leading to qualitative change; illustrates the importance of continuous accumulation)