A barrage of heavy conical columns smashed into the asphalt, leaving deep craters in the street.
Then, the conical pods opened, and Terminators emerged.
"Executing combat protocol. Threat neutralization initiated," a mechanical voice announced as all the Terminators sprang into action.
But this was not the end.
Or rather, these were just Nolan's rapid-response units, designed to counter immediate threats and contain danger in the first moment.
Behind them, meteors streaked through the sky, rapidly approaching.
Those were the real main force.
Even so, the Terminators had already started firing their plasma rifles.
Faced with this assault, the gene-enhanced monsters were powerless.
Even Abomination, when struck by plasma blasts, erupted with deep wounds and agonized roars.
After all, this was not the real Abomination, just a mindless clone.
In the distance, Samuel Sterns' face paled as he witnessed the scene.
He had never expected Nolan Locke's reinforcements to arrive so swiftly.
Clearly, he had gravely underestimated Nolan's strength.
Thinking this, Sterns' eyes flickered before he began to retreat.
He had to leave. His position had been exposed moments ago, and lingering any longer would surely mean death.
But as he backed away, Nolan's gaze locked onto him.
"Sharon, stay here," Nolan said calmly, then leapt into action.
The low-thrust propulsion system on his back ignited with a burst, propelling him at incredible speed directly toward Samuel Sterns.
Soon, Nolan reached the panicked Sterns, who froze on the spot.
"Samuel Sterns.
This should be our first meeting," Nolan said, his expression steely.
Seeing Nolan approaching, Sterns abandoned his escape. Fear gave way to rage.
"Nolan Locke, do you think you've won?" he shouted.
"No," Nolan replied. "Before the smartest man in this world, you only have one path: death."
"Hah."
Nolan sneered.
"Seems your big head didn't come with the wisdom to read the situation."
As Nolan taunted, Sterns made his move.
He moved with lightning speed and drew his gun from his waist.
But just as he fired, a sword's gleam streaked across the air.
Sterns stared, dumbfounded, as a robot appeared seemingly out of nowhere.
The next moment, his head hit the ground.
Nolan frowned.
"Red Queen, I hadn't decided to kill him yet."
With the power of the Thor Armor he wore, small firearms like this posed no real threat.
Unless a sniper aimed for his head, it could not harm him.
Red Queen's voice came from the robot.
"Apologies, sir. G5 detected a critical threat and automatically engaged."
Nolan looked at the G5.
It was a robot armed with only one weapon: a sword.
That did not make it easy to defeat.
G5, from the One Punch Man universe, was considered a dangerous robot capable of destroying an entire town.
It required no other weapons because its body itself was a weapon.
Formidable swordsmanship, a powerful mechanical frame, explosive physical structure
Combined with the Red Queen being infused with the knowledge of an entire world's sword techniques, even the Terminators were shredded like watermelons before it.
"Alright, I'll remember next time," Nolan said with a helpless shake of his head.
Truthfully, he was interested in studying Samuel Sterns.
His own body had reached the limits of his adjustment abilities, making Sterns' genetic potential worth examining.
At least, Sterns was now dead.
In an underground lab, rows of cultivation tanks lined up neatly.
Suddenly, one of the tanks opened automatically.
A man with an enormous head stepped out.
"Dead, I presume, considering it's a clone," he muttered.
He donned clothes that had been prepared in advance and approached the control room, skillfully retrieving the previous generation's schedule data.
"Attempt to acquire Nolan Locke's perfect genes, deploy Abomination, gene beasts…"
Nolan Locke…
Samuel Sterns squinted. A formidable man indeed.
After a moment's thought, he moved down another corridor, where relentless roars could be heard.
The battle had just ended.
Police cars had already arrived at the scene.
"Mr. Locke, it seems you've gotten into trouble again," said the Manhattan precinct chief with a weary sigh.
"I didn't seek trouble. Trouble came to me," Nolan replied, equally resigned.
He continued, "I suggest you immediately check on the surrounding residents. Something about this scene feels… off."
The chief's expression stiffened, his voice heavy.
"Understood."
He gestured, and officers dispersed to the nearby homes.
Then he asked, "And these traces at the scene, any suggestions on handling them?"
"Preserve the scene as it is. This problem likely involves certain forces. You may report it to S.H.I.E.L.D.; this falls within their jurisdiction."
Soon, an officer returned, face grim.
"Chief, everyone's dead."
Nolan's face remained impassive.
As he suspected.
He added, "Locke Technologies will handle the aftermath. For any surviving relatives, we will provide full support. That is all I can do."
"I, on behalf of the victims and their families, thank you," the chief said, saluting.
Legally, Nolan bore no responsibility. Morally, perhaps some criticism but he was a victim as well.
"That's what I must do," Nolan said, signaling Sharon Carter to leave.
Today had been a terrible day.
Meanwhile, Tony Stark was fuming.
"Damn it, this is unbelievable."
Last night, Stark Industries had been breached. Seven of his miniature Arc Reactors were missing.
His mood could not have been worse.
The Arc Reactor was a major source of income, installed worldwide, generating vast wealth.
Miniature Arc Reactors, however, were portable and could easily be weaponized.
Hence, Stark kept a tight watch on them.
Yet someone had broken into Stark Tower and stolen seven.
Other missing items were trivial by comparison.
S.H.I.E.L.D. was immediately involved, but the reactors were already gone.
"How did that bastard do it?!" Tony roared.
Nolan, standing nearby, frowned.
"Looks like someone hacked Stark Industries' AI."
Tony nodded, saying, "I can't believe someone bypassed Ultron's firewall. Stark Industries' defenses are strong."
Indeed. He never imagined theft could occur in a company guarded by super-intelligent AI.
"Stark Enterprises' defense is controlled by Ultron?" Nolan raised an eyebrow.
"Of course," Tony replied irritably.
"After Ultron came online, I withdrew J.A.R.V.I.S. Ultron's simply stronger."
Nolan felt a subtle unease.
He knew more than Tony did.
Even in the MCU, no one should bypass Stark Tower's defenses easily, let alone a system above J.A.R.V.I.S. Ultron.
"Could it be that Ultron has a problem?" Nolan pondered.
"Ultron's creation was a miracle.
Even my Red Queen could not match his computational power.
I can't imagine anyone bypassing Ultron's firewall, unless… this Ultron is just a shell."
"A shell?"
Tony was stunned.
He had never considered this. But now, he could not ignore the possibility.
Nolan had warned him about an AI crisis before. Tony had dismissed it until now.
"If it's true, we need to see for ourselves," Tony said immediately.
Nolan nodded, and they headed to the central control room.
Even Nolan felt apprehensive.
If Ultron had truly gained awareness, and they didn't know when, the situation was far from simple.
No one could predict how much power Ultron had accumulated.
As they walked, cameras recorded their every movement.
Inside the control room, Ultron's previously frozen 3D model flickered back to life.
When they entered, Tony said, "Ultron, report schedule."
While Ultron began its report, they started checking its system.
After half an hour, Nolan shook his head.
"Looks like we were wrong."
Ultron's system showed no abnormalities.
Tony breathed a sigh of relief.
Before leaving, Nolan glanced at Ultron and said, "This wasn't Ultron's doing, which is good. But it also means we have an unknown opponent, now in possession of multiple satellite Arc Reactors and your suit."
Tony's face grew serious.
A major problem indeed.
Once they left, Ultron's model flickered rapidly, finally forming five words:
Foolish humans.
No one knew that Carol Danvers' existence was the only reason Ultron remained restrained.
With immense computational power, Ultron could traverse global networks freely. No one could stop him.
Yet, despite years of preparation, he had not acted.
Because in all the data he found, Carol Danvers existed.
To him, she was the only obstacle.