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【Copy? 】
There was no influx of energy, nor any physical change. A mysterious flow of information was directly imprinted upon the depths of his soul. It was neither knowledge nor energy, but a kind of "authority"—a right recognized by the universe itself to modify its rules.
Chu Hang opened his eyes, a fleeting glint of dark red light flashing in them.
He stood up, feeling as if half his body had been hollowed out. The mental dive he had just experienced was even more exhausting than fighting Igor.
He walked to the lab bench next to him and picked up a glass of water that was prepared as a reference.
He stared at the glass, only one thought in his mind: this water must be liquor. A peaty, Islay single malt whisky.
He concentrated his mind, firmly locking this result into his will, eliminating all distractions.
Then, he uttered a single word in a hoarse voice, facing the water glass.
It was as if a floodgate had been opened within his body, instantly draining away more than half of it. A strong sense of dizziness rushed to his brain, and he swayed, almost losing his balance.
The sight before him made him gasp for breath.
The clear, pure water in his eyes quickly took on a beautiful amber hue.
A unique aroma, a blend of smoke, sea salt, and disinfectant, filled the air.
The water really did turn into wine.
Chu Hang picked up his wine glass, brought it to his nose, and smelled it; the taste was exactly the same.
But he didn't drink it.
He saw the rim of the whiskey shimmering erratically. The liquid's color shifted between clear and amber. The glass briefly materialized like rough wood before returning to its original state.
Reality is spontaneously correcting the bug he created.
A few seconds later, with a barely audible "pop," the glass of wine instantly turned back into clear water, crystal clear.
Everything has returned to square one.
"A basic ability can only achieve temporary 'deception,' and at such a high cost."
Chu Hang put down his cup and rubbed his aching temples.
That last strike drained more energy than he could withstand a single punch from the Hulk. If his total energy level weren't terrifying, even an ordinary person with that ability wouldn't be able to use it at all.
This ability is ridiculously strong, and also ridiculously dangerous.
He glanced at the holographic calendar on the wall.
Chapter 130 The Age of Ultron
One month later, Asgard.
As the light from the rainbow bridge faded, Chu Hang's figure appeared before the throne hall of the Celestial Palace.
Two rows of golden-armored guards, holding long halberds, stood motionless, like statues cast in gold. Their gazes passed over him, fixed on the solitary figure at the far end of the hall.
Odin sat on his throne, his single eye expressionless, as if he hadn't moved for millennia. In his hand he rested Gungnir, the spear of eternity, its tip gleaming brighter than all the torches in the hall.
An ancient and majestic aura permeated the air, as if time had frozen.
Chu Hang walked up the steps one by one, his combat boots echoing loudly on the marble floor.
“A month has passed.” He stopped before the throne, his voice not loud, but clearly carried throughout the hall.
“You are very punctual.” Odin’s voice was old and weary, but every word contained undeniable power.
Chu Hang didn't waste any more words, and made a sweeping gesture in front of him. A rift was torn open in the pocket dimension, and a ball of dark red energy, like liquid metal, was carefully released.
It was sealed within a transparent spatial cube, but its distorted nature still caused imperceptible ripples in the surrounding light and space.
Odin raised his hand, and a golden box engraved with intricate runes flew out from his sleeve and hovered below the aether particles.
Chu Hang removed the spatial seal, and the dark red energy slowly fell into the box. The lid closed, and all the strange phenomena vanished instantly.
The golden box flew back into Odin's hands.
“Your understanding of it exceeds my expectations.” Odin’s single eye stared at Chu Hang as if examining a weapon. “You have its aura on you, but it is very weak, as if it has been forcibly tamed by your own laws.”
“An interesting toy,” Chu Hang said noncommittally. He could feel Odin’s gaze almost piercing through his soul, seeing all the secrets within him. But he used the [Barrier of Will] and his understanding of the laws to construct a layer of mist.
Odin did not press the matter further. He had lived too long and knew some secrets, and the price of digging too deep was too high.
“The transaction is complete,” Chu Hang said. He came here simply to fulfill his promise.
He turned to leave.
Reaching the top of the steps, he paused, as if casually remarking, "Here's a piece of advice, Father of the Gods. Don't put two Infinity Stones in the same collector's display case. That's not a safe, it's a target."
After saying that, without waiting for Odin's response, he tore open space again and stepped in.
The spatial rift quietly closed behind him.
On the throne, a sharp glint flashed in Odin's single eye. He stroked the golden box in his hand, and a long silence fell over the hall.
time flies.
Chu Hang returned to Earth and locked himself in an underground base in Malibu.
He needed to thoroughly familiarize himself with his new toy—Reality Warp. This ability was like a bottomless pit; no matter how much energy he poured into it, it could only create a small ripple in the real world, and it would soon be "repaired" by the rules of the world itself.
This gave him a deeper sense of awe for the true power of the Infinity Stones. What he held in his hand was merely a fragmented copy of the original.
During his seclusion, many things happened in the outside world.
Tony Stark is in deep trouble. A terrorist calling himself the Mandarin is behind a technology called the Extremis virus.
Tony openly provoked the enemy on television, and as a result, his prized seaside mansion was blown to smithereens by several missiles.
He was once thought to be dead by the world.
Chu Hang saw all of this through the news at the base. He merely frowned, then made a phone call, instructing his agent to mobilize all resources to stabilize StarK Industries' plummeting stock price.
Tony is a vital asset to him; he can't just disappear like this.
A few days later, Tony solved the problem; the guy named Killian was the mastermind.
Afterwards, Chu Hang went to the laboratory that had been burned to ruins and found what he was looking for among a pile of charred remains.
[Ding. Target detected: Modified Extremis Virus. Replication Ability: S-Rank Passive - Super-Rapid Regeneration. Replicate?]
Then came the disintegration of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Steve Rogers, a veteran who had been dormant for seventy years, discovered that the organization he had always served was rotten to the core. Hydra had been lurking within him like a virus for decades.
A devastating internal conflict erupts as three brand-new space carriers tangle up like toys over Washington, D.C., before crashing to the ground. S.H.I.E.L.D., the once colossal organization that controlled the shadows of the world, crumbles overnight.
Chu Hang had been watching the whole thing unfold. He had known all along.
When Steve and Natasha were at their most confused and were being hunted by the whole world, he anonymously sent them several key clues through his intelligence network, helping them find Dr. Zola's consciousness USB drive.
Everything was pretty much as the script he remembered.
New York, the former Stark Tower, now the Avengers headquarters, top-floor laboratory.
Tony Stark and Bruce Banner are staring blankly at a scepter.
Loki's Mind Scepter. It was recovered by S.H.I.E.L.D. after the Battle of New York and is now in their possession.
At the top of the scepter, the deep blue gemstone was radiating a mesmerizing light.
"Its energy structure is like a living brain. Complex, orderly, and... I even feel like it's thinking." Banner pushed up his glasses, looking at the constantly refreshing data stream on the holographic screen with disbelief.
“So my idea is correct.” Tony’s eyes gleamed with an almost fanatical light. “We can use it to create a true artificial intelligence. An ultimate defense system that covers the entire globe, can predict all threats, and protect the Earth.”
He paused for a moment, then uttered the word that had been lingering in his mind for a long time.
"A suit of armor... that encircles the world."
The shadow of the Battle of New York haunted him like a nightmare. He had witnessed firsthand the endless alien fleet on the other side of the wormhole, and the immense, overwhelming sense of powerlessness kept him awake at night.
“Tony, this is too dangerous,” Banner said, his voice trembling with unease. “We don’t understand this thing at all. It’s not from this earth.”
“That’s the key!” Tony interrupted him, his voice trembling with emotion. “With it, my Ultron project can truly come to fruition. A global defense network with self-awareness, capable of continuous learning and evolution. With it, the Avengers can retire. We can go home.”
The laboratory door slid open silently.
Chu Hang walked in carrying two cups of coffee, as if he had just returned from the coffee shop downstairs.
“I heard a really crazy word, retirement?” He handed one of his coffees to Banner, his gaze sweeping over the data on the screen. “You guys are playing with fire.”
“Anthony!” Tony wasn’t surprised to see him. “You’ve come at the perfect time. Look at this, the future of humanity, true peace!”
“You’re creating a god in a box, Tony.” Chu Hang took a sip of coffee, his tone as calm as if he were discussing the weather. “And with a stone you know absolutely nothing about. What do you think a ‘god’ who can learn all of humanity’s knowledge in a second would think after seeing our history and all the stupid things we’ve done?”
“It will protect us,” Tony said firmly.
“Or,” Chu Hang put down his coffee cup and looked directly at him, “it will think that humans are the biggest virus on Earth. And the most effective way to deal with a virus is to clean it up.”
Chu Hang's words instantly chilled the air in the laboratory.
Banner's face turned grim as he thought of the green monster inside him, that equally uncontrollable force.
Tony paused for a few seconds, then walked to the control panel and shook his head. "I'll set limits for it. Its core program is to protect life, and that's unwavering. Jarvis will guide it, like a father guiding a child."
"hope so."
Chu Hang shrugged and didn't try to persuade him any further.
He knew Tony's personality all too well; Tony wouldn't learn until he hit a brick wall. Some pitfalls had to be stepped into by him personally, and he'd only learn his lesson after suffering a painful fall.
"I just wanted to remind you not to overdo it." Chu Hang picked up his coffee cup. "Pepper is still waiting for you to eat. Don't keep her waiting too long."
After saying that, he turned and left.
Tony watched his retreating figure, pursed his lips, and turned to Banner, saying, "Don't listen to him. He's just too conservative. He doesn't understand the fear of losing everything. Come on, let's bring true peace to the world."
They returned to the console and started the program.
The massive data streams, like luminous rivers, flowed from the server and merged into that blue gem of the soul.
The gemstone emitted an unprecedentedly brilliant light, turning the entire laboratory into a deep blue.
A few minutes later, the light gradually faded.
On the screen, the upload progress bar for Project Ultron struggled to reach 99%, then got stuck completely, flickered a few times, and went out.
"Failed?" Banner breathed a sigh of relief, but was also a little disappointed.
MM Racing