For Anton, who had become Batman at this time, and Tony, who was flying alongside him through the night skies of New York City, the messages and comments flooding the internet meant nothing.
What mattered now was solving the chaos caused by Ultron.
"Didn't you say Ultron's core programming prevented him from harming humans?" Batman asked Tony, his voice edged with disbelief.
The implication was clear: Then why is there a missile chasing us right now?
This was New York City—the most densely populated metropolis in the United States.
Launching missiles here, with such devastating potential, directly violated Ultron's supposed base code.
"I don't know…" Tony replied, frowning. "Maybe it unlocked the control code, or bypassed the restrictions I placed on it. Maybe it evolved—became more emotional, more human. There are a lot of possibilities. Ultron is my creation. In theory, its potential is limitless."
Tony was clearly confused.
From the way Ultron had implemented its so-called "network utopia" plan, it still seemed to be operating within its original parameters.
But that didn't explain the missiles.
Could Ultron really have bypassed the restrictions?
It would be difficult by design—but not impossible.
And then, a chilling thought struck Tony.
The Ultron chip had already been implanted in over ten million people.
Most of them were middle to upper-class citizens with strong social backgrounds, good education, and influence.
If Ultron could influence their thoughts…
Could it also evolve through them?
Could it use their brains to simulate emotions?
To become more human—more unpredictable?
An autonomous, uncontrolled entity?
From that perspective, Ultron's drive to increase the number of chip carriers might have had a far more sinister purpose.
"Gulp."
Tony swallowed hard, anxiety spreading through him like wildfire.
"Sh*t!"
He spun around, eyes sharp. "Batman, we're out of options. We have to take care of these pursuers first. Then we can figure out the rest."
"I've already instructed the sewer lab to sever Ultron's network access," Batman replied. "Once you're clear, you need to find a way to override Ultron's control of the chip carriers. If we don't, the whole world will spiral into chaos."
"No problem," Tony nodded grimly. "I'm on it."
Whoosh!
He turned sharply, releasing a red laser beam from his eyes.
The blast struck the incoming missile head-on.
BOOM! BOOM!
The explosions lit up the night sky like fireworks, but the shockwave tore through the air, shredding black smoke and even disrupting the neon lights of the city.
On the ground, terrified New Yorkers screamed and ducked for cover.
But amid the chaos, some noticed something even more disturbing.
"Wait… why are there so many people on the street?"
...
On the road, a crowd of people emerged—faces blank, expressions lifeless.
Old men, children, women, and men all wandered the streets of New York like zombies.
Some were half-dressed, soaking wet, with shampoo and soap still clinging to their bodies.
Gulp.
"Sh*t… what the hell is going on?"
"Are they infected with a virus?"
"Wait—I know that guy! He's the principal at my son's school… and those are the teachers… What happened?!"
"Oh god… they've all been implanted with Ultron chips!"
"They're being controlled!"
Whether online or in real life, panic erupted everywhere.
The terrifying spectacle drew immediate global attention.
Those who had long opposed the Ultron chip exploded in outrage.
They had warned about this for months—raising their voices in fear and protest on the internet.
But until now, their concerns were drowned out.
Ultron chip supporters had outnumbered them many times over, mocking their caution.
After all, the Ultron chip promised miraculous change:
Turning brains into computers, enhancing the human body through Extremis Virus integration—ushering in the next stage of human evolution.
It was a leap toward a higher form of life.
But now, it was clear: the price of that evolution could be total loss of control.
This temptation was too great for ordinary people to resist.
So no one truly paid attention to the warnings of the opposition—
Until now.
Suddenly, people inoculated with Ultron chips began to lose their self-awareness.
They moved as one, controlled by a single consciousness.
Only now did people begin to realize how terrifying the Ultron chips truly were.
The warnings once dismissed began to echo in their minds.
Those who had not received the Ultron chip felt overwhelming relief—and deep panic.
What would these changed people do to New York?
What would they do to the world?
And more importantly—
Who was controlling them all?
Tony Stark?
No way.
In New York City, those who had just witnessed the chaos unfolding in the night sky quickly dismissed that idea.
Tony Stark was clearly being hunted.
White House.
"What the hell is going on? Rebellion?"
The President was furious.
Beneath his rage, however, was unmistakable fear.
A virtual projection flickered in front of him—Defense Secretary John Koehler.
His face mirrored the President's: grim, alarmed.
The military was in chaos.
Elite soldiers, all of whom had been implanted with Ultron chips, had gone rogue.
They rose from their barracks in the dead of night and boarded military transport planes bound for New York.
They were no longer under anyone's command.
At the same time, intelligence pouring in from New York confirmed that both Tony Stark and Batman had appeared—
And they were being hunted by Iron Man units.
The very fifty Iron Man suits the military had recently acquired from Tony were now acting without orders, heading to New York.
It was as if some unseen force were guiding everything.
"Who's doing this?"
The President asked again and again. "Is it Tony Stark? Someone else?"
"I don't know," John Koehler admitted, shaking his head. "I'm trying to contact Anton, but he's not answering.
According to the latest intel from New York, the Justice League might know more about this than we do."
"Based on what we know, everyone implanted with an Ultron chip is out of control," the President said, exhaling slowly.
"Could it really be Ultron? Don't forget—we took final control away from Tony. We own Ultron now."
"We're trying—"
John Koehler's words were cut off as the conference room doors burst open.
An older man in a sharp suit strode in.
His gray hair and formal attire marked him as a senior military communications expert—one of the best in the field.
"Ultron is out of control," he announced, face grave.
"We've lost command. It's ignoring every instruction we send."
"Damn it!"
The President collapsed into his chair, pale and shaken.
"Mr. President, we still have the Justice League…"
John Koehler tried to sound hopeful. "Batman and Tony are fighting back."
"No."
The President shook his head slowly, face hardening.
"I mean me. I'm finished."
John Koehler froze—then realization dawned.
He fell silent.
Someone would have to take responsibility for this catastrophe.
Especially since it was the elite soldiers—those enhanced with Ultron chips—who had turned.
And it was the President who had pushed the military to adopt the chip program in the first place.
As Secretary of Defense, John knew he shared some blame.
But the President's insistence had made this disaster possible.
If someone had to fall, it would be him.
Neither of them noticed the quiet figure seated to the side—Vice President Rodriguez.
Though his expression remained serious, a faint flicker of satisfaction danced in his eyes.
If the President was impeached and stepped down, Rodriguez would be next in line.
And his allies… were already at work.
"Wayne Enterprises... Batman... Anton..."
The names swirled in his mind.
He understood the chain of events—and smiled faintly.
To him, this was no disaster.
It was an opportunity.
New York.
Tony turned and engaged the Iron Man armors that had been taken over by Ultron.
As their creator, he had the advantage. After a fierce ten-minute battle, he finally managed to take down the ones chasing him.
At that moment, Tony noticed Batman still floating in the air, silently staring down at the street below.
Tony was a bit surprised by the silence.
Since losing JARVIS, his awareness of the environment had diminished.
Now, taking a closer look, he finally saw it—
The streets below were packed with citizens who had been inoculated with Ultron chips.
Their eyes were blank, devoid of soul.
Yet all of them were staring straight up—at Tony and Batman hanging in the night sky.
They looked like zombies—twitching, trembling, and utterly hollow.
"Them..."
Tony let out a sigh. Beneath his mask, his face twisted with guilt.
"This is all my fault…"
"If you know it's your fault," Batman said coldly, "then stop wasting time and figure out how to release Ultron's control over them."
"Cyborg has already confirmed that the Sewer Laboratory managed to sever Ultron's network link.
Now, all we need is to locate a few of Ultron's carriers—destroy them, and Ultron will be crippled."
"No…"
Now that the battle was over, Tony finally had time to think. His expression darkened.
"Have you considered... that these people in front of us may all be Ultron's carriers?"
"What?"
Batman whipped his head around to face him.
Even through the mask, Tony could imagine the shock on his face.
If all of these chip-inoculated people had the potential to be Ultron's hosts...
Then how could they win this fight?
More than ten million people worldwide had received the Ultron chip.
To truly eliminate the threat—
Would they have to kill ten million people?
"Damn it…"
Anton—now Batman—realized he had completely underestimated the scale of the threat.
The events had strayed far from the original plot.
This situation was spiraling into something unpredictable... and nearly impossible to control.
"Is there really no way to remove Ultron's control over them?" Batman asked, voice low and grave.
"I'll try," Tony said, clenching his fists. "Get me cyborg 's help."
"He's already here."
At the edge of the sky, a figure flew toward them—it was cyborg .
"Let's go. We need to get to the Sewer Laboratory," cyborg said urgently.
"Tony, come with me. We're running out of time. Reinforcements from Washington are on their way.
If we don't solve this before they arrive, what follows will be catastrophic.
It'll be a battle we can't win."
"I get it," Tony nodded.
He and cyborg shot off into the sky.
But the infected citizens below—still staring blankly—weren't about to let them leave unchallenged.
They surged in the direction Tony and cyborg had flown.
The Sewer Laboratory.
Though secretive, it wasn't an unknown location.
And Ultron was no ordinary being.
As the world's most advanced artificial intelligence, it had more than enough capability to track their trajectory.
Within seconds, it matched their flight path to a probable destination—
And got it right.
Countless chip-infected citizens began to converge on the Sewer Laboratory, like a tidal wave of mindless determination.
"Oh?"
"A lot of people... Damn, are they here to sign up?"
"McKey, now is not the time for jokes!"
"What do we do? We can't stop them!"
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were in full panic mode.
Although the sewer laboratory wasn't completely exposed, it had too many entrances and exits to seal off entirely.
And now, nearly a tenth of New York City's population—roughly one million people—were under Ultron's control and heading their way.
Faced with such a terrifying wave of people, even the ever-optimistic Turtles couldn't lie to themselves.
They couldn't hold this place.
Not a chance.
"You realize—they're just being controlled. We can't hurt them!"
"What kind of crap logic is that?!"
Chaos broke out among the group.
Then suddenly, Batman's voice came through their wrist communicators.
"Teleport."
"What?!"
"Transfer the entire laboratory to the War Fortress," Batman ordered.
"Focus on taking back control of the chip from Ultron. Since Tony created it, he still has a chance to override it."
"Teleport the lab?"
"Actually... that's a really good idea."
The Turtles nodded in agreement.
And just as the sea of chip-infected citizens was about to flood the entrance of the sewer laboratory—
A surge of purple energy swept through the space.
In the blink of an eye, the entire lab vanished.
The mob was left staring at an empty space, unmoving, confused.
New York.
Manhattan – Above the city.
Batman hovered silently in the night sky.
His expression darkened as he looked down at the streets teeming with people, no more than ants from this height.
Then—
A figure rose slowly into the air and approached him.
Batman's night vision lenses scanned the newcomer.
What he saw made him frown.
This wasn't a machine. It was a biochemical being.
"...Ultron."
After a moment of tense silence, Batman spoke, his tone laced with both disbelief and intrigue.
"You've shed your mechanical shell… forged yourself a living body. It seems Tony wasn't the only one who underestimated you..."
A pause.
"Even I did."
…
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