Chapter Ninety-Four: An Empty House After the People Have Gone

Ultron brought the metal to a secret base in Africa. He had been trying to obtain the launch codes for the nuclear missiles of various nations, but the codes kept changing, as though someone had discovered his existence and was preventing him from gaining control of the arsenal.

That someone was the Internet’s Link Center, the core of the world’s entire network. Countless supercomputers formed the backbone of all global Internet traffic, and there stood the most advanced firewall on Earth; even Ultron could not break through it.

For now, he could only forge himself a sturdy body and then find a way to destroy the Avengers.

He kidnapped Dr. Helen Zhao from the Avengers’ headquarters and forced her to build him a true body of flesh and blood, but Dr. Zhao refused with her last breath.

Ultron then seized Helen Zhao’s mother to threaten her. With no choice, Helen used her own research to create for Ultron a genuine human body.

That metal particles could merge with human cells was a secret Ultron somehow knew. Helen was both shocked and terrified, afraid she had created a monster.

Ultron intended to use this technology to build an army of metal bodies. He needed more of the metal. He knew how powerful Arthur was, and that only an army of metal soldiers could completely destroy the Avengers.

Ultron turned his gaze north, toward Wakanda. He needed someone who could help him enter that land.

...

The Avengers were happily eating and drinking in the courtyard. Arthur had not expected Nick Fury to come as well. Nick and Tony talked for a long while, comforting Tony and telling him not to blame himself over Ultron.

“What do we do next?” Barton asked.

“We find Ultron before he can use the metal to forge his body!” said Tony Stark.

“Ultron keeps saying that humanity must evolve. I think the body he is building will be a complete one. He wants to evolve into a human,” Dr. Banner said.

“Creating a humanlike body from the metal? Only one person could help him do that!” Tony pulled out his phone and called Dr. Helen Zhao. It was turned off.

Tony then called Dr. Zhao’s research center. They told him that Dr. Zhao was missing and that they could not reach her either.

“Dr. Zhao has been taken!” Tony told everyone.

“Ultron is definitely hiding in Side’s base. If you hadn’t killed Side outright before, I could have searched his memories and found Ultron!” Arthur said.

“We can use the Link Center to locate Ultron. As soon as he goes online, the Link Center can catch his position,” Dr. Banner said.

“Good idea. I’ll go to the Link Center later and track Ultron down!” Tony said.

“I have a bad feeling about this. Ultron wants to destroy the Avengers, but how exactly is he planning to do it?” Colonel Rhodes said.

“He needs stronger weapons, and more of the metal. Only one place on Earth has both,” Tony analyzed.

“Wakanda!” Steve Rogers said the name of that place.

“What exactly is Wakanda?” Sam asked.

“Wakanda is a country hidden from the world, much like Atlantis. The difference is that Wakanda’s technology is incredibly advanced. All the metal on Earth comes from Wakanda!” Arthur’s feelings were complicated as he introduced it. Wakanda and Atlantis were old enemies, and now he was the king of Atlantis.

And Arthur’s mother was Wakandan, so Wakanda was bound to him by countless threads.

“Can you find Wakanda’s location?” Sam asked.

Everyone looked at one another, but no one knew where Wakanda was. In the end, all eyes turned to Nick Fury.

“Don’t look at me. Even I don’t know where Wakanda is. It’s a mysterious and isolated place,” Nick Fury said with a shake of his head.

“I can try contacting Wakanda’s Foreign Ministry through the United Nations, but I don’t know whether they’ll reply,” Hill said.

“Then just tell Wakanda about Ultron directly. Even if they won’t tell us where Wakanda is, it doesn’t matter. Just make sure they’re on guard and don’t let Ultron succeed,” Arthur said to Hill.

Hill agreed and went to contact Wakanda’s Foreign Ministry.

“Good. Our next mission is to find Ultron’s base, rescue Dr. Zhao, and destroy Ultron’s plan to build a body of metal!” Steve Rogers said, standing up. Everyone nodded in agreement with the captain’s command.

“Then I’ll go to the Link Center right now and track Ultron’s movements!” Tony Stark said as he got to his feet.

“I’ll go with you,” Rhodes said to Tony. Tony nodded, and the two of them donned their armor and flew away toward Norway.

“Everyone get some rest. As soon as Stark has news, we leave at once,” Steve Rogers told the others. Arthur led everyone to rest in the villa he had created.

The next day

“I found Ultron’s trail! He’s in Africa. I’ve sent you the location,” Tony said. After tracking all night, he had finally found the place where Ultron had appeared in the network.

“Move out!” Steve Rogers said. Barton piloted the jet, carrying the Avengers toward the location Tony had sent.

...

The Avengers surrounded the secret base. Arthur sensed inside and found only two people.

“Damn, he got away!”

Steve Rogers and Arthur rushed into the base and found an empty facility, along with a coffin-like machine. Dr. Zhao and a middle-aged woman lay on the floor.

Steve immediately stepped forward to check. Dr. Zhao still had a faint pulse, while the middle-aged woman had already lost all signs of life.

Arthur used the Reality Stone to temporarily restore Dr. Zhao’s injuries, and Natasha was sent at once to bring the medical team to treat her.

Dr. Zhao slowly woke. Seeing Steve Rogers holding her, she said:

“I’m sorry, Captain! Ultron used my mother to threaten me into making him a new body. I had even set up a self-destruct program, but he still found out. Ultron has already taken that body and left.”

Covering her face, Dr. Zhao burst into tears. She was deeply guilty over what she had done, and her mother had been killed by Ultron as well.

“This isn’t your fault, Dr. Zhao. Please take care of yourself and recover well. Leave Ultron to us,” Steve Rogers said.

“Ultron said he wants more of the metal! His target is Wakanda!” Dr. Zhao said.

“Just as we suspected. But Wakanda still hasn’t replied to us. I only hope Ultron hasn’t succeeded yet,” Steve Rogers said.

Arthur looked at the empty cradle and felt the matter was extremely troublesome. Ultron had already obtained a new body, and the course of events had now strayed from the original path. Fortunately, the Mind Stone remained in his own hands and had not fallen to Ultron.

After a while, the rescue team arrived. Dr. Zhao was placed on the ambulance and taken away, and all the Avengers could do now was immediately search for Wakanda’s location.

...