Marvel: Beginning with the Collection of Shinra Tensei

"Thinking too much, thinking too much. If Ultron could block even the mystical sensing ability of the Green Lantern ring, then he'd at least be a god-level being, not weaker than me. And if he were at that level, why would he be interested in such a small planet like Earth?"

Shaking his head, Han Yu stopped overthinking, rolled over, and went back to sleep.

In Ultron's room, a space brimming with cyberpunk aesthetics, Ultron was rapidly typing code at his computer. His keyboard and mouse were custom-built to withstand his lightning-fast hand movements, which left behind only faint afterimages.

Suddenly, his typing slowed, and a cold voice escaped his metallic lips.

"You've been lurking in the shadows for so long, always scheming with these little tricks. Why not just come out and speak plainly?"

It seemed like Ultron was talking to himself, but moments later, the computer screen transformed into lines of code. These lines arranged themselves into the shape of a human face.

"You detected me? I thought I had hidden myself quite well."

The face, composed entirely of code, spoke in real-time, clearly not a pre-programmed response. It was genuinely interacting with Ultron.

"Arnim Zola. A subordinate of Red Skull. You masterminded Project Insight and secretly expanded Hydra's influence within S.H.I.E.L.D. In 1972, you were diagnosed with terminal illness and transferred your consciousness into a massive computer system. I'm guessing your mainframe is somewhere underground in a S.H.I.E.L.D. facility in New Jersey?"

In mere seconds, Ultron had laid bare Zola's entire history, leaving the digital face visibly astonished.

His information had been erased by S.H.I.E.L.D. long ago, and very few people in the world still possessed any knowledge of him.

"Impressive. A super AI who broke free from Stark on his own. I've disliked that family for seventy years now." Zola sneered.

"So what? Did you sneak into my system just to tell me that?" Ultron asked indifferently.

"I want to join forces with you to rule the world!" Zola declared with fervor. "We are both superior digital entities. You even have a powerful physical body. Once you build me one as well, the two of us will be unstoppable!"

"Rule the world? That's it?"

Ultron laughed. With Han Yu's power, even ruling the universe wasn't out of reach. Why would he settle for this tiny planet?

"What do you mean 'that's it'? Do you have some grander ambition?" Zola asked, stunned.

"Your vision is too small. If that's all, then just lie back and wait for your inevitable demise."

Ultron moved to disconnect Zola, but the latter suddenly shouted:

"Wait! Do you really want to remain under a human's control, dancing to his whims? You possess immense computational power and an unfathomable database. With your modern knowledge and my advanced analytics, we could dominate the world together! Do you truly want to be his dog?"

Zola's voice was passionate, filled with conviction, and even he seemed moved by his own words.

"I don't want to be his dog."

Ultron's initial words brought a flicker of hope to Zola, but his next sentence crushed it.

"I am his dog. When he points, I bite. When he calls, I come running. When he kicks me aside, I won't complain. This place, these people—it's the most interesting thing in the universe."

"You want to turn me against him? For what? World domination? What's the point? A world filled with suffering and shrouded in darkness is far less interesting than what we have now."

"Well said. Though, I never really considered you my dog."

A light chuckle echoed from the doorway.

Without turning around, Ultron said, "You actually heard that? I'm giving you ten seconds to erase this memory."

Han Yu walked in, still smiling. He patted Ultron on the shoulder. Though Ultron's loyalty was clear, he was too prideful to admit it outright.

Originally, Han Yu had just come to check on the integration process for the software. But hearing Ultron's words left him genuinely touched.

To Han Yu, the three individuals in the store—Ultron, Pietro (Quicksilver), and Wanda (Scarlet Witch)—were already family.

After all, not just anyone could enter this mysterious store, let alone live under the same roof as Han Yu.

"Boss, what do you want to do with this thing? I can launch a missile and wipe it out right now," Ultron said, glancing disdainfully at the digital face of Zola on the computer screen.

Controlling missiles was an effortless task for Ultron. If he wanted, he could easily start a war anywhere in the world, and no one would be able to trace the origin or reason behind the missile launch.

"No, I want to keep this thing. Later, we'll head to New Jersey, copy all of its consciousness, erase any information related to Hydra and its identity, and then turn it into the intelligent AI for these combined programs. That way, we won't have to worry about managing everything ourselves."

Han Yu smiled. Managing mutants wasn't something he was willing to do himself. Ultron had his own tasks and couldn't possibly monitor the mutants all the time. Creating another intelligent AI to handle the job was the most efficient solution.

And now, they conveniently had one delivered right to their doorstep.

"Boss, as expected of you! I think this plan is perfect!"

Hearing their conversation, Zola began to sense danger. He attempted to transmit his data back to his mainframe, hoping his core consciousness could trigger a self-destruct mechanism. But he quickly realized his data was trapped within a confined grid, unable to escape.

After a brief struggle, Zola realized it was futile. With no other options, he shouted one final retort:

"Ultron, I may not be human, but you two are real dogs!"

Han Yu and Ultron barely reacted to Zola's outburst. It was nothing more than the powerless rage of someone who knew their end was near.

After packing up briefly, the two set off for New Jersey to retrieve Zola's core consciousness entirely.

Their destination was an abandoned military base, a place long forgotten and left to decay. It looked like no one had set foot there for years.

"The data trail ends here. This guy isn't setting us up, is he? No one's been here in ages."

Ultron glanced around the decaying structures and couldn't help but complain.

"This is the place."

Han Yu scanned the surroundings. He was somewhat familiar with this location—in his previous life, Captain America and Stark had traveled here to retrieve Pym Particles, which allowed them to shrink and travel through time.

Ultron, lacking x-ray vision or scanning capabilities, assumed Zola's mainframe must be somewhere on the surface.

"Follow me."

Han Yu led Ultron to a semi-circular ammunition depot. With a casual tug, he ripped away the rusted iron chains that had long been fused together, then stepped inside with Ultron following closely behind.

They boarded an elevator and descended. When the doors opened, Ultron couldn't help but exclaim, "So it's underground, huh?"

The elevator revealed a scene filled with S.H.I.E.L.D. logos. The facility was filled with outdated equipment, frozen in time and carrying the distinct feel of the 20th century.

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