I was about to not answer, but worried the other members might get the wrong idea, I decided to summarize.
"Answering a question with a question. Tsk... Since you're curious, I'll tell you. I used to be an ordinary person, but I gained power through a certain event, and that's how I ended up like this. Thanks to that, I learned about many worlds. I accumulated wealth based on the knowledge I gained there. I don't know if that answers your question."
"Hmm... Not a very satisfying answer, but fine, I understand. Since you answered me, I'll answer you too. It's just to make a body. I don't know if that answers your question. Hehe."
Ultron said with a slight smile. He had deflected the core of the question, and Ultron had responded in kind.
'This guy!'
Just then, Banner, who was outside, urgently contacted us.
β Enhanced soldiers are swarming in right now.
"So you were stalling for time? And you've even joined hands with Hydra."
"Well, I thought I could use some allies too. The Avengers have many enemies."
With those words, the ceiling glass shattered. A masked man jumped down through the ceiling, landing before us, and immediately charged at Captain. The man ignored the other members and went straight for Captain. Looking at his mask, it seemed to be 'Brock Rumlow.' Then, enhanced soldiers and Ultron Sentries (mass-produced Ultron units) began attacking us. Fortunately, the Sentries weren't yet mass-produced, so their numbers weren't too large.
In that gap, Ultron reached out his hand toward me, a powerful laser firing from his fingertips to attack me, but I used [Kenbunshoku Haki] to sense it and quickly dodged. Seeing this, Iron Man fired a repulsor beam at Ultron, sending him flying backward, but Ultron immediately got up and began engaging Iron Man in hand-to-hand combat.
Zing~!! BAM!! CRASH!!
β Damn it! I'm calling the Iron Visions.
Tony, seeing the enhanced soldiers and Ultron Sentries swarming us, announced he would send the Iron Visions as backup. I also drew my Cane Sword and fought the enhanced soldiers. We were certainly outnumbered, but with so many powerful members on our side, we weren't being pushed back. However, since we hadn't rested properly since the party the night before, and had spent two days digging through files before rushing here, everyone was starting to tire quickly.
THWACK!
"Ugh... Today is too hard. My body feels heavy."
Jessie said while blocking an enhanced soldier's attack. Just then, the Iron Visions flew into the wreck and joined our side. From that point, the tide turned quickly in our favor.
Then, as if receiving some signal, the enemies suddenly broke off and started retreating.
β Huh? They're suddenly running away?
β Damn it, they already got the vibranium. We need to chase them immediately... Sigh... We can't go on like this. Let's head back to headquarters first.
"Cap! Language."
β Yeah, yeah.
Captain, realizing they were too exhausted, gave up the chase and said they'd return to headquarters. Before leaving, I turned the dead enhanced soldiers into Shadow Soldiers and boarded the Odyssey. The members, clearly exhausted, each went to their rooms and fell asleep immediately. I told the Odyssey to head to headquarters.
I showered and thought. Ultron was calmer and much more cunning than in the original, and he had even started recruiting the Avengers' enemies as allies, making him extremely troublesome.
'Maybe I should have stopped him back then...'
I used [Life Magic] on Natasha, who was lying on the bed asleep without having showered, to clean her up so she could sleep comfortably, then lay down beside her and slept for a while.
Time passed. When the Android Mimi informed me that she had arrived at Avengers Headquarters, I didn't wake the sleeping members. I asked the drones to clean up, got off the Odyssey, explained the situation to the staff, and told them all to rest. The staff seemed to have organized all the materials we had been looking through and put them back in storage.
'I'll have to give them a really generous bonus this time.'
About five hours later, members began to wake up and come off the Odyssey one or two at a time.
"Wow~ Something smells delicious?"
Clint, hungry, came to the dining hall and sat down.
"I prepared some nourishing food to help you recover. It's a Korean dish called samgyetang. Just wait a moment."
While the members and staff were resting, I had prepared samgyetang. Since foreigners don't usually like whole chickens, after cooking, I used [Telekinesis] to remove the meat from the bones and plated it nicely, then handed a bowl to each member and staff member.
"This is delicious! I've never had anything like this. It looks like a simple chicken soup though."
"Tell me about it. Jean really is an amazing cook."
"Natasha's lucky. Her boyfriend cooks so well."
"Chairman Jean is the best!"
Everyone ate happily, which was a relief. After the meal, some of the staff left for home. We rested a bit, then gathered again for a meeting.
"Where do we find Ultron now?"
Captain stepped forward and asked. I answered.
"Now that Ultron has the materials, he'll try to create a body for himself. If we find a place that has that technology, we'll find him."
"I see. Do we need to dig through the files again?"
At Captain's suggestion to search the files again, the members' expressions darkened. None of them looked eager to do that again.
Just then, Dr. Helen Cho hurried into the meeting room.
"I just received word that my lab in Korea is under attack by armed foreigners."
Hearing that, Tony stood up and asked Helen.
"Helen, does that lab have your biological tissue research data?"
"Yes, it does. All the research data, papers, everything. Plus, the regeneration cradle I developed is there... No way, are they after my research..."
Upon hearing that, Captain said to us.
"Prepare to move out in five minutes!"
We all immediately rose from our seats and left the meeting room. Everyone quickly prepared and began boarding the Odyssey. This time, Tony even loaded all the Iron Visions from headquarters onto the Odyssey.
Because attacking Avengers Headquarters directly to take Dr. Cho was too difficult, Ultron seemed to have chosen the next best thing: targeting the lab in Korea where Helen was the director.
Captain came to the Odyssey's bridge and asked me.
"How long to reach the lab in Korea at maximum speed?"
"About an hour."
"I hope we're not too late."
"I'll push it as hard as I can."
"Please."
I manually piloted the Odyssey and began flying to Korea at maximum speed. Perhaps because I even used the emergency plasma thrusters, we arrived at Helen's lab in Korea in 40 minutes.
The lab was already in shambles, with police controlling the area. Captain spoke to the police for a while, then returned to us.
"Um, sorry, but does anyone here speak Korean?"
Captain said, looking a bit embarrassed. Since he had walked so confidently, I thought he knew Korean. His heart must have just been in the right place. Anyway, I went and asked. The police said that witnesses had seen people taking a metal container of some kind out of the lab. I relayed this information to the members.
"Something that size would need a large vehicle."
Just then, Vulture, who was patrolling the area, contacted us.
β Boss! I found the lab's truck. It's on the road north of the lab.
"Can you stop it?"
β Probably, but there are a lot of civilians around. Should I engage?
Hearing that, Captain called Vulture off.
"Just track it for now. Let's wait until it gets to a less populated area. We'll be there soon."
β Got it.
We quickly flew the Odyssey to Vulture's location. The truck was moving onto a main road, so Vulture began attacking it. Under Vulture's heavy firepower, the truck didn't last long and stopped. Ultron emerged from the damaged truck and shouted at us.
"You just keep interfering!"
As Vulture and Ultron started fighting, Tony joined in to help Vulture. Meanwhile, Ultron Sentries emerged from the truck, pulled out the large metal container, and quickly disappeared into the Han River.
"Damn... Does anyone have aquatic capabilities?"
Captain asked the members, but no one spoke.
"This is bad. We can't just let them escape."
Then Banner said.
"The Hulk Striker is waterproof, but I've never used it underwater... Sigh... This is insane. I'll go."
Banner boarded the Hulk Striker with an uneasy expression and jumped into the Han River to find the Ultron Sentries. We also began searching for the underwater Sentries using thermal cameras. We spotted an object moving quickly toward the Gimpo area. I put it on the monitor and showed the members.
"I found them. But if we leave them, they'll cross into North Korea. We can't engage there. It could escalate into war."
"How much time?"
"At this speed, they'll reach the 38th parallel in under 20 minutes."
"You heard him, Banner?"
β Got it! I'm going as fast as I can!
I marked the Sentries' location on a map and transmitted it to the Hulk Striker. Then I flew the Odyssey above the Han River, following the Sentries. Natasha, frustrated, said.
"Times like this make me regret the Odyssey isn't armed."
"Can't be helped. If the Odyssey were armed, our operational range would be very limited. A lot of countries don't like the United States."
Captain agreed.
"Jean is right. Other countries wouldn't allow us to operate inside their borders."
"Seriously..."
Natasha understood but was still disappointed. Captain then looked at Wanda and Cosmo, who was beside her, as if an idea struck him.
"Speaking of which, Wanda, Cosmo. Can you use telekinesis on them?"
"I can't do anything about them underwater. Unless they come out."
"Same here."
Cosmo also said there was nothing he could do.
"So all we need is for them to come out of the water?"
"Yes."
"Then go wait at the Odyssey's stern. Banner, did you hear that? Try to force them to the surface."
β Got it. I can see them now.
With those words, columns of water began erupting from the Han River as the Hulk Striker engaged the Sentries. Wanda and Cosmo ran to the Odyssey's stern. The members followed.
BOOM! BANG! BANG! CRASH!!
β Wanda! Cosmo! Get ready. They're coming up!
At Banner's signal, the Hulk Striker slowly surfaced, holding the metal container carrying the regeneration cradles. Sentries were clinging all over it.
Seeing this, Captain quickly instructed Clint.
"Clint! Support Banner!"
"Okay, Cap!"
At Captain's order, Clint fired arrows, attacking the Sentries attached to the Hulk Striker.
BAM! BAM!
As the Sentries fell off from Clint's attack, Captain shouted.
"Now! Wanda! Cosmo!"
"Got it!"
Wanda and Cosmo used their telekinesis to lift the metal container high and pull it toward the Odyssey. As it reached the Odyssey's deck, the members stepped in to handle the remaining Sentries.
THWACK! CRASH! SMASH!
I immediately stopped the Odyssey. Fortunately, we had narrowly avoided crossing the 38th parallel.
"Phew... That was close."
Just then, Ultron's voice was heard nearby.
"No!!"
Ultron was hovering in the air nearby. His body was about half destroyed from the attacks by Vulture and Iron Man, and he seemed to have barely made it here.
Then Iron Man and Vulture flew in, firing missiles and repulsor beams at Ultron, finishing him off with an aerial explosion.
KABOOM!!
But this wasn't the end. Ultron could still escape through the internet.
Iron Man and Vulture landed back on the Odyssey. Cosmo, excited, was licking Wanda's face.
"I did good, right, Wanda?"
"Yeah, you did great. But please stop licking my face."
Captain, finally relieved, said to us.
"Well, that's a weight off our shoulders. Let's head back to headquarters."
Apart from Vulture causing some minor damage to the road, Korea had suffered almost no damage compared to the original. The Avengers would compensate for the road damage later.
'Thank goodness.'
We returned to Avengers Headquarters.