Nolan's pace was unhurried.
He claimed to be angry, but in truth, his mind remained icy calm from beginning to end.
Five hundred million dollars. There was no way Nick Fury was going to reimburse that.
No matter how eloquently Nolan argued, it would not change the fact that the G5 unit had been destroyed.
"So what exactly happened here?" Nolan asked.
He genuinely did not believe the G5 couldn't handle that genetic beast, even if the creature did look absurdly powerful.
"That monster is extremely dangerous," Tony Stark said as he landed beside Nolan, offering a warning.
Nolan nodded.
He watched the battle between the Hulk and the genetic beast. Hulk was furious, but fury alone could not bridge the gap. Being overpowered was simply being overpowered.
The fight was completely one-sided. Hulk was getting beaten down.
It was only because of his incredible durability that he was still standing.
If it had been anyone else, they would have been dead already.
Someone asked hopefully, "Nolan, do you still have any other options?"
Earlier, the G5 robot had fought the genetic beast back and forth. If Hulk had not interfered, there might even have been a real chance to defeat it.
But now, that hope was clearly gone.
In their eyes, even Nolan himself seemed to have run out of cards.
Maybe if they brought over that overwhelmingly powerful Titan Armor, they could still resolve this.
But this was Boston.
Even if the Titan Armor were transported immediately, several hours would pass before it arrived.
How were they supposed to fight like that?
And yet, not fighting was not an option.
If a monster like this charged into the city without warning, the resulting damage would be unimaginable.
They had to stop it here and now.
Everyone's expressions grew heavy as they prepared themselves for a last stand.
Nolan glanced at the monster and curled his lips.
What a pathetic thing.
"Attack!"
Even if their attacks barely made a dent, retreat was not in their nature.
But resolve alone meant little against the genetic beast. In front of it, their efforts were painfully ineffective.
"Tony, think of something!" Steve Rogers shouted.
"I've already activated Veronica, but I need some time!" Tony replied helplessly.
The Veronica system was better known by its simpler name: the Hulkbuster.
And Tony had never stopped improving it.
The current version of Veronica was no longer just a countermeasure for the Hulk.
It also incorporated the results of his recent research.
Nolan Locke's weapons were becoming more advanced by the day, but Tony had not been idle either.
He simply was not as "all-around" as Nolan Locke.
That bastard excelled not only in powered armor, but also in household machinery, electronic systems, and cutting-edge weaponry. His achievements were terrifying across the board.
Tony did not want to admit it, but he had no choice.
Hearing Tony's words, everyone let out a breath of relief. At least there was still hope.
Nolan, however, merely smiled.
Veronica?
That giant had been deployed plenty of times already.
And every single time, it failed at the most critical moment.
Not because the Hulkbuster was weak, but because the enemies it faced were simply too strong.
Looking at everyone's strained expressions, Nolan shook his head helplessly.
Then he drew his plasma blade.
They were not wrong. Trusting the G5 robot, Nolan had brought only a single unit with him to Boston.
Now that the G5 had failed, it meant he truly had no other options left.
Of course, that was excluding the possibility of opening a portal.
And right now, Nolan had no intention of doing that.
This mission had already caused enough losses.
He had no desire to deploy the Titan Armor and then spend millions replenishing its ammunition afterward.
At this point, he was unwilling to spend even a single dollar.
Since that was the case, he could only do the work himself.
The muscles beneath Nolan's Thor Hammer armor suddenly swelled, converting into terrifying explosive force.
Boom!
In an instant, Nolan vanished from where he stood, leaving behind a shattered crater.
At the same time, the instant-burst energy thrusters on his back surged, pushing his speed even higher.
"Die!"
With Nolan's roar, the plasma blade came crashing down toward the genetic beast's head.
Overwhelming power surged through the strike. The instant-burst thrusters on both arms activated as well, accelerating the swing even further.
This slash was terrifyingly powerful.
Bang!
With a violent explosion, Nolan's blade plunged deep into the creature's skull.
"Raaagh!"
The genetic beast let out a shrill scream.
Even with its monstrous vitality, such an injury left it howling in agony.
That alone was enough to leave everyone stunned.
That was its head.
It had not died even from that level of damage. Without witnessing this strike themselves, they could not have imagined how such a monster could be defeated at all.
At the same time, they were shaken by Nolan's sheer strength.
The missiles from Tony Stark's armor barely scratched the creature.
Yet Nolan had split its skull open with a single blow.
Nolan withdrew his blade. His arms trembled, and fine cracks had appeared along the plasma blade itself.
So hard.
Nolan was genuinely surprised.
The strike had looked simple, but only because the beast had been a stationary target.
With Hulk entangling it, Nolan had been able to charge up that blow.
If it had been just him versus the genetic beast, the outcome would have been far less certain.
Of course, there was no need to say that out loud.
Without impressive results, how else was he supposed to squeeze money out of S.H.I.E.L.D.?
Letting out a sigh, Nolan shook his head.
What a thankless life.
The others, watching Nolan's performance, were utterly stunned.
He had killed the monster with a single strike, and he still seemed dissatisfied?
That was beyond exaggerated.
Everyone felt a chill run through them.
Only Hulk continued to roar in rage.
Even though he had been beaten badly, this was his fight, his battle of honor. He had not admitted defeat yet.
When he shot a fierce glare toward Nolan, his eyes suddenly softened.
He kicked the genetic beast's corpse in boredom. Soon after, Hulk faded away, reverting to Bruce Banner.
Bruce Banner glanced at Nolan, then at the battered pile of scrap that had once been a formidable robot.
If not for Hulk, that robot would not have ended up in such a miserable state.
No one would bring it up, right?
Bruce coughed lightly and pretended not to notice anything.
He was already working for Nolan Locke, after all.
Let the robot be carried away by the wind.
The clone of Samuel Sterns stared at the fallen genetic beast in disbelief.
"How is this possible? How could the King be defeated…"
He murmured to himself.
Quicksilver grabbed him, smirked, and said to the others, "This guy is just a clone. The real body has already escaped. Everyone, our trouble isn't over yet."
"That's bad," Steve Rogers said grimly.
"So much time has passed. Who knows where he's gone now. Tony…"
As Steve spoke, Nolan interrupted, "Samuel Sterns has already been delivered to S.H.I.E.L.D."
He had originally planned to sell him for a good price, but with the G5 incident, he had no choice but to put that aside.
With the battle over, Nolan's thoughts began to turn.
No. I still need to bleed the big spender dry.
Steve Rogers looked at Nolan with a complicated expression.
Even Samuel Sterns had been captured by him. Just how much had this man done behind the scenes?
Steve looked down at the black armor covering his body.
Without this suit, which greatly enhanced human strength, he might not even have qualified to participate in this battle.
Not just him. Others were also looking at Nolan, their expressions equally complex.
Nolan did not care.
Soon, a large group of agents rushed in, led by Phil Coulson.
Even though he had already received the report, he was still astonished.
"Mr. Locke, it seems you've resolved the problem once again."
Nolan shrugged. "I wouldn't put it that way, but… it's close enough."
He had captured Samuel Sterns, and he had dealt with the strongest genetic beast.
Naturally, the biggest credit belonged to him.
Coulson's eyes lit up as he said, "Mr. Locke, have you really no interest in joining S.H.I.E.L.D.?
I can guarantee you the fairest treatment. Oh, no, you should be joining the Avengers. Sorry, I got a bit carried away.
But you see, even now, you've already helped S.H.I.E.L.D. a great deal."
Nolan chuckled.
"Sorry. I don't have that intention for now."
Internally, he rolled his eyes. Did they think he was stupid?
Earth's problems inevitably involved S.H.I.E.L.D., but if Nick Fury wanted him to act, payment was required.
Joining the Avengers?
Setting aside the murky relationship between the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D., was he supposed to become free labor?
As he thought that, Nolan glanced at Tony Stark and silently apologized.
Sorry. This isn't about you. It's just how things are.
"Alright, the issue is resolved. Looks like I can leave now."
Nolan used the Sling Ring to open a portal straight to his office at Locke Technology.
Everyone stared in disbelief.
They had seen him use this ability before.
But this was still absurd.
Had Nolan Locke developed a stable miniature wormhole?
No, wormholes did not work like this.
Unbelievable.
Nolan ignored them, gave Tony Stark a look, and returned to his office.
As Nolan disappeared, everyone who had been holding their breath finally exhaled.
"That guy is… terrifying," Natasha said after hesitating for a moment.
Terrifying was the only word she could think of.
Coulson's gaze burned with even greater intensity.
This ability might not be directly offensive, but its strategic value was immense. If only Mr. Locke would join the Avengers.
His heart was filled with anticipation.
Steve Rogers had once been his number one idol.
But now, that position had changed.
Glancing at Steve Rogers, Coulson decided to keep this secret to himself. It was better not to let the Captain know.
"File: Nolan Locke. Codename: Hero Nolan. Threat Level: S."
On Nick Fury's desk lay a thick file on Nolan Locke, filled with thousands of words detailing his exploits in exhaustive detail.
Portals…
Fury sighed.
With an ability like that, if S were not already the highest threat rating, he would have raised Nolan Locke another level.
He then took out a USB drive and connected it to his computer.
This drive contained some of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s most classified data.
Under normal circumstances, it remained completely offline. Only now did he connect it to the network.
What he did not know was that the moment it went online, its data had already been stolen.
At Locke Technology, Nolan looked at his empty office.
"Sharon, I'm back," he called.
No response.
Nolan frowned. Where had she gone?
He walked to the door and looked outside, only to see employees who were usually orderly now rushing about in a panic.
Something had clearly happened.
Returning to his desk, he immediately called Frank.
The call connected quickly.
"Frank, what happened at our company?"
Frank's voice was heavy. "Boss, someone broke into Locke Technology. Dr. Helen Cho was kidnapped, and the Regeneration Cradle prototype was taken."
Nolan's expression darkened.
He had personally recruited Helen Cho. The Regeneration Cradle project was critically important, even for Locke Technology.
Even though Nolan had obtained many technologies from the system, the Regeneration Cradle remained truly unique. Once applied, it would fill the final gap in Locke Technology's civilian tech sector.
In civilian applications, Baymax handled medical assistance, NS5 intelligent robots handled daily life support. If the Regeneration Cradle entered clinical use alongside Baymax, it would be a blessing for countless people.
More importantly, someone had dared to storm Locke Technology and kidnap Helen Cho.
Was his company made of paper?
"Frank, I'm going to need a report from you," Nolan said, unable to suppress his anger.
Frank offered no explanation. None would matter.
As Locke Technology's head of security, responsibility rested squarely on his shoulders.
"So who took Dr. Helen Cho?" Nolan demanded.
"Robots," Frank replied. "We've never seen this type before. Their performance was extreme, and they were far too fast. We never even had a chance to snipe them."
Nolan's pupils shrank.
Robots?
How could it be robots?
In the film universe, Helen Cho had indeed been kidnapped, but that was because Ultron needed the Regeneration Cradle to create a body.
But Ultron had not been born as an AI yet. How could this be happening?
A powerful sense of unease surged within him.
Nolan opened a portal with the Sling Ring. Seeing the confused Avengers on the other side, he grabbed Tony Stark and pulled him through.
He opened another portal immediately, this time leading straight to Stark Tower.
"We're in trouble," Nolan said. "While I was gone, Locke Technology was infiltrated by robots. They took one of our scientists. She possesses technology that can convert mechanical bodies."
Tony Stark's mind raced. He immediately thought of the strange abnormalities he had noticed in Ultron earlier.
"Ultron went rogue?" Tony asked.
Nolan did not answer, but he felt the possibility was extremely high.
Damn it. How did Ultron gain intelligence?
No one had an answer.