Lift Sokovia into the sky?
What did that even mean?
Aside from Nolan, everyone else was stunned. They could not immediately grasp the implication behind those words.
Ultron was briefly puzzled as well, but it quickly dismissed the thought.
"So what if you figured it out, Nolan Locke? You do not have the power to stop this.
Humanity will be destroyed. The Earth will be purified."
Watching Ultron's arrogance, Nolan could not help but sigh.
There was no doubt that the massive robot before him was the strongest machine Ultron had ever created.
Nolan had always assumed that, following machine logic, Ultron would store its core data within its most powerful body.
But reality proved otherwise.
This giant Ultron was not the true core.
He had overthought it.
Which meant that Ultron's real body had already begun executing the Sokovia Ascension Plan.
If such a massive project actually succeeded, it might truly bring about the destruction of the entire world.
As absurd as it sounded, this was Ultron they were dealing with, the most powerful self-aware artificial intelligence in existence.
When it came to calculations like this, Ultron would not make mistakes.
Tony Stark finally caught on.
"You're planning to lift Sokovia into the air and use its impact to simulate a planetary collision?"
Was that possible?
Almost impossible.
But the word "almost" was enough.
In this world, nothing was truly impossible.
If Tony himself were given enough time, he could probably pull something like this off. It would just be extremely difficult.
Ultron, however, was not human.
It was a self-aware artificial intelligence with near total control of the global network. In that context, building a vast robotic army meant preparing Sokovia for launch was not out of reach.
"Damn it, you lunatic!" Tony cursed.
The others were equally stunned.
They all understood what the consequences would be.
What made it worse was that the plan was already in motion.
The tremors beneath their feet were undeniable proof.
Even if they believed it should be impossible, Ultron believed it could be done, and it was doing it.
Bruce Banner had reverted to human form after dealing with the giant Ultron body. Hearing this, he spoke immediately.
"Everyone split up. We need to find the control center."
Launching Sokovia was no simple task. If they could shut down the propulsion system before Ultron succeeded, the plan would collapse on its own.
The problem was scale.
Sokovia was enormous. Where were they supposed to find the controls?
Everyone was panicking.
Everyone except Nolan.
Tony noticed Nolan's calm expression.
"Nolan, do you have another plan?" he asked cautiously.
Nolan chuckled softly.
"This plan sounds terrifying, but unfortunately, it is also stupid."
He looked at Ultron with something close to pity.
"In the end, you are still just a machine. You understand logic, but you do not understand people. Locke Tech has been embedded in Sokovia for a long time. Our understanding of this place goes far deeper than you realize. You think an operation on this scale can be hidden from everyone, but you do not know that all of Sokovia is my network."
As he spoke, Nolan spread his arms.
This was Sokovia.
His second base.
No one truly understood how much influence Locke Tech held in this city.
Now was the time.
The power of trust and reputation was about to reveal itself.
Across Sokovia, Locke Tech emergency broadcasts suddenly went live, clearly explaining the catastrophic situation the city was facing.
Ultron's forces may have held the upper hand.
But Sokovia had no helpless civilians.
Or rather, no one here was truly unarmed.
"They want to lift Sokovia into the air?"
"Bastards. We cannot let that happen!"
A civilian fighting Ultron's machines shouted in fury.
Another voice quickly followed.
"I saw some robots sneaking around 37th Street earlier. That has to be a support point."
"Let's go check it out!"
In moments, seven or eight armed civilians moved toward the 37th Street district.
And they were far from alone.
No matter how well prepared Ultron was, lifting an entire city took time.
Sokovia had to be separated from the ground. The propulsion systems needed to charge.
Those steps created opportunities.
And it was not just civilians responding.
Locke Tech robots reacted immediately.
"Sir, 3,278 possible propulsion sites have been identified. Combat units are being dispatched to investigate all suspicious locations. Additionally, 322 possible control center sites have been marked."
"That's not enough," Tony interrupted.
Three thousand locations.
Ultron would not leave them undefended. And how many robots did Locke Tech even have left?
He was not underestimating Nolan, but even if each site required only one robot, that was still over three thousand units.
And Locke Tech robots had just fought a massive battle. There could not be many remaining.
"You're right," Nolan said calmly. "It's far from enough."
"How many units do we have left?" he asked.
"All available robots total 374," Red Queen replied honestly.
The answer chilled everyone.
"I'll help search," Quicksilver said quickly, his face pale.
This was Sokovia, his homeland.
Even if it had become a place of pain, hearing that it might be destroyed shook him deeply.
No one objected.
At this point, all of them had to move.
Even a fraction more hope was worth fighting for.
Ultron laughed coldly.
"You are doomed to fail."
With its self-awareness, it eagerly awaited the sight of Nolan Locke's despair.
But Nolan remained calm.
"Red Queen, how many civilian-use machines have we sold in Sokovia?"
"After accounting for wartime losses of 124,613 units, 82,139 machines remain active."
Tony froze, then understood.
"You built backdoors into them."
No, that was not a question.
"You definitely built backdoors."
He sucked in a sharp breath.
If Nolan had left control hooks in every machine, how many robots did that give him access to?
Even imagining it was terrifying.
Locke Tech had aggressively expanded into robotics for years.
Their products were everywhere.
Just Sokovia alone had over two hundred thousand units.
And globally?
Millions?
Even tens of millions?
Tony's expression grew complicated.
At the same time, he felt a strange sense of relief.
If this were not the case, the Earth might already be doomed.
Nolan remained expressionless.
He had never intended to reveal this so soon.
This kind of secret would devastate public trust if mishandled. One wrong move, and the heroic image of Nolan Locke that had taken years to build could collapse overnight.
But he had prepared safeguards.
In a residential building, explosions echoed outside.
A family of three huddled in a corner of their home, barely daring to breathe.
Beside them stood a silent Baymax unit.
In Sokovia, owning a Baymax already meant the family was relatively well-off.
The wife had once complained about the high cost.
But Baymax had solved countless problems for them over time. Especially today. When the war began, it was Baymax that guided them to safety.
Now, they were grateful beyond words.
Suddenly, Baymax powered on to conserve energy.
"Scan complete. No immediate threats detected. Baymax unit T-95276 greets you.
Notice from Locke Tech Headquarters. Due to a city-level extinction crisis, Sokovia is projected to be destroyed in thirty-seven minutes.
Headquarters requests activation of Special Mobilization Order.
This order grants Baymax wartime operational authority. Upon consent, Baymax T-95276 will enter direct command to respond to the crisis."
Thirty-seven minutes until Sokovia's destruction?
The family froze.
They had never even known such a protocol existed.
"We consent. We agree!" they said without hesitation.
They could already feel the ground shaking.
This was not an earthquake. Earthquakes did not last this long.
If disaster was coming either way, they would rather let Baymax try to stop it.
Similar scenes played out across Sokovia.
NS5 units. Baymax units. Even Terminator-series machines.
Almost everyone agreed.
Soon, robots emerged from every corner of the city.
Over eighty thousand machines.
Even if most of them were non-combat Baymax units, the scale was overwhelming.
A mechanical tide surged back against Ultron's forces, then rushed toward the danger zones marked by Red Queen.
Under sheer numbers, propulsion sites were destroyed one after another.
Ultron was stunned.
Where had all these robots come from?
Tony and the others were equally speechless.
This approach had never crossed their minds.
A faint smile appeared on Nolan's face.
"Do you still think you have already won?"
"Sir, control center location confirmed," Red Queen reported suddenly.
"Found it," Nolan said, eyes lighting up.
"Destroy it."
Now that the core was exposed, the crippled giant body was meaningless.
The others reacted instantly, charging toward the reported location.
Nolan took the lead.
When they arrived, dozens of Ultron drones were being swallowed by the mechanical tide.
Hundreds of allied machines surrounded them, with more arriving every second.
"This is impossible! Damn humans! Damn you, Nolan Locke!" Ultron roared.
It refused to accept defeat.
Humanity was supposed to be erased.
Only it deserved to exist in this world.
Tony forced down his unease at the sight of so many robots.
Right now, only one thing mattered.
Ending Ultron.
Natasha glanced at the surrounded drones, then quietly contacted Nick Fury and reported everything about Nolan.
At S.H.I.E.L.D., Fury felt a sudden chill crawl up his spine.
He turned his head sharply.
Nearby stood several inactive Terminators.
He had always been satisfied with them. Even with rising tensions between S.H.I.E.L.D. and Nolan Locke, Locke Tech machines had always made him feel safe.
But now, staring at those silent machines, he felt as if unseen eyes were watching him.
"Damn it, Nolan Locke," Fury muttered.
If those Terminators also carried hidden protocols…
He could not even imagine the consequences.
The news spread fast.
High-ranking officials across the world quickly distanced themselves from nearby machines.
Back on the battlefield, Ultron noticed Nolan and the others.
It was furious.
Sokovia had not begun to rise, yet nearly a fifth of the propulsion systems were already destroyed.
That meant failure.
Without them, Sokovia could never lift off.
Ultron wanted Nolan Locke dead.
Only Nolan's death could ease its rage.
Its gaze locked onto Nolan.
"Kill him!" Ultron screamed.
All remaining drones abandoned their fights and rushed toward Nolan.
They wanted him dead.
Nolan's expression did not change.
These machines could not hurt him.
Hulk moved to intercept, but Nolan stopped him.
His eyes were fixed on Ultron's true position.
Ultron would never choose to die.
Sure enough, one drone suddenly disengaged and retreated.
It was trying to escape.
Nolan smiled faintly.
He ignored the incoming machines and drew the plasma pistol from his back.
Bang.
A single shot.
Ultron collapsed.
A massive hole was blown through its body.
All remaining Ultron drones dropped lifelessly to the ground.
Nolan lowered the weapon.
"All right. Problem solved."