Upon hearing 2B's words, Captain America's heart skipped a beat, and he scratched his head, slightly embarrassed.
"If I said I had no malicious intent and just wanted you to stop—and not kill anyone—would you believe me?"
"What do you think?" 2B shot him a cold glance, then kicked the half-manhole cover on the ground toward him.
Instantly, the cover became a blur, hurtling toward Captain America with unstoppable force.
It moved so fast it made a sharp pop, as if tearing through the air itself.
Seeing the jagged metal disc streaking toward him, Captain America didn't hesitate. He raised his right hand, aiming to catch it with effortless cool.
But to his surprise, the moment his palm made contact, an unimaginable force slammed into him.
Without warning, he was sent flying backward by the impact of the half-manhole cover.
He skidded across the ground for dozens of meters before crashing heavily into a pile of rubble, finally coming to a stop with great difficulty.
Far from the composed demeanor he'd hoped to project, he now looked thoroughly disheveled.
The impact hadn't just thrown him—it had left his right hand trembling uncontrollably.
Fortunately, he was now buried in the rubble, out of sight. Otherwise, he'd have lost all credibility as the team leader.
What he didn't know was that 2B hadn't even used her full strength in that kick.
Had she truly unleashed her power, he wouldn't have merely been sent flying.
He might have been cut clean in half—just like Captain Carter in another parallel universe.
But that wasn't what she wanted. Her boss had been explicit before she left:
> "Here, aside from those you hate, you are not to kill anyone—for now.
> Their continued existence plays a decisive role in the later timeline. It's very useful to me."
She didn't understand what "the later timeline" meant, nor did she grasp what Lauren meant by "useful."
But since it was an order from her creator, she would obey it unconditionally—no matter how unreasonable it seemed.
Just after 2B sent Captain America flying, Tony Stark arrived, piloting his Iron Man suit straight toward her.
2B glanced at him indifferently, then activated her communicator, linking to the artificial intelligence Alice in her neural interface.
"Alice, I've run into that annoying guy again. Why don't you hack his Iron Man armor?"
"Received. Initiating intrusion…"
As Alice launched her cyberattack, J.A.R.V.I.S. detected it immediately.
"Warning! An unknown program is attempting to breach the system. Defense protocols activated."
"J.A.R.V.I.S., is it the same one as last time?" Tony's expression darkened.
"Yes, sir. It's the same artificial intelligence that infiltrated us previously."
"Hmph. I won't fall for the same trick twice. I've reinforced the defense system to be impenetrable. Let's see them try anything now."
"Really? Because I'm already inside!"
Just as Tony Stark was making his prediction, Alice's voice crackled through his helmet.
"!!!"
"JARVIS, what's going on? Is the defense system not working?"
"Sir, it held for five seconds."
"Hmm. That's a slight improvement from last time. The defense protocol's decent, but we've still got work to do. Let's aim to break ten seconds next round."
"Alright, Mr. Big Shot", Alice's voice cut in, laced with mockery. "I'm taking full control of the Iron Man suit.
In three seconds, your propulsion system will shut down, and you'll be in freefall. Got any last words?"
Her voice echoed inside Tony's helmet like a slap to the face.
"....." Tony muttered.
Hearing Alice's voice, Tony felt as if the sky were collapsing on him.
Renowned for his technological genius, he'd never imagined his own AI would be repeatedly compromised.
The real issue wasn't just intrusion—it was total takeover. Last time, the attacker had instantly disabled JARVIS. In response, Tony had added a failsafe: a manual restart mechanism hardwired into the armor.
But now, the intruder wasn't disabling JARVIS—they were hijacking him, using the AI to seize control of the suit itself.
This was unthinkable.
"Hey, JARVIS! What's happening? Counterattack—now!!"
"Sir… I'm afraid I'm powerless. They've cracked every layer of your encryption. I can't resist."
"WARNING: AI JARVIS entering hibernation mode. Propulsion system shutting down… Hehe. How… interesting!"
"!!!!"
"Hey! Hey! Miss Alice—come on! I mean no harm! I'm not here to fight! I was just flying around for fun!"
"If you're upset, I'll turn right back! I'll go home—right now!"
Outmatched, Tony immediately switched tactics, feigning helplessness to buy time.
But Alice saw right through him.
"Sorry. Power system's already offline. Goodbye!"
Ignoring his pleas, she cut the suit's power.
Tony plummeted from hundreds of meters up, screaming all the way down—until he slammed into the ground with a thunderous crash, kicking up a thick cloud of dust.
"Loren, you little bastard! This isn't over!"
Lying in the crater he'd made, Tony looked utterly defeated—then roared in fury.
But before his echo faded, Alice's voice returned.
"How dare you insult my boss? You're begging for death! Switching to headless fly mode—now!"
"No, no, no—hey, wait—!"
The moment she finished speaking, the suit's thrusters reignited, launching Tony like a headless chicken.
He careened wildly into nearby buildings, bouncing off walls and shattering windows. Within seconds, he was dizzy, disoriented, and completely unhinged.
Meanwhile, the Abomination made one last desperate lunge—but 2B didn't give him the chance.
With a single, fluid motion, she raised her blade and severed the monster's head.
Thus ends Abomination.
From a short distance away, Gwen watched the entire scene unfold. Ever since the Iron Monger incident, she'd been haunted by regret.
Her overwhelming compassion had allowed the villain a final, fatal counterattack—one that cost Peter his right arm.
The guilt had changed her. She'd grown distant, hardened. Her vow never to kill was hers alone—not a rule to impose on others.
So she kept her silence. 2B's actions were no longer her concern.
Noticing her restraint, 2B glanced at her with mild surprise and muttered, "Not bad. You've improved a bit."
No sooner had she spoken than Natasha and her team—who'd come to extract Bruce Banner—collapsed to the ground as if struck by lightning the moment they neared him.
Nick Fury, watching from nearby, went rigid. His expression darkened instantly.
2B let out a scoff. "Hulk is my boss's prey. Don't think you can scavenge leftovers from us so easily."
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