"If it were anyone else, they definitely wouldn't believe us, much less willingly jump into this trap!"
"Let me go and try it first."
Eric O'Grady being willing to do it was naturally the best possible outcome.
Karl knew that only if Eric himself stood there holding the belt would the enemy truly take the bait.
Then there would be no flaws in the entire plan.
"Don't worry. The protective ward I set up will keep you completely safe inside it for three hours."
"No matter what advanced abilities they use, they won't be able to harm you in the slightest."
Since Karl had given him such an assurance, Eric naturally trusted him.
Iron Man was also in perfect physical condition.
As long as Eric could help Karl complete the mission, everything would be worth it.
They were surrounded by danger right now, and the only thing Eric could do to help was serve as bait.
As long as they lured the enemy deep into the trap, things wouldn't become any worse than they had already imagined.
"Don't worry. The moment we finish things on our side, we'll immediately come and get you!"
Karl repeatedly reassured him, not wanting Eric to think they were abandoning him.
"Of course. As long as you can rescue all the other superheroes, I'm willing to do whatever it takes!"
Watching the Skrulls swagger around every day, scoring victory after victory, had left Eric feeling incredibly frustrated.
"If we really manage to complete the mission this time, then all the effort we've put in won't have been wasted!"
Iron Man silently nodded.
They had to accelerate every part of their plan.
They absolutely could not keep dragging things out, or some other unexpected incident might occur.
"What worries me most is that Ultron has already developed self-awareness. His ability to upgrade himself is far too advanced!"
"He's going to be extremely difficult to deal with. Most importantly, the safe zone you establish around Eric needs to be as small as possible."
Karl knew that sometimes, the larger the area a spell had to cover, the weaker its effect would become.
"I understand that. Don't worry. I'll make absolutely certain he remains safe. I won't allow him to suffer any harm."
Once Karl finished speaking, there was no reason to delay.
He immediately began setting the trap.
When Eric O'Grady appeared once again, it came as a pleasant surprise to Dotilt.
Ultron was itching to make a move.
Eric had actually escaped right from under his nose last time.
It had been a genuine humiliation!
"I'll go!"
"I'll definitely capture him this time and tear him to pieces!"
"Last time, we could only watch helplessly as he escaped. Thinking about it now is still infuriating. But since we've encountered him again, it means fate has given us another chance."
"We absolutely cannot stand by and watch him escape our control again."
Ultron stared directly at Dotilt.
Dotilt was extremely displeased, but out of respect for the god, she ultimately had no intention of openly clashing with him.
"We're sending so many people out this time. We'll definitely be able to retrieve his ultimate weapon!"
"The belt in his hands allows us to travel freely between different dimensions."
"If we can obtain that weapon, it will bring endless benefits to our future operations and remove countless obstacles!"
Their eyes filled with anticipation.
Tothwanwell naturally understood the value of the weapon as well.
He had coveted it for a long time.
If they could obtain it, that would naturally be ideal.
"You can rest assured about this matter. Once we take action, nothing will stand in our way."
Broad smiles appeared on their faces.
They looked extremely pleased with themselves, almost as though the weapon were already in their hands.
They were taking this operation extremely seriously and dispatched a large number of Skrulls to surround the area.
Among them were many fake superheroes the Skrulls had created through DNA replication.
They had prepared these forces for exactly this moment.
Now they could finally put them to use.
They absolutely could not afford to perform poorly. Getting another opportunity to draw Eric O'Grady out into the open had already been extremely difficult.
Once the signal was received, it was as though the Skrulls had an enormous intelligence network connecting all of them.
Before long, all the information had reached Tothwanwell.
Ultron could hardly wait.
He was eager to fight Eric O'Grady personally!
Not only had Ultron developed powerful self-awareness, but he now possessed the Scepter as well!
The Scepter had once belonged to Loki.
Now, however, it was in Ultron's hands.
During battle, it could provide him with even greater assistance.
"Ultron, I'm sending you out this time because I expect you to return victorious and recover the ultimate weapon we want in a single operation!"
"It will be of tremendous help in the battles to come!"
A trace of greed appeared in his eyes.
For them, obtaining it would provide an enormous advantage.
Things had already progressed this far.
They would no longer hold back the way they had before.
They intended to push forward with their plans on a grand scale.
Everyone was watching this operation closely.
Nothing could be allowed to go wrong!
"Don't worry. You've given me an entire army this time. I definitely won't disappoint you!"
With that, Ultron led a large group of people away.
Before he left, Dotilt's eyes contained an emotion that was difficult to decipher.
Dotilt had already complained to Tothwanwell about Ultron long ago.
"That guy is unbearably arrogant. He doesn't respect the power of our god at all!"
"He does whatever he wants. Why do you insist on cooperating with him? As far as I'm concerned, there isn't a single worthwhile thing about him. Everything he does is impossible to make sense of!"
Dotilt felt that after the failure of their previous operation, Ultron had actually begun suspecting his own allies.
It was utterly disgraceful!
Unfortunately, how could Tothwanwell possibly fail to understand that Ultron was not only arrogant, but treated everyone around him with contempt?
He possessed considerable authority, yet made absolutely no effort to conceal his ambitions.
However, Tothwanwell had never regarded him as a truly complete life-form in the first place.
"At the end of the day, he's nothing more than a monster someone created."
"He's just an ordinary machine. Does he really think that gaining self-awareness suddenly makes him an entire species?"
"Ridiculous!"
"So you don't need to pay too much attention to him."
"We need every useful asset we can get right now. He possesses power that we need, so this isn't the time to provoke him."
"If he needs you to cooperate with him on anything, then cooperate."
"Consider it a necessary sacrifice so that we Skrulls can eventually conquer Earth!"
"There are some things we simply have to tolerate for now."
Tothwanwell was clearly considering the bigger picture.
Although Dotilt remained dissatisfied, the god had already spoken.
There was nothing she could do about it.
She could only salute before quietly withdrawing.
Afterward, she continued accompanying Ultron as they carried out the rest of the operation.
Although resentment remained in her heart, she didn't dare underestimate the situation.
Throughout the journey, Ultron constantly issued orders with complete authority, looking immensely pleased with himself.
He behaved nothing like an ordinary robot.
Commanding the entire force, he led everyone straight toward the trap Karl had prepared!
At that moment, Eric O'Grady was already standing inside the area Karl had marked out for him.
There was only one problem.
His stomach was starting to hurt a little.
It was probably that iced Americano he had drunk.
(End of Chapter)
[100 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter]
[Check out my Patreon to read 20+ chapters ahead]
[[email protected]/Zukooo]
[Thanks for your support!]