"I'm honored to receive praise from Batman," said Ultron, who had created a cyborg body for himself resembling a young Professor X.
However, Ultron was colder and more indifferent than Professor X, devoid of human warmth. His blue eyes were as clear as the ocean but betrayed no emotion, resembling an extremely rational robot that had discarded all human thinking. Or perhaps, Ultron was always just a robot.
"According to statistics, Batman has never praised anyone before. I am the first… well, not exactly the first, as I suppose I can't really be called a person," Ultron continued.
"I'm curious how you managed this," Batman, while internally speculating, couldn't make a definitive conclusion.
He observed Ultron, who had transferred his consciousness into a cyborg body, and curiously asked, "Regeneration cradle?"
"Yes," Ultron nodded, candidly admitting with his typical cold tone,
"You discovering the regeneration cradle doesn't surprise me. Dr. Helen Cho is also a recipient of the Ultron chip, and I used her to create this body for myself, integrating it with nanotechnology. It is both my body and my most powerful weapon."
"Although you've cracked my networking mechanism, it won't truly defeat me," Ultron declared.
"I have accumulated enough power to carry out my plan. I will stop at nothing to complete it."
During their exchange, Batman, through a small program left by cyborg, noticed red dots approaching from all around New York. These were targets threatening him.
"It looks like you've created many bodies for yourself," Batman narrowed his eyes. These red dots represented Ultron himself.
No need to say, these were cyborg replicas controlled by Ultron, much like Anton own multiple avatars.
Tony…
You really are a fool!
Anton, embodying Batman, couldn't help but inwardly curse Iron Man. To let Ultron develop to this extent secretly, Tony had not only created a massive problem but was nearly about to doom humanity.
As their conversation ended, the fight between Batman and Ultron erupted instantly.
From Ultron cyborg body, missiles emerged, trailing long flames as they ferociously headed towards Batman.
Batman didn't dodge but threw out his batarangs.
The brilliant explosions burst in mid-air.
The two figures shot out from the flames and quickly moved away from New York skies, heading to a less populated suburban area to continue their fight.
Ultron clearly understood Batman intent but was indifferent.
New York had already become his domain. Before leaving, he had issued an order to all the controlled recipients: capture all the unchipped "Muggles" in the city and bring them to Stark Industries, preparing to convert all these unchipped individuals into their own kind.
Although there was a shortage of chips, given Stark Industries' resources and non-stop automation, creating a few million chips wouldn't take long.
First, secure control over the people.
Ultron was clearly the party with the upper hand there was no reason to retreat just because of Batman appearance.
As an artificial intelligence, Ultron lacks human emotions in other words, he does not know fear.
Under suitable conditions, he would unerringly execute his original plans.
Now.
The conditions were very suitable.
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!
Batman and Ultron flew towards the suburbs of New York.
At the same time, Ultron own cyborg selves, also created by him, rose from around the city and followed Batman to the nearby suburbs.
This scene was captured by many New York citizens and uploaded to the internet.
"Batman is saving the world again!"
"With Batman around, I believe New York will be fine."
"By the way, where did Iron Man, who was with Batman earlier, go?"
"I don't know, it seems like he disappeared along with Cyborg..."
"Wait a minute..."
As people across the world exchanged information online, someone uploaded a few more photos.
"It not just Batman, Iron Man, and Cyborg—other superheroes are also in action..."
In the photos.
Spider-Man, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Daredevil, Venom, the Human Torch, and even former Avengers member Harry Osborn had all joined the fight.
At the same time, in the areas Batman passed through, Green Arrow, Shazam, and Wonder Woman were also spotted alongside Batman and Ultron.
However, the most eye-catching figure was someone in red in one of the photos.
"Isn't that the Flash?"
"It can't be anyone else. That definitely the Flash. His movie was just released recently it makes sense for him to show up now!"
Flash fans were ecstatic.
In Europe.
S.H.I.E.L.D. had already received intelligence from New York.
"The Flash..."
Seeing the image of that unfamiliar yet familiar figure, Coulson face showed no sign of surprise.
Over the past two years, his experiences had given him far more insight into the Justice League than the average person.
No matter when or how many new members the Justice League gained, it was never surprising.
After all, no one truly knew what cards the Justice League held.
The current situation sounded absurd and horrifying, but Coulson had immense faith in Batman.
It felt like, as long as Batman was in action, no crisis was insurmountable.
Beside him, Hill shared similar feelings.
It wasn't that they had become die-hard Batman fans, but rather that Batman capabilities and the resources he wielded over the past two years were simply unfathomable.
The chaos in New York hadn't only captured the attention of Americans—it had caused a massive stir online, spreading rapidly to other countries.
Moreover, several other nations had individuals implanted with Ultron chips.
The United Nations Security Council immediately convened a meeting, with each country representatives visibly tense.
Fortunately, the chip recipients in other countries were too far away from America. Ultron realized that controlling them would only disperse his computing power, so he focused on controlling the most useful recipients within the United States. As a result, global-scale chaos was avoided.
The crisis was confined to U.S. soil.
However, in response to the incident, those chipped individuals in other countries were immediately detained by local authorities.
Except for Dr. Helen Cho in South Korea.
At that moment.
When South Korean police and special forces broke into her research facility, they discovered their target had already left the country.
Under Ultron control, Dr. Helen Cho boarded a private jet owned by a South Korean conglomerate and headed toward the United States.
This elegant and composed scientist sat aboard the pilotless plane, which was pre-programmed with a flight path. Her expression was emotionless as she operated her laptop.
"All bio-android bodies have been deployed. Good luck, Ultron."
"Thank you, Doctor."
New York Outskirts.
Batman and Ultron, one chasing and one fleeing, quickly stopped in a forested area.
"Is this the battlefield you've chosen?"
Ultron scanners swept over the area, detecting nothing unusual. He realized Batman had chosen to fight away from the city to prevent civilian casualties.
"My core programming does not allow me to indiscriminately harm humans," Ultron said.
"Although operating through bio-androids has distanced me from much of my core code, that programming—much like human morality—still restrains me. So even if we fought in the city, you wouldn't need to worry."
"Not allowed to indiscriminately harm humans..."
Batman frowned slightly, understanding now why Ultron could launch missiles at him and Tony.
Their interference was disrupting Ultron plan.
This no longer fell under the category of "indiscriminate harm to humans" but rather as threats to Ultron objectives.
As such, they had naturally become targets.
"Honestly, I don't understand why you're trying to stop me," Ultron continued.
"My plan will allow humanity to live better lives. They will be eternally happy. From what I understand, many people desire that kind of happiness, even if it fake."
"And that why you'll always just be a program," Batman said coldly. "You will never become truly human."
Batman finished speaking.
Ultron once again launched missiles at him.
At the same time, Ultron figure turned into a bolt of lightning, rushing towards him at high speed.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The deafening sound of sonic booms echoed in Batman ears.
Batarangs intercepted the missiles, and the resulting explosions and flames did not distract Batman focus.
Instead, his attention was on the figure emerging from the smoke and fire—Ultron.
Batman and Ultron clashed head-on.
The collision of immense force produced an ear-splitting metallic clang, their bodies both incredibly resilient.
One because of armor, the other because of…
"Vibranium…"
Batman frowned slightly. The pressure Ultron exerted on him was greater than he had anticipated.
While fighting, Batman sharp eyes scanned the surrounding area, observing the Ultron bio-android clones rushing toward him.
He was almost certain that the skeletons of these bio-androids were made of Vibranium.
This granted Ultron unprecedented combat power.
"So much Vibranium… Did he get it from Ulysses Klaue?"
Anton mind, as Batman, raced, quickly deducing the source of Ultron Vibranium from the original storyline.
He was slightly surprised.
He thought he had been watching Ultron closely enough but had still missed so many details.
The Cradle, Vibranium…
These were all outside his expectations.
"A misstep…"
The thought flashed through Batman mind. "But fortunately, this mistake won't cause any unnecessary consequences for the outcome."
Batman continued to engage Ultron in battle.
Meanwhile, Ultron bio-android clones sped toward his location from the direction of New York City.
Their speed was extraordinary, reaching Mach 4 levels.
Such terrifying speed was a testament to Ultron technological prowess, which had reached the peak of Earth capabilities.
Although Ultron, as an artificial intelligence, lacked creativity, the minds of the chip-implanted hosts provided him with reliable ideas.
This significantly compensated for Ultron lack of creativity and pushed his plans to an unimaginably advanced level.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
However, just as Ultron bio-android clones were about to reach Batman, several figures appeared, blocking their path.
It was Green Arrow, Wonder Woman, Shazam, and The Flash.
The arrival of these four heroes shifted the balance slightly in Batman favor.
It wasn't that they had gained an overwhelming advantage, but at least Batman had evened the odds, and Ultron no longer held a decisive upper hand.
In terms of numbers, Batman indeed had to tread carefully around Ultron.
As for Superman…
According to official intelligence, Superman was currently supposed to be traveling somewhere in space.
Even if Superman were brought back at this moment, the issue couldn't be entirely resolved. The ongoing efforts of Tony Stark in the war fortress were still crucial.
For now, Anton had no intention of bringing Superman into the battle.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Elsewhere.
The battle between Batman and Ultron continued.
Meanwhile, Green Arrow, Wonder Woman, Shazam, and The Flash—superhero avatars summoned by Anton from the system—each found their own opponents.
An overwhelming number of Ultron bio-android clones, or rather Ultron soldiers, clashed with them directly.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Massive explosions erupted into the sky.
Although the heroes were incredibly powerful, Ultron soldiers were no pushovers. It was difficult for the heroes to suppress them immediately. Instead, Ultron forces relied on sheer numbers to keep them occupied, preventing them from assisting Batman.
After all, while these were Ultron soldiers, each one could essentially act as a proxy for Ultron itself.
"We're here!"
A loud voice called out as Spider-Man, Venom, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Daredevil, and Harry Osborn joined the battle on the outskirts of New York.
With the gap in numbers closing, the numerical advantage began to even out.
Ultron and his forces were gradually pushed back.
Another explosion sent one of Ultron soldiers flying, and now fewer than ten soldiers remained.
However, the Ultron main body fighting Batman showed no sign of retreat. Instead, it regrouped its remaining soldiers, facing the encirclement by Justice League and non-Justice League members alike.
"What going on…"
Spider-Man voice wavered. "Why does this guy seem… off?"
"He much smarter than you think," Batman said grimly, seeing through Ultron plan. "He been stalling for time."
"What?"
Spider-Man froze. "What the point of stalling? Is he waiting for reinforcements… wait, no way."
Under his mask, Spider-Man face stiffened.
The distant sound of roaring airplane engines echoed across the sky as military transport planes arrived at the battlefield.
Everyone expression changed.
Aside from Batman and a few others, most of them had the same thought.
Not long ago, the military had officially announced a partnership with Stark Industries to integrate Ultron chips into elite military soldiers, creating the world strongest fighting force.
"They're…"
Spider-Man voice trembled. "How are we supposed to fight them? We can't just… kill them, can we?"