The Savior of American Comics? I'm the Subspace Evil God!

Chapters 582, 1080, and 1081: Tony's Crisis of Trust, and the Unexpected Intrusion of Homelander

“Stark, what makes you think that uploading our two ‘personalities’ will guarantee that the guy in the Cradle of Life won’t become a second Ultron?”

Captain America was initially taken aback, then a sense of offense and absurdity washed over him. He immediately took a step forward, frowning as he questioned, "This is your so-called new method... It sounds like utter nonsense!"

"The fact that I created Ultron with my own hands is enough!"

Tony Stark raised his voice, meeting Captain America's gaze without flinching, his tone filled with his characteristic arrogance and confidence, "This is enough to prove that my intelligence can analyze him and defeat him... I understand his underlying code and I know the flaws in his thinking."

He reached out and forcefully patted the cold outer shell of the "Cradle of Life," producing a dull thud. He then looked around at the crowd, trying to infect them with his passion and inspiration, and said somewhat stubbornly:
"Hey! Listen up, guys, this is absolutely an opportunity for us, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity..."

“We can use this perfect body that Ultron prepared for us to create a completely new and perfect being.”

"It won't think about exterminating humanity. It will have the same intelligence, creativity, and technological capabilities as me... At the same time, it will also have the same principles, sense of justice, and unwavering determination as the captain."

"This is arguably our best option right now, and it's the key to whether we can turn the tide against Ultron, or even snatch victory from them."

"Just think about it, a new Guardian with the wisdom of the Starks and the qualities of Rogers... what could be a more perfect combination?!"

However, his persuasive words failed to sway the crowd.

If it weren't for the cautionary tale of Ultron, perhaps some people would still support his crazy idea, but now, everyone is somewhat wary of his wildly imaginative 'ideas'.

“Tony, I feel like we’ve fallen into a terrible vicious cycle. We’re back to where we started, back to the very beginning of the problem…”

Bruce Banner, looking utterly exasperated, rubbed his forehead, his face weary and resigned. "We're trying to solve the last problem we created by creating another one..."

“I know! Banner, I know what you want to say, and I know what everyone will say,” Tony Stark interrupted urgently.

"Oh, look, it's Tony Stark again, that crazy scientist who thinks he can play God... He's probably going to get into big trouble again this time..."

He perfectly mimicked the tone of the imagined critics, then suddenly waved his hand as if to dispel the noise.

Tony Stark looked directly at Bruce Banner. "Banner, do you remember what everyone called us before?"

"When they don't understand, when they're afraid... we're what they call crazy scientists, we're monsters!"

He pointed at Bruce Banner, then at himself, “But the truth is, we’re ahead of everyone else. We can see the dangers and possibilities that they can’t, so… no matter how many people try to stop us, we have to do it. Success or failure, we absolutely cannot give up trying!!”

His voice gradually lowered, filled with a resolute determination born of self-persuasion: "Furthermore, this is not a ridiculous vicious cycle for us, but... the final end, the only chance we have right now to end this nightmare of [Ultron]!"

Although Bruce Banner knew that Tony Stark was being unreasonable and using passion and wild fantasies to cover up the enormous risks behind it, he was speechless for a moment when he saw the almost religious fervor in the other man's eyes.

He opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing, simply lowering his head to avoid Tony Stark's burning gaze, which yearned for recognition and support.

He was genuinely afraid that if he wasn't careful, the huge green thing inside him would lose control due to the extreme pressure and absurdity, and then jump out and punch this incorrigible "little daredevil" in front of him to death.

"No, I don't agree with doing that."

Captain America's face was ashen, as if covered in frost. He looked directly into Tony Stark's eyes and refused without any room for negotiation:
“I’ll say it one last time, Stark, after experiencing the trouble and destruction that Ultron brought to us and to this world, after witnessing the death and panic he caused… I’m sorry, but I can no longer trust your actions.”

"We can no longer tolerate even the slightest mistake, even if there's only a one in ten thousand chance of it happening!"

“Captain is right, Tony.” At this moment, Black Widow, who had been standing beside Bruce Banner, calmly observing everything, spoke up. Her eyes gleamed with rationality. “The key issue is that everything you just said about the success rate of merging your personality with Captain’s, about the controllability of the new mechanical creation, about all the guarantees that it won’t become another Ultron… all of this is based on your wishful thinking and optimistic speculation.”

“You have neither substantial data nor any successful precedents, so you can’t be sure you won’t make the same mistake again.”

She paused, her tone becoming even more serious: "And right now, we are simply incapable of dealing with two threats of Ultron-level strength at the same time... especially since one of them possesses an indestructible 'vibranium body'!!"

Hawkeye, leaning against the wooden crate, shrugged helplessly. He glanced at Tony Stark, whose face was grim, then at Captain America and the others, who remained resolute, and finally gave a wry smile and spread his hands.

“Tony, don’t blame me, this time… I support the captain’s decision.”

Although his face was full of apology, his stance was clear.

“After all, I have a wife and children at home. I don’t want a vibranium robot with your and the captain’s ‘personality’ to suddenly fly here and ‘have a heart-to-heart’ with me one night.”

“You…” Tony Stark looked at the familiar faces in front of him, but now they were all filled with unease and distrust.

A mix of anger, frustration, heartbreak, and immense resentment welled up inside me.

He wanted to say a few more words in his defense, to tell them how hard he was trying to make up for his previous mistakes, and to turn the tide in this situation…

But when the words came to his lips, he swallowed them back.

Because he knows better than anyone that the cause of this crisis of trust is none other than his own previous recklessness and arrogance!
Therefore, he blames no one right now; he can only blame himself for being so useless.

A tremendous sense of powerlessness gripped him, as if all the strength had been drained from his body. His straight shoulders visibly slumped, and the burning flame in his eyes quickly dimmed.

After nearly a minute of silence, Tony Stark finally gave up, looking somewhat dejected and exhausted, and said, "Alright, we'll do it your way... You win, I'll contact Helen Zhao right now."

He then asked Friday to contact the hospital where Zhao Hailun was receiving treatment. He had already confirmed with Friday on his way back to the farm that the seriously injured Zhao Hailun had been taken to the hospital in time.

Although the situation is not optimistic, fortunately there is no danger to life.

However, to everyone's surprise, just seconds later, Friday delivered news that shocked everyone present.

"Boss, according to the hospital's recent reply, Ms. Zhao Hailun was forcibly taken away from the hospital by [Homelander] 9 minutes ago."

"What did you say?!" Tony Stark exclaimed in disbelief, almost unable to believe his ears.

Not only him, but also Captain America, Bruce Banner, Black Widow, and Hawkeye... everyone who heard the news was filled with extreme shock and utter bewilderment.

WTF? ? ?

Σ(⊙▽⊙“a???

Homelanders?
That star of the [Vot Corporation], that powerful, eccentric, and unscrupulous superstar... or rather, that super scoundrel?
No, why did he take Zhao Hailun away?
Their lives and careers are completely parallel lines, with absolutely no known overlap whatsoever!
"Friday, are you sure you're not mistaken?"

Tony Stark's brows furrowed deeply, forming a deep "川" shape: "Reconfirm immediately. Also, get me the surveillance footage from the relevant floors of the hospital right away. I need to know exactly what happened."

"Okay, boss, re-verifying... Verification complete, message confirmed... Surveillance video data downloading... Download complete, starting playback."

Friday was extremely efficient; a few minutes later, the surveillance footage was clearly displayed to everyone through Tony Stark's wristwatch, which had holographic projection capabilities.

In a hospital room, Dr. Zhao Hailun, who had just woken up, was pale and still connected to monitoring equipment, and was leaning weakly against the headboard.

Suddenly, the ward door was violently pushed open, and a tall figure wearing a blue battle suit with a Stars and Stripes cape draped over his back strode in—it was none other than Homelander.

Homelander's goal was very clear. He didn't even glance at the medical staff or other patients in the ward. He went straight to Zhao Hailun's bedside, seemed to say something to the terrified Zhao Hailun, and then, without waiting for any response from Zhao Hailun, he bent down and, in an almost rude manner, ripped off the medical equipment connected to her, and then picked her up by the waist.

Zhao Hailun tried to struggle or say something, but Homelander didn't give her a chance. He just held her and ignored the security personnel who rushed to the door after hearing the commotion, as well as everything around them. He swaggered out of the ward, walked out of the hospital building, and disappeared from the surveillance range.

"Ah this..."

After watching the whole thing, everyone looked at each other in disbelief, and a sense of utter absurdity and unreality filled the air.

They couldn't understand why Homelander would kidnap Helen Zhao at a time like this, no matter how hard they tried.
"What...what's going on?" Hawkeye muttered to himself. "Why would Homelander kidnap a life scientist? Does he want to create a 'vibranium body' too?"

Suddenly, a terrifying thought arose in their minds simultaneously: Could it be that Homelander and Ultron have joined forces?

But as soon as the idea came up, they quickly rejected it themselves.

"impossible."

Black Widow was the first to shake her head. Relying on her intelligence analysis skills, she quickly denied the guess. "Although Homelander is in our eyes a... well, lawless tyrant with a terrible style of doing things, he is extremely concerned about his public image and the public's attention."

"What he values ​​and his business value are all based on the survival of human society."

“Ultron’s plan is to destroy all of humanity, so fundamentally, they are mortal enemies… No matter how crazy Homelander is, he would never be stupid enough to join forces with an artificial intelligence that wants to destroy his ‘fan club’ and ‘business empire’.”

“But if he didn’t team up with Ultron…” Bruce Banner’s face was full of confusion, “why would he suddenly travel all the way to Seoul at such a sensitive moment, and then forcibly take Dr. Zhao Hailun, the only person who could safely operate the Cradle of Life, away from the hospital?”

"Isn't this timing a bit too coincidental? It's so coincidental that it's unsettling..."

The atmosphere at the scene immediately became incredibly oppressive and somber.

Zhao Hailun's unexpected abduction likely means that their newly devised plan to obtain the core key to the "Cradle of Life" and thus dismantle the "Vibranium Body" is about to fail.

This is arguably the situation that Captain America and his crew least want to see right now.

After a moment of silence, Captain America raised his head, his resolute face tense, and looked at Tony Stark with a complex expression, saying in a deep voice:
“We can’t keep guessing, Stark. Please contact Vought International directly. I need to speak with Homelander personally…”

"We need to know exactly what he's trying to do, and whether Dr. Helen Zhao is safe right now!"

Although Captain America has never had a good impression of Homelander and usually tries to avoid any interaction or conflict with Vought, the current situation is tense, and he can't afford to worry about that now.

“Okay.” Tony Stark didn’t ask any more questions; at this point, no clue could be overlooked.

He nodded and immediately instructed Friday, "Connect me to the top management of Vought International immediately, and in the name of the Avengers, request a direct dialogue with Homelander..."

However, the result was once again unexpected.

A few minutes later, Friday reported: "Boss, Ms. Ashley Barrett, the current CEO of the Water Corporation, replied that they are also unable to contact Homelander at this time."

"Homelander's private communication channel has been kept off, and there was no mention of visiting the hospital in Seoul on his itinerary. His previous actions were likely impromptu..."

"Right now, even within the [Vought Corporation], no one knows where [Homelander] has gone, or why he took Dr. Helen Zhao away..."

(End of this chapter)