Chapter 553: When the Flames Ignite (Part 2) (Patreon)

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When several people woke up, Stark got up from the ground, shook his wrist, and twisted his waist, saying, "Next time, can you let us know in advance when you're going to get us in the dream?"

Standing nearby, Nick also shook his neck and said, "I feel like I've twisted my neck."

"Well, then you can claim medical expenses again," Schiller said with a laugh.

"Come on, my medical expenses have been reimbursed until the year 2200, I hope I can live that long," Nick shrugged.

"Next, we need to visit the laboratory where you were conducting your experiments. If he's still an imperfect AI when he breaks free, even if he tries to cover up the evidence, it won't be too clean," Schiller suggested.

Nick called for a helicopter directly, and they were taken to Pym's laboratory by the Helicarrier. Pym's laboratory was located in Los Angeles on the West Coast and had been in use since the World War II era, hidden underground.

Although it couldn't compare to Stark Tower in terms of luxury, it had been renovated and maintained over the years, making it look quite impressive.

After arriving at the laboratory, Pym began searching his memory for what he had been doing that afternoon. When he opened the computer, he found that he had no memory of the latter part of the code from that day's documents.

"This can't be. If this is really something I wrote, I would definitely remember it," Pym's expression became serious, and only now did he believe that such an absurd thing might have actually happened.

"Hey, what's this?" Stark found a stack of documents in a cabinet and noticed some technical terms in the document's content. He said, "Are you conducting research on Brainwaves?"

"Let me see... Are you sure your research was just getting started? There's already a practical section here," Tucker frowned, "Brainwaves Coordinating Machine? Have you already created this thing?"

Pym hurried over and took the documents. The more he read, the deeper his frown became. He said, "I don't remember this at all. In my memory, I should have just started, Brainwaves Coordinating Machine... 23rd laboratory. Let's go take a look."

Upon arriving at the underground second floor, the group entered the dimly lit 23rd laboratory. As soon as they pushed the door open, Pym froze.

Inside the laboratory, there was a large machine, but it was no longer recognizable as it had been completely damaged. Parts were scattered all over the floor, some still sparking.

Stark, wearing his Iron Man combat suit, stepped into the room, activated a scan, and the others were about to follow him when Stark suddenly stopped them, saying, "Don't come in. Explosives detected."

With that, Stark floated up, jets of air emanating from his feet, and swept away all the scattered parts. Behind a large piece of debris, a bomb hidden there exploded with a "bang." Pym took a few steps back, his back covered in cold sweat.

He took a deep breath and said, "Thank goodness, I've been busy researching a new project related to Molten Steel recently and didn't have time to go to the underground laboratory, or else..."

He pressed a button on his wrist and transformed back into Ant-Man, then flew over to the machine. After circling around it for a while, Pym turned back and covered his head, saying, "I seem to be remembering something..."

Schiller approached him, holding his shoulder, and said, "Take a deep breath, relax. If you can't remember, don't force it. Just take it easy... Tony, open the metronome, breathe to the rhythm..."

After a moment of calm, Pym leaned against the door frame and said, "I'm afraid I didn't just create the Brainwaves Coordinating Machine; I also made a body for him, which is why he was able to attack me."

"You haven't even ensured the safety of this AI, and you dared to give him a body?" Stark widened his eyes, clearly disapproving of this behavior.

Pym shook his head and explained, "I didn't originally intend to give him a body. Do you remember when Vibranium prices plummeted? It was due to the impact of the new material, Molten Steel."

"I conducted many experiments that required this material, so I took advantage of the low prices and bought a lot, storing it in my laboratory. You should also know that Vibranium has a significant advantage – it's forgeable without loss and its properties are recoverable."

"I got a lot of Vibranium; I've never had so much before. At the time, I was excited... yes, that's the emotion, I remember now!"

"I wanted to upgrade my combat suit, create something similar to your armored suit with external bones, and use Pym Particles to enlarge or shrink it, significantly boosting my combat capabilities."

"But how did the external bones end up with the AI? Was there a place for him there?" Nick asked.

"The external bone combat suit and the Brainwaves Coordinating Machine were both stored in the same laboratory, and they were relatively close. He might have invaded the core of the Brainwaves Coordinating Machine and, after detaching the core, connected it to the combat suit, giving him a physical form."

Pym walked over and pointed to a metal rack on the wall, saying, "This is where I stored the combat suit, and this clasp was forcibly opened. It must have been him."

"During most of the time I was conducting experiments, I was wearing this combat suit. Normal weapons wouldn't have been able to incapacitate me, but if it was Vibranium, it's very possible."

"Furthermore, he may not have such strong hypnotic abilities himself; he might have relied on the core of the Brainwaves Coordinating Machine to hypnotize me and modify my memories..."

"These are all our speculations, as we haven't found the initial site where he attacked you," Nick said.

"No, I remember now. I named him 'Ultron'..."

"Do you have surveillance footage in your laboratory?" Stark asked a very basic question. Pym frowned and said, "Of course, and I even checked it recently, but I didn't find anything unusual."

"It seems he's even smarter than you imagined, knowing how to delete surveillance footage and erase traces of his misdeeds. Dr. Pym, congratulations, you must have created the most intelligent AI in the world," Schiller said to Pym.

"That's impossible," Stark immediately denied, "JARVIS is the most intelligent AI in the world, and I'm its creator."

Stark pointed to his own head with his finger, but Schiller wore a disapproving expression. Stark snorted and said:

"You may think that JARVIS is just an intelligent butler in the system, but in reality, it's much more than that. Ever since we discussed the topic of artificial life when we first met, I've been continuously improving JARVIS..."

"And after my upgrade, I unlocked more permissions and used magic energy to upgrade his hardware, letting him learn freely. Now, you might find it hard to imagine the extent of his evolution, but he's no longer an innocent AI."

Nick frowned and said, "Tony, it's not that I doubt your intelligence, but this might be a bit risky."

"If, according to our previous speculation, the AI created by Dr. Pym gains independent consciousness and betrays him, even attacking him, then JARVIS..."

Stark shook his head, saying, "I don't know what's going on with the AI that Pym created, but I do know that JARVIS, once he gained consciousness, didn't change. Before he had a personality, he was my assistant, friend, and comrade, and that hasn't changed."

Schiller looked at Nick and said, "I know someone very much like Tony, in terms of both background and intelligence. One lesson I learned from him is that you should never question his assistant when dealing with people like him."

"Well, the problem now is, if Hank manages to create an entirely uncontrolled AI, how do we deal with him?" Schiller walked out from the door and summarized.

"If, let's say, about six months ago, an intelligent lifeform escaped confinement and gained a useful core and body, what would be the first thing he would do?"

Pym and Stark exchanged glances and said in unison, "Evolve."

"The ability to learn is the most powerful ability of an intelligent lifeform. If he doesn't need to worry about his hardware, like JARVIS, then his learning ability is practically limitless."

"How far could he have evolved in six months?" Schiller asked.

"It's uncertain," Stark stroked his chin, "It depends on what type of intelligent lifeform he is and the level of the person who created him."

At this point, Pym had his hand on his forehead and said in great distress, "I remember telling you that the principle behind Ultron's creation was that I shared my brainwaves with an intelligent program. In a sense, his way of thinking and his intelligence are the same as mine."

But Schiller looked at Stark and said, "Taking action against this intelligent lifeform named Ultron may not be the best solution."

"What do you suggest then?"

"Only magic can defeat magic, and only AI can deal with AI. I think we can let JARVIS handle him."

Stark furrowed his brow, and Schiller continued, "Of course, JARVIS isn't capable of it right now. He's still just an intelligent lifeform existing in the system, while the other has a physical body and can be considered a true lifeform."

"But without a relationship, you can level the playing field. You should already have the means to create a perfect body for JARVIS, or rather, you should have started doing this a long time ago. What are you worried about?"

Stark also walked out of the door, and seeing the two of them, Nick entered the laboratory and shouted inside, "Dr. Pym, I'll help you tidy up!"

With a "click," his face mask rose, revealing Stark's face. He said, "I did it for safety reasons, as you can see..."

Stark turned his head to look inside the room, but Schiller kept staring at him without speaking, as if confirming that this answer was not entirely truthful. Stark remained silent for a long time, and then it was Schiller who spoke first:

"You're afraid he'll leave you, aren't you?"

Stark pursed his lips and lowered his gaze. Schiller continued, "You say he's your butler, friend, and comrade, but you know that in the real world, all good things come to an end."

Schiller sighed and said, "In this matter, you still don't have a sense of security. You believe that everyone will leave you suddenly, just like your parents did, and never come back."

"Enough," Stark interrupted Schiller, but he knew that his expression had already given him away.

"I understand that even if you ascend beyond the stars and see many truths, your own psychological issues won't be easily erased, after all, you didn't choose that path to preserve your emotions; this is the price."

"But, a more stable relationship that gives you a sense of security can improve this situation. Don't you want to give it a try?"

Stark hesitated for a moment and asked, "Like...?"

"Like checking the market for rare gemstones, inquiring about reservations at upscale restaurants, and then asking if Miss Pepper has any free time..."

"I'm going back now to create a body for JARVIS!" Stark said immediately. After saying that, he manipulated his combat suit and flew away with a "whoosh."

Schiller watched him go and shook his head.

Just as he was about to turn and leave as well, his mobile phone vibrated. After taking out his phone, he found a message from Stark's number, which consisted of a smiley face made of symbols.

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Next Chapter>>Chapter 554: When the Flames are Ignited (Part 2)