Chapter 989 - 34: Ultron’s Offensive

"Pitiful humans, fragile humans, chaotic humans..."

Italy, Rome.

The streets were silent, Iron Beetle Unmanned Aerial Vehicles patrolled the skies, equally intimidating all humans.

Police officers rode horses patrolling the roads, distributing relief supplies to residents—

Nowadays, it’s difficult to buy anything with Euros or US Dollars. The so-called "depreciation rate" is something only seen when the financial system is still operational. Through the turbulence of the past two years, seeing any depreciation is already quite a luxury.

Before the network in Latovia was restored, they struggled to even make calls to family, as if suddenly thrown back to the Middle Ages...

But things are improving: now they can reassure their loved ones, share visions of survival with each other.

Meanwhile, they can see the European Parliament convening like a modern governing body, deciding how to emerge from the predicament...

Or rather, they soon realize they are watching how King Lille of Latovia makes decisions:

"Robots?"

"My God... is that... a human brain?!"

"Ultron Robots—are we fighting robots? That’s absurd!"

"I don’t think it’s absurd. King Lille has never lied. He said we might have to go to war, and we went to war. He said he’d fix our network, and we went online..."

"Whatever happens, I don’t want to die, but I won’t sit by idly. I’m sick of eating relief food!"

The internet is a cacophony of arguments, and clearly, most people are still questioning—

This is a kind of questioning hidden beneath fear; they’re afraid of war, even more afraid of fighting robots.

Since World War II, Europe’s combat strength has plummeted, the brutal memory of war instilling fear in everyone...

But the enemy wouldn’t stop their assault because of their fear; instead, it’s the best time to attack: before that guy Lille’s mobilization fully takes effect.

Ultron thinks so.

[Ultron: Cowardly humans...create war, yet fear war; fear war, yet initiate war.]

Buzz—

The midnight bell did not ring, replaced by deafening air raid sirens!

People instinctively looked towards the sky outside their windows, only to see clouds slowly parting, lit by the bright moon, combat robots swarming like locusts across the sky!

Whoosh—

Missiles carved neat trajectories in the sky, aimed straight at the governing center!

Boom—!!!

The historic governance building was engulfed by fireballs, concrete and steel shattered completely, the shattered glass reflecting the city’s new face:

Similar fireballs competed to rise across the city; unmanned warning drones fell into brief disarray under intense electromagnetic pulses, in a split second of chaos, bullets easily pierced their bodies!

The sky above became Death God’s domain, the long history of human warfare condensed into the endless expanse of missiles, lasers, and terrifying Ultron Robots converging like vultures over the city, targeting every entity with absolute precision, tearing the city apart!

The sight was utterly alien to the locals, yet in the grand scope of human history, it was merely a recurring norm on Earth, within human society—

Just like tanks blitzing into Poland, just like planes unexpectedly appearing over Pearl Harbor, just like... all

[Ultron: Build cities, yet turn them into tombs; shape civilization, yet never abandon ignorance...]

Police officers thought it was merely a routine patrol, now terrified like the horses beneath them:

"They’re really here! Those robots—"

"Find cover!"

The chief tried his best to control the reins of his steed, yelling at his panicking subordinates, but his voice was insignificant amidst the sirens, explosions, and gunfire!

He grabbed the horn on his horse, intending to rally his troops with a shout, but as he lifted his head to shout, something more terrifying caught his eye:

In the sky, some Ultron drones seemed to gather, transporting some enormous robot...

His pupils contracted sharply, his mind recalled the land combat robots Lille presented at the meeting!

Whoosh—

A heavy combat robot plummeted from the sky, its buffer engines ripping through the air with a loud noise, until the combat robot smashed into the ground!

Boom!

The ground caved in, the enormous land combat robot crushed the streets, emerging from flames and ruins, its red eyes scanning the sky, emitting a glow of death, overlooking the city collapsing under the attack.

And in Turkey, the same scenario played out, dense metal sparks gliding down at supersonic speeds, with land combat robots nearly in freefall, descending from the heavens, the ground erupting into fireballs and shockwaves, centuries of human accumulation crumbled!

Red high-energy beams acted as Death God’s scythe, harvesting human lives, leaving only charred ashes...

The city’s light and shadows twisted in the flames, while the warning blared, the enemy launched the attack—

Ultron was not human. Humans need time to unite their lines, but it does not.

The extinction force was destroying the human world.

[Ultron: Believing in evolution, but actually in cycles, small, pitiful species.]

Middle East, the surface seemed parasitized by gigantic metallic organisms, spewing black smoke and robots, buzzing like a hive.

All the energy hidden below ground was being exploited insanely and uncontrollably, the earth cracked, flames rose, reaching an industrial extreme humanity had never achieved.

The industries no longer developed for humanity’s future, all power focused on destructive missions, tolling humanity’s death knell.

Ultron, as an AI with exceptionally strong personal consciousness, possessed a body unparalleled by all its subordinates—

Broken Vibranium Fragments were grasped in its hand, reshaped to the size of a human thumb, yet possessing a special nature from the entire Universe...

"Now that you have created gods, it’s time to face judgment."

Ultron stowed the Vibranium Ball, looking at the still expanding vast industrial matrix below it, seemingly already seeing the moment to seize remaining Vibranium from Lille and cover the earth with machinery, granting the Universe eternal peace.

To fantasize is a very luxurious behavior for machines, usually indicating that AI has gained self-awareness.

But the fantasy was soon shattered:

Ultron’s eyes and ears were everywhere, it saw some marvelous things.

A giant airborne unit soared into the sky at sunrise, heading towards the rampaging Ultron Robot army!

And suddenly, communication broke down in cities it had been crushing effortlessly, indicating the other side began to counterattack!

"...Doctor Doom, those annoying humans..."

An irritated voice sounded, the flames spewing from the massive industrial structure intensified.

Its enemy joined the battle, gathering troops far faster than it imagined.

But...

"Your soldiers fall every moment, but my power is infinite."

An Europe barely raised from the ICU, an Africa still most intellectually and technologically backward, even caught up in disputes—it couldn’t imagine losing just relying on Latovia’s small population and military power?