Ultron stared at Dotilt's furious expression after hearing her words.
He raised one hand.
An invisible force instantly lifted her violently off the ground.
Dotilt immediately found herself unable to breathe.
She struggled several times, but the force was pressed so tightly against her body that she could barely move.
It felt as though an enormous invisible hand was firmly gripping her throat.
"What are you doing?! We're allies!"
"You actually dare attack a Skrull commander? Aren't you afraid our god will hold you accountable when we return?"
"Let me go!"
Dotilt did not dare threaten him too harshly.
Instead, she could only invoke Tothwanwell's name.
For his sake, she did not want their relationship to deteriorate too badly.
After all, just as she had said, they were still allies.
As for Iron Man and Karl escaping right under their noses, that did not necessarily mean someone had warned them in advance.
Perhaps they were simply too troublesome to capture!
Especially Karl.
"Keep searching!"
"Don't overlook a single clue!"
"I refuse to believe they can keep running forever. Damn it!"
Ultron finally threw Dotilt aside.
The marks around her neck were still clearly visible.
She was extremely dissatisfied, but Tothwanwell had already decided to cooperate with Ultron, so there was little she could say.
Even so, resentment was gradually beginning to spread within her heart.
Iron Man's vehicle was incredibly fast.
In almost no time at all, it carried the three of them to a small cabin in the suburbs.
Neither Karl nor Eric O'Grady had ever seen the place before.
"This is an emergency shelter I built specifically for situations like this."
"No one knows about this place except me."
Karl understood.
Now they were all officially on the same side.
"Sorry for dragging you into this."
"But right now, every superhero is facing a disaster."
"If we don't gather everyone who's still free, this situation is only going to become harder and harder to deal with."
Iron Man looked completely confused.
"What do you mean everyone's in trouble?"
Karl organized his thoughts before explaining.
"Have you noticed anything strange recently?"
Iron Man thought about it for a moment.
Lately, he had indeed felt as though someone had been secretly following him.
It seemed as though someone had been observing him from the shadows, waiting for an opportunity to make a move.
"Those people back there were Skrulls, along with Ultron."
"I never expected Ultron to return."
"If he's active again, that means Earth is in danger."
Iron Man had only guessed half of it.
Karl silently nodded.
"You're not wrong."
"They've been collecting the DNA of superheroes and using it to create copies."
There was no need for Karl to explain just how dangerous or cunning the Skrulls were.
Iron Man already knew.
What he had not expected was that they would go this far.
They had actually begun replicating superheroes!
"Aren't you worried that I might be a fake too?"
Karl had an exceptional memory.
He could still clearly remember how many people he had seen being held captive aboard the Skrull ship.
"If I remember correctly, you weren't among the people being held on that ship."
"So I don't believe you're an impostor."
Iron Man breathed a sigh of relief.
"No wonder I've felt uneasy these past few days."
"So they really have been watching me from the shadows."
Seeing Ultron earlier had also been alarming.
Ultron could continuously upgrade himself.
He had even created an extremely advanced body for himself!
If he cooperated with the Skrulls and they supplied him with even more advanced technology, dealing with him would become vastly more difficult.
"So what you're saying is that a large number of superheroes have already fallen into enemy hands."
"That makes everything much more difficult."
"How the hell are we supposed to deal with this?"
"What are they even trying to accomplish?"
"What benefit do they get from capturing everyone and destroying Earth?"
Normally, these different groups would never have actively worked together.
But now that they had a common plan, things were no longer going to proceed as they once had.
"The fact that they openly confronted you today means they can no longer wait to put their plan into action."
"Eric and I barely managed to escape from them."
Eric quickly nodded.
He had not expected the enemy to pursue them so relentlessly.
The last time he fought Ultron, Eric had been completely unprepared.
That was why the situation had gone so badly.
But now that several powerful fighters were joining forces, he refused to believe they could not bring the enemy down!
"The Skrulls may be able to control some superheroes, and they can even replicate their DNA!"
"But there are things they simply can't reproduce—true power and an unbreakable will!"
"Their greatest objective right now is to seize control of Earth."
"Since they're obsessed with that foolish goal, it gives us something we can exploit."
Iron Man's confidence began to return.
If their previous deductions were correct, then there was still a way forward.
"If we keep hesitating because we're afraid of every possible danger, we'll never accomplish anything."
"They dared to directly challenge our bottom line."
"Then we'll make those Skrulls understand just how badly they screwed up this time."
Now that Karl had secured Iron Man's cooperation, their next objective was to form a team and rescue the captured heroes.
"There's one thing I can confirm about everyone here."
"Every one of you is the real person."
Eric was surprised.
Had the Skrulls somehow already managed to obtain his DNA?
That should have been impossible.
Hope van Dyne had already been knocked unconscious before she could obtain any of his DNA.
"We still have to remain extremely careful!"
"Even if they haven't created copies of us yet, sooner or later they'll do something a hundred times more dangerous."
"That's why we need to rescue everyone before that happens."
Karl had previously entered the Skrull Palace.
He knew where their starship was located.
"If they haven't moved it, I still remember the exact location."
"First, we need to set a trap."
"We'll lure a large portion of their forces away."
"Once that happens, it'll be much easier for us to strike!"
Iron Man found Karl's analysis extremely reasonable.
He could already feel the danger drawing closer and closer.
If they continued waiting, nothing good would come of it.
They needed to act quickly!
"If we keep waiting around, we'll eventually end up trapped ourselves."
"So there's no point putting this off."
"Let's execute the plan immediately!"
Karl silently nodded.
As long as Iron Man was willing to cooperate, everything would become much easier.
"We need one person to stay behind and guard the trap."
"When the time comes, I'll use my magic to create a powerful shield for whoever stays behind."
"That shield should be able to hold for at least three hours."
"As long as we rescue all the captured superheroes within those three hours, we can return afterward and rescue the person guarding the original position."
"Then the entire plan will work perfectly."
Eric understood.
What the enemy wanted most—the ultimate weapon they had been searching for—was the belt he was wearing.
If they wanted it that badly…
Then let them come and take it!
(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!]