Chapter 362 Tony Plan!

"Ultron, an AI assistant... I never thought you'd put J.A.R.V.I.S. up for sale. Classic Tony Stark."

Anton smirked at Tony, though his tone carried a trace of mockery.

He might not know exactly what Tony was thinking, but one thing was certain—there was a deeper purpose behind Tony promoting Ultron as a global AI assistant. And that gave Anton enough confidence to say what he did.

"Ultron isn't J.A.R.V.I.S.," Tony eyes turned cold in an instant. "They have completely different source codes. Their functionalities might be similar, but they are two entirely separate intelligences."

"Who cares? They seem the same to me. But then again, I'm just a college dropout slacker."

Anton shrugged. "Tony, what exactly are you trying to do? I don't believe for a second that this press conference is just about Stark Industries."

There was logic behind his words.

Even though Stark Industries had exited the arms business, which had impacted its bottom line, the company had rebounded thanks to the Arc Reactor.

The clean energy market was no less lucrative than weapons manufacturing.

In the long run, pioneering clean energy gave Stark Industries greater sustainability and the potential for even greater achievements.

Under Pepper Potts leadership, after Tony stepped away from direct management, Stark Industries energy sector had flourished at an astonishing pace. Its market value had already recovered to its previous peak.

Besides, given Tony attitude toward wealth, this wasn't about Stark Industries—it was about himself.

"That right, you got it. I'm not doing this for Stark Industries."

Tony paused before continuing, "I'm doing this for the world."

"Wow, that sounds so noble."

Anton scoffed, clearly unimpressed.

Tony response might have seemed like an answer, but in reality, he was dodging Anton real question.

Of course, Anton knew he wouldn't get a straight answer. He hadn't expected one.

He was only saying this to annoy Tony.

The two of them had always had a frenemy dynamic in the Marvel universe.

Though they had briefly worked together during the Skrull secret invasion, neither had ever truly considered the other a friend.

Their relationship was nothing more than surface-level civility.

If one day they ended up throwing punches at each other, it wouldn't be surprising in the slightest.

"If there are no further questions, please leave."

Tony let out a cold snort. "This interview is over."

"Wait, don't be like that."

Eddie quickly stepped in to smooth things over. "Anton has his own questions, but we at The Daily Bugle haven't even started our exclusive interview yet."

As he spoke, he shot Anton a pleading look.

"Fine, I'm out of here."

Anton nodded without hesitation.

He had never expected to get any useful information from Tony. The only reason he had followed Eddie and the others to the apartment was, as always, just to mess with Tony.

Without another word, he turned and left, leaving the space to Tony, Eddie, and the rest.

Tony and Eddie connection dated back to the Lang alien invasion, when Eddie—merged with Venom—had saved Tony from a freefall.

Since then, they hadn't had much contact, but Tony, out of gratitude for having his life saved, was willing to show Eddie some respect.

As a result, The Daily Bugle, where Eddie worked, became one of the media outlets most closely partnered with Stark Industries.

One of them—because back when Tony was still a notorious playboy, he had bought out multiple media outlets. Naturally, those outlets, as part of his business empire, received a fair amount of exclusive access and support.

But that was just trivia.

The moment Anton stepped out of Stark Tower, he was immediately surrounded by a swarm of waiting reporters.

"Mr. Jameson Jr., what did you and Mr. Stark discuss?"

"Mr. Jameson Jr., what are your thoughts on Mr. Stark latest invention, the AI assistant Ultron?"

"Mr. Jameson Jr., do you really believe Ultron will revolutionize daily life and become an indispensable part of it?"

"...?"

A barrage of questions rained down on Anton like a relentless storm.

His head buzzed.

The swarm of reporters had completely surrounded him.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I don't know as much about Ultron as you might think. If you want detailed information, I suggest waiting for The Daily Bugle report. Eddie is currently having an in-depth discussion with Tony about Ultron..."

Anton waved his hand dismissively. "If you have any questions, ask Eddie."

Since Eddie was The Daily Bugle editor-in-chief, he was naturally well-acquainted with many of the reporters present.

The journalists exchanged glances, realizing that Anton was merely a hands-off figurehead at The Daily Bugle. Out of professional courtesy, they stepped aside, clearing a path for him.

Anton climbed into his car.

In the driver seat sat John Wick, 

"Let go."

After a brief moment of thought, Anton added, "Take me to Oscorp."

"Understood."

Wick nodded.

A short while later…

Anton arrived at Oscorp and met with its current leader—Harry Osborn.

Since regaining his sanity, Norman had devoted himself entirely to research.

The responsibilities of running Oscorp still fell on Harry.

As for Harry role as a superhero, it had been put on hold for now. He only suited up in his symbiote-forged bio-armor when necessary—during major events like the Battle of New York or other large-scale crises.

Smaller incidents were naturally handled by other heroes.

Now that Oscorp had stabilized, it was nothing like the chaos it had endured during Norman Osborn disappearance.

Harry no longer had to constantly juggle his responsibilities just to maintain his superhero identity.

Of course, he wasn't about to abandon that identity either.

Being a superhero came with its perks—Oscorp enjoyed certain privileges because of it.

Moreover, Harry was still young. The education he had received since childhood, combined with his childhood dreams, had given him a deep admiration for superheroes. Now that he had become one, he wasn't going to give it up so easily.

"Anton."

In the chairman's office of Osborn Enterprises, Harry greeted Anton's arrival without showing any surprise, as if he had been expecting him.

"You're here about Stark Industries' new product, Ultron?"

He smiled and got straight to the point.

"Yes."

Anton nodded. "Tony's idea of creating the artificial intelligence assistant, Ultron, isn't as simple as it seems, but I'm not sure what his real intentions are. Do you have any thoughts?"

"I don't know."

Harry shook his head. "Tony hasn't told us his purpose, but from what I know, his research into Ultron was planned even before he established the Illuminati."

"Really?"

Anton nodded slightly, his expression thoughtful.

"If Tony has been planning this since the formation of the Illuminati, then whatever he aiming for has been in motion for a long time," Anton mused.

"Exactly," Harry agreed. "And you know Tony—once he sets his mind on something, he not easily swayed."

Anton exhaled through his nose. "That what worries me. Artificial intelligence, especially something as advanced as Ultron, isn't just a personal project. It could change everything."

"Isn't that the whole point?" Harry smirked. "Tony never does anything small."

Anton chuckled dryly. "That what I'm afraid of."

If Vision never existed, then Wanda Maximoff story would take a completely different turn.

Anton tapped his fingers against the chair armrest, deep in thought. Without the Mind Stone, Wanda and Pietro powers wouldn't have been awakened the same way.

That could mean their abilities were either suppressed, altered, or developed through different means.

More importantly, without Vision, what kind of future would Wanda have?

Would she still be drawn to the same path of grief and chaos? Or would she never reach the same level of power?

The movie does not provide a specific explanation regarding the origin of their abilities, only stating that their powers are related to the Mind Stone.

According to discussions among fans in the past life, the widely accepted theory is that their abilities are innate.

This concept follows the mutant setting from the X-Men universe.

However, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe of the past life, the official mutant concept was never introduced.

As a result, Wanda and Vision were considered lucky individuals among humans, connected to certain mysterious forces, with the appearance of the Mind Stone enhancing their abilities.

Quicksilver was a disappointment—not much needs to be said about him.

The focus was on Wanda.

Wanda was inherently the wielder of Chaos Magic, and her magic was amplified by the Mind Stone.

This manifested as telekinesis and reality manipulation. Another part of her power came directly from the Mind Stone, manifesting as mind control and psychic attacks.

Now that the Mind Stone was under Anton control, Wanda powers would undoubtedly be significantly weakened without its enhancement.

However, this had little to do with Anton.

If Anton was not mistaken, at this point, Wanda and Quicksilver were likely already under Baron Strucker control, serving as test subjects for Hydra superpower research.

But without the Mind Stone, Hydra would probably be at a loss regarding the siblings abilities and unable to make significant progress in their research.

That being said, Anton had no particular intention of heading to Baron Strucker base in Europe to take Wanda and Quicksilver under his wing.

After all, Wanda and Quicksilver parents had died at the hands of Stark Industries weaponry.

They were brainwashed and controlled by Baron Strucker, becoming Hydra weapons, until the Sokovia battle triggered by Ultron. It was then that they suddenly woke up, repented, and joined the Avengers to fight Ultron.

The ending is already well-known: Quicksilver died in battle, and Wanda eventually joined the Avengers.

At this point, even if Anton found Wanda and Quicksilver, he wouldn't be able to take them from Baron Strucker control.

Because, at this time, they were consumed by hatred,

Anton certainly had no intentions of mentoring these children.

Though Wanda and Quicksilver possessed extraordinary powers, they did not possess the characteristics that would make them essential members of the Justice League.

Extraordinary abilities were the least important thing in the Justice League.

With Superman around, the Justice League never lacked combat strength.

More extraordinary beings, as long as they weren't irreplaceable, were unnecessary.

For the Justice League of today, scientists were the primary driving force.

Anton placed great hope in the sewer lab.

Whether it was the regeneration technology, life serum, or the "Revealing Pen" that could break the Skrulls shape-shifting ability, all were products of the sewer lab.

This clearly demonstrates the importance of scientists.

And this was also the reason Anton sought to recruit Hank Pym.

It wasn't just because Hank Pym was the creator of Pym Particles it was also because Hank Pym scientific capabilities were enough for Anton to take him seriously.

After putting Wanda and Quicksilver behind, Anton immediately turned his attention to Harry.

"Same as before, if anything happens, notify me anytime."

He said, "I have a feeling that Tony is up to something. Ultron appearance might trigger a major disruption...

If artificial intelligence breaks free from human control, the consequences could be terrifying. You can probably imagine that."

"I understand."

Harry nodded, very certain. "If anything happens, I'll inform you immediately. In fact, I have a similar feeling.

If Tony really lets Ultron be accepted by the world and allows an AI to become a part of people lives, if Ultron gains self-awareness, the consequences would be unpredictable."

"It good that you can see it that way."

Anton said, "I will inform the Justice League and ensure they keep an eye on Ultron. That all for today."

With that, he excused himself and left.

"Alright."

Harry watched Anton leave.

Downstairs.

Anton took a car back , while the driver, John Wick, returned to the nearby Wayne Enterprises building.

Soon after.

Eddie and the others returned.

Seeing Anton waiting for him at the door, Eddie immediately understood the purpose of the meeting.

As soon as he approached, Anton spoke.

"Well? What did Tony say?"

"It was all small talk."

Eddie replied, "The gist of it from Tony is that he wants to change the world, allowing Ultron to optimize people lives."

"Change the world, optimize lives?"

Anton furrowed his brows. "Send me your interview records."

"No problem, just a moment."

Eddie said, sending the interview records and video files to Anton email.

Anton returned to his office, browsing through the files for a while. Suddenly, he understood the meaning behind Tony words.

Change the world! Optimize lives!

To put it bluntly, wasn't this just Tony Stark explosive desire for control, trying to manipulate people lives and shape the world into the way he wanted to see it?

It was the same idea—the insight plan!

Anton felt a weight in his heart.

Putting aside whether Tony actions were absurdly wrong, at the very least, Anton was certain that Tony approach was definitely wrong.

"Tony actually came up with this method..."

"Well, it makes sense."

"This approach, given the terrifying pressure Tony faces from the Justice League, is indeed one of the best solutions for him!"