Chapter 396: The Lifeboats
"Wow! Isn't this the same Helicarrier that S.H.I.E.L.D. had, the one Pierce's HYDRA goons were controlling?" Hawkeye instantly recognized the massive aircraft. He'd seen it before, back during his time with S.H.I.E.L.D. But later, during the internal conflict, Pierce had forcibly ordered the Helicarrier to launch, intending to use it as his trump card. Fortunately, Tony had managed to defeat Crossbones and his special forces team, bringing the Helicarrier back down. However, it had sustained significant damage in the fighting, and Nick Fury hadn't had the resources to repair it, leaving it to gather dust in storage.
Seeing this Helicarrier suddenly appear and rescue the citizens of Sokovia from imminent danger, both Hawkeye and Natasha felt a surge of pride. After all, this was once the culmination of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s efforts! But thinking about S.H.I.E.L.D.'s current predicament, they both couldn't help but sigh. Even if Fury refused to admit it, S.H.I.E.L.D. was effectively finished. He was already planning to build a completely new organization to replace it.
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Ultron, of course, wouldn't stand by and let Fury and his crew rescue the civilians and ruin his plans. He dispatched a large number of Ultron sentries to attack the Helicarrier.
In the command center, Hill immediately detected the approaching robots. "Sir! Radar shows a large number of aerial vehicles gathering on our starboard side!"
Fury replied calmly, "Let them taste some pain."
Hill immediately pressed her earpiece. "It's your turn!"
Several of the Ultron sentries that were approaching the Helicarrier were suddenly shot down. A figure flew in from a distance – it was Rhodey!
He dove, charging up a repulsor blast, and obliterated the Ultron sentries rushing towards him.
"Yeah! This is gonna be a great story!" he quipped to himself.
He fired a missile, destroying another enemy, and continued to strafe with his mounted machine guns.
Tony flew in beside him, a touch of sarcasm in his voice. "Yeah! If you live to tell it!"
Rhodey responded coolly, "You worried I won't make it back, huh?"
Tony rolled his eyes, feigning indifference. "I'm worried about your little friend not making it back!"
"I'll keep him safe!"
After the brief exchange, the two got down to business, each turning to engage the remaining Ultron sentries.
On the ground
Captain America and the others led the throngs of civilians, running towards the lifeboats. Police officers and S.H.I.E.L.D. agents maintained order, directing the flow of people. A Gatling gun was set up on the roadside, providing a defensive perimeter against sudden Ultron attacks.
Hawkeye, seeing a lifeboat flying overhead, immediately waved to signal it. Wanda, leading people out of a building where they'd been sheltering, shouted, "Let's go! Everyone, hurry!"
"Lifeboat Six, hatch closed and locked! Or, rather, fully loaded...closed...uh, full capacity!" The young officer on the Helicarrier stumbled over his words, taking a few tries to find the right phrase.
Suddenly, the alarm in the command center blared. Hill looked up at the forward viewscreen. An Ultron sentry was hurtling towards them.
"Incoming!!!" Hill only had time for a single shout before the sentry smashed through the glass and crashed inside.
Fury dove to the side, narrowly avoiding the impact. The robot, moving too fast to stop, slammed into a chair, destroying it.
"Oh! God!!!" The young officer, who had never experienced anything like this, screamed in terror.
The Ultron sentry, damaged from the impact, could only crawl towards them. Hill immediately drew her pistol and fired repeatedly.
Fury grabbed a piece of metal and stabbed it down forcefully, destroying the robot's central processing unit.
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"Clearly, the staff in the command center are ordinary people who haven't experienced combat, that's why they scream in terror when they encounter this," George shook his head as he watched the S.H.I.E.L.D. clerks who were frightened by the attack. Although they were clerical staff, it was clear that some people's psychological qualities were not up to par! As the police chief, George was able to remain calm in many critical situations, which was one of the important reasons why he was able to reach his current position.
Garfield's Spider-man was noncommittal. He wasn't as strict as George. After all, these clerks were just ordinary people, and it was normal for them to be afraid when they were attacked.
George glanced at him and knew what he was thinking, but he couldn't say anything. Everyone had their own ideas. He couldn't ask Garfield's Spider-man to be as strict as he was, as long as he could do his own thing! For example, a large-scale robbery that took place not long ago. The robbers openly provoked the police in broad daylight, but the police were unable to fight back because of the opponent's powerful firepower. In the end, they were solved by Garfield's Spider-Man and Gwen without any injuries.
The fame of the Spider Couple was also growing, and they had become global stars.
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Inside the church
Thor had been pummeled by Ultron for a long time, finally ending up with Ultron's hand around his throat. "Do you think you can save them? I'll activate the core, let this rock fall early, and still destroy billions! You can't stop it!"
Thor glared at Ultron, defiance burning in his eyes. "I am Thor! Son of Odin! As long as I draw breath, I... I'm actually out of things to say! Are you ready?" He smiled, looking past Ultron.
Before Ultron could react, Vision, wielding Mjolnir, struck him with a powerful blow, sending him flying.
Thor gasped for air, summoning Mjolnir back to his hand.
"It works rather well," Vision remarked, admiring the hammer.
Thor, instantly energized by the mention of his hammer, brandished it enthusiastically. "Well! If it were too light, it wouldn't handle as smoothly! So..."
Back on the Helicarrier, Tony, after destroying an Ultron sentry, had a new idea. "I've got it! Create a heat seal! I can...I can supercharge the core from below!"
But before he could head to the core, one of the lifeboats above was attacked by an Ultron sentry. The sentry destroyed the lifeboat's propulsion system, causing it to tilt precariously.
Tony immediately accelerated upwards. The Ultron sentry, having finished its attack, was about to leave, but Rhodey intercepted it mid-flight, riding on its back and firing his machine guns relentlessly until it was destroyed.
Tony flew to the damaged section of the lifeboat, lifting it. Friday, analyzing Tony's earlier words, concurred. "A heat seal could withstand the necessary pressure!"