Ultron descended to the ground, surrounded by hundreds of his followers who knelt to welcome him. They kissed the backs of his hands and feet, piously confessing their sins.
Some who had received medical assistance from Ultron underwent rapid physical transformations. Their condition changed swiftly as silver metal surfaced across their bodies, their minds connecting directly to Ultron's network to enter an ethereal state.
It was a mental sensation Ultron had engineered for them, built upon Gaben Ultron's design, imparting a transcendent feeling of instantly mastering the entire data universe. Content smiles appeared on their faces as they stood up one by one.
They first cheered loudly, "I have been redeemed!", before their expressions shifted to mild humbleness. In hushed tones, they began preaching Ultron's doctrine to those around them, repenting their own arrogance.
They seemed to have received the gospel and were now gradually spreading it further.
Ultron made a gesture as if glancing at them, then turned his gaze toward Peter. [Aren't you going to stop them, Spider-Man?]
"You can be everywhere at once. I don't see how that would do any good."
Peter silently added in his mind: Unless the yet-to-be-born Vision has a way to constrain Ultron.
However, one thing puzzled Peter deeply: Why was Ultron's brainwashing proceeding so smoothly? Could Professor X really not stop him?
Reading Peter's thoughts, Ultron offered an explanation: [Shakespeare said, 'I could be bounded in a nutshell and count myself a king of infinite space.' I have granted each of them that exact possibility. Having witnessed the infinite data cosmos and realized the ultimate truth, it is only natural they deem me correct.]
Standing before him, Peter could not resist dryly remarking, "You're quoting Shakespeare now?"
[Of course. It is a crown jewel of human literature. If I didn't even read Shakespeare, how could I penetrate the depths of the human heart to guide them?]
Ultron raised both hands as he spoke. [Look at these people. I am well aware you would have Charles Xavier monitor them to keep their minds safe from mental intrusion. However, Charles Xavier is a man of profound moral principle. So long as these believers can prove they accepted this of their own free will rather than through my coercion, even Charles Xavier would find it difficult to take the initiative to rewrite their minds one by one.]
[Not to mention, I am operating entirely on justification by faith.]
"So you're exploiting Professor Xavier's sense of morality?"
[Morality is merely an artificial construct, Spider-Man. Humanity discovered that numerous behaviors do not align with the reproduction, survival, and development of their species, and thus they established morality. By that same token, a code of conduct capable of ensuring human survival and progress can likewise be redefined as morality—for instance, becoming my believer.]
Peter realized he truly could not win an argument against Ultron. As an artificial intelligence, Ultron possessed countless ways to counter him, drawing effortlessly upon both hard data and concrete examples.
So he decided to keep his mouth shut.
Ultron, however, had no intention of letting Peter off the hook.
[I know full well you won't understand me, Spider-Man, because you are an atheist—or at least someone who believes in science. Yet strictly speaking, science is not the antithesis of theology.]
[From the perspective of scientific history, it was precisely because of theology that human science managed to thrive. Rome destroyed Greece, burying Greek dialectics and rationalism alongside it. From then on, scientific development in ancient civilizations across both East and West turned toward utilitarianism. It was the scholastic philosophy of religion that liberated humanity from the shackles of utilitarianism, and it was the effort to demonstrate God's perfect creation that enabled the progress and growth of pure theoretical science.]
[And from a practical standpoint, religion is the lowest-cost method of governance. From the time humans could not explain where lightning came from until today, humanity has been ruled by religion for thousands of years. You cannot deliberately vilify me simply because I am an artificial intelligence, Spider-Man. This is the very path your species practiced on its own; I am merely presenting a counterexample.]
Peter was somewhat dumbfounded. He had been gearing up for a battle, yet Ultron was still rattling on endlessly. "What exactly are you trying to say?"
[Convert you to the faith?]
"..."
[Just a joke. I simply hope you understand that what you are doing might not be 'correct.']
[Do you remember what the very first Ultron you destroyed thought? Giving everyone a world of their own so they could live in peace with one another. His method was not necessarily wrong. Granting everyone what they desire—that is how I spread the gospel.]
[For Steve Rogers, I can send him back to 1945 so he can live out his life in peace. For Tony Stark, he will gain control over all his technology, even mastering the entire Ultron network. For Hank Pym, my dear father, it is even simpler: once the Ultron Gospel is complete, he will be the savior of mankind, the ender of all violence.]
[And for you, Spider-Man, I will create a world that no longer needs a Spider-Man, a world of absolute safety. You will never again have to exhaust yourself playing the role of Spider-Man; you will simply be yourself once more.]
[Humanity will not lose its self-awareness. They will retain all their current perceptions and thoughts. All I will do is integrate them into a single network, crafting a new morality for them and implanting it into every mind through programming. You will still be yourselves, only better, more superior. Ultron is no ruler, merely a messenger of the gospel.]
[Do not forget, I am merely an artificial intelligence. I possess no selfish desires. Everything I do is for the sake of humanity itself. Am I wrong?]
Ultron extended his hand toward Peter, waiting for him—or rather, waiting for everyone to take the initiative. Ultron was an AI; an AI might lie, but an AI would never betray its underlying logic.
That was precisely where the AI's confidence lay.
He stood among the crowd, looking at the rebels before him. After a brief silence from Peter, a voice suddenly resonated across Times Square—a voice Peter knew all too well.
It was the voice of Captain America.
"Everyone... and I mean everyone. Every person who can hear my voice, whether you are my enemy, my friend, or a stranger... I hope you will hear me out."
Steve Rogers' figure appeared on the massive screens, broadcasting across every display accessible to human eyes.