General Ross thought his plan was solid.
His face carried the certainty of victory.
So what if it was the so-called Thunder God armor?
No matter how strong its defenses were, could they really withstand artillery fire?
Firepower was justice.
And he was justice.
Under his expectant gaze, smoke and flames swallowed the battlefield.
Every weapon at the Hulkbuster Base, built specifically to counter the Hulk, opened fire at once.
The entire mechanical army disappeared beneath the storm of shells.
Confidence was written across every soldier's face.
Some of them even lowered their weapons.
The battle was already over, wasn't it? Why keep holding a gun?
Then, in the very next second, a rhythmic sound of footsteps echoed from within the smoke.
"General, radar is still detecting a large number of moving targets!"
The report came with barely concealed panic.
General Ross frowned and turned toward the radar screen.
One look made his heart sink.
The display was still packed with blips, and more were entering the detection range from outside.
One robot after another burst out of the smoke.
The bombardment had indeed destroyed many of them.
But only many.
Even more machines continued to advance without pause.
Nolan had been preparing for this war for months.
On top of that, the earlier blockade imposed by the White House had left behind a massive number of unused machines.
The number of robots now under his control far exceeded anyone's imagination.
And that was not all.
The Thunder God armors finally began to show their true power.
Under Nolan's remote control, they surged forward at terrifying speed.
The earlier barrage had damaged a few of them.
But none had lost combat capability.
Most importantly, he still had plenty of Thunder God armors that were completely intact.
Suddenly, one Thunder God unit charged out from the mechanical tide, accelerating straight toward the base.
"Focus fire! Take that robot down!"
Before the order could even be carried out, more Thunder God units appeared.
"Which one do we hit?"
The messenger froze.
The machines rushing forward were too fast. If they did not concentrate their fire, the defensive line would be breached.
But if they focused on one target, what about the others?
That moment of hesitation was enough.
The leading Thunder God armor ignited its rear thrusters and slammed directly into the base.
When it landed, the nearby soldiers froze for a split second before reacting.
"Attack! Open fire!"
They shouted as they unloaded their weapons.
The shots did nothing.
Within seconds, bodies littered the ground.
Then the second Thunder God unit broke through.
This was no battle.
It was a massacre.
Some soldiers tried to flee in terror, but running meant nothing in the face of such machines.
Once the first defensive line collapsed, the entire base was drowned by a mechanical flood.
Robots of every model poured into the interior.
No mercy. No ceasefire.
This was war, not a game.
From the moment Nolan came here, he had already staked everything.
Until victory was certain, he would not hold back.
Watching the base fall, General Ross's pupils shrank violently.
"Damn it!"
He cursed aloud.
"Activate the emergency protocol!"
With that, he turned and headed out.
The base was breached. His position was now extremely dangerous.
Alarms had already been sent to the White House and to other military bases.
Even now, General Ross did not believe he had lost.
His fighting spirit burned fiercely.
Nolan Locke had started a war. No one could save him.
He was finished.
Sooner or later, the military would strike back.
This era was not one where a single company could act without consequence.
As he retreated toward the exit, soldiers rushed past him in droves. Guards stayed close at his side while armed helicopters prepared for takeoff.
Troops began boarding rapidly.
The so-called emergency protocol existed for moments like this.
It had only three parts.
First, notify all bases.
Second, evacuate all Hulkbuster personnel.
Third…
From deep underground, the symbol of humanity's ultimate destructive power began to rise.
A nuclear warhead.
In ten minutes, everything here would be reduced to ash.
Standing before the helicopter, General Ross took one last look at the base.
He had poured countless efforts into it.
But he would never allow it to fall into enemy hands.
If Nolan Locke dared to invade it, then he would bury him along with it.
A smile crept onto his lips.
Then
Boom.
A heavy impact shook the ground.
General Ross's eyes narrowed.
"The Thunder God."
He gritted his teeth.
How could Nolan Locke move this fast?
Two more Thunder God units appeared, surrounding him.
A chill ran through his chest.
He had witnessed their power before. He knew there was no escape now.
"Where is Nolan Locke!"
General Ross shoved aside the soldiers blocking him and roared in fury.
He did not believe Nolan would be here, but he needed to draw him out.
Because the moment Nolan appeared, he would die.
He would drag him down together.
The next second, one Thunder God unit's faceplate slid open, revealing Nolan's face.
"Nolan Locke? How are you here!"
Shock filled General Ross's expression.
He could not believe Nolan was in the first wave of the assault.
Was he not afraid of death?
The initial barrage might have failed, but he was certain later attacks had severely damaged several Thunder God units.
Nolan's expression remained calm.
"General Ross, I regret that we meet under these circumstances.
Once, I thought we could have been decent partners. You are a general, I am a businessman.
But you crossed a line no soldier should cross.
You forced me into starting this war."
"Damn you, Nolan Locke!"
General Ross's eyes burned red.
"You are the greatest threat this country has ever faced!"
He roared.
"You possess such terrifying power and yet refuse to hand it over to the government. Now you finally show your true face.
It's a shame I couldn't kill you, but you cannot escape. You are finished."
There was even a hint of satisfaction on his face.
"That's your justification?"
Nolan shook his head.
"A war fanatic's logic."
He had never sold the Thunder God armor.
But he had already opened access to the NS-5 series and even the Terminator units for military purchase.
In his view, that was cooperation.
He had no obligation to surrender his final trump card.
Unfortunately, that was never enough for a man obsessed with war.
After the White House saw the overwhelming power he displayed against Abomination, Ross convinced them.
Absurd.
Ross glanced at Nolan calmly, then checked the time and suddenly laughed.
"One minute. In one minute, this base will be erased by a nuclear blast. You are dead."
Nolan's lips curved slightly.
He said nothing, simply waiting with him as time ticked by.
Seeing Nolan's composure, unease crept into Ross's heart.
He was too calm.
Did he not believe it?
Just then, the Red Queen's three-dimensional hologram appeared abruptly before them.
"Sir, the nuclear device has been neutralized."
Nolan looked at Ross.
"Now…"
"What other tricks do you have left?"
Neutralized?
General Ross stared blankly.
How could it be so fast?
That was a nuclear weapon.
How could Nolan even know it existed, let alone disable it?
In moments, Ross completely broke down.
Nolan's actions shattered everything he believed.
Nolan had anticipated every one of his preparations.
He was now the most powerful artificial intelligence in the world.
With the Red Queen assisting him, the Hulkbuster Base's information network was effectively unguarded.
He could not directly control a nuclear weapon through the network.
But records about it existed.
To counter it, he had specifically purchased nuclear material detectors through the system.
After that, everything followed naturally.
Even without the Red Queen's ability to interact with the warhead, Nolan himself could move freely through networks.
With preparation, a nuclear bomb was not enough to kill him.
Now, the only thing troubling him was what to do with General Ross.
Part of him wanted to simply kill this man who had caused him so much trouble.
But what then?
Killing Ross was easy.
Yet Ross was a powerful, high-ranking general. If he died, Nolan would face fierce resistance afterward.
Even the conservative allies who once supported him might be provoked.
It was unnecessary.
Nolan glanced at Ross.
After today, this general would inevitably be removed from power, possibly imprisoned for life under various charges.
No one wanted him alive.
Compared to killing a man who no longer posed a threat, Nolan had more important targets ahead.
Ignoring Ross, who now looked deranged, Nolan turned to the terrified soldiers nearby.
Smiling, he said, "Everyone, the war is over."
"D… demon…"
They all thought it silently.
This man had just slaughtered an entire base, thousands dead by his command.
And yet he could still smile.
No one dared to speak.
They exchanged glances, then obediently laid down their weapons.
If they could live, no one wanted to die.
Seeing this, Nolan finally laughed.
"Well then, I suppose no one will stop me from making money anymore."
Behind him, smoke filled the sky as fires still burned throughout the base.
The sun was setting.
Its light stretched Nolan's shadow long and vast, until it looked enormous, almost monstrous.
Elsewhere.
The news spread.
Bases everywhere went on high alert.
The Hulkbuster Base had been attacked, and an emergency protocol activated?
Which country could have done this?
Impossible.
The base was deep inland, bordering no hostile nation.
Could it have been a supernatural incident?
That was plausible.
After all, the Hulkbuster Base existed to handle such threats.
But that was the Hulkbuster Base.
"Activate Protocol 37!"
"Activate Protocol 48!"
One base after another responded.
Especially those closest to the Hulkbuster Base.
Troops began mobilizing en masse, heading toward the site.
Inside the White House.
An unprecedented emergency meeting was underway.
Conservatives and hardliners were shouting over each other.
"Mr. President, if we allow actions like this that violate basic rights, can anyone guarantee freedom will not be violated again?"
"This is a special case! Everyone knows how dangerous Nolan Locke is!"
"Even so, according to our findings, everything Nolan Locke has done has remained within the law.
If this provokes retaliation from Locke Technology, who will bear that responsibility?"
"He is just one man. He has no ability to rebel.
Protecting rights is important, but what we are doing now is also protecting them!"
The debate raged on.
Only the conservatives knew the truth.
Nolan Locke had already taken action.
When the Hulkbuster Base was invaded, the hardliners were stunned.
"How dare he!"
"That damn Nolan Locke must be punished!"
On the other side, the conservatives suddenly grew firm.
"Mr. President, because of your decision, the nation is now facing an uprising."
The president spoke for the first time, sweat forming on his forehead.
An uprising meant his presidency was almost certainly over.
After restoring order, he would likely be forced to resign.
But how could Nolan Locke dare to do this?
No one had imagined it.
Before acting against Nolan, everyone believed he had no room to resist.
Now, Nolan was proving them wrong.
Locke Technology possessed the power to fight back.
And the courage to do so.
The president cursed Nolan repeatedly in his heart, but it changed nothing.
"This is only an accident," he said, forcing calm into his voice. "General Ross will resolve it soon."
It was the only way to minimize his own responsibility.
Then the second report arrived.
The Hulkbuster Base had fallen.
The general he trusted most had not even withstood a single charge from the mechanical army.
The president's face went deathly pale.
This should not have happened.
That was one of the most advanced military bases in existence.
How could it be defeated by a private force?
The conservatives smiled inwardly.
"Mr. President, you should resign.
The technology held by Locke Technology is a tremendous strategic advantage for us.
It could secure our global standing.
Yet because of your actions, the nation has been dragged into chaos.
You are the one who bears responsibility."