Chapter 17 - 17: Eighth Day of the Lockdown

At this moment, the world's attention was locked onto Baxter Building in New York City. With modern satellite surveillance being as advanced as it was, the unusual events unfolding within the United States naturally attracted global curiosity. "What exactly is happening in the U.S.?" "Why has such a large number of military aircraft been deployed?" "And what's with those barricades of vehicles surrounding the building?" "New York is experiencing a massive internet disruption." "What in the world is going on?" Nations across the world were bewildered. Through various intelligence channels, they managed to obtain recordings of Gene Mason's previous statements. Immediately, intelligence agencies worldwide scrambled to decipher the meaning behind those words and investigate who exactly Gene Mason was. Unfortunately, anyone in the world unlucky enough to share the name "Gene Mason" found themselves in serious trouble. People who had been peacefully minding their own business were suddenly raided and interrogated with baffling questions—only for investigators to leave disappointed upon realizing they had the wrong person. And so, because of one "Gene Mason," the world was thrown into chaos. ... Today marked the eighth day of the Baxter Building lockdown. Inside his laboratory, Reed Richards looked noticeably thinner. He was racing against time to assemble the fourth miniature Arc Reactor. The first three had already been delivered to the central server control room. "Mr. Mason, I hope you'll keep your promise." As Reed finished assembling the fourth reactor, he spoke, his voice carrying exhaustion and cautious expectation. The promise he was referring to was Gene Mason's guarantee: once seven Arc Reactors were built, he would release all the hostages safely. "Of course, Dr. Richards." The cold, synthesized voice echoed in his ear. "I always keep my word." "Surely, you've seen the measures I've taken to counter their interference." Hearing this, Reed shuddered. What kind of monster was he dealing with? This entity had silently breached the Pentagon's wartime command systems—systems designed to resist even the most advanced cyber-attacks. This meant that, if Gene Mason so desired, he could launch a missile strike on Baxter Building at any moment, obliterating over a thousand innocent lives in an instant. Reed felt a cold sweat on his back. For the sake of himself, Susan, and everyone else trapped in the building, he had no choice but to comply. Carefully placing the fourth completed reactor into the control room, he turned and rushed back to his lab, eager to start on the fifth. Only seven were needed. Once he completed them all, they would be free. No matter how exhausted he was, Reed Richards would finish them. ... Meanwhile, outside Baxter Building, Tony Stark had arrived on the scene. Wearing his signature sunglasses, he whistled as he observed the military aircraft circling like vultures above the building. "Jarvis, any analysis?" Stark asked lazily. "Sir, the adversary's methods are exceedingly advanced. Despite our servers running at full capacity, we have been unable to breach their system." Hearing this, Stark's expression darkened. These methods… They reminded him of the same person who had previously made a complete mockery of him—someone who had crashed Jarvis and hacked into all of Stark Industries' databases. "Stark, if you're not here to help, then do us all a favor and don't make things worse." Phil Coulson walked up, his expression grim. The last thing he needed right now was Tony Stark causing more problems. "Hey, I'm just a concerned citizen. Can't I stop by to check things out?" Stark smirked. Just as he was about to continue teasing Coulson, a piercing noise erupted in his earpiece. Immediately following the static was that same icy, robotic voice. "Mr. Stark, if you don't want your AI butler reduced to a pile of meaningless code, I suggest you stop your intrusion attempts." In the background of the transmission, Jarvis' voice was breaking apart, fragmented and distorted. Stark's playful smirk vanished. His eyes widened in shock. With zero effort, this person had seized control of Jarvis. How terrifyingly powerful was this entity's cyber warfare capabilities?! There was no longer any doubt—this was the same individual who had infiltrated Stark Industries. "What the hell do you want?" Stark demanded, his voice no longer carrying any of its usual cocky arrogance. "Go back to Stark Tower. Now." The call ended. Stark ripped the earpiece from his ear and smashed it to the ground, his jaw clenched in frustration. He cast one last long, hard stare at Baxter Building before storming away, heading straight back to Stark Tower. He needed to diagnose Jarvis immediately—something was very, very wrong. ... Once Stark left, the tense stalemate resumed. Coulson, his face solemn, exchanged glances with the other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. Above them, military aircraft continued their relentless patrols, their engines roaring through the sky. Coulson knew, deep down—they had already lost this battle. The only thing left was to hope that Gene Mason would keep his word. -------------- T/N: Sёarᴄh the NôvelFire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Access 30 Chapters in Advance on my P@treon: [email protected]/MPHFics