"Of course, it's impossible to just kill them."
Anton, now Batman, had a headache. This was exactly the issue he worried about the most.
Ultron himself wasn't an especially difficult opponent to destroy—it was everything that came after that posed the real problem.
Just like these Ultron chip-inoculated individuals spread across Washington and other regions...
The scariest part? These people weren't just regular hosts—they had all been enhanced with the Extremis Virus, granting them physical capabilities that put them at half-superhuman levels.
From another angle, this could be considered the most powerful army in the world.
"That's a special forces plane..."
The turtles not only recognized the aircraft by its markings but also identified some of the personnel aboard.
As one of the most well-known forces in the U.S., the special forces had previously cooperated with their New York Police Department task force. Thanks to their past collaborations, the turtles were no strangers to them.
"Even the special forces were taken down?!"
Michelangelo was stunned. The other three turtles exchanged glances, all wearing different versions of the same shocked expression.
Batman was silent for a moment, then a thought occurred to him.
"There's a way!"
He turned to the little spider and the others. "Hold these people off. Someone's coming to help soon."
"Find someone to help?"
"Who are you looking for?"
The Justice League members looked at each other, confused. Before anyone could say more, Shazam suddenly activated his teleportation bracelet. After confirming the coordinates, he was enveloped in purple light and vanished from view.
"Who's he going to find?"
"No idea. Another superhero the Justice League has kept hidden? Who could it be?"
Speculations buzzed through the group. But oddly enough, their earlier anxiety eased significantly.
After all, if Batman says there's a way—then there is a way.
The heavy weight pressing on everyone's hearts began to lift.
That's the kind of presence Batman commanded—his words alone could steady a battlefield.
At that moment...
Governments and organizations monitoring the scene through various channels couldn't hear the private conversations between Justice League members—but they could all sense the growing tension.
"How do we even fight this?"
The same questions that plagued Spider-Man and others were now surfacing in the minds of these observers.
Could they really not kill them?
Everyone understood how devastating the consequences could be if any of these enhanced individuals were killed.
"Wait, Shazam is gone..."
"He teleported. Where is he going?"
People watching noticed the change in the Justice League's composition and exchanged uneasy glances. Still, the League's confident demeanor suggested they had some kind of strategy for dealing with the crisis.
While curiosity spread about Shazam's destination, he hadn't left New York at all. Through teleportation, he arrived quickly at Hatton Blick Street in Manhattan.
Specifically, at House No. 177A—his destination.
This was Kamar-Taj. The New York Sanctum.
"Shazam."
The moment he appeared, Daniel Drumm was immediately alerted.
"If you're not here to deal with magical threats, then why come to me?"
Daniel, the guardian of the New York Sanctum and master of the arcane arts, looked at the superhero before him with curiosity.
In front of Daniel, a floating magical projection displayed a scene—likely the current state of affairs in New York.
It was in the New York suburbs where Batman and the others were located, facing off against the extremely dangerous inoculators now under Ultron's control.
"I'm here for help, Master Drum."
Shazam glanced at the projected image in front of Daniel. He hadn't expected the guy to be casually watching a live feed. Still, he gave the guardian of the New York Sanctum his due respect and said seriously:
"Right now, only you can help us."
"Oh?"
Daniel raised an eyebrow. "How exactly can I help you? It doesn't seem like defeating those enemies is beyond your capabilities. Even with my involvement, I doubt I could do much more than you."
"No," Shazam shook his head. "With your help, we can end this war without any casualties."
"War?"
Daniel was visibly surprised.
"Yes," Shazam confirmed. "A war between humanity and artificial intelligence."
Daniel went quiet, absorbing the weight of those words. Then he asked:
"What do you want me to do?"
"It's simple."
Shazam pointed to the projected scene and said, "You just need to trap them all in the Mirror Dimension. Once we do that, we'll have time to figure out how to sever Ultron's control over them."
"Sounds simple enough," Daniel replied with a wry smile.
For a sorcerer like him, opening the Mirror Dimension was relatively easy—but transporting tens of thousands of people into it? That was another matter entirely.
"I'll try."
Still, Daniel didn't refuse.
As the guardian of the New York Sanctum, his mission aligned with the Justice League's: to defend Earth and protect humanity.
No matter how difficult the task, he couldn't allow himself to stand aside.
Meanwhile, in the suburbs...
"Guys, they're getting closer..."
Spider-Man's voice trembled slightly. Shazam had only been gone a few minutes, but it felt like years.
"Don't worry. Everything's under control," Batman said calmly.
At that moment, a group of heroes stood on higher ground, watching the military transport planes approaching. The gusts of wind and powerful airflow from the engines slammed into them like a hurricane.
The sense of relief they'd felt earlier was quickly being replaced by renewed tension.
But it wasn't just them feeling the pressure.
Back in Washington, the situation was being livestreamed via a drone operated by New York authorities.
Even though the politicians were far away, hidden behind the safety of their walls, they had a real-time view of every blade of grass in those New York suburbs—and especially the incoming aircraft.
"What do we do?"
"How is the Justice League going to deal with this?"
The President was drenched in sweat.
His nerves were fraying, and his panic was visible on his face.
After all, he had played a major role in this crisis—though not in a good way.
Regardless of how things turned out, he'd have to shoulder the responsibility.
But if Batman and the others could subdue these Ultron-controlled vaccinators without any bloodshed...
Then there might still be hope—however slim.
It was his last chance to salvage something.
"Look! Someone's coming!"
"What is that?"
"A new type of teleportation?"
Gasps erupted as the image changed again.
The military transport planes hovered low over the forest.
Their wind pressure blasted through the area, making it hard to stand straight.
Spider-Man and the others could now clearly see the hatches opening. Soldiers with thick armor and blank stares began appearing one after another.
Then—at the critical moment—
A glowing portal, shimmering like golden sparks, suddenly appeared in midair in front of them.
On the other side of the portal was a completely different landscape.
Shazam stepped through, accompanied by a man in unfamiliar robes, both emerging into the mountain forest from the space beyond the portal.
"He's our backup?"
Everyone in the Justice League was momentarily stunned.
Then—
They witnessed something incredible.
The robed man floated into the air, effortlessly stepping onto the void itself. Suspended high above the ground, he faced the incoming transport planes.
With a calm expression, he raised his staff—and with a single sweeping motion—
Boom!
In an instant, all the enemies in front of him—including the massive transport planes—vanished without a trace.
…
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