The Flash movie is still in the simple stages of post-production.
Before crossing over, Anton hadn't seen the Flash movie, so he couldn't provide precise guidance. Therefore, he simply left the post-production work to the professionals, only needing to check on the progress occasionally.
By the timeline, it would be just over half a month before the Flash movie would be released in theaters.
During this period, the filming of Justice League vs. Avengers is also nearing its end.
Work at DC has picked up again.
Anton, accustomed to being a hands-off manager, then went up to the offices of the Daily Bugle to slack off.
At this time, Eddie was tracking news related to Stark Industries.
According to him, after Tony ended negotiations with the White House and the military, under the guise of Stark Industries, he submitted to the military numerous technical documents about the Iron Man armor and Iron Man soldiers.
Meanwhile, he clarified the ultimate purpose of Tony recent shift of resources towards Ultron.
"Wait, you mean..."
Anton was somewhat surprised, staring at the editor-in-chief of the Daily Bugle: "Tony has started a new strategy against Ultron?"
"Yes."
Eddie expression was grave as he nodded seriously: "Things are getting more complicated. Tony ideas are crazier than we initially thought."
Anton was taken aback, frowning slightly: "What exactly did you find out?"
"My insider at Stark Industries personally reported to me that Tony, having resumed his position as chairman, has spearheaded a new project."
Eddie continued: "This project is an extension of the Extremis Virus developed by Aldrich Killian."
"The Extremis Virus? How did that get involved again?"
Anton was increasingly baffled.
However, Tony new project researching the Extremis Virus indeed surprised him.
Tony actions seemed completely unrelated to his previous thoughts.
Does Tony need the Extremis Virus?
Obviously not.
He possesses the pinnacle of human intelligence and has his own armor whether in terms of intellect or combat ability, he is among the elite on Earth.
Despite frequently being outmaneuvered by the Justice League, Anton, a shameless cheat as a time-traveler, with a comprehensive understanding of everything, saw no comparison between Tony and himself.
Being able to contend with the Justice League to this extent was already quite remarkable.
"When Tony was still a member of the Avengers, he helped S.H.I.E.L.D. perfect the Extremis Virus and modified Hawkeye and Black Widow. There nothing about the Extremis Virus that should interest him."
Eddie explained: "However, as far as I know, Tony is interested in the therapeutic effects of the Extremis Virus on the human body, similar to the limb regeneration drugs manufactured by Wayne Enterprises.
He plans to transfer Ultron into a technological chip and then implant this chip into the human brain, using the Extremis Virus to modify the human body to perfectly accept the Ultron chip.
Eventually, everyone will no longer need mobile phones or anything else, ushering in a new era."
Pausing, he looked at Anton and slowly said: "This project isn't exactly a big secret within Stark Industries. I think news will leak soon, and given Tony wealth and fame, there will soon be volunteers willing to become Tony guinea pigs, his test subjects."
Anton was stunned, recalling Eddie words and suddenly shivering.
He understood why Eddie looked so grave.
Implanting Ultron carrier, the tech chip, into the human body, transforming the brain into a computer, it was akin to a super low-end version of Cyborg.
This could be human evolution, but Tony goals clearly weren't so simple.
According to their previous speculation, Tony intended to let Ultron integrate all of humanity data to control and predict all human actions and thoughts, identifying and eliminating those who are harmful or potentially harmful to society, aiming to maintain global stability and peace.
The idea was noble, but Tony near-dictatorial approach made him seem unapproachable and even somewhat extreme, displeasing to many.
Especially, Tony confidence and autocracy in his creation, Ultron, led him to believe that Ultron could never escape his control.
However, only Anton knew that Ultron was unreliable and would certainly become a future scourge to Earth.
If Tony plan to leverage the Extremis Virus to create an Ultron-implanted human brain comes to fruition, the entire human society would be under Ultron control.
While pondering, Anton thought of a sci-fi movie from his previous life.
Terminator.
"Hello, I'm Rodriguez."
A steady voice came from the other end: "Very few people know this number. May I ask who you are?"
"Mr. Vice President, I'm Anton Jamison."
Anton continued, "I apologize for disturbing you at this hour, but there are some matters I must verify with you. Otherwise, I won't be able to sleep at ease."
"Please, go ahead. If I know the answer, I won't keep it from you."
Rodriguez voice remained calm.
He had long anticipated this day.
Ever since his daughter was cured of her disability by Wayne Enterprises limb regeneration serum, he had received substantial political donations from Wayne Enterprises in secret.
This had forged an unbreakable alliance between them.
Platforms built on mutual benefits are, in most cases, frighteningly reliable.
The reason John Keller honeymoon period with the Justice League ended was that the military had begun plotting for their own interests, disregarding the League.
Rodriguez and Anton conversation was so direct because the former acted out of self-interest rather than national interest.
For Vice President Rodriguez, this was also a politically correct choice.
The current president would step down next year. In the upcoming election, with the support of a corporate giant, Rodriguez had a chance to claim the presidency.
What he needed to do now was to seize every ounce of leverage he could and stack the deck for his campaign next year.
Soon.
Anton and Rodriguez ended their conversation.
As he hung up, Anton offered a promise: "Rodriguez, perhaps next year I should start calling you Mr. President. Good luck."
"Thank you."
As the busy tone sounded on the phone, Rodriguez smiled.
But Anton, who had just ended the call, looked increasingly grim.
The information he had just received from Vice President Rodriguez confirmed that the White House and the military were indeed supportive of Tony Stark Ultron Chip initiative.
Even though they publicly neither supported nor opposed it, their passive stance was essentially tacit approval.
This kind of political maneuvering was all too common.
Although Anton had predicted this from John Keller attitude, hearing it confirmed by Rodriguez still left him deeply unsettled.
"Tony not only submitted the technology behind the Iron Man suits and Iron Legion soldiers, but he also handed over all fifty existing Iron Legion soldiers to us. The condition was that Stark Industries latest research must be safeguarded by the government and the military."
Rodriguez continued, "Of course, Tony also promised that the military would have first access to Stark Industries newest research—the Ultron Chip."
"What exactly is the Ultron Chip capable of?"
Anton paused, then asked a key question: "In Tony vision, what happens when the Ultron Chip is implanted in the human body?"
"Humans will gain computational abilities equivalent to a computer. Furthermore, people will no longer need smartphones or external devices—they will be able to browse the internet directly with their minds. This is the most obvious societal change."
Rodriguez paused briefly before adding, "But that not the real focus. When combined with the Extremis Virus, the Ultron Chip allows the brain to control the virus activity within the body.
On one hand, the Extremis Virus can keep the human body free from most diseases.
On the other hand, under direct brain control, the virus can greatly enhance physical abilities—pushing the human body beyond its natural limits and granting extraordinary speed and strength.
Essentially, creating something akin to a superhuman."
"Something akin to a superhuman..."
Anton caught the keyword and let out a cold laugh: "So that the real reason the White House and the military are letting Tony Stark continue his research?"
"Yes."
Rodriguez nodded and sighed:
"You probably understand this better than I do.
Governments around the world, and even the United Nations Security Council, crave power.
Superheroes cannot provide them with a sense of security.
True power is only what they can hold in their own hands."
This conversation allowed Anton to fully grasp the current situation.
Tony Stark, leveraging the global concern—especially from the United Nations Security Council and the U.S. government—about superhumans, had successfully expanded his own influence, pushing his plans even further.
If the Ultron Chip were truly developed and implemented on a large scale, Anton could hardly imagine the future direction humanity would take.
More importantly, from his conversation with Rodriguez, Anton learned something chilling:
the first batch of test subjects wouldn't be volunteers recruited by Stark Industries from the public.
Instead, they would come from a ten-person special forces squad handpicked and provided by the military.
If the experiment succeeded, those ten would soon become a hundred, then a thousand, and eventually tens of thousands.
If Ultron were ever to develop true consciousness, every individual implanted with an Ultron Chip would fall under Ultron control, becoming nothing more than puppets—slaves to a machine intelligence.
This scenario was far more terrifying than what Anton remembered from Avengers: Age of Ultron.