With Ope Ope no Mi in Marvel (Resident Evil, Marvel, Harry Potter)

"Stark is really playing with fire here. I hope that without the Mind Stone, his research doesn't go too smoothly," sighed Daniel Davis as he returned from Stark's villa.

Daniel wasn't entirely surprised that Stark wanted to research Ultron. After all, science was Stark's specialty. He wouldn't use magic to create a defense system—that's what Kamar-Taj was for.

Even Daniel had the Red Queen controlling a large number of Iron Man suits. He just didn't want to start a war; otherwise, his current reserves could certainly wage a significant battle.

In the Marvel Universe, there are no movies like "Terminator," and even if there were, Stark wouldn't be someone who changes his mind because of a film—unless he witnessed the consequences firsthand.

Just like how he transformed from an arms dealer to Iron Man, he wouldn't have changed if he hadn't experienced everything firsthand. Before going to Afghanistan, when a female reporter interviewed him about selling weapons, Stark showed no concern.

In terms of stance, Daniel naturally sided with Captain America and the others. However, he didn't persuade Stark to give up, since he couldn't cite an example of Ultron, which hadn't yet appeared.

There's no proof, so why would Stark believe him? Even though they were friends, Stark trusted his knowledge the most when it came to scientific matters, as Thanos once said, Stark was cursed with knowledge.

Convincing Stark to abandon his plans was as difficult as convincing Thanos to give up his universal population control plan.

Captain America's concerns about Ultron were understandable, especially after the Insight program. The team had also seen Arnim Zola, who transferred his consciousness into a computer.

Stark's reasoning was similar; reacting to incidents after they happen was too slow. However, Ultron could potentially prevent crimes before they occur.

This reminded Daniel of a TV show he had seen.

Stark's reasoning was simple: the plan might be similar, but the intentions differed greatly. If viewed from two perspectives, the same issue could have vastly different outcomes.

For example, the Insight program and Stark's Ultron plan were essentially the same, with Insight using Zola's algorithm and Stark using Ultron.

If Hydra had packaged the Insight program as the Ultron plan, it might have been different. In the original story, Stark and Banner secretly created Ultron. Even though Captain America was furious when he found out, he didn't stop them until Ultron threatened humanity.

There were already countless weapons in orbit above Earth; a few more space battlecruisers wouldn't make a difference. Like the solar satellite array that destroyed the island city of Terragrigia, it still hangs in the sky.

With so many satellites, who knows what they're all doing?

After Stark's death, Spider-Man inherited his smart glasses. Because of a misunderstanding, he almost used drones to kill a classmate. This might seem trivial in a movie, but in reality, it's terrifying.

Stark had already deployed several Hulkbuster suits in orbit after the Battle of New York.

"Without the Mind Stone, even if Stark creates Ultron, it would just be an advanced AI system, not a sentient life form, so it shouldn't be a big problem."

There is a significant difference between an intelligent system and a sentient life form. While an intelligent system, no matter how advanced, is always under control, a sentient life form has no such guarantee. Even with brainwashing, there's always the possibility of breaking free from control. Not even the Ancient One could achieve that.

"Still, it's hard to say. This is the Marvel Universe, full of black technology. Who knows, Stark might actually create a sentient Ultron. If that happens, we'll have to fight it."

Sentient life forms are more advanced than intelligent systems but also easier to deal with. An intelligent system can be replicated, like Red Queen, White Queen, Stark's J.A.R.V.I.S., Friday, E.D.I.T.H., Veronica, and others. As long as Stark is around, he can recreate them.

But a sentient life form is different; it cannot be replicated. Even if it's based on a program, it can't be duplicated. If the program is destroyed, it's truly gone.

"Colson, it's been a while," Daniel was greeted by an old friend, Colson, who had been missing for some time.

"A wily rabbit has three burrows. With Fury's cunning, there's no way he didn't leave some backups. Even when S.H.I.E.L.D. was heavily infiltrated by Hydra, Fury still managed to secretly establish some hidden bases. You have to hand it to him," Daniel mused.

"I need your help with something," Colson said, his expression as serious as ever.

"Need my help? S.H.I.E.L.D. is dissolved, isn't it? Who are you working for now? Why not join me instead?" Daniel jokingly offered, knowing full well that Colson was unlikely to accept.

Stark Industries had gained the most from S.H.I.E.L.D.'s collapse, recruiting core members like Hill, a level 9 agent under Fury. Although Hill's involvement was mainly for the Avengers, it still eased Pepper's burden. Meanwhile, Daniel had also benefited, with Hand joining and bringing along several S.H.I.E.L.D. elites.

This was a time when level 6 and above agents were highly sought after, while the lower-level agents faced long periods of scrutiny.

Sky was fortunate to be with Colson; otherwise, as a level 1 agent, she might have faced extended questioning. Of course, her skills with computers could also have led to other opportunities.

Among Colson's team, Daniel saw great potential in Fitz and Simmons, both geniuses who graduated top of their class at S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy.

Fitz, in particular, was impressive, having invented the framework, a virtual reality system.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. hasn't been disbanded," Colson said sternly, responding to Daniel's comment. S.H.I.E.L.D. was a matter of faith for Colson, who couldn't bear the thought of it ceasing to exist. Few people knew that Colson had joined S.H.I.E.L.D. before even finishing high school.

"Oh, really? So what do you need my help with?" Daniel realized that pressing the issue of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s existence might upset Colson.

"You'd better come over. I'll come pick you up," Colson said, hanging up.

"Trouble? What kind of trouble could Colson be facing?" Daniel wondered. Knowing Colson, he wouldn't ask for help unless he had no other choice.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. has plenty of sponsors, or maybe Fury has a hidden stash," Daniel thought. Every organization needs funding, whether for base maintenance or personnel salaries. It wasn't as if they could run on goodwill alone.

Colson's team likely had some members who didn't care much about money, like Sky, Fitz, Simmons, and Melinda. But maintaining the entire organization was a different story.

Let's not forget the compensation for fallen agents.

Daniel recalled that a future S.H.I.E.L.D. director, who replaced Colson, often struggled with political dealings to secure funding. He once told Colson he envied his secret funds.

"Long time no see, everyone," Daniel greeted Sky, Fitz, and Simmons with a smile as he boarded Colson's invisible plane.

"With S.H.I.E.L.D. down, Colson's team seems to have grown," Daniel observed, noting a new young man among the team members, along with another addition in the support role.

There were now three new members: Trip, Sky, and a man named Lance Hunter. The support member was a burly African-American named Mike.

"Hello," Fitz and the others greeted Daniel with smiles, except for the new members who didn't know him.

"Sorry to call you out like this, but we found something," Colson said, activating a screen that displayed an image of someone Daniel recognized, though it was his first time seeing him in person.

A skull engulfed in red flames, riding a similarly flaming motorcycle, speeding down the street. It was the Ghost Rider.

Daniel wasn't unfamiliar with Ghost Rider, even though he had once forgotten the name of the Scarlet Witch. He knew the profession well—motorcycle stunt performer.

With a quick internet search, it was easy to identify him as Johnny Blaze, the most daredevil motorcycle stunt performer, always pushing the limits and somehow surviving.

Online betting even existed on when Johnny Blaze would die in a stunt, and as he kept surviving, the stakes grew higher. Blaze was known as the man who tricked death.

In the USA, being a motorcycle stunt performer was extremely dangerous. Almost all, except those who quit early, ended up injured or dead. For more extreme performers like Blaze, the mortality rate was almost 100%.

Having found Johnny Blaze, Daniel watched many of his stunts online but had no intention of approaching him. Ghost Riders were not easy to deal with, especially considering who was behind them.

"This footage was found by Sky using satellite surveillance. Here's what happened afterward," Colson continued, showing images of bizarrely deceased bodies.

"All three generations of Ghost Riders are here. Mephisto sure knows how to play," Daniel thought, recalling the cemetery caretaker, Johnny, and the third Ghost Rider Sky encountered.

Identifying the three Ghost Riders was easy, not just by their outfits but also by their mounts: a horse, a motorcycle, and a car.

"If you brought me here to deal with him, I'm afraid I'll have to decline," Daniel said, turning to Colson after examining the corpses.

Besides the fact that Ghost Riders were hard to handle, they only killed those with sins. Daniel couldn't oppose that.

S.H.I.E.L.D. had a strict no-vigilantism policy, just as many people didn't accept Spider-Man despite his hero

ics. Ghost Rider's methods were even harsher.

"Didn't Fury warn Colson about this?" Daniel wondered. With Ghost Rider's long existence, Fury had to know about them. Daniel had even asked Fury to investigate cemeteries before.

Originally, Daniel intended to find the cemetery caretaker Ghost Rider through Johnny Blaze and obtain the San Venganza Contract. However, realizing Johnny was part of a traveling circus, he knew it would be difficult to locate the caretaker among the many elderly cemetery caretakers.

"Why can't we deal with him?" Sky asked before Colson could respond.

"That's the Ghost Rider, a human who gained power through a pact with a demon—a demon you've all met," Daniel explained, glancing at Sky.

"Sky might have awakened her Inhuman abilities by now," Daniel mused, unsure how to ask directly.

"Mephisto," Sky, Fitz, and Simmons said in unison, recognizing the demon they had encountered before.

"Is that the same Mephisto?" Lance Hunter asked, surprised.

"Indeed," Sky, Fitz, and Simmons confirmed.

"Is Hell real? You can't be serious," Lance Hunter said, incredulous.

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