Deep within the base, the main conference room.
Several surveillance screens before Natasha and Hawkeye flickered after the shockwave. Some feeds had turned to static, but the remaining footage was already horrifying enough: ruins, injured teammates sprawled on the ground, Wanda in a bizarre and terrifying form, and Hulk and several personnel clearly beginning to lose control again.
Friday's alarm sounded throughout the conference room. "Warning. Energy readings in the quarantine zone have exceeded the threshold... Psychic contamination index rising sharply... Multiple personnel displaying abnormal vital signs..."
Natasha's face was pale, but her gaze remained sharp.
She swiftly glanced at the screens, then immediately turned to Elysia and the other two.
She saw Erda staring at the screens with furrowed brows, while Iglanias wore an expression that said, "Just as expected," even shaking her head with a trace of mockery.
"That... creature," Erda began, her voice carrying the puzzled curiosity of a researcher, "her life form and energy structure are undergoing violent mutation... There is a high-intensity alien energy source at her core, eroding and replacing her self-awareness. That thing... seems somewhat like those Warp entities, but even more twisted. At this rate of erosion, her individual will shall soon be completely devoured."
Elysia nodded lightly, confirming Erda's observation. "Mm, she has been 'possessed.' And not by an ordinary Abyss servant."
Her tone was calm, as though she were merely stating a fact, yet it made Natasha's heart sink to the bottom.
Natasha abruptly turned around. She was no longer wearing her earlier guarded posture. Facing Elysia, her eyes were filled with resolve and pleading. "Miss Elysia! You... you can solve this, can't you? Please help us!..."
Hawkeye lowered his bow as well. Though he said nothing, his tightly pressed lips and the look he gave Elysia conveyed the same