In the dim subway tunnel, peeling patches of wall plaster exposed old bricks, giving off a heavy mildew stench. Like an invisible hand wrapped in the smell of rust, it rushed straight into Lin Xiu's nostrils.
His nano combat boots crushed the third loose rail hard, producing a crisp clang.
The Oracle System projected a pale-green route map across his retina. The coordinate lay thirty meters ahead—the abandoned maintenance bay on the C-7 branch line.
In the faint light, a weak ball of blue radiance could be seen pulsing like breath. It flickered in the darkness, like a mysterious eye within the night.
"Energy fluctuation frequency: 0.32 Hz. It matches a secondary Tesseract fragment." He lowered his voice as the nano communicator at his throat synchronized the information to Dr. Novak in his earpiece.
As he spoke, he could clearly hear his own breathing echoing through the silent tunnel.
The Nanocore beneath his chestplate trembled lightly with every breath, as if answering some ancient summons.
That faint vibration passed through the chestplate to his skin, bringing an unusual sensation.
The Quantum Storm from his crossing three days ago churned in his memory. He touched the pale-blue mark on the back of his neck, left behind by the fusion of the Nanocore and his body. As he approached the target, it grew faintly hot, as though carrying the lingering warmth of the Quantum Storm.
"Watch the shielding field's coverage." The doctor's voice crackled with electrical interference, buzzing by his ear like a fly. "Chitauri scanners can detect energy leaks as low as 0.01 microteslas. Last time in Queens, it was because—"
"Understood." Lin Xiu cut her off.
He crouched and tapped his wrist armor with his fingertips. Thousands of Nanobots poured from the gaps in his armor, weaving a translucent mesh barrier around the maintenance bay.
The sound of the Nanobots writhing was like a fine, rustling hiss.
Faint violet glimmers, like crushed starlight, spread along the swarm's path and completely wrapped that speck of blue light in a cocoon.
The shimmer reflected off Lin Xiu's visor, revealing his grave expression.
Just as the Nanobots completed their final loop, the sound of metal treads grinding over the tracks came from deep within the tunnel. It drew closer like muffled drumbeats, pounding against Lin Xiu's nerves.
Lin Xiu's pupils suddenly contracted.
That sound was all too familiar—the assault vehicle of the Chitauri Ground Forces. Vibranium Alloy was embedded between every tread, producing a dull, gear-grinding rumble as it moved.
He could picture the assault vehicle's massive frame, its treads rolling over the tracks and kicking up dust.
He pressed the back of his hand against a recess in the tunnel wall. The optical camouflage on his armor's outer layer activated instantly, and he seemed to melt into the darkness.
The icy touch of the tunnel wall traveled through his palm, tightening his nerves even further.
"Doctor, cut the satellite signal." His voice was two degrees lower than usual. "We have uninvited guests."
Keyboard tapping came through the earpiece. "Seven heat signatures locked. They're infiltrating from the B1 entrance... Wait, the lead target's thermal radiation is abnormal. It's commander-class."
Red dots flashed across Lin Xiu's retina.
Seven red points formed a fan shape at the bend three hundred meters away. The one in the center was larger than the rest and approached with steady footsteps.
He could almost see the seven figures advancing through the darkness, their heavy steps accompanied by the faint clatter of their equipment.
He could hear the mechanical breathing of the Chitauri soldiers now, mixed with the hum of the assault vehicle's engine like approaching drums of death.
That mechanical breathing was like metal panting—cold and artificial.
"High-frequency scanner activated." Novak's voice suddenly tightened. "They're searching for the energy source!"
Lin Xiu's fingers tapped rapidly against his arm guard.
The environmental adaptation function of Tactical Form activated at once. The molecular structure across the Nano Armor's surface began to reorganize, its temperature falling by 2°C per second until it quickly blended with the underground's constant 15°C.
He could feel the armor's surface gradually cooling, as if a layer of frost had covered it.
At the same time, he released a small swarm of interference bugs and had them cling to the pipes along the tunnel ceiling. Three seconds later, a steady drip, drip spread through the tunnel, perfectly overlapping with the sound of real water droplets.
The dripping echoed through the silent tunnel, like the footsteps of time.
"Targeting offset by twelve meters." Novak gave a low laugh. "These tin cans actually bought it."
The cluster of red dots stopped in the middle of the tunnel.
The leading figure removed her helmet, revealing gray-blue skin with a metallic sheen—Carl Weiss, the infamous "Hunter" among the Chitauri Ground Forces. Lin Xiu had seen her photograph in S.H.I.E.L.D. files.
Carl's skin gleamed like a cold metal plate. Her eyes resembled scarlet gemstones, radiating an icy light.
She tilted her head, her crimson compound eyes sweeping across both sides of the tunnel as her fingers absently rubbed the particle gun at her waist.
The particle gun had an unusual design, its body flickering with a deep-blue glow as though it contained endless energy.
"Something's wrong." Carl suddenly spoke, her voice like rusted gears grinding together. "The water droplets... are too regular."
A chill spread across Lin Xiu's neck.
He had faced too many opponents like this—elites whose battlefield instincts were sharper than any instrument. They were often the most dangerous variables.
A flicker of tension crossed his mind, but stronger still was his anticipation for the battle to come.
The Nanocore in his chest began vibrating faster as the Oracle System calculated frantically: if he forced his way through now, his chance of victory was 37%; if he waited for the enemy to disperse, it would rise to 62%.
The Nanocore's tremors grew increasingly intense, as if reflecting his desire to fight.
"Spread out and search." Carl waved a hand. The seven soldiers split into three groups. Two remained with the assault vehicle, while five advanced toward the maintenance bay in a fan formation.
The seven Chitauri soldiers were tall, their bodies seeming like a fusion of machinery and biology. Their weapons were uniquely designed, the particle guns covered in intricate patterns with faint light glimmering at their muzzles.
When one soldier's boot crushed a piece of gravel, Lin Xiu locked onto the communicator on his shoulder guard—it was the entire squad's signal hub.
The opportunity had come.
He silently snapped his fingers.
The Nanobots hidden in the ventilation ducts poured down like black rain, slipping through the soldier's collar and into the communicator port.
The instant the Nanobots entered the communicator, a faint sizzling sound rang out.
Three seconds later, the soldier's particle gun suddenly erupted with blinding white light—Lin Xiu had remotely activated its weapon overload program.
Boom!
The blast wave sent the two nearest soldiers flying.
Firelight instantly illuminated the dark tunnel. Heat rushed toward him, scorching Lin Xiu's skin with pain.
Amid the flames, Lin Xiu shot toward the maintenance bay like an arrow released from its bow.
The instant the blade formed from Nanobots sliced open the bay door, the speck of blue light suddenly surged, like a crushed star falling into his palm.
The blue light stung his eyes, and even its glow seemed to carry a strange heat.
Ding—
The Oracle System's prompt mixed with the roar of blood in his ears.
Lin Xiu watched blue ripples spread across his chestplate as the armor's patterns reorganized. Streamlined tactical rails extended from his shoulder guards, three retractable electromagnetic spikes appeared on each arm guard, and a dynamic prediction grid filled his visor.
His heart brimmed with anticipation for this new power, though he also felt a faint concern over the stronger enemies ahead.
"[Baldur Armor: Tactical Assault Form] unlocked." The mechanical voice exploded inside his skull. He could clearly feel the Nanocore's power surging through his veins, even his breathing carrying an unstoppable rhythm.
"Catch him!" Carl's roar pierced through the smoke.
The Chitauri soldiers' particle guns turned toward him at once, dense beams weaving a fiery net through the tunnel.
The beams were so bright they were painful to look at, and their heat warped the surrounding air.
Lin Xiu bent low. The boosters of Tactical Form released pale-blue currents from his leg armor—he leaped onto a crossbeam at the tunnel ceiling, moving as lightly as a leaf swept up by the wind.
The force of the airflow made his body tremble slightly, while the rushing wind howled in his ears.
"Electromagnetic Pulse Crossbow, deploy," he growled.
Nanobots reassembled in his palm, forming a translucent crossbow with deep-blue arcs dancing across its bolt.
The crossbow glimmered faintly, like hope within the darkness.
Aim, pull, release—in one smooth motion, the bolt struck the command terminal in Carl's hand precisely. Electricity raced through its metal casing, burning the million-dollar device into scrap.
Darkness instantly swallowed the tunnel.
The emergency lights flickered out. Only the faint glow of Lin Xiu's visor and the fragment's blue light in his palm continued to pulse.
He heard Carl's breathing right beside him. She was feeling around for her pistol, but Lin Xiu knew the battle was already over.
"Doctor, location confirmed." He peeled away the final protective film from the fragment. Blue light flowed through his fingers and into the Nanocore. "Fragment absorption complete."
"Wait..." Novak's voice suddenly changed. "The Oracle System has detected a higher-density energy fluctuation!
The frequency... it matches the engine signature of an aerial carrier!"
Lin Xiu froze.
He looked toward the ventilation opening at the top of the tunnel, where something heavier than darkness itself was approaching.
He could almost feel an invisible pressure continuously pouring in through the vent.
The Nanocore's vibration frequency suddenly spiked, as if responding to a summons from high above.
"Lin Xiu, that fluctuation..." The doctor's voice was cut off by static. "They're locking onto you."
The air in the tunnel suddenly grew thin.
Lin Xiu felt his breathing quicken, his chest tightening as well.
Lin Xiu stared at the blue light gradually fading from his palm and heard his heartbeat drown out every other sound.
He knew this was only the beginning—when the aerial carrier's shadow covered Brooklyn, the true hunt would only just begin.
Before you continue