Thunder Subdues the Wolf, Shadow Core

In the freezing Siberian base laboratory, the stench of blood mingled with ozone, forming a nauseating reek. Lightning flickered, illuminating the two figures—one standing, one seated; one attacking, one defending—as well as the terrifying figure growling like a trapped beast.

"Black Wolf" Bucky's vertical pupils locked onto the suddenly appearing Lin Ye. His beastly instincts made him sense a threat from this newcomer far greater than Steve! Restlessly, he scraped his metal claws across the alloy floor, leaving deep gouges as a deeper, more warning-laden growl rumbled from his throat.

Steve struggled to his feet with the support of his shield, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth as he looked anxiously at Lin Ye. "Mr. Lin! Please don't hurt him! He's only being controlled!"

"I know." Lin Ye kept his eyes fixed on Bucky, his voice steady. "That's why I said to make him 'calm down,' not 'destroy' him."

Seeming to see Steve's concern, he added, "I have more experience than you when it comes to dealing with this kind of mindless berserk state." (Referring to Banner's Hulk.)

Before he finished speaking, "Black Wolf" Bucky seemed to be completely enraged by Lin Ye's attitude of "ignoring" him! He suddenly let out an earth-shaking roar, his body turning once more into a deadly streak of black light. Rather than charging in a straight line, he darted along an extremely strange and tricky zigzag path, his claws aimed directly at Lin Ye's throat! He was even faster than when he had attacked Steve!

"Watch out!" Steve cried.

Yet Lin Ye seemed to have anticipated it. He did not even move his feet. He merely raised his right hand slightly and spread his fingers.

Lightning Bind: Thousand-Bird Cage!

Crackle! Crackle! Crackle!

Countless fine blue-white lightning snakes erupted from his palm. They were not an attack, but rapidly intertwined in midair, instantly forming a massive and intricate lightning cage that covered every possible path Bucky could take! Every lightning snake contained powerful paralysis and binding force, automatically adjusting and contracting with Bucky's movements!

Bucky crashed headlong into the lightning cage!

Sizzle—!!

Violent lightning energy instantly swept through his entire body! The enhanced muscles and living metal armor he took such pride in, capable of withstanding bullets, lost most of their defensive effect before such highly concentrated thunder! Intense numbness and agony made him howl in pain. His movements instantly became stiff and sluggish, his entire body tightly wrapped by countless lightning snakes and temporarily trapped in midair. He struggled madly, yet found it difficult to break free!

"Roar!! Let me go!" he bellowed indistinctly, his claws futilely tearing at the lightning and only kicking up more electric sparks.

Steve watched with his heart in his throat. He was worried that Bucky would be hurt, yet also shocked by Lin Ye's effortless control.

"It's only paralysis and restraint. It won't cause permanent damage." As if he knew what Steve was thinking, Lin Ye explained, then frowned slightly. "Hm? There really is something wrong..."

In his perception, while the lightning energy restrained Bucky, it also clearly fed back information about the energy flow within his body. Aside from the berserk biological serum energy and Bucky's own strength, there was indeed an extremely hidden, cold, shadow-like energy entrenched near his brain and heart! This energy continuously emitted mental interference waves while frantically draining Bucky's life force to sustain itself and intensify his berserk state!

This was the backup plan left behind by the Inheritors! A "Shadow Energy Core" deeply embedded within Bucky's body!

"Remy, analyze the structure of this abnormal energy and simulate an extraction plan."

"Analysis in progress. The energy structure is stable and deeply bound to the host's vital signs. Forced extraction may cause organ failure or brain death. Recommend prioritizing the isolation of its energy supply and mental interference."

Lin Ye immediately changed strategies. He held the fingers of his left hand together like a sword. An even more concentrated flash of lightning, carrying the properties of [Soul Barrier], lit up at his fingertips as he pointed through the air at Bucky's brow and lower abdomen—the locations corresponding to his brain and energy core!

Soul Suppression! Sever the Source!

Two tiny yet incomparably precise strands of lightning energy entered Bucky's body like surgical scalpels! They did not destroy anything. Instead, they instantly formed two layers of miniature lightning seals around his brain and energy core! The seals cleverly cut off the shadow energy's mental interference output and greatly weakened its ability to drain life energy!

Bucky, who had been struggling wildly, suddenly stiffened!

The pure berserk fury and murderous desire in his eyes receded like a tide. Though they were still filled with pain and confusion, there was clearly an additional trace of... the bewilderment and struggle that belonged to Bucky himself! The mutation in his body had not immediately faded, but the force of his struggling had visibly weakened.

"Bucky?!" Steve keenly noticed the subtle change and shouted in delighted surprise.

Bucky seemed to hear his voice. With difficulty, he turned his head toward Steve, his lips trembling as though he wanted to say something. But no clear words came out—only painful groans.

"The foreign energy in his body has been temporarily suppressed, but it hasn't been eradicated." Lin Ye withdrew his hand while maintaining the external lightning cage. "To solve this completely will require more delicate work and... some time."

Steve let out a heavy sigh of relief. His gaze toward Lin Ye was filled with gratitude. "Thank you, Mr. Lin!"

Lin Ye waved a hand, but his gaze shifted back to Bucky, especially toward his mutated arm. "The energy reaction in that arm is also highly abnormal. It seems to have been modified by some kind of living metal together with shadow energy..."

Before he could finish, another change erupted!

Perhaps sensing that its host was losing control and its energy supply had been cut off, the shadow energy entrenched within Bucky's body seemed to realize that its end was near. It actually began its final—and most frenzied—counterattack!

It no longer tried to control Bucky. Instead, it suddenly contracted, condensed, and then attempted to self-destruct!

A devastating, freezing energy fluctuation burst out from Bucky's heart! It wanted to destroy him completely from within!

"Not good!" Lin Ye and Steve's expressions changed at the same time!

Steve instinctively wanted to rush over, but Lin Ye grabbed him and stopped him!

"There's no time! Let me handle it!"

Lin Ye's eyes sharpened as the power of [Thor Form] instantly rose! No longer concerned about the potential damage, he thrust his right hand into the lightning cage and pressed it directly against Bucky's heart!

Micro Lightning Control: Energy Extraction!

His palm seemed to transform into a miniature thunderous black hole! The highly condensed lightning energy did not destroy anything. Instead, it formed countless lightning filaments billions of times finer than hair, instantly piercing into Bucky's body and precisely wrapping around the Shadow Energy Core that was trying to self-destruct!

Then he yanked outward!

"Argh!" Bucky let out an incomparably shrill scream as his body convulsed violently!

Pfft!

A fist-sized mass of pitch-black energy, endlessly twisting and struggling while radiating extreme coldness and malice, was forcibly pulled from Bucky's body by Lin Ye! At the center of the energy mass, a strange shadow-made rune flickered wildly!

The instant the shadow energy was extracted, Bucky's mutation began fading at a visible rate! The inky blackness of his skin receded, his swollen muscles shrank, and the living metal on his mutated arm lost its luster, reverting into an ordinary Vibranium mechanical arm. The vertical pupils in his eyes vanished, returning to icy blue. Though he was still weak and in pain, he was clearly conscious again.

His body went limp, and he collapsed to the floor unconscious. But his vital signs were rapidly stabilizing.

Meanwhile, the extracted shadow energy rammed about madly within the lightning enveloping Lin Ye's palm, releasing piercing mental shrieks as it tried to escape. Yet it could not shake its confinement in the slightest.

"This is the final poisoned barb left behind by the Inheritors?" Lin Ye coldly stared at the energy mass, sensing within it that familiar and repulsive aura of secret arts.

The lightning in his palm suddenly flared!

Annihilation!

The piercing shriek came to an abrupt halt! Under the supremely positive and forceful thunder, the mass of shadow energy was instantly purified and annihilated into nothingness. Only an extremely faint remnant of curse-like energy remained, automatically absorbed and analyzed by Lin Ye's lightning.

Everything quieted down.

The laboratory was a complete mess. Only the unconscious Bucky, the exhausted Steve, and Lin Ye, whose lightning was slowly withdrawing around him, remained.

Steve immediately rushed to Bucky's side and checked on him. Seeing that he was merely weak and unconscious, he finally relaxed completely. He looked at Lin Ye, his expression complicated and filled with gratitude and lingering fear. "Mr. Lin, thank you so much this time! Without you..."

"Just a small matter." Lin Ye interrupted him indifferently. "I was merely cleaning up the Inheritors' loose ends. You'd better take him out of here quickly. S.H.I.E.L.D. agents should be arriving soon. You can handle his recovery yourselves."

After saying that, he did not linger. Turning around, he transformed into a streak of lightning and vanished into the depths of the underground base's passageways.

Steve looked in the direction Lin Ye had disappeared, then at Bucky, whose breathing was steady in his arms. His heart was filled with complicated emotions. He knew that this time, they owed Lin Ye another enormous debt.

Thunder Temple.

After returning, Lin Ye immediately had Remy analyze the information contained in that trace of purified residual energy.

"Analysis complete. The energy residue contains an extremely faint directional mental imprint. The target is 'Hermit'? However, his life signal disappeared during the Sahara explosion."

"A mental imprint?" Lin Ye fell into thought. "Looks like before that guy died, he bound part of his consciousness to this malicious energy in an attempt to pull one last dirty trick. Unfortunately, it was useless."

He shook his head and cast this trivial matter aside. The trouble caused by the Inheritors was finally more or less resolved.

However, just as he was preparing to rest for a while—

Buzz!

An extremely urgent communication request carrying the highest priority came directly through Kamar-Taj's emergency channel! The Ancient One's projection appeared in the control room before Lin Ye could even agree to it. Her face carried unprecedented urgency!

"Lin Ye! Come to Kamar-Taj immediately! The fluctuations from the Endless Bone Graveyard have surged drastically! They're trying to respond to the previous 'beacon'! We must reinforce the defenses at once! Hurry!"

Lin Ye's brows snapped together.

It seemed the real trouble was only just beginning.

(End of Chapter 42)