Skill [Spatial Curvature Barrier]

A cluster of deep blue light hovered quietly above Chu Hang's palm.

The light was not dazzling. Instead, it was soft, like a sapphire.

This was the new ability he had gained after copying the Cosmic Cube's energy.

[Spatial Curvature Barrier]

It could create a warped space around his body and deflect attacks.

Chu Hang sensed this brand-new power within him, and the corners of his mouth rose uncontrollably.

I bet right.

He had nearly gotten himself killed in the glacier, but looking at it now, it had been worth it.

Inside the corridor, everyone stopped moving and stared fixedly at the little "starry sky" in Chu Hang's hand.

The Howling Commandos veterans had only just escaped the Hydra base and had yet to recover from the shock. Now, they barely dared to breathe.

That ball of light felt even more terrifying to them than death.

"Fuck..."

Logan's muscles tensed all over, and a beastlike growl rumbled from his throat.

That scent!

That scent again!

It was exactly the same as the metallic sphere in that monster's chest at the Hydra base.

Yet it was completely different.

The previous one had been a rabid, chaotic mad dog.

The one in Chu Hang's hand, however, was as docile as a cat.

This kid... he tamed that power?

On the other side, Steve Rogers's pupils shrank to pinpoints.

Before his brain could react, his body's combat instincts had already sounded the alarm.

Danger!

What that light gave off was not energy or heat, but something he could not comprehend.

A contempt for the laws of physics.

Steve felt that if Chu Hang wanted to, he could twist this steel corridor into a pretzel on the spot.

In the silence, the sound of metal combat boots striking the floor drew closer.

"Tap, tap, tap..."

Hydra's pursuers.

The smile on Chu Hang's lips deepened.

Just in time to test his new toy.

Around the corner, several beams of flashlight light tore through the darkness as Hydra soldiers rushed out, each carrying an MP40 submachine gun.

The leading officer spotted Steve's blue, white, and red uniform at once, and a wild look of joy appeared on his face.

"Fire! Tear them apart!"

Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat!

More than a dozen submachine guns spat fire at the same time, sending a dense barrage of bullets crashing toward them.

"Get down!"

Steve let out a roar, pounced on the soldier beside him, and raised the Vibranium Shield in front of them.

Logan roared and stepped directly in front of the group with his chest out, ready to take the barrage head-on.

Only Chu Hang did not move.

He stood quietly in the center of the hail of bullets and raised his right hand, which glowed blue.

He's gone crazy!

The thought flashed through Steve and Logan's minds at the same time.

The next second, something bizarre happened.

The whistling bullets suddenly traced smooth arcs about a meter away from Chu Hang's body.

They were neither deflected nor blocked. Instead, some force guided them past everyone's bodies.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

A string of dense metallic impacts exploded across the corridor walls, ceiling, and floor.

Every single bullet struck the walls.

The closest bullet whizzed past Steve's ear, its heat singeing off several strands of his blond hair.

Five seconds later, the gunfire stopped.

The Hydra soldiers across from them remained frozen in their firing stances, utterly dumbfounded.

Were we firing paintballs?

The Howling Commandos veterans were equally petrified, their mouths wide enough to fit grenades.

An illusion? Had God descended?

Only Steve and Logan vaguely "saw" the truth.

Steve stared fixedly at the air in front of Chu Hang.

His naked eye could see nothing, but his combat instincts were screaming—space there was warped!

The "path" of the bullets had been forcibly bent.

Chu Hang exhaled a puff of white breath, and his face paled slightly.

Maintaining that barrier had consumed ten percent of his energy.

He had a clearer understanding now: [Spatial Curvature Barrier] consumed a lot of energy, had a small range, and could only defend against straight-line attacks. It could not stop grenades or close-quarters combat. It was a godlike skill in certain situations, but not invincible.

"Das... was ist das?!" ("Th-this... what is this?!")

The Hydra officer across from them snapped out of his shock. Pointing at Chu Hang, his voice trembled.

"Get them! Use bayonets! Chop them into mince!"

He drew his Luger Pistol and fired into the air, trying to dispel his men's fear.

"For Hydra!"

More than a dozen Hydra soldiers charged with bloodshot eyes and bayonets leveled.

"Perfect."

Chu Hang looked at the burly man charging at the front.

You, then.

His mental focus sharpened as he locked onto the spatial coordinates one meter in front of the burly man.

Compress!

Bzz—

A nearly inaudible hum flickered through the air.

The charging Hydra brute seemed to slam into an invisible wall.

Thud!

Before he could even scream, his entire body was flattened like a water balloon in an instant, bursting apart with a wet splat.

The dense sound of bones shattering rang out as a red-and-white mixture sprayed in every direction.

The soldiers behind him had no time to react. One slammed headfirst into the pile of mangled human flesh, then was shoved forward by those behind him, one after another crashing into it.

Screams, tumbling bodies, and the sound of bodies piling up filled the air. The narrow corridor was instantly blocked by a mountain of flesh.

The entire process was unbelievably fast.

Chu Hang merely stood where he was without moving at all.

Another twenty percent of his energy had been drained.

This move, [Spatial Fixed-Point Compression], was immensely powerful, but its energy consumption was equally massive. Its principle was to compress a small piece of three-dimensional space into an infinitely thin "sheet." Anything that collided with it would be crushed apart by its own momentum.

It was the perfect counter for cannon fodder who only knew how to charge.

"The fodder's cleared out."

Chu Hang lowered his hand, and the blue light in his palm receded into his body.

He turned around and flashed a grin at Steve and Logan, who were still petrified behind him.

"Your turn."

Steve and Logan jolted, and their suppressed fighting spirit erupted completely.

"Roar—!"

Logan howled and leaped over the mountain of flesh like a cannonball. Six pale Bone Claws shot out in midair.

He plunged into the remaining soldiers, his claws sweeping as blood and flesh flew.

Steve was even more efficient.

With a shake of his arm and a flick of his wrist, the Vibranium Shield flew from his hand like a three-colored meteor.

Whoosh—!

The shield did not fly straight ahead. Instead, it struck the wall on the left first.

Clang!

After a perfect geometric rebound, the shield accelerated and flashed between the necks of two soldiers.

A second rebound! A third! A fourth!

Each rebound harvested lives with absolute precision.

When Logan's slaughter was only halfway through, the shield curved through the air and flew back into Steve's hand carrying the scent of blood.

With a light clang, it returned to its place.

There was no longer a single enemy standing before them.

The battle was over in less than thirty seconds.

The air was thick with the smell of blood and a faint scent of ozone.

The surviving commandos slumped to the ground, gasping for breath, their eyes filled with nothing but awe.

Steve slowly turned around, his blue eyes locking onto Chu Hang.

"What was that?"

His voice was calm, but it carried an unquestionable demand for answers.

Chu Hang's heart skipped a beat.

I overdid it.

He immediately put on an act as if his body had been drained dry. He swayed, collapsed to the floor, and panted heavily with a pale face.

"I... I don't know either..." He shook his head with a bitter smile, his voice hoarse. "It feels like... something awakened inside me. I call it... a biological force field? Or... a high-frequency vibration barrier?"

"I can feel that I can... slightly alter the density of the air in front of me and create an... invisible wall."

"Those two moves just now were my limit... I don't have any strength left now."

Chu Hang never mentioned "space." Instead, he deliberately explained it in scientific terms.

Force fields, vibrations, air density.

At the very least, these terms were still within a Super-Soldier's range of understanding.

More importantly, the "weakness" and "limit" he displayed greatly lowered his threat level.

Sure enough, the sharp scrutiny in Steve's eyes slowly softened.

Altering air density? A vibration barrier?

The explanation sounded absurd, but in a world where the Cosmic Cube existed, it did not seem entirely unacceptable.

"Let's get out of here first."

Steve did not press further. He stepped forward, helped the "weakened" Chu Hang up, and draped Chu Hang's arm over his shoulder.

"Gather the equipment, bring the wounded, and get out before reinforcements arrive!"

"Yes, Captain!"

Chu Hang leaned against Steve, relieved inside.

He had finally bluffed his way through it.

He felt the energy in his body slowly recovering.

This world was becoming more dangerous—and more interesting.