Encountering the Cosmic Cube Again

The mechanical female voice echoed through the empty corridor, every word carrying a metallic chill.

"Level-one defense protocol... activated."

The moment the words fell, dark-blue energy beams shot from gaps in the walls at both ends of the corridor, weaving into two impenetrable walls of light that completely sealed off their retreat. Immediately afterward, dozens of smooth square panels slid open in the ceiling and floor, and pure-white Drones resembling Mechanical Spiders crawled out, silently landing on the ground and walls.

They were not large, only about the size of basketballs, but they moved with extraordinary agility. Eight sharp metal limbs supported their rounded bodies, while a blue, single-eye-like lens in the center lit up and locked onto the three uninvited guests in the corridor.

"Damn it!" Talos cursed under his breath, reacting swiftly. Almost the instant the Drones appeared, he drew a strangely shaped Skrull energy pistol from his waist, aimed it forward, and lowered his body slightly into a standard combat stance. As a general who had fought across the stars for years, he was all too familiar with automatic defense systems like this.

Carol was no slower to react. Her hands were instantly enveloped in golden cosmic energy, crackling with electricity. The temperature in the air began to rise, and a powerful energy fluctuation spread outward from her. She was ready to unleash two Havok blasts at any moment and melt those troublesome metal lumps into molten scrap.

Only Chu Hang remained standing where he was, without even changing his posture. With both hands in his pockets, he boredly examined the Drones. There was not the slightest hint of tension in his gaze—only a trace of curiosity, as though he were visiting a science museum.

"Stable energy output, flexible joints, standardized pulse-ray weapon system. Not a bad