Crisis Resolved

MODOK cursed as he activated the aircraft. The metal seat sliced through the air with a piercing shriek, like a demon's cruel laughter, sending chills down the spine.

Just as he was about to take off and flee, Li suddenly struggled toward the sparking control console nearby. Every inch he moved sent piercing pain through the wound in his shoulder. Blood dripped continuously down his arm, dragging a long crimson trail across the floor. Yet he gritted his teeth and persevered. With his deep understanding of mechanical structures from after his transmigration, his gaze locked onto the critical wiring like a hawk's. He stretched out his trembling hand and violently tore free several cables.

The roaring metal flying chair immediately began to spew thick smoke. It shuddered violently in midair like a wing-broken beast, letting out a dying wail.

"Trying to run? Not so easy!" Gwen wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, where the shockwave had struck her. Her palm scraped a long wound across the rough ground, blood and dust mixing together and making it burn fiercely. She grabbed the modified sonic emitter. Her arm shook violently from having overused the device earlier, her muscles so sore they were nearly numb, but her eyes remained sharp as blades.

As Li sabotaged the flying chair, Gwen knelt on one knee. Her knee slammed hard into a sharp shard of metal, but she did not notice at all. Completely focused, she adjusted the frequency as beads of sweat rolled down her forehead and dripped onto the control panel. At last, a spiraling beam of sonic energy burst from the emitter like a roaring giant python, coiling viciously around the aircraft's frame. Under the high-frequency vibrations, the metal shell let out overloaded creaks, gradually twisting out of shape as countless sparks flew.

Wanda's body convulsed more and more violently in Li's arms. Chaos Magic burst out of her uncontrollably, and every surge of energy was like a blade cutting into the arm holding her. Li clenched his teeth, his face turning paper-white from pain and tension. Ignoring the burns from the energy, which raised bloody blisters across his skin, he shouted, "Wanda! Look! That bastard is trying to escape! Let's stop him together!" In Wanda's chaotic consciousness, MODOK's arrogant face and the sight of her injured companions flashed over and over. The blood at the corner of Gwen's mouth and Li's pale face struck her increasingly lost mind like heavy hammers.

A sliver of clarity suddenly pierced the darkness. Her fingertips trembled slightly, and the rampaging scarlet energy abruptly changed direction. Like a burning chain carrying the force to destroy heaven and earth, it shot straight toward MODOK's flying chair.

MODOK frantically pounded the control panel, trying to activate the backup power supply. His breathing came fast and heavy, forming a white mist inside his helmet. His eyes beneath it were bloodshot, red with fear and rage, as he shrieked, "Impossible! You insignificant insects!" However, Li seized the chance to connect the energy core he had taken from the box to the console. The energy patterns on the core's surface burned his fingers, and the agony nearly made him lose his grip, but he endured it and shouted, "Gwen! Maximum power!" Gwen understood immediately. Gritting her teeth, she twisted the sonic emitter's power dial to its limit. The entire device began to heat up and smoke under the overload, giving off a sharp, burnt smell as though it might explode at any moment.

The two immense energies collided in midair. In an instant, blinding light flooded the entire warehouse, as if two suns had risen there at once. The thunderous boom of the impact was deafening, forming an ever-expanding energy vortex. Within it, the air twisted and distorted, producing a teeth-grinding tearing sound. MODOK's aircraft swayed on the verge of collapse, metal components raining down like hail. Every piece that fell smashed a deep dent into the ground. Wanda slowly opened her eyes. Though a trace of confusion remained in them, her voice was exceptionally firm. "It's over." Her voice was faint amid the roar, yet filled with power. She thrust both hands forward, and Chaos Magic transformed into a massive net of energy, completely enveloping the aircraft like an inescapable snare.

"No—!" MODOK's scream was swallowed by the deafening explosion. The aircraft burst apart beneath the crushing force of the energy net. A massive shockwave surged out like a tsunami, and the blast threw all three of them to the ground. Li was driven across the floor, rolling several times before his back slammed into a fallen metal pillar, making his vision go black with pain. Gwen was swept into a corner and smashed hard against the wall, coughing up a mouthful of blood. Wanda was also knocked unconscious again by the residual energy. Even so, their eyes remained fixed on the towering flames, shining with the light of survival.

When the dust settled, the warehouse fell silent, broken only by the occasional creak of cooling, contracting metal. Li struggled to prop himself up, every movement bringing agonizing pain throughout his body. His clothes had long been soaked through with blood and stuck to his wounds, and every pull made him suck in a sharp breath. Enduring the pain, he crawled to Wanda's side and found that although she was unconscious, her breathing was steady and the rampaging energy around her had gradually calmed. He gently brushed the loose hair from her forehead, and the weight in his heart finally lifted. His eyes were full of concern and heartache. Gwen staggered over to them and collapsed onto the ground. Her legs had no strength left, and she was covered in dust and blood, but her exhausted face held a relieved smile. "We did it... We really did it." Her voice trembled with barely concealed sobs as she reached out and gently took Li and Wanda's hands. The three held tightly together, sharing strength and warmth.

In the distant ruins, MODOK's remains gave off thin trails of smoke. His mechanical exoskeleton was twisted out of shape like crushed scrap metal. A huge crack split his helmet open, revealing the lifeless face beneath. Those eyes once filled with madness and evil had now lost all light. Li picked up a piece of metal bearing the AIM logo. After staring at it for a moment, as if he wanted to cast this nightmare away for good, he casually threw it into the distance. "This threat has finally been completely eliminated." He let out a long breath, his voice full of relief. The tension and fear of recent days seemed to be cast far away along with that fragment.

The three sat amid the ruins without speaking, quietly savoring the calm of having survived disaster. The air was thick with smoke and the scent of blood, and the surroundings were a complete mess, but their hearts were filled with an unprecedented peace. After an unknown amount of time, Gwen broke the silence. She forced out a smile, trying to lighten the exhaustion in her voice. "When Wanda wakes up, how about we go have a big meal? That barbecue place behind the school. I've been craving it forever." Anticipation gleamed in her eyes, as though she could already smell the grilled meat.

Li smiled and nodded. Looking down at Wanda, he silently thought that once she woke up, she needed to rest properly for a while. The three of them had been through too many dangers. It was time to enjoy an ordinary life for once. "All right. This time, it's on me," he said, a note of ease and happiness in his voice.

Outside the warehouse, dawn quietly crept over the horizon, dispelling the darkness of night. Soft light fell over the three of them, coating their exhausted bodies in a warm glow. Supporting one another, they slowly walked out of the devastated place. Their steps were somewhat unsteady, yet firm and strong. Behind them lay MODOK and his destroyed scheme; ahead lay a new life filled with hope and the unknown. Their figures gradually faded into the morning light, while a new chapter that no longer brimmed with danger quietly began to unfold.