"Hey, wait a minute!"
Tony raised his hand and took two steps to chase after him, but Chen Mo had already disappeared outside the alloy door.
In the silvery-white passageway, only empty corridors and lights remained.
Tony stopped.
" JARVIS, track spatial fluctuations."
"Trying, sir."
How long will it take?
"Based on the existing equipment, it is estimated that it will take three months to build the analytical model."
Tony turned around and looked at the empty metal platform.
"Very good. By the time we find him, he'll probably have wiped out that group of alien creatures."
Fury leaned on the control panel, his face still pale.
" Stark, deal with the immediate problem first."
"The problem we're facing has just traveled through space."
Natasha glanced at the blood-soaked strip of cloth covering Fury's abdomen.
"Chief, I think the problem we're facing right now is that you need your wound treated."
Fury did not refute.
If he continues to hold out, before Hydra is even finished dealing with him, S.H.I.E.L.D.. will have to prepare for the director's funeral ahead of schedule.
Northern Alaska.
Chen Mo took a step forward, his boots sinking into half a foot of snow. The cold wind whipped up tiny ice crystals that lashed against him, and the distant, undulating mountains were obscured by the night, leaving only their blurry outlines.
The wind howled through the air, and there was no sign of human habitation.
"What was the original plot again? The movie was so bad, all I remember is that kneeling black guy."
Chen Mo looked around; there were no lights or signs of human activity within a radius of dozens of kilometers. However, the Deviants genes he had just absorbed were activating, and a faint pull was coming from the northwest.
Let me see how many dishes there are.
Chen Mo took a step forward, and his figure disappeared from the spot.
A few seconds later, he appeared on the back of a snow-capped mountain.
The ice here collapsed downwards, revealing a narrow crack. Large patches of snow were scattered around the crack, and there were several marks at the bottom indicating that it had been dragged by a huge object.
Chen Mo crouched down and picked up a broken deer antler from the ice.
The broken ends were covered in bite marks, and the blood on the antlers had long since frozen, but there were hardly any bones left nearby. It seems that the creature living below wasn't picky about food; it had even gnawed away most of the bones.
He casually tossed aside the antlers and stepped into the crevice.
The passage beneath the ice extends deep underground, becoming more spacious the deeper one goes. The ice walls on both sides are covered with claw marks, and the ground is scattered with the bones of bears, reindeer, and other animals, among which are several human skulls.
A damaged hiking boot is stuck in a crevice between rocks.
Chen Mo nudged it with his toe.
"The food is quite varied."
A faint scraping sound came from the depths of the darkness.
Several pairs of cloudy eyes opened at different cave entrances.
The Deviants hiding in their lair had already discovered the intruder. They couldn't smell the scent of their own kind, but they sensed a massive amount of life energy emanating from Chen Mo.
food.
A Deviants crawled out from the cave ceiling. It had six slender limbs, and its back was covered with forward-curving bone spikes. When its mouthparts split open, mucus dripped down its fangs onto the ice.
On the other side, two even larger monsters blocked their retreat.
They did not attack immediately.
More footsteps were moving underground, and more and more shadows appeared at the cave entrance. They slowly closed in, waiting for their prey to make a move.
Chen Mo stood there and watched for a while.
"What a bunch of ugly things."
The Deviants overhead were the first to pounce.
Six limbs simultaneously unfurled, sharp bone spikes aimed at Chen Mo's head. The remaining monsters also rushed out of the cave entrance, their heavy bodies shattering the ice and blocking all directions.
Black and red tentacles suddenly erupted from behind Chen Mo.
The entire passageway was instantly filled.
The Deviants at the forefront had its chest pierced by a tentacle, leaving it suspended in mid-air. It flailed its limbs wildly, its bone spikes scraping across the ice wall, but it couldn't even touch the hem of Chen Mo's clothes.
The others were also entangled by the tentacles.
Dark red blood vessels seeped into their mouths, noses, and wounds, quickly covering their entire bodies. The hard exoskeleton began to dissolve, and the flesh was torn apart in the struggle, turning into nutrients that flowed into Chen Mo's body.
The roars had barely begun when they abruptly ceased.
Chen Mo licked his lips.
"It's a bit ugly, but the taste is alright..."
A sudden tremor ran deep within the nest.
A thick ice wall was smashed apart by a tremendous force, and chunks of ice mixed with rubble flew in all directions. A huge figure rushed out from behind, its low-lying back almost touching the top of the cave.
It was seven or eight meters long, with a skull covered by a thick carapace and two unusually thick forelimbs. Its abdomen also had several mouthparts that were not fully closed, and the inside contained remnants of genes belonging to other Deviants.
This thing has probably evolved several times.
Its strength, carapace, and mouthparts hidden in its abdomen are all symbols that distinguish it from other animals.
The giant Deviants smashed through the wreckage left by its companions and charged towards Chen Mo. The ice layer cracked along its path, and the entire underground nest trembled.
Chen Mo raised his right hand.
He pressed his palm against the top of its head.
The massive impact whipped up a gale, sending bone fragments and ice shards flying from both sides. The ground beneath Chen Mo's feet caved in half a meter, but he remained motionless.
The Deviants frantically shook its head, its front claws digging two deep trenches in the ground. Its abdominal mandibles opened repeatedly, trying to tear Chen Mo's body apart.
Several tentacles drooped down, pinning the mouthparts shut one by one.
"Can evolution still occur in this place?"
Chen Mo slowly tightened his grip.
"Good potential, give it a good look."
Black and red blood vessels gushed from his palm, covering the monster's head. The carapace rapidly disintegrated beneath the blood vessels, and the massive body shrank layer by layer, even its bones were decomposed and devoured.
A mournful howl echoed throughout the nest.
The remaining Deviants finally sensed the danger.
They burrowed into the underground tunnels and began to flee in different directions.
Chen Mo closed his eyes.
The signs of life within the nest were clearly visible.
Seventy-three.
Not one was missing.
Countless tentacles disappeared into the surrounding cave entrances, spreading wildly along the underground passages. The fleeing Deviants were caught one after another, their screams echoing from all directions underground before quickly fading away.
The ice field returned to silence.
A flood of chaotic memories rushed into Chen Mo's mind.
A golden beam of light tore through the night.
The longsword severed the head of the Deviants.
Several figures stood outside the ancient city, chasing monsters that emerged from the ground. The images were fragmented, but a few clear faces remained.
Chen Mo opened his eyes.
The empty nest was filled only with animal bones.
He memorized those faces, and a slow smile crept onto his lips.
"For the next meal, we'll start with you guys."