The Hulk kicked the alloy door, causing the shield to fluctuate violently and flash with blue light. Ye Mo's pupils contracted, and his mind went blank. The figure was indeed there; it wasn't an illusion.
He didn't have time to think about it.
The next second, the Hulk raised his hand and slammed the door again, shaking the entire corridor and causing chunks of concrete to fall from above. If he kept banging like that, not only would the shields not be able to withstand it, but the entire core area would collapse.
"Alright, alright, stop acting like a demolition crew." Ye Mo cursed under his breath, his hand reaching for the electrified circuit board at his feet. He pinched it between his fingers and flung it directly at the opposite wall.
Snap!
Sparks exploded, crackling and popping.
The Hulk whirled around, his crimson eyes fixed on the source of the sound, and a low growl rumbled from his throat.
Now!
Ye Mo sprang out from the corner, grabbed a piece of gravel, and threw it with a backhand. The stone hit a pipe in the distance, making a crisp "clang" sound.
The Hulk immediately turned and charged, taking two strides to cover five meters, and slammed his fist into the source of the sound. With a loud bang, the pipe was smashed into a pretzel.
Ye Mo took a breath and steadied himself against the wall. His strength hadn't recovered yet; that last move had almost made his legs go weak. But he didn't dare stop, and taking advantage of the Hulk's back being to the door, he quickly closed his eyes and focused his mind.
The Gene Spiral Tower in his mind vibrated slightly, and a hazy fragment of an ability surfaced—the basic ability of Mind Control. It was a fragment he had absorbed when he first met Emma Frost, but he had never been able to activate it successfully.
There's no time for trial and error now.
He focused his mind, as if reaching for an invisible thread, slowly probing into the Hulk's mental field.
A notification suddenly sounded in my head, "High-risk emotional source detected. Activation of the soothing protocol recommended."
"You're still afraid?" Ye Mo gritted his teeth. "Connect it right now!"
The moment his consciousness touched it, it felt like a nail had pierced his temple, the pain making his vision go black. The Hulk's mental field was too chaotic, filled with noise of anger, fear, and loss of control, making it impossible to find Bruce's Anchor.
He tried again, this time using less force and a low-frequency resonance to mimic Bruce's usual calm brainwave rhythm. At the same time, he muttered, " Banner, can you hear me? This isn't your fault... You're not a monster, come back."
The Hulk paused.
It stood still, its shoulders slightly heaving, its fists loosened slightly.
It works!
Ye Mo dared not relax, continuing to maintain the connection while kicking the broken pieces on the ground, letting them roll further into the passage. The Hulk's ears twitched, he turned his head, and took a step to chase after it.
One step, two steps...
We're getting further and further away from the gate.
Ye Mo secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but his palms were sweaty. He couldn't hold this up for long; he could feel his consciousness being backfired, and his head grew heavier with each passing second.
But there was still no movement from the core area.
The figure behind the shield hasn't shown itself since its first appearance. Is it hiding? Or waiting for an opportunity?
He didn't believe anyone would be foolish enough to just sit and watch a show in a place like this. The other party must have an ulterior motive, and it was very likely related to this system.
But there's no time to investigate the mole right now.
The Hulk walked seven or eight meters, temporarily away from the shield zone. Ye Mo seized the time to adjust his breathing, his left hand on the wall, his right hand gripping the last chip tightly. He had to find a way to pull Bruce back, otherwise, once this guy completely went berserk, no one could stop him.
He focused his mind again, this time not forcing his way through, but suppressing his thoughts to the lowest frequency, continuously outputting that calm brainwave signal like background music.
"The way you were writing formulas in the lab, burning your tongue with coffee and then stubbornly insisting it wasn't hot... none of that was fake. You're just being distracted by the data right now, Banner, wake up."
The Hulk stopped in his tracks.
It looked down at its hands, its fingers trembling slightly.
The bloodshot in his eyes faded a little.
Ye Mo's heart raced, and cold sweat poured down his forehead. He knew this was a crucial moment; if he could just hold on for a few more seconds, he might be able to briefly bring Bruce back to his senses.
But just then, the Hulk suddenly looked up, his gaze piercing through the corridor and fixed on the core area gate.
It let out a low growl, turned around, and charged back.
"Damn it!" Ye Mo opened his eyes and cursed under his breath, "Why are we back again!"
He didn't have time to think and gave chase. He couldn't let it crash into the door again; if the shield collapsed, the entire underground facility would be flooded with Gamma Radiation.
As he ran, he pulled a small metal ball from his work pants pocket—a concussion grenade Tony had given him, which he had originally saved for emergencies, but he couldn't worry about that now.
Pull out the safety pin, raise your hand and toss it away.
The ball rolled twice on the ground, then exploded with a bang, releasing a cloud of white smoke accompanied by high-frequency vibrations.
The Hulk was jolted and staggered.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Ye Mo rushed in front of it, spreading his arms to block its path. " Banner! If you really want to destroy this place, you'll have to step over me first!"
The Hulk stared at him, his chest heaving violently.
Ye Mo did not retreat.
He knew he couldn't show weakness or confront them head-on at this moment. He had to make them hesitate, even if only for a second.
"Haven't you always been afraid of hurting others? Rushing in now will only cause more people to suffer. Do you want that?"
The Hulk let out a muffled thud in his throat, as if struggling.
Ye Mo continued staring into its eyes, "I know you're in there, Banner. You can hear me, right? Don't let that data control you. You're a scientist, not a guinea pig."
The air fell silent for a moment.
The Hulk slowly lowered his raised hand.
Its head lowered, and its shoulders trembled slightly.
Ye Mo held his breath, afraid to move.
He knew that Bruce's consciousness was struggling.
Just give him a little more time...
Suddenly, a soft "beep" sounded from the direction of the core area.
The shield flashed, and its frequency abruptly changed.
The Hulk suddenly looked up, his eyes instantly turning bloodshot. He roared, shoved Ye Mo aside, and ran wildly toward the door.
Ye Mo was thrown to the ground, his back slamming against the wall, a dull pain shooting through his chest. He struggled to his feet and saw the Hulk already at the door, slamming his hands on the shield, causing the blue light to vibrate violently and cracks to begin spreading.
"Who's behind this!" he roared.
Someone must have remotely adjusted the system parameters to deliberately provoke the Hulk!
He rushed over, wanting to approach and guide him again, but as soon as he took a step, a sharp pain shot through his temple, his vision went black, and he almost collapsed to his knees.
The Mind Control ability has cooled down.
Moreover, his body was nearing its limit.
But he can't stop.
He bit his tongue to force himself to stay awake, dragged his legs forward, and pulled the intact chip out of his pocket, preparing to forcibly connect it to the edge port of the shield.
As long as the system can be hacked, even a three-second power outage can interrupt the interference.
He was still five meters from the gate.
Four meters.
Three meters.
The Hulk continued his frenzied ramming, causing more and more cracks to appear in the shield, and the blue light flickered on and off.
Just as he was about to touch the interface--
The figure reappeared on the back of the shield.
This time it didn't just flash by.
It stood there, clearly visible.
A hand is resting on the console.
With his other hand, he slowly raised it, seemingly making a gesture.
Ye Mo stopped in his tracks.