Ye Mo stared at the red light in the control room in the distance, his fingers still gripping the chip tightly. Just as he was about to move, several canisters crashed down from the ventilation duct above his head with a "bang," and black smoke instantly billowed out.
A pungent smell filled the air.
He immediately held his breath, and the Force Field Shield shrank to a single layer around his skin. The smoke sizzled as it hit the shield, like a piece of plastic film being burned through. He knew this thing was specifically designed to counter Mutants; it could suppress their abilities and might even cause hallucinations.
We cannot stay here long.
He took two steps back, leaned against the wall, closed his eyes, and activated his Wall Phasing Technique. His body sank, as if he were drilling into wet cement, and a few seconds later, half of his body emerged from the adjacent wall. In front of him was a maintenance passage, filled with cables and rusty pipes. He pulled himself out, casually stuffing the jammer into a crack in the wall and setting a delayed trigger.
I had only taken two steps when the surveillance camera on the ceiling snapped to a new direction and its red light came on.
The next second, the broadcast blared. " Mr. X? Or should I call you... the nameless intruder? Your interference ends here."
The voice was deep and cold, with the electrical static characteristic of military channels.
Ye Mo's brow twitched. General Ross.
Without a word, he turned directly into the side passage of the power distribution room. Before his feet even touched the ground, the ground suddenly shook. The sound of tracks came from outside, growing louder as at least three armored vehicles entered the outer perimeter of the base.
Infrared warning lines flashed red, blocking all exits like a spiderweb. The broadcast continued, "Target area sealed off. All unauthorized personnel must surrender immediately. Resistance will be considered hostile and will be met with death."
Ye Mo sneered. Kill without mercy? That red light was probably bait, deliberately designed to lure him into revealing his position. This old guy had been watching him for a while.
He pulled out a signal detector the size of a cell phone and scanned the area. Six heat sources appeared on the screen: two at the sniper positions on the tower, four advancing along the main passage, and four drones entering through broken windows, each with an electric net launcher mounted on its belly.
The Hulk's side also exploded.
The moment the power was cut off, the blue light on the shield door went out, and the behemoth slammed into the door, its alloy frame creaking and twisting. It looked up and saw Ye Mo, its crimson eyes fixed on him, and it roared as it charged forward.
Ye Mo raised his hand and deployed Force Field Shield. Just as the semi-circular barrier was erected, a drone fired an electric net. The electric net collided with the shield, exploding with sparks and making his arm go numb.
He gritted his teeth and held on, then flung out the jammer with his other hand. The device struck the drone's fuselage, instantly paralyzing it, which plummeted to the ground.
But a second plane immediately took its place, the sonic oscillator activated, and high-frequency noise penetrated the eardrums. The Hulk, stimulated, became even more ferocious and punched Ye Mo.
He rolled away, and the ground cracked open in a spiderweb pattern. His shield retracted, and he pushed his close-quarters defense to its limit. His stamina was still dropping; the previous confrontation had taken a heavy toll, and now every movement felt like lifting a sack of cement.
He charged toward the flank manhole, his Steel Bone Body activating. His skin glowed metallic gray, increasing his impact resistance. Three drones surrounded him, their electric nets weaving into a dense array.
The first net came crashing down, and he blocked it with his arm, deflecting the electric net against the wall with his shield. The second one attacked from behind, but he ducked under it, used Wall Phasing Technique to insert his hand into the wall, pulled out a high-voltage wire, and flung it out.
The power line struck the third drone, sending sparks flying and a plume of black smoke billowing into the air.
The last net grazed his shoulder, narrowly missing him. He seized the opportunity to leap into the manhole and slide down the ladder to the bottom. A loud bang followed behind as the military began demolishing the tunnel entrance, rubble blocking his escape route.
Below was an abandoned drainage system, damp and cramped, reeking of rust. He leaned against the wall to catch his breath, then took out the chip and connected it to his personal terminal. The screen flickered a few times before finally connecting to the local circuitry.
A log entry popped up. "Command source: General's Command Post -- Access level: Top Secret."
Ye Mo stared at the line of text, and his mind cleared.
Thaddeus Ross wasn't temporarily in charge; he was monitoring the entire operation. From the moment he entered the base, all his actions were under their watchful eyes. The so-called "Operation Capture Banner " had long since changed in nature. Now, he was no longer an interferer, but a target that had to be eliminated.
No wonder the Hulk's mood swings are so predictable. Someone is stimulating him at a specific frequency, in sync with the military's actions, to force him into an encirclement.
This isn't an encirclement and suppression; it's a hunt.
He shut down the terminal, and darkness enveloped him. The system notifications trailed off intermittently. " Gene Spiral Tower energy fluctuations... Multiple hostile locks detected... Avoidance recommended."
He didn't move.
Avoiding it is useless. The enemy has a command chain, equipment, and tactical coordination. If this drags on any longer, and they bring in heavy firepower, he won't even have a chance to counterattack.
Since we've already fallen out, let's not play hide-and-seek.
He took a deep breath and began to integrate his abilities. Force Field Shield + Steel Bone Body, dual defense mode activated. The shield was no longer just a passive bounce, but could adjust its angle according to body movements, like wearing an invisible armor.
He also set up Telepathy as an early warning module to scan the brainwaves of surrounding soldiers. He quickly detected an instruction. "Prioritize eliminating interferers; live samples are secondary."
really.
Thaddeus Ross has given up on capturing Banner and now only wants to silence him.
Ye Mo's lips twitched. Fine, the old man's ruthless. Then he wouldn't hold back either.
He took out the last three EMP devices, installed them into the mechanical spider, and set them to automatic tracking mode. He then took out Vibranium fragments from his backpack and embedded them into the edge of the shield. These things could enhance energy conduction efficiency; although they could only last for thirty seconds, it was enough to unleash a burst of power.
Just as the setup was completed, footsteps came from the overhead pipes. At least one small team was clearing the lower area. Flashlight beams shone through the gaps, dazzling the eyes.
He crouched down against the wall, holding his breath. After the troop passed, he quietly crawled towards the intersection of the main control lines. There was a main cable there; if he connected the chip, he could briefly restore part of the system and disrupt the military's communication rhythm.
Just as my finger touched the interface, a mechanical turning sound suddenly came from above.
A reconnaissance robot descended from the ventilation duct, its camera aimed at him, and a red light locked onto his brow.
He didn't dodge.
Instead, he stood up and smiled at the camera.
The next second, three mechanical spiders crawled out from different directions and pounced on the robot's support rod. The EMP detonated, current surged through the metal frame, and the lights in the entire passageway flickered out.
He seized the opportunity and inserted the chip into the interface.
The screen lights up, and a countdown appears: 00:00:30.
Within thirty seconds, he can briefly take over the base's internal network.
There's enough time.
He quickly accessed the surveillance footage and located Thaddeus Ross's remote command vehicle. He then hacked into the drone control system, implanting false signals into the four standby drones, causing them to mistakenly identify the Hulk as the primary threat.
After doing all that, he pulled out the chip and leaned against the wall to wait for the results.
Ten seconds later, gunfire erupted outside.
The military discovered that the Hulk had breached the defenses and immediately concentrated fire to suppress him. However, the modified drones turned their guns around and fired concussion grenades at the armored vehicles. Chaos erupted instantly.
He listened to the noise outside and slowly straightened up.
The shield is fully charged, Steel Bone State is stable. System notification: "Cooperative Defense Mode activated."
He cracked his knuckles and whispered, "Come on, General. Let's see who's the real trouble."
A mechanical spider crawled back into his palm through a crack in the wall, and a red indicator light flashed twice.