Ye Mo's right hand is almost completely invisible.
From his fingertips to his elbows, his entire arm felt weak and limp, as if it had been soaked in water. The veins were bulging out, as if they might snap at any moment. He leaned against the broken wall, his left hand gripping the upper part of his right arm tightly, trying to suppress the fading illusion with the pain. He could use the Regenerative Phasing once more, but he dared not try. That wave of Wall Phasing Technique had almost melted half of his body directly into the cement. The system notification sounded in his head three times before pulling him back to reality.
He took a breath and looked up at the center of the square.
Thor stood still, Mjolnir planted in the ground, his head bowed as if listening to the sounds from below. He had several fresh wounds and his armor was torn, but he remained steady. The Chitauri weren't idle either; the sound of tracks came from the southeast corner, new assault vehicles were assembling, and their cannons were already charging.
Ye Mo gritted his teeth, wanting to scan the Mental Network again.
But as soon as he regained consciousness, his mind went blank, the signal was delayed by half a beat. He frowned, he couldn't withstand the next wave of fire in this state. Just as he was thinking about whether to force his way out and find cover, a silver glint suddenly flashed in the corner of his eye.
Someone rushed in from the side of the ruins, moving with incredible speed.
He squinted and saw it was Emma Frost.
She didn't speak, but the moment she landed, she slammed her palms on the ground, and a crystalline wall rose up with a "whoosh," blocking Ye Mo's back. Then she leaped up, crossed her arms above her head, and her whole body radiated a blue-white halo. A semi-transparent Force Field Shield exploded from her body, enveloping all three of them like an inverted bowl.
boom!
The first wave of energy blasts struck the shield directly, causing the entire dome to shake and leaving only a few shallow marks on its surface.
Ye Mo breathed a sigh of relief and slowly slid down against the wall. "If you had come two seconds later, I would have welded myself into the foundation."
Emma Frost stood in the center of the shield, not turning around, her voice carrying through the barrier. "Shut up, save your energy."
The attack from outside immediately intensified. Five assault vehicles advanced side by side, their cannons firing in unison, energy beams raining down on the shield's surface, creating ripples. The aircraft also lowered their altitude, circling the shield and strafing it, causing the light membrane to tremble continuously.
But the shield just won't break.
Thor glanced at the barrier above him and muttered, "How long can this thing last?"
"I don't know." Emma Frost remained standing. "I've never faced this much firepower before."
Ye Mo sat down cross-legged and closed his eyes. He turned his Telepathy frequency to the lowest setting to avoid noise and focused on finding Tony's signal. The reverse gravity was still there, but its intensity was weaker, and the fluctuation rhythm was off—it wasn't a premonition of an explosion, but more like some kind of traction device was working.
He opened his eyes. "He's still alive, and he's walking back."
Thor raised his hand and gripped the hammer handle. "Then we can't wait."
"If you rush out now, you'll just be feeding the enemy." Ye Mo shook his head. "They don't want to kill you; they want to wear you down. Once your stamina drops and your shield disappears, those people outside will swarm you."
Emma Frost replied, "I can't hold out for much longer, but that's enough time for you to make a decision."
Thor remained silent for a few seconds before finally nodding. He turned to face the outside of the shield, braced his hammer on the ground, and entered a state of alert. Ye Mo, on the other hand, kept his eyes closed, maintaining low-frequency monitoring, occasionally opening his eyes to scan the battlefield.
Emma Frost stood still, her hands hanging slightly at her sides, the blue light of her shield rising and falling with her breath. Fine cracks began to appear on the surface of her Diamond Form, as if glass had been pressed to its limit. But she didn't move, not even her expression changed.
Ye Mo stared at the back of her head for a while, then suddenly chuckled.
"What?" Emma Frost asked.
"Your shield looks really cool. Could you change the color next time? I get dizzy looking at blue for too long."
"Either shut up, or you deal with it yourself."
"No way! My arm is almost gone; I can barely Wall Phasing." He raised his right arm and looked at it; the transparency had spread to his shoulder. "If I really fall apart, do you think you can piece me back together?"
"I'll just freeze you into a block of ice and throw you into the sea."
"Hey, that's ruthless?"
"You're even more ruthless when you're being obnoxious."
The shelling outside continued, but the rhythm changed. The assault vehicles no longer fired in volleys, but took turns firing, as if testing the limits of the shields. The aircraft also began to flank in groups, trying to find weaknesses from the sides.
Ye Mo opened his eyes and glanced at Thor: "They're looking for a weakness."
Thor nodded. "I noticed that too."
"Don't act rashly," Ye Mo said. "Let them expose themselves."
Emma Frost suddenly spoke up, "The energy density three meters to the left and behind the shield has decreased by seven percent."
Ye Mo immediately activated his ability module to scan, and sure enough, he found a slight distortion in the Force Field of that area. He whispered, "They're concentrating their firepower on the same point, trying to burn through."
"I can adjust the energy flow," Emma Frost said, "But if this continues, the shield will collapse prematurely."
"No need to adjust," Ye Mo shook his head. "Let them fight."
Thor frowned. "Are you trying to set a trap?"
"Pretty much." Ye Mo sneered. "They think we're putting up a brave front, but they're actually waiting for us to make a mistake. Look at those aircraft, they're flying too low, too close to the shield."
Thor's eyes lit up.
Ye Mo continued, "Wait until they get a little closer, then you make your move."
Are you confident?
"No, but I bet they're greedy for credit."
Emma Frost didn't speak, but the energy behind and to the left of the shield dipped slightly, as if deliberately revealing a flaw.
The Chitauri outside were indeed fooled.
The two aircraft immediately lowered their altitude, flying close to the edge of the shield, aiming their cannons at the weak point, preparing for a close-range assault. The assault vehicle also moved forward ten meters, charging its cannons to maximum power.
Just as they were about to fire, Thor moved.
He abruptly pulled up Mjolnir, leaping into the air and unleashing an arc of electricity that struck his left rear. The current spread along the surface of the shield, instantly hitting the two aircraft. Their engines exploded on the spot, and the aircraft spun and crashed to the ground.
The assault vehicle immediately retreated upon seeing this, but it was too late.
Ye Mo had already marked the location in the Mental Network, and simply shouted, "The car on the right has a leaky fuel tank!"
Thor, using the sound to pinpoint the location, slammed his hammer into the ground, sending electricity into the earth and igniting the leaking fuel. With a deafening roar, three assault vehicles were blown up in a chain reaction. The remaining two tried to escape, but Thor caught up and smashed the cockpits of each one with his hammer.
The shelling stopped.
The remaining Chitauri troops began to retreat, dragging the wounded towards the portal. Outside the shield, all was quiet except for the smoke rising from the burning wreckage.
Ye Mo let out a long breath and leaned against the wall, motionless. His right arm was still becoming transparent, but the process had slowed down. He tried to move his fingers, and they could still move.
Emma Frost stood still, her shield unchanged, but its light had dimmed considerably. Her Diamond Form now showed more cracks, and her shoulders trembled slightly.
"Are you alright?" Ye Mo asked.
"Hold on for five more minutes," she said. "Don't waste time."
Thor walked back, his hammer planted in the ground. "They won't let this go."
"I know." Ye Mo closed his eyes. "They're waiting for the next wave of reinforcements, or... waiting for results from the mothership."
Where's Tony?
"They haven't returned yet, but the signal is getting closer."
Emma Frost suddenly said, "There's movement again to the right front of the shield."
All three turned their heads at the same time.
Dust rose in the distance as a new convoy approached. This time, it wasn't assault vehicles, but heavy transport ships equipped with large concussion cannons on top.
Ye Mo frowned. "They're going to forcibly demolish it."
"Let them come." Thor gripped the hammer handle. "I haven't had enough."
"Save your energy," Ye Mo said. "Let's make our move when they get closer."
Emma Frost stood still, her shield still deployed. Her breathing became heavier, but her voice remained steady. "I'll count to three. If they dare to fire, I'll channel all the shield's energy to the front."
"Okay." Ye Mo nodded. "I'll mark the target."
Thor stood in the middle, Mjolnir spinning in mid-air, arcs of electricity coiling around its body.
The transport ship drew closer, and its cannons began to charge.
Ye Mo stared at the shockwave cannon, his Mental Network locking onto the trajectory of the projectile.
Emma Frost slowly raised her hands, and the blue light of the shield began to converge in front of her.
Thor's hammer spun faster and faster.
The transport ship is 500 meters away.
300 meters.
One hundred meters.
The cannon muzzle flashed red.
Just as Ye Mo was about to speak, Emma Frost suddenly said:
"Etc."