Ye Mo stared at the string of numbers, 04:17:33, which was still scrolling down. He had sensed something was wrong earlier. Loki wasn't the type to leave countdowns; this guy preferred playing the "you never know when I'll make my move" trick. But the numbers were engraved on the wall, flashing green like a heartbeat.
He crouched down, and the moment his fingers touched the wall, a slippery magical membrane suddenly seeped out from the cracks in the bricks, creeping up his fingertips. He jerked his hand back, nearly dropping his glasses.
"Damn it," he muttered under his breath, putting his glasses back into his hoodie pocket. What he was seeing wasn't what he expected; this wasn't a warning, it was a trigger.
He closed his eyes, his mental energy spreading out like a net, probing deep into the underground passage. At first, there was nothing but deathly silence and the smell of rust. But three seconds later, a reverse stream of mental energy rushed in, hitting him directly on the forehead.
laughter.
Loki's laughter was so clear it sounded like he was laughing right next to his ear.
"You're quite good at hiding." Ye Mo gritted his teeth, kept his eyes closed, and continued to push forward to sense the danger. He knew it was a trap, but retreating now would be admitting defeat.
The ground began to tremble, not heavily, but persistently. A low-frequency hum came from deep within the passage, like some kind of machine warming up. His consciousness finally pierced through the interference and saw—
A purple portal stood in the center of an abandoned control room thirty meters underground. The portal frame was made of twisted chains of runes, each link dripping black liquid. Behind the portal was not space, but a swirling, Red Fog, within which stood shadowy human figures.
No, you can't call someone that.
These creatures were nearly three meters tall, with slender limbs, bent joints, and covered in metallic armor, like living beings wearing exoskeletons. They had no faces; their helmets were smooth black surfaces with only a horizontal seam that glowed with blood. They didn't hold guns, but double-headed energy halberds, one end spewing fire and the other crackling with electricity.
What's most frightening is their aura. Unlike the chaotic energy fluctuations of the Chitauri soldiers, these guys' energy fluctuations are uniform, as if they are controlled by something. Each one is more than three times stronger than the previous assault team.
"Not reinforcements..." Ye Mo's heart skipped a beat, "It's the Scavengers Troops."
He recognized this configuration; similar setups had appeared in comics—specifically designed to clean up battlefield debris, eliminate witnesses, destroy evidence, and leave no survivors. They possess explosive combat power, extremely high obedience, and most importantly, are unaffected by conventional communication interference.
Loki wasn't calling for reinforcements.
He's changing his playing style.
Ye Mo suddenly opened his eyes, his forehead covered in sweat. He immediately reached for his wrist terminal to send an alarm, but the signal was blocked. The channel was completely silent; it wasn't a disconnection, but rather a suppression. Some kind of magical barrier completely enveloped the area, even Telepathy could only travel thirty meters outward.
He looked up at the sky. Tony was long gone, and Thor was out of sight. Emma Frost had exhausted herself and was probably still recovering. Now, in this ruin, he was the only one who was conscious.
The buzzing sound from the purple portal grew louder.
He could sense that the presence behind the door was approaching. The first one had already taken half a step, its metal foot striking the ground with a crisp "crack," like bones breaking.
Ye Mo took a step back, stepping on a loose concrete slab. He didn't look down, his eyes fixed on the entrance to the passage. The air there began to distort, the temperature plummeted, and his breath turned into white mist.
"System," he shouted in his mind, "Does it have a matching capability?"
[No similar gene fragment detected]
[It is advisable to avoid direct conflict]
"Shut up." He rolled his eyes. "Every time there's danger, you tell me to run. What's the point of giving me this system then? To use it as a memo?"
The system did not respond.
He knew the system wouldn't lie to him; if it truly had matching capabilities, it would definitely notify him. But in this situation, there was no escape. Once that door fully opened, at least ten people would emerge in the first wave, instantly clearing the area. He could escape through the Wall Phasing, but the others wouldn't have time to react.
He needs to stall for time.
He took out his phone, turned on the front-facing camera, and started recording video at the entrance of the passage. He then compressed and packaged the video, and sent it to all his teammates via a backup frequency band. After sending it, he immediately turned off his phone to prevent being tracked.
After doing all this, he took a deep breath, closed his eyes again, and turned his Telepathy to maximum power. This time, it wasn't detection, it was interference.
He randomly combined the Mutants ability fragments he had collected, creating a jumble of chaotic mental noise, which he poured into the underground passage like static on an old-fashioned television screen. This operation was very mentally taxing and could easily cause a nosebleed, but he had no other choice.
Sure enough, the buzzing sound paused for a moment.
The footsteps behind the door stopped.
Ye Mo's lips curled into a smile, "You're afraid of interference too?"
But the next second, a sharp wave of magic rebounded from the ground and pierced his temple. He groaned, his knees buckled, and he almost knelt down. His vision went black, and his ears were filled with a buzzing sound.
But he didn't fall.
He steadied himself by bracing himself against a broken steel bar, and tasted rust in his mouth. His oral cavity lining must have been torn.
"Fine, you're ruthless." He wiped his mouth. "But it'll take you time to open this door, won't it?"
He looked up at the countdown timer.
04:12:18.
Still walking.
This indicates the ceremony is not yet complete.
As long as the door isn't fully open, he still has a chance to interrupt.
He began to back away, kicking bricks as he went, marking three points on the ground. This was a makeshift method he had tried before—using physical obstacles to disrupt the energy flow of the magic circle. Although it had limited effect on large magic circles, it could at least buy him a few seconds.
As he retreated to the third brick, he suddenly heard a muffled thud.
It wasn't an explosion, nor was it gunfire.
It was the sound of some kind of creature breathing, heavy, slow, with a metallic friction.
He stopped what he was doing and looked up.
A foot stepped out from the shadows at the entrance of the passage.
These are not Chitauri boots.
It has metal feet with three toes and hooks at the ends, making a "clang" sound when it steps on the ground.
Then came the second one.
Then came the entire figure.
The warrior was covered in black armor, with a glowing core on its chest, like an external heart. It raised its head, and the horizontal slit on its mask turned toward Ye Mo, then stopped.
There is no language.
No action was taken.
Just standing there.
But Ye Mo knew that it had already locked onto him.
He didn't move.
He knew this type of enemy was best at detecting moving targets. As long as he didn't move, it wouldn't attack rashly. But he also knew this was just the first one. There would be many more to come.
He quietly reached into the inside pocket of his hoodie and felt a miniature Vibranium plate. He'd taken it during the last fight with Klaue; he'd intended to study it but hadn't had a chance to use it. Now he planned to try and activate " Regenerative Phasing " to steal some energy from it.
The soldier suddenly raised his hand as soon as his fingers touched the metal plate.
It's not an attack.
It's an illustration.
More footsteps sounded behind them.
One after another, dark figures emerged from the passage, forming a column, eerily silent. They didn't speak, didn't communicate, and even their breathing rhythms were synchronized.
Ye Mo counted; seven had already come out.
The countdown has 4:09:45 remaining.
He knew he couldn't wait any longer.
He slammed the Vibranium plate onto his arm, shouting in his mind, "Activate Regenerative Phasing!"
[Ability combination in progress]
[ Wade's Self-Healing + Shadowcat's Wall Phasing + Vibranium Resonance = Regenerative Phasing (Temporary Enhancement)]
[Cooldown time unknown]
My skin started to feel hot, like there were bugs crawling underneath it.
He was ready. As soon as the Regenerative Phasing a mere ten percent, he would immediately burrow underground, circle around behind the door, and destroy the rune chains. This was the only way to interrupt the ritual.
But just as the ability was about to be activated, the leading warrior suddenly raised his energy halberd and swung it horizontally.
A crimson blade of light appeared out of thin air, sliced through the air, and struck the ground directly in front of him.
The cement slab was cut in half like tofu.
Ye Mo froze.
That knife wasn't meant for him.
This is a warning.
He looked up and saw the soldier's mask with the horizontal seam facing him, motionless.
Then, it slowly raised its other hand.
Open your palm.
Palms facing up.
It's like they're waiting for something.
A thought suddenly flashed through Ye Mo's mind.
"It's not here to fight."
"It's here to pick people up."