Ye Mo's hand was still pressed against the Vibranium plate, and he felt an electric current coursing through his skin. He stared at the black-armored warrior's palm-up posture, his mind racing. This didn't seem like an engagement; it seemed more like they were waiting for someone to make contact. But now wasn't the time to think about that; he had to move.
Just as he was about to forcefully activate the Regenerative Phasing, a loud explosion occurred in the clouds above his head.
The roar of the thrusters tore through the air, and a red and gold shadow descended from the sky. Tony Stark didn't slow down; instead, he launched a miniature missile, which accurately struck the center of the reinforcements' ranks.
boom!
The shockwave knocked over the three black-armored warriors in the front row, instantly disrupting their formation. Ye Mo seized the opportunity to retreat ten meters, steadying himself against a broken concrete pillar. He caught his breath and wiped the sweat from his brow. "If you had arrived two seconds later, I would have risked my life."
"That's not good." Tony hovered in mid-air, his armored shoulder cannon still smoking. "I just dropped a nuclear bomb into the Atlantic Ocean, and when I came back I saw you surrounded by a bunch of monsters in black suits. Pretty awkward, huh?"
The ground trembled more violently as Thor leaped from afar, his Mjolnir Arclight as it struck the ground. Three bolts of lightning struck in quick succession, blasting away a three-man squad charging towards Ye Mo. As he landed, he slipped on a piece of broken brick and cursed Asgard.
"Can you two stop making me save the day all the time?" Ye Mo rolled his eyes.
"You're the one who always makes yourself look like you need to be rescued," Tony retorted.
Before she could finish speaking, an energy net swept in from the flank. Emma Frost's figure flashed forward, her entire body transforming into Diamond Form, taking the hit head-on. She stood at the edge of the ruins, tiny cracks appearing on her arm, but she didn't take a single step back.
"We agreed to ride together," she said, her voice a half-tone lower than usual.
The four took their positions, forming a triangular defensive formation. Tony took off, Thor was in the center, and Ye Mo and Emma Frost guarded the rear. The new reinforcements regrouped, this time no longer silent, but dispersed, forming groups of three to cooperate with the Chitauri flying units in a flanking maneuver.
"These aren't ordinary soldiers." Ye Mo closed his eyes to sense them, but his mental energy was immediately repelled, causing a buzzing pain in his head. "Their weapons have anti-magic coatings that can interfere with Telepathy."
"Then forget about using your brain." Thor swung his hammer. "Use this."
The moment he leaped into the air, Mjolnir spun rapidly, drawing in electrical charges that coalesced into a ring-shaped thunderstorm. Three highly mobile targets were caught in it the moment they approached, their bodies convulsing in the intense current for a few seconds before crashing heavily to the ground, smoking.
Taking advantage of the situation, Tony adjusted the system and released dozens of holographic phantoms. The swarm of decoys scattered and flew around, attracting firepower while he quietly climbed to the edge of the stratosphere.
"Sky Eye Lock Activated," he whispered. " Thor, I've marked the coordinates for you."
A red dot popped up on the screen, Thor glanced at it before rushing towards it. The hammer struck right where the enemy sniper was hiding. The man didn't even have time to react before he was blasted to pieces.
"Absolutely accurate." Thor whistled.
"That's right," Tony chuckled. "I'm the kind of person who can set a coffee machine to auto-aiming."
Ye Mo didn't have time to listen to their boasting. He switched to passive scanning mode, no longer actively releasing mental waves, but instead receiving his teammates' emotional fluctuations to predict danger. When Thor suddenly frowned, he immediately looked down, and an energy blast grazed his head, melting the billboard behind him into molten iron.
"Thanks." He nodded to Thor.
"No need." Thor had already charged towards the next wave of enemies.
Emma Frost was under the most pressure. She stood in front of the residential building, enduring five rounds of concentrated fire. A visible crack appeared on her chest, but she didn't revert to human form. She knew that once she exited her diamond form, the building behind her would collapse.
"How much longer can we hold out?" Ye Mo asked.
"Five seconds," she said.
Ye Mo acted immediately. He activated his Wall Phasing Technique and crawled into the underground pipeline layer. This was originally the city's main power supply line, but now only remnants of the lines remained. He touched a thick cable, determined that it was the energy source of the shockwave cannon, and smashed the connector with a punch.
The charging rhythm above paused.
Emma Frost seized the opportunity and pressed forward, managing to withstand two rounds of gunfire. A long gash appeared on her right arm, but she remained standing.
"Alright." Ye Mo emerged from underground. "The power supply has been cut off."
"Just temporarily." Tony swooped down from high altitude. "The second wave is here, with even bigger cannons."
Sure enough, a new group of units emerged from behind the portal. They pushed heavy concussion cannons and set them up at an extremely fast pace. The cannons were aimed at the city center, and their charge bars had already begun to rise.
"We can't let it get out," Ye Mo said.
"Leave it to me." Tony folded his wings and charged straight toward the turret. He activated the maximum power of the Arc Reactor in his chest halfway there, colliding head-on with the first shell.
Most of the energy shockwave was absorbed, and the remainder was deflected by the shoulder-mounted launcher and shot toward the abandoned port area. An explosion was heard, and thick smoke rose from the area, but there were no civilian casualties.
Thor stomped his foot after landing, causing the earth's veins to tremble. This move briefly destabilized the enemy's device, reducing its charging progress to 20%.
"Beautiful!" Ye Mo exclaimed.
"Enough talk," Thor gasped. "One more time and I might collapse."
Emma Frost gritted her teeth and stepped forward, once again blocking the flanking attack. A network of cracks appeared on her left leg, making a faint cracking sound as she moved.
"You're not going to make it." Ye Mo looked at her.
"I know," she said, "But it's not the right time yet."
Tony's armor was damaged in several places, and his energy level dropped to 47%, but his control system was still running. He hovered at low altitude, constantly harassing the enemy formation while providing intelligence support to his teammates.
"These guys are much tougher than the Chitauri," he said. "They know how to hide, how to lie, and how to cooperate."
"Because they're the Scavengers," Ye Mo said, "Specializing in handling trouble."
"Then you're the biggest problem," Tony chuckled. "They'll definitely be giving you special attention."
No sooner had he finished speaking than three black-armored warriors suddenly pounced from different directions. Their weapons were coated with a special material that could reflect lightning. Thor swung his hammer down, but one of them deflected it with his shield and slashed Thor's shoulder with a backhand strike.
Blood splattered out.
"Damn it!" Thor roared, swinging his hammer in a sweeping motion, forcing the three men back.
Ye Mo wanted to help, but his path was blocked by the energy net as soon as he took a step. Emma Frost rushed up to block the attack for him, and the crack on her chest deepened, almost breaking off.
"Don't force yourself!" Ye Mo pulled her back.
"Otherwise what?" she retorted.
Seeing this, Tony immediately threw a smoke grenade to disrupt their vision. He circled around to the side and rear, using his wrist laser to sever the enemy's communication node. The moment the signal was interrupted, the black-armored warriors slowed their movements for a second.
Now!
Thor seized the opportunity and hurled Mjolnir. The hammer traced a lightning bolt through the air, striking the three men in the back and pinning them to the ground.
"I took down three." He panted as he picked up the hammer.
Emma Frost finally couldn't hold on any longer and transformed back into human form, collapsing to her knees. Her clothes were soaked with sweat, and her face was pale.
Ye Mo held her shoulders. "You need to rest."
"I'm not leaving," she said.
Tony landed on the ground, his armor charred black. "I'm almost at my limit too. Energy is running low, cooling system alarm is sounding."
"Let's fight to the very end." Thor raised his hammer. "We've been fighting all along anyway."
A new wave of enemies is approaching. This time they are more numerous and equipped with heavier weapons. The shockwave cannon has been repositioned and is now 60% charged.
Ye Mo took a deep breath and reached into the inside pocket of his hoodie. The Vibranium plate was still there, but its temperature had risen considerably.
"System," he cried out in his mind, "Are there any new combinations?"
[High-intensity energy feedback detected]
[Suggested approach: Self-Healing + Wall Phasing + Vibranium Resonance + Lightning Conduction ]
" Lightning Conduction?" Ye Mo was taken aback. "Who gave it to me?"
He looked at Thor.
The latter was raising his hand, letting a tiny bolt of lightning dance in his palm.
"What do you want to do?" Thor asked.
"Could I borrow some electricity?" Ye Mo said.
"Whatever." Thor tossed the lightning bolt at him.
The moment the electric current struck Ye Mo's arm, the Vibranium plate heated up, and his skin began to glow with a metallic sheen. His right hand slowly etherealized, as if it were about to merge into the air.
"It's done," he said.
Tony looked up at the sky. "They're going to fight again."
In the distance, the second echelon was ready. The shockwave cannon's charge bar was nearly full, and the muzzle glowed with a blinding red light.
Ye Mo stood up. His right arm was completely transparent, like glass, through which the blood vessels and bones could be seen.
"This time it's my turn to go first," he said.