The ambushers emerge, and fierce battle erupts again

The moment his fingertips touched the wall, Ye Mo sensed something was wrong.

The pulse rhythm changed; it wasn't a natural fluctuation, but a man-made, accelerated tremor, like someone drumming inside a wall. His pupils contracted; the Regeneration factor hadn't fully activated yet, and his body instinctively tried to pull his hand back—but it was too late.

"Boom!"

The wall exploded, and a long, black blade burst forth from within, carrying debris and scorching air as it pierced Ye Mo's chest. In the nick of time, he slammed to the left, his shoulder blade slamming into Emma Frost's ribs, sending her flying. The black blade grazed his right arm, cracking the outer layer of his Steel Bone with a "crack," and arcs of electricity crackled across it.

"Resign!" he roared, his voice hoarse like sandpaper grinding against sheet metal.

Thor reacted the fastest, sweeping out Mjolnir, an arc of electricity exploding in mid-air. Three Dark Elves who leaped out from the crack in the wall were instantly sent flying, crashing into a distant stone pillar with a dull thud. They wore dark armor, their faces hidden under hoods, their movements perfectly synchronized, attacking immediately upon landing without uttering a single word.

Emma Frost rolled over and sat up; the blood from her nose had already clotted. She wiped the dried scab from the corner of her mouth, and Mental Scan instantly spread out. "Straight above!" she telepathically, the information piercing directly into their minds, "There's an ambush on the ceiling, at least six."

Before the words were even finished, a shadow fell overhead, and six dark figures leaped down from above, their short blades gleaming with a chilling blue light. Thor roared and swung his hammer upwards in a wide arc, causing a thunderous explosion. Two enemies were struck by the electric current and convulsed as they fell to the ground. The remaining four scattered and surrounded them, forcing the three to huddle together back to back.

Ye Mo took a breath. The Steel Bone in his right leg was still seeping oil, so walking was definitely out of the question, but he didn't intend to. He squatted down against the stone pillar in the southeast corner, supporting himself with his left hand and reaching into the side pocket of his work pants with his right hand. He pulled out a piece of Vibranium the size of a fingernail—a scrap he had taken from fighting Ulysses Klaue and had been carrying it with him as a tactical tool.

"Your house renovation is pretty wild," he said, staring at the cracks in the walls that seemed to be spewing out enemies, his tone like he was complaining about the property management. "Hiding knives in the walls is one thing, but to stage a surprise attack with extras? Who gave you the construction permit?"

No one answered.

Thor stood at the front, hammer held horizontally in front of his chest, lightning energy compressed into thin lines on the surface, ready to erupt at any moment. Emma Frost stood slightly behind the center, her hands slightly raised, her Mental Barrier quietly unfolding, forming a thin, almost imperceptible protective film, mainly used to shield thought signals and prevent reverse intrusion.

Ye Mo was half-squatting, his fingers lightly pressing the ground, electric arcs leaping at his fingertips at a very low frequency, as if in standby mode. In fact, he was waiting for system feedback—the collision had interrupted the "Regenerative Phasing" activation process, and now the cooling progress bar was stuck at 67%, not knowing when it would be ready.

There's no time to wait.

On the high platform, the air slowly distorted, and a figure stepped down.

Malekith.

He wore a deep purple Cloak edged with star patterns, and with each step he took, spiderweb-like cracks appeared in the ground. He didn't even glance at the corpses on the ground; his gaze was fixed directly on Ye Mo, and his voice, deep and resonant as if from the earth, said, "You think this little trick can fool the Son of Night?"

Ye Mo grinned, his teeth still glistening with dust from the previous battle. "We didn't try to hide it. We're here to demolish your house."

"Overestimating yourselves." Malekith raised his hand, a swirling black mist rising from his palm. "You haven't even touched the shadow of Aether, yet you dare to set foot in the Holy Land? Ants eyeing the sky, you deserve to be killed."

As soon as he finished speaking, he waved his hand.

Behind the stone pillars on both sides, a dozen Dark Elves emerged one after another, wielding spears and scimitars, their steps synchronized, silently approaching. They didn't come from the passage; they came straight out of the wall—this ship was truly alive, capable of expelling people like seeds.

Thor sneered, "Your lines are pretty good. I suggest adding background music next time."

"Shut up," Ye Mo said in a low voice. "There are two more waves behind him. I didn't see their positions clearly. Don't provoke him too much."

"Then you'd better stay away." Thor his head. "You look like a leaky robot."

"I'd be happy to." Ye Mo moved his left shoulder; the spot where the black blade had grazed him was burning with pain, but half of his skin had Regeneration, and the new flesh was tender and white. "Besides, this hoodie of mine is a limited edition; can you afford to pay for it?"

Emma Frost finally spoke, "Their formation has changed. The guards are no longer syncing their brainwaves; instead, they've split into three rhythm groups. They're probably trying to encircle us."

"Then don't let them close up." Thor leaped forward, slamming his hammer into the ground. A thunderous explosion blasted outwards for ten meters, forcing back the five people in front of him. He used the blast wave to propel himself into the air, and with a spinning kick, sent another attacker flying.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Ye Mo rolled behind another stone pillar, his back pressed against the cold rock surface. He glanced down at his right leg; the oil seeping from the Steel Bone had slowed down a bit, but the joint was stuck, and he estimated that it would fall apart after running a few more steps. He gritted his teeth and turned up the pain level, using the pain to stay awake.

"Emma Frost, how much longer can you hold on?" he asked.

"Ten minutes." She leaned back where Thor had been, her fingers pressing against her temples. "Their mental shield is getting stronger; I have to constantly adjust the scanning frequency."

"That's enough." Ye Mo stared at the constantly reinforcing enemy. "As long as we don't get wiped out in ten minutes, it's fine."

Malekith stood at the edge of the high platform, overlooking the battlefield, and made no further move. He knew he didn't need to do it himself—these men were enough to wear them down.

The first wave of attacks was repelled, and the second wave immediately followed. This time, they changed tactics, advancing in groups of four in a triangular formation, focusing on attacking blind spots. Thor couldn't hold off the entire line by himself and was forced to retreat half a step. Emma Frost used a short-frequency mental shock to disrupt the rhythm of one of the groups, giving Ye Mo an opportunity to launch a surprise attack from the side. He kicked one of the men in the knee, who screamed and fell to his knees. Thor then finished him off with a hammer blow.

But there were too many enemies.

The third wave arrived, this time crawling out of the drainage ditch, soaking wet and wielding barbed chain blades. Ye Mo had just dodged one wave when his left shoulder was slashed open, blood gushing out immediately. He groaned, ignoring the wound, and deliberately staggered backward, revealing an opening.

Sure enough, two enemies pounced on him, trying to pin him to the ground.

"They've taken the bait," he thought.

Just as the two were halfway to their goal, Thor's long-awaited Thunder Hammer swept across, crashing into the ground with a deafening roar. Arcs of electricity exploded outwards in a fan shape, sending the two flying. They slammed into a stone pillar and slid down, motionless.

"Your acting is nowhere near Tony's." Thor flicked his wrist.

"I was just creating an environment for you to unleash your power." Ye Mo wiped the sweat from his face, his Regeneration abilities beginning to treat the wound on his left shoulder, though the process was noticeably slower. "Besides, you didn't tell me beforehand that you were going to use a powerful attack."

"There aren't that many lip-syncing opportunities on the battlefield." Thor reverted to a defensive stance. "Next time, shout 'Action' and I'll go in."

Emma Frost suddenly raised her hand. "Wait—they stopped."

Everyone stopped what they were doing.

The Dark Elves did indeed stop, standing still as if a pause button had been pressed. They neither retreated nor attacked, but simply stood silently in a circle, like a group of puppets awaiting orders.

On the high platform, Malekith slowly raised his hands.

Black mist condensed in his palm, gradually elongating into the shape of a scythe. The blade was made of pure shadow, and black liquid dripped continuously from its edge, corroding small pits on the ground.

"The game is over," he said.

Ye Mo held his breath, his fingers clenching loosely again, and arcs of electricity re-condensed at his fingertips. He knew this wasn't a test, but a real killing move.

He whispered to Emma Frost, "I'll charge to the left, you distract his right hand, and Thor will find an opportunity to smash his knee—don't hit his face, he's already ugly, a swollen knee will make him look even worse."

"You actually have a plan?" Emma Frost asked.

"Of course," Ye Mo grinned, "Otherwise, did you think I'd been slacking off all this time?"

Thor chuckled softly. "I like this plan."

All three tensed their muscles, preparing to fight back.

Malekith raised his scythe, about to swing it down—

Suddenly, he stopped moving.

It wasn't because he hesitated, but because he heard the sound.

laughter.

Ye Mo was smiling.

It wasn't a nervous, forced laugh, nor a forced, cold laugh; it was a genuine laugh, so hard his shoulders were shaking.

"What are you laughing at?" Malekith's voice turned cold.

"I laugh at your stupidity." Ye Mo laughed while wiping the corner of his eye. "You went through all that trouble, hired so many extras, set up ambushes and surrounded the enemy, just to hear you say 'game over'? Do you think you're a movie villain? Did you even get paid before you started filming?"

Malekith's eyes turned cold.

Ye Mo continued, "If you really wanted to end the game, you should have personally joined the fight in the first wave. You only picked up the scythe now, do you feel like your entrance background music wasn't right, and you weren't imposing enough?"

"Shut up!" Malekith roared, and his scythe slashed down fiercely.

Thor immediately leaped to meet the attack, his hammer clashing with the black blade, unleashing blinding sparks. Ye Mo seized the opportunity to pull Emma Frost back a few steps, dodging the splattering shadow fragments.

"Are you crazy?" Emma Frost whispered, "Teasing him at a time like this?"

"What else?" Ye Mo panted. "If we wait for him to slowly summon the fourth and fifth waves, the three of us will be worn down sooner or later. It's better to let him rush things and make a mistake."

"What if he doesn't commit the crime?"

"Then at least he got to hear a couple of lines of comedy before he died." Ye Mo held the Vibranium fragment between his fingers, gently flicked it towards the red light overhead, reflecting a blinding beam of light that shone directly into the line of sight of a lurking enemy. "At least it was worth the price."

Emma Frost paused for a moment, then shook her head. "You're a lunatic."

"Thank you for the compliment." Ye Mo grinned, the arc of electricity stabilizing at his fingertips once more. "After all, staying alive is the biggest joke."

Malekith and Thor exchanged blows for several rounds, each strike carrying devastating power, but Thor withstood them all. Every swing of Mjolnir caused the air to explode, forcing Malekith to retreat and defend.

The Dark Elves closed in again, forming a semi-encirclement.

Ye Mo leaned against the stone pillar, blood still seeping from the wound on his left shoulder, and the Steel Bone in his right leg emitted a faint metallic scraping sound, as if it might fall apart at any moment. Emma Frost's Mental Barrier fluctuated slightly, but she did not retreat.

The three remained standing.

They didn't collapse, they didn't flee, they didn't surrender.

Malekith stood at the edge of the platform, his Cloak billowing, his eyes dark and brooding.

"You... you're really courting death," he said.

Ye Mo raised his hand, and an electric arc flickered twice at his fingertips, as if he were greeting someone.

"We know," he said, "But we choose to live."