The moment the door closed silently behind him, Ye Mo sensed something was wrong in the air.
It wasn't the smell of burning or blood, but a pungent metallic odor similar to that of a red-hot iron block immersed in cold water, mixed with the damp, musty smell unique to underground caves. He subconsciously touched his left arm; the outer layer of the Steel Bone had almost completely peeled away, revealing the charred muscle tissue underneath. The Regeneration ability was still on its cooling countdown, and even the slightest movement felt like sandpaper grinding against his bones.
But he didn't have time to cry out in pain.
The overhead vent clicked, like a rusted gear finally being turned. Immediately afterward, a slight scraping sound came from the crack in the wall on the right, like fingernails scraping against tiles.
"Work's here." Ye Mo murmured, his back pressed against the metal door that had just closed, his eyes fixed on the floating red light in front of him—the aura of the Aether was still there, but it was closer and more chaotic.
The first shadow spear came hurtling through the air, so fast that it left only a black streak in its wake. He dodged it by turning his head, the spear tip grazing his ear and embedding itself in the door behind him with a humming sound. The second and third followed in quick succession, their angles tricky, clearly intended to restrict his movement.
He didn't run away.
Instead, he took a step forward.
As soon as they moved, the ventilation shafts on both sides exploded simultaneously, and more than a dozen dark figures leaped down, landing silently and slowly approaching in a semi-circle. They wore shadow armor with a matte black finish, and carried energy-absorbing spears and grappling hooks wrapped in chains, clearly equipment specifically designed to deal with superhumans.
"Wow, pretty professional." Ye Mo grinned, his right hand stealthily reaching into his pocket, his fingertips touching the Vibranium fragment. "You guys, did you get this formation through a gym group buy? Everyone's got a terrible facial expression."
No one responded.
The next second, everyone charged forward.
Five men pressed forward from the front, their spear tips forming a fan shape to block his escape route; others flanked him from behind, their chains whistling through the air, clearly intending to bind him tightly and take him away.
Ye Mo slipped, using the remaining black liquid on the ground to dodge two thrown spears, and slammed into the left wall. But the moment he touched the wall, the entire wall suddenly trembled, as if a living thing was convulsing.
"Damn, it's alive?" he cursed, rolling over to avoid the sweeping chains, and elbowing a Dark Elves who was too close. The man groaned and fell to the ground. Before he could get up, Ye Mo stepped on his wrist, snatched the spear, and thrust it into the thigh of another man next to him.
"Don't blame me for being ruthless, the system notification said this was self-defense." He lied as he backed away, his eyes scanning the surroundings.
The ventilation shaft was too high to climb; the door was sealed and couldn't be forcibly removed; ahead lay a bottomless passage, and behind were these silent, taciturn assassins. Looking at her teammates— Emma Frost was exhausted from the mental shock and was now sitting against the wall, barely able to lift her eyelids; Thor could still stand, but his hammer wasn't fully charged, and he was standing guard beside her, unable to attend to this situation for the moment.
"Fine, it's all up to me now." Ye Mo gritted his teeth, silently chanting in his mind, " X-Gene Resonance System, if you mess up now, neither of us will get out of here alive."
There was no response.
There has never been a response.
But that doesn't mean it's not doing anything.
He closed his eyes for a second, quickly searching his consciousness for that thing called " Gene Spiral Tower ". The second layer had just been unlocked, and there was a bunch of messy fragments of abilities piled up inside, such as " Low Temperature Control) " and " Vibration Perception) ", as well as a gray node labeled "Unnamed · High Temperature Energy Release Mode".
I tried it once before and almost burned myself to a crisp.
But now... I can't worry about that anymore.
"I'll risk it all!" he roared, pushing forward with both palms, his mind racing towards that gray dot.
A sudden burning sensation ran through my body.
It wasn't the pain of a wound; it felt like someone was pouring lava into his veins, rushing upwards through his limbs and bones. His fingers turned red, and steam began to rise from his palms. The next second—
boom!
Crimson flames erupted from his palms, exploding forward in a fan shape. The three-meter-wide tongues of fire swept out, instantly engulfing the five Dark Elves who were closing in at the front. They didn't even have time to scream before their armor instantly charred, their skin cracked, and they rose into the air like burning paper dolls.
The remaining people froze for a fraction of a second, then retreated in unison.
Their escape route was blocked by flames.
The fire spread extremely quickly, burning along the black liquid seeping from the ground, crackling and illuminating the entire passage. The previously dim space was suddenly as bright as day, even the pulsating vein-like patterns on the rock walls were reflected in a crimson light.
"Wow, this works pretty well." Ye Mo was a little surprised himself, looking down at his hands. "Much better than the last time it spontaneously combusted."
He didn't stop.
Put your hands together in prayer position, then suddenly pull them apart.
The flames then split, transforming into two fire dragons that sped along the ground, one to the left and one to the right, quickly encircling him along the edge of the passage. The Dark Elves who were trying to hide against the wall never expected that fire could bend; by the time they realized it, their feet were already ablaze, and their shields, which had just been raised, were melted through by the intense heat.
"You like shadows, don't you? Here's a bright, clear place for you!" Ye Mo roared as he pressed forward, constantly adjusting the direction of his hands to control the flow of fire.
An enemy pulled out a black button, clearly intending to detonate some device. Ye Mo narrowed his eyes, raised his hand, and pointed, sending out a beam of fire that instantly burned the button into a lump of iron.
"Self-destruction? You dare to challenge me?" He sneered, his steps unwavering, flames following him like a shadow.
The last three formed a defensive formation with their backs against the wall, their hands crossed to create a dark shield that barely blocked the approaching flames. They chanted incantations, seemingly initiating some kind of defensive ritual.
Ye Mo glanced at it and shook his head. "Dude, stop chanting. Your incantation doesn't rhyme at all; it's hard to even listen to."
Before he finished speaking, he clasped his hands together, compressing the flames into a ball that spun wildly in his palms. The temperature rose higher and higher, until even his own skin began to burn.
"System, if this crashes and kills me, let's both be reborn together," he muttered, then pushed his hands out.
Boom--!
The compressed fireball collided with the shield and exploded instantly, sending a wave of heat across the entire area. The shadow shield lasted less than two seconds before shattering with a "crack," and all three of them coughed up blood and were sent flying backward, crashing into the wall and sliding down, still smoking.
Ye Mo stepped forward and looked down.
The charred remains were scattered all over the ground, some still smoldering, and the air was filled with the smell of burning protein. The passage returned to silence, broken only by the crackling of the flames and the faint pulsation of the rock walls.
He withdrew his hands, the warmth still lingering in his palms. He looked down at his hands—the skin was a little red, but there were no blisters or peeling.
"Hey, it's pretty durable." He muttered to himself, turning around to look behind him.
Half of the ventilation shaft had collapsed, and several corpses hung precariously from the broken pipes; charred bodies lay scattered on the ground, and molten weapons clung to the earth like melted plastic toys. The entire area was burned to a crisp, and even the air had become dry and scorching.
Looking ahead, the passage continued, pitch black, but thanks to the earlier burst of firelight, at least the path for the first fifty meters could now be seen. The cracks in the ground remained, and the rock walls continued to undulate slightly, like the digestive tract of some enormous creature.
Ye Mo stood there, catching his breath. He didn't feel tired; instead, he felt an indescribable sense of exhilaration.
Before, fighting was all about taking hits, dodging, Regeneration, and then fighting again, like a punching bag with a swollen face that had to keep going. Now it's different; it's his turn to take the initiative. He unleashes a burst of fire, and the enemy is gone before they can even react.
This feeling is great.
He stretched his shoulders; the metallic scraping sound was still clear. The Steel Bone in his left arm still needed repair, but at least he wouldn't have to use his body to shield himself from knives anymore.
"If anyone ever says I'm only good at hiding again, I'll treat them to barbecue." He muttered to himself as he walked forward.
His feet trod over charred wreckage, leaving his shoes covered in Ashes. The depths of the passage remained quiet, with a faint red light flickering, as if waiting for him to approach.
He didn't rush in.
Instead, he stopped and looked back.
Emma Frost was still sitting against the wall, pale but conscious; Thor stood beside her, his hammer fully charged, nodding at him.
Neither of them spoke, but he understood: You did a great job.
Ye Mo smiled and turned back.
After the flames died down, the passage returned to darkness, but the outline of the path that had just been illuminated remained on his retina. He remembered every crack, every bump, and even which corner had dripped black liquid.
He lifted his foot and took a step forward.
Step two.
Step 3.
Deep inside the passage, the pulsating frequency of the rock wall suddenly changed.