The moment the words "almost cooked" faded from the ventilation duct, Ye Mo's fingers were already pressed against the wall. He didn't wait any longer; three short and one long vibration signals struck the wall—this was their pre-arranged code, meaning "I'm here, hold on."
The response came almost instantly: a soft knocking came from inside the wall, the rhythm crooked and uneven, like fingernails scraping against metal. But she had replied, and that was enough.
He closed his eyes, his consciousness sinking downwards, entering the " Gene Spiral Tower " that belonged only to him. The fourth floor, which had never been opened before, now had a crack appear in the door by itself. Two fragments collided: one was the cold hardness of metal bones, the other was the tingling sensation of bioelectricity coursing through his nerves. The puzzle pieces clicked together, and his spine suddenly burned, as if someone had poured liquid steel bars into the cracks of his bones.
"It's done." He opened his eyes, his voice low and hoarse.
Grayish-blue lines crept up his neck, and his knuckles made a soft metallic clicking sound. He glanced down at the back of his hand; it felt as if wires were crawling beneath his skin. This thing wouldn't last long, but he didn't need it for very long either.
Taking a deep breath, Ye Mo took half a step back and suddenly slammed into the wall.
With a deafening roar, the fireproof foam and cement blocks exploded, and he hurtled into the corridor like a cannonball. The two guards were stunned, their hands trembling as they held their guns. Ye Mo gave them no time to react, shifting his left shoulder and taking a full magazine of bullets. Rat-a-tat-tat—the bullets hit him like being hammered on the shoulder, making his Delia ache, but without breaking the skin.
Using the recoil, he slid forward, his right fist clenched, blue light crackling between his knuckles. He slammed his fist into the hinge of the maintenance bay door, the entire iron door twisting and snapping open.
"Can you move?" he roared.
A coughing sound came from the ventilation duct, followed by the scraping sound of metal rubbing together. A hand emerged from a gap in the interlayer, covered in grease, with white fingertips.
Ye Mo grabbed it and pulled hard.
Black Widow was dragged out of the pipe, her knees buckling as she landed, almost causing her to kneel. Ye Mo reached out to support her arm, and a pungent smell of burning mixed with sweat wafted towards him.
"If you had come ten seconds later, I would have been grilled alive," she said breathlessly, wiping the grime from her face. There was a scrape on her right arm, bleeding.
"Don't get stuck so deep next time." Ye Mo grinned, but before he finished speaking, he caught a glimpse of a flash of fire out of the corner of his eye.
The enemy machine gunner had already turned his gun around, and an incendiary bomb arced through the air, heading straight for the breach.
"Get down!" Ye Mo shoved Black Widow to the ground and rolled over to shield her.
boom--!
The blast wave hit his back, instantly burning through his hoodie and charring his skin, but he stood firm. His Steel Bone Structure had withstood the impact, though he felt a dull, jagged pain in his ribs and tasted blood in his mouth.
Through the billowing smoke, he turned around. "Can we still fight?"
Black Widow had already reached for the pistol that had fallen to the ground, flicked her wrist, and nodded. "As long as the gun is still here."
After rolling to the corner of the wall for cover, the two temporarily escaped direct fire. Ye Mo leaned against the wall, panting, feeling the metallic heat within his body begin to recede, and the humming in his bones gradually weakening. He knew that this ability was nearing its end.
But the gunfire outside didn't stop.
Captain America hid behind the ruins opposite, his shield blocking a volley of gunfire. He raised his hand and made three short hand gestures—the activation signal for Plan B. Bucky set up a sniper position on the high platform, his mechanical arm steadily pressing down on the barrel, aiming at the newly appeared automatic turret on the right. Emma Frost knelt in a corner on the second floor, sweat beading on her forehead, her lips turning purple. She had just finished releasing her mental interference and was swaying precariously.
"Suppress the right wing, three-second window," she transmitted through gritted teeth.
Captain America immediately threw his shield, Vibranium Shield and flew out, bouncing between the walls before striking the turret control box precisely. Sparks flew, and the right-side firepower paused.
Bucky pulled the trigger, severing the operator's arm with the first shot and blowing his head off with the second. The turret went out of service.
Before the enemies on the left could react, Captain America had already rushed out of cover, rolling several times towards the corridor entrance. Black Widow also struggled to her feet, picked up the fallen assault rifle, and cocked it.
"Cover me," she said to Ye Mo.
Ye Mo nodded, took a deep breath, and once again mobilized the remaining bio-electric energy. Although his Steel Bone had degenerated, his muscle fibers still retained the aftereffects of their strengthening. He suddenly rushed out from behind cover, deliberately exposing himself.
"Over here!" he shouted, drawing fire.
Bullets swept across the ground, sending debris flying. He dove to the side and rolled, taking cover behind a collapsed electrical box, scraping his shoulder and drawing blood. But those few seconds were enough— Black Widow used the opportunity to slide forward, close to the left turret base, pulled out a tactical knife, pried open the panel, and inserted a micro-bomb.
"Withdraw!" she hissed.
The two retreated simultaneously.
Boom! The second gun emplacement exploded into a fireball, and the corridor exit was mostly blocked by rubble, billowing thick smoke.
Captain America quickly regrouped and surveyed everyone's condition. Emma Frost was pale but could still stand; Bucky jumped down from the platform, his mechanical arm cooling down normally; Black Widow, though disheveled, still had sharp eyes; Ye Mo leaned against the wall, his hoodie burned to half, revealing charred marks all over his back, but he didn't fall.
"Are they all alive?" Captain America asked.
"Alive." Ye Mo spat out a mouthful of blood. "It's just a bit hot."
"Plan B, change to C," Captain America whispered. "Push down the middle, split into two groups. Bucky and I will lead the attack, with Ye Mo and Black Widow providing support, and Emma Frost controlling the game."
"I can still hold on." Emma Frost straightened up, leaning against the wall. "Three minutes of disruption at most."
"That's enough." Captain America nodded. "Wait for your signal."
Ye Mo flexed his wrist; the metallic patterns had mostly faded, and his body looked as if he'd been run over by a truck. But he still tucked his tactical knife back into his belt and casually grabbed a submachine gun from the enemy's corpse.
"The system won't allow it, what can I do?" he muttered to himself, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "I can't exactly say it was my own idea, can I?"
No one answered, but Black Widow glanced at him and nodded slightly.
The five quickly adjusted their positions. Captain America led the way, shield held horizontally; Bucky followed closely behind, his mechanical arm entering combat mode; Ye Mo and Black Widow crouched side by side behind the collapsed load-bearing wall, their guns aimed at the middle of the corridor; Emma Frost retreated to the corner on the second floor, pressing her hands on the temple, preparing to launch another mental interference attack.
The air condensed.
The sound of tracks rolling came from afar; new tactical units were approaching. Infrared searchlights swept across the ruins, their beams passing over Ye Mo's hiding place and pausing for a moment.
He held his breath.
Emma Frost closed her eyes, a vein throbbing slightly on her forehead. A mental wave quietly spread, causing the enemy's command channel to malfunction.
"Three... two..." she counted down softly.
Ye Mo gripped the gun handle tightly, his knuckles turning white.
Just then, Black Widow suddenly turned her head and lowered her voice. "Wait—there's movement in the east pipe."
Ye Mo immediately pressed his foot to the ground to sense the vibrations. The vibrations returned: it wasn't machines, but footsteps, light and fast, at least six people, flanking from the underground passage.
"This isn't the planned route." He frowned.
Captain America quickly assessed the situation. "Flanking maneuver. Change formation. Ye Mo, take Black Widow to block the flanks, Bucky, provide cover."
"I'll go." Ye Mo stood up. "You trust me?"
Captain America stared at him for two seconds, then nodded. "Believe."
Ye Mo stopped talking and turned to leave. Black Widow followed closely behind, and the two of them squeezed into the narrow maintenance passage. The passage was low, with water dripping from pipes overhead and slippery greasy mud underfoot. Ye Mo walked in front, his right hand against the wall for balance, his left hand gripping his gun, and his ears listening for the slightest sounds ahead.
Twenty meters away, a metallic clanging sound came from around the corner.
He stopped and gestured. Black Widow immediately crouched down, holding her breath.
Ahead, the Hydra team was navigating through underground pipelines, the leader carrying a thermal imager and scanning as they went.
Ye Mo slowly drew his tactical dagger, pointed it at himself, and then pointed to the ventilation shaft on the left—meaning that he would circle around from above and let her lure him from the front.
Black Widow shook her head and made a "come at me together" gesture.
He hesitated for a second, then nodded.
The two acted simultaneously. Black Widow suddenly kicked over a nearby metal bucket with a loud crash. The enemy squad immediately became alert and turned their guns around.
In that instant, Ye Mo climbed up the ventilation shaft, used the momentum to leap down, and crashed into the crowd like someone diving off a cliff. Although his Steel Bone had retreated, his weight remained, and he knocked two people down on the spot. He rolled over and swept his dagger across, slitting one person's throat.
Gunshots rang out, and Black Widow charged into the fray. Her movements were clean and swift: elbow strikes, knee kicks, and disarming opponents—three strikes to take down an opponent.
Ye Mo picked up the fallen rifle and opened fire to suppress the enemy, providing cover for her advance.
"Cleared!" Ten seconds later, Black Widow stopped and kicked away the last person.
Ye Mo leaned against the wall, panting, feeling his vision blurring. The backlash from Regeneration, coupled with the depletion of his Steel Bone, had pushed his body to its limit.
But looking at him, she suddenly smiled, "Next time, let me know before Wall Phasing."
"That's no surprise at all." He laughed too, his voice hoarse.
The two quickly returned to the main battlefield.
Captain America and his team were in position, all gathered behind cover. The enemy's main force had not yet appeared, but the encirclement was closing in.
"Ready?" Captain America asked.
Ye Mo raised his gun and nodded. "Anytime."
Black Widow checks the magazine; loading is complete.
Emma Frost took a deep breath, and her mental energy refocused.
Bucky's robotic arm locks onto the target area.
Captain America raised his shield, his gaze sweeping over everyone.
"Then--"
Ye Mo tightened the trigger, staring into the dark corridor ahead.
The next second, the searchlights came on, illuminating the figure charging at the very front.