The fire wall was still burning, but not as intensely as before. The warmth in Ye Mo's palm was like hot pot broth that was almost boiled dry, bubbling up every couple of times. He lifted his fingers slightly, making sure the flames circled more tightly around the base of the wall, making sure there were no gaps—this task was a bit strenuous, and the aching, Regeneration pain in his ribs returned, like a small saw slowly tearing at his bones.
"Can you still hold on?" Captain America walked over, his voice low-pitched and vibrating, sounding like an old the Fridge starting up.
"I won't die." Ye Mo grinned, his Delia practically white. "But if I were to breathe fire again, I'd probably have to spend five minutes in the toilet first."
Captain America didn't laugh, but his gaze softened slightly. He glanced at the prisoners being held in one place, each one covered in dust and huddled in a corner, their exoskeletons completely removed, looking like burnt shrimp. Bucky was on the platform, his gun pointed at the dark corridor, thin smoke still rising from the vents of his mechanical arm. Black Widow was crouching in the right-hand passage, her terminal screen flashing blue light, her fingers flying across the keyboard. Emma Frost leaned against the broken wall on the second floor, her eyes closed, her eyelashes fluttering occasionally, as if counting the number of electric shocks passing through her brain.
"How's the data cracking going?" Captain America asked.
" The Scavengers Protocol countdown is seven hours long, it's no joke." Black Widow didn't even look up. "But the encryption layer is too thick; give me another ten minutes before I can get my hands on the core instruction stream."
"We don't have ten minutes." Emma Frost suddenly opened her eyes, her voice weak, "The signal... has changed."
Everyone paused.
Ye Mo immediately raised his hand, and two small flames re-gathered in his palm. They weren't large, but they were enough to illuminate the scorch marks on his fingertips. "Which signal?"
"The L-7 post," Emma Frost gasped, sweat beading on her forehead, "Before it was a steady beat, like a heartbeat. Now... it's speeding up, the rhythm's all messed up, like someone's frantically pressing the enter key."
Ye Mo squinted. "Does that mean they're pressuring us to our deaths?"
"Or..." Emma Frost's throat bobbed, "... someone's going to break down the door."
The ground shook violently as soon as he finished speaking.
It wasn't a muffled thud from afar, but directly below, just three meters beneath their feet, the reinforced concrete seemed to have been kicked from the ground, causing the entire ruin to shake. Debris rained down from above, and a chunk of cement smashed against the firewall, sending Mars flying.
"Ventilation shaft!" Ye Mo roared out, already taking half a step forward.
He should have thought of that sooner. The firewall blocked the open road, but no one had thoroughly cleaned the old underground pipes. Hydra's specialty is crawling out through dog holes and biting your trouser leg.
boom--!
A loud explosion erupted from the base of the east wall, ripping off the metal grille and sending it hurtling towards the ceiling amidst Mars and debris. Three dark figures leaped out of the breach, their movements perfectly synchronized. They were clad in black exoskeletons, with red lights embedded in their chests, the wicks still flashing wildly.
"Self-destruct device!" Black Widow reacted the fastest, grabbing Emma Frost and rolling backward.
Captain America activated almost simultaneously, swinging his shield horizontally and slamming into the nearest assassin. The man ignored defense and lunged straight at him, arms outstretched, clearly intending to detonate at close range. Captain America used the edge of his shield to wedge the man's neck, pinning him against the wall, and then pushed off the ground, dragging him back three meters.
The second target is Emma Frost.
Bucky fired its gun.
Bang! The robotic arm fired a precise shot; the bullet grazed the man's shoulder, missing a vital spot but striking the exoskeleton's shoulder stabilizer. The man stumbled, landing unsteadily, but still managed to twist and lunge towards Emma Frost.
"Wrong target," Black Widow said coldly, her dagger flying from her hand and embedding itself in the man's shinbone. She then kicked him in the side, deflecting the explosive device, which exploded with a bang in the open ground, sending a wave of heat up and scorching dust.
The third person went straight to Ye Mo.
The fireball was already in Ye Mo's hand, and he raised his hand to smash it, but the man didn't dodge at all. Instead, he accelerated and sprinted, as if he couldn't wait for it to explode. Ye Mo couldn't stop in time, so he could only slide to the side and throw the fire stream to the ground at the same time, forcing out a line of fire to block the way.
The man jumped over the fire line, and the moment he landed, the device on his waist had already entered its final countdown. The red light flashed repeatedly, and the beeping sound was as urgent as an alarm clock exploding.
"Damn it!" Ye Mo cursed, his Regeneration abilities activating instinctively, new flesh under his skin starting to grow, but this thing wasn't a bulletproof vest, it would still be riddled with holes if it exploded.
At the last second, Captain America's shield flew in with perfect arc, its edge slamming into the man's arm. The explosive device was deflected, exploding against the corner of the wall with a bang, tearing a hole in the concrete wall and sending dust billowing into the sky.
The four of them stood apart, their breathing completely out of rhythm.
"Three lunatics." Ye Mo wiped the dust off his face. "Are there more?"
Emma Frost leaned against the wall, her face paler than paper. "The signal... is gone. The heartbeat at L-7 post... is gone."
"It wasn't disconnected." Black Widow picked up the fallen terminal; the screen was cracked, but it still worked. "It was deliberately disconnected. They're confirming the mission is complete."
"Not done." Bucky leaped from the platform, his knee buckling as he landed, kneeling on one knee. The mechanical arm emitted a short alarm, an overheat warning flashing briefly. He ignored it, raising his gun to point at the breach. "They'll be back."
"We don't necessarily need to come back." Ye Mo stared at the remains of the three suicide soldiers, the exoskeleton fragments still smoking. "These three were the last wave, and also the most ruthless. A suicidal charge shows they knew they couldn't win, so they wanted to fight to the death."
"Mission accomplished." Captain America walked back, a new wound on the edge of his shield, a burn hole in his sleeve revealing scraped skin underneath. "We let our guard down."
No one objected.
Just a moment ago, everyone thought the outcome was decided. The prisoners were imprisoned, the firewall was down, the data was being analyzed, and clues about the traitor were available. Victory was like a bowl of cooked noodles, just waiting to be scooped out, seasoned, and mixed in. But at that very moment, the enemy emerged from underground, carrying bombs as a welcoming gift.
Ye Mo looked down at his palm. The flame was still there, but its color had dimmed and its temperature had dropped. His fire ability was cooling down, the Regeneration backlash hadn't subsided, and his stamina bar was almost empty. He moved his wrist, and his knuckles made a slight clicking sound.
"Captain," he said, his voice a little hoarse, "If anyone surrenders again, the password will have to be changed."
How to change it?
"Ask him what time the cafeteria serves braised pork." Ye Mo smirked. "Anyone who says they don't know, just burn them."
Captain America glanced at him, didn't reply, but relaxed his shoulders slightly.
Black Widow checked the terminal; the data was still loading, the progress bar stuck at 78%. Emma Frost scanned with her eyes closed, her mental energy barely holding up, like a phone with only 5% battery left on standby. Bucky leaned against cover, the mechanical arm's cooling fan whirring, trying to suppress the overheating warning. Captain America stood at the front of the group, his shield slung back on his back, his gaze locked on the three breaches.
Ye Mo stood in the center, his hands slightly raised, flames flickering in his palms.
The wind blew in through the broken window, making the flames flicker and casting erratic shadows on the ground. He stared at the scorched earth, the buzzing of the explosion still lingering in his ears.
Then he heard it.
It was a very soft sound, like the friction of metal.
From deep within the pipeline in the western district.
His flame suddenly solidified.