Star-Lord's ears twitched, and his lips moved slightly. "Here it comes. His second tap was slower."
Ye Mo's nerves tensed instantly, as if an electric current had struck him from his tailbone all the way to the back of his head. Without waiting for the signal to be confirmed a second time, he directly immersed his consciousness into the " Gene Spiral Tower." The Telepathy Fragment vibrated—three short pulses exploded along the mental pathway, precisely pressing into the nerve endings of each person.
"Do it!"
Star-Lord swung his twin pistols, not aiming at Ronan's head, but sweeping across the rock face along the ground. Two specially made sonic grenades struck the gravel, exploding with a deafening roar. The intro to "Come and Get Your Love" started right there, its rhythm as steady as a metronome, ninety beats per minute, without the slightest deviation. The sound waves crawled along the ground, heading straight for the top of the high rock.
Almost simultaneously, Rocket Raccoon pulled the trigger on the EMP launcher. A blue-white arc of electricity tore through the air, striking Ronan squarely in the left knee joint. The armor's purple light trembled violently, and the energy Circuit experienced a brief interruption. Groot's feet dug into the rock crevices, his roots piercing the ground like steel bars, and he suddenly exerted force—a circular Quake pushed upwards, cracking the rocks, making the entire towering rock appear as if it had been kicked from below.
The three waves converged in the air: sound waves, electromagnetic pulses, and low-frequency vibrations, superimposing into a directional resonant shockwave that rushed straight towards the core frequency of the Power Stone.
Ronan's pupils contracted sharply. His steady rhythm of striking the scepter abruptly halted, and the energy flow at the crack in his right shoulder armor instantly became erratic. Instinctively, he plunged the scepter into the rock, using the recoil to stabilize his body. He spread his arms, and purple flames surged across his body, forming a hemispherical energy barrier that forcefully blocked the external shock.
But that resonant force was too tricky. It didn't hit the shield; instead, it drilled inside. It was like a small hammer, tapping repeatedly on the valve of a pressure cooker that was about to boil.
Ye Mo lay prone on the ground, his palm pressed against the rock strata, his Wall Phasing Technique quietly activated. His consciousness briefly burrowed ten meters underground, following the energy flow to lock onto the gem's core. In that instant, he saw clearly—the originally smooth energy waveform was now jagged and broken, as if chewed by a dog. Star-Lord was right; this thing was really afraid of losing its rhythm.
" Gamora!" he roared in his mind.
Gamora was already waiting. She rolled and leaped onto the high slope on the flank, flicking her wrist to send a specially made resonant dart flying. The thing had a magnetic head at the front and a miniature oscillator embedded in the back, designed specifically to amplify the resonance effect. With a whoosh, it precisely embedded itself in a crevice in the rock next to the crack in Ronan's right shoulder armor.
Buzz--
The oscillating dart is activated, its frequency synchronized with Star-Lord's music. The resonance effect instantly doubles.
Ronan grunted and staggered half a step. A thin crack appeared in his shoulder armor, and purple light leaked out from the crack, like sparks flying from a red-hot Mars. He looked down at the wound, and for the first time, a hint of panic appeared in his eyes.
"Work!" the Rocket roared from the right-wing high ground. "That bastard's starting to leak electricity!"
"Don't let up!" Ye Mo flipped to his feet, his eyes fixed on the top of the high rock. "One more round, keep him on the line!"
Star-Lord grinned and blasted his headphones. He swayed his shoulders to the rhythm while pressing his dual pistols against his belt, amplifying the sonic booms by making the barrels vibrate. He deliberately lengthened the pause before the chorus, making the rhythm bizarre—a normal person would be hitting the beat at this point, but he deliberately didn't.
Ronan's finger hovered above the scepter, unsure whether to tap it or not.
His internal energy circulation had begun to spiral out of control. Each output required sheer willpower to sustain it, but the external interference was nauseating, like someone was churning his brain with a screwdriver. He tried to accelerate the charging process to force it through, but the disrupted rhythm caused the energy to swirl inside his armor, making the crack on his right shoulder burn hotter and hotter.
"Now!" Star-Lord roared.
Rocket pressed the EMP button, unleashing a second wave of pulses. Groot's roots surged again, the ground tremors intensified, and debris rained down. The triple interference compounded once more, striking Ronan precisely where his rhythm was disrupted.
boom!
The entire towering rock shook violently, as if it had been struck squarely by an invisible giant hammer. The Power Stone emitted a piercing buzz, like a high-voltage power line catching fire in a downpour. The purple light flickered wildly, its brightness fluctuating, and spiderweb-like cracks appeared on its surface. Although it didn't break, its light was noticeably dimmer.
Ronan knelt on one knee, using one hand to support himself on the scepter to keep from falling. His breathing was heavy, and his face beneath the helmet contorted as if he were enduring excruciating pain.
"He can't hold on any longer!" Gamora's voice was as cold as ice. "His weakness has been exposed. Prepare for a surprise attack."
"No," Ye Mo shook his head, "He hasn't reached the bottom yet. He's in pain, not injured. We fought hard this round, but he can still hold on. If we rush in now, we'll just be walking into his crossfire."
He stared at Ronan's right hand. The hand was still trembling slightly, but the grip on the scepter didn't loosen. It meant that this guy would rather blow himself up than put down his weapon.
"He's afraid of messing up the rhythm, then let him mess it up even more." Ye Mo narrowed his eyes. " Star-Lord, change the song."
"What?" Star-Lord nearly jumped up. "Are you crazy? We just found the beat, and you want me to change it?"
"That's precisely why we need to change it," Ye Mo sneered. "He's currently adapted to a stable 90-minute tempo. If you suddenly switch to a 120-beat tempo, or even just go silent for three seconds, his internal energy circulation will definitely collapse."
Star-Lord paused for two seconds, then suddenly laughed, "You're a true master of underworld tactics."
He swiped his finger, and the music on his headphones changed. The next second, the ridiculously upbeat disco track "I Wanna Dance with Somebody" blasted through the entire venue.
Ronan's pupils contracted sharply.
His sense of rhythm had been disrupted by the previous round, and now with a completely different tune, his brain simply shut down. The energy flow within his body was like a wild horse, rampaging through the tubes of his armor. The purple light flickered, and black smoke began to billow from the cracks in his shoulders.
" Rocket! EMP, follow!" Ye Mo roared.
"We've been waiting for this!" Rocket grinned maliciously as he pressed the button.
The third wave of pulses blasted out, striking Ronan squarely in the left knee. The armor's joint snapped and tilted, its support instantly weakening. Groot seized the opportunity to unleash a third Quake, this time not in a circular pattern, but concentrated at a single point, shooting straight towards the base of the high rock.
Click--
Longitudinal cracks appeared in the rock mass, and the spot where Ronan was standing began to tilt.
Gamora seized the opportunity, her figure flashing as she leaped to the side slope of the high rock. A cold glint flashed in her short blade, not aimed at Ronan, but rather at the energy conduit where the scepter connected to the rock.
laugh!
The duct broke, and the purple light suddenly stopped.
Ronan roared and forcefully activated the gem's energy, causing the purple flames on his scepter to surge, forcing Gamora back three steps. But he himself was in no better shape, with a trickle of black blood spilling from the corner of his mouth and scorch marks appearing in several places on his armor.
"Did you see that?" Ye Mo said in a low voice, "He's starting to take the energy backlash head-on with his body. If that stab had gone in two inches deeper, all the conduits would have been severed, and he'd be kneeling right now."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Rocket rubbed his hands together. "Let's do another round, and sing him until he breaks down!"
"No." Ye Mo shook his head. "The EMP cooldown is still seventeen seconds away, and Groot's Quake will need to re-establish themselves. We only have one chance, and we must time it perfectly."
He looked up at Gao Yan. Ronan was supporting himself with his scepter, breathing heavily, but his eyes remained fierce. He knew the other was waiting, waiting for them to make a mistake, waiting for them to lose their rhythm.
But he also knew that they had already found the door.
" Star-Lord," Ye Mo whispered, "I'll give you a signal later. Switch the song back to 'Come and Get Your Love,' but only play the intro for two seconds, then immediately mute it."
"Playing with fire, huh?" Star-Lord grinned. "I like it."
"It wasn't just a heartbeat," Ye Mo, staring at Ronan. "It was making him think he was safe, only to discover the crisis was even greater the next second."
The two exchanged a glance, neither speaking, but the meaning was clear.
Ye Mo placed his palm on the ground, sensing the subtle vibrations coming from underground. Groot's root system was spreading out again, the Rocket's EMP indicator light turned from red to yellow, Gamora stood on the slope, her fingers gently caressing the second Vibration Blade.
Time seemed to stretch out, each second feeling suffocating.
Ronan slowly straightened up, wiping the black blood from the corner of his mouth with one hand. He looked up and scanned the battlefield, his gaze lingering on each person's face for half a second before finally landing on Ye Mo.
He raised his scepter and tapped it lightly on the ground.
Thump.
A flash of purple light appeared, then it stabilized.
Ye Mo held his breath.
One more time.
Thump.
It remains stable.
The third time.
Thump--
It's been delayed.
More than 0.3 seconds.
"Now!" The command exploded in Ye Mo's mind.
Star-Lord swipes his finger, and the music switches back to the intro to "Come and Get Your Love." The drumbeats begin, the familiar rhythm bringing a sense of peace.
Ronan's expression relaxed.
But just as the second drumbeat was about to fall—
The music stopped abruptly.
The entire room fell silent.
Ronan's fingers froze in mid-air.
His internal energy circulation had just begun to adapt to this rhythm when the external input suddenly disappeared, and the entire system was like a car traveling at high speed being brought to a sudden stop. Energy surged wildly within his body, purple light flashed wildly, and the crack in his shoulder widened with a "pop," billowing out black smoke.
" Rocket!"
"Clear!"
An EMP pulse was emitted.
" Groot!"
"Mine!"
Quake erupted.
" Gamora!"
"Receive."
She leaped up, her vibrating blade aimed directly at the end of the catheter.
The triple attack converged once more, striking Ronan at his most vulnerable moment.
boom--!!
A burst of purplish-black fire erupted atop the high cliff. Ronan staggered backward, his armor cracking in several places, his scepter nearly slipping from his grasp. He managed to stay upright by clinging to a rock, his chest heaving violently, and for the first time, a clear look of fear appeared on his face beneath his helmet.
Ye Mo stood on the gravel slope, watching that scene, and a slight twitch appeared on his lips.
It's done.
The first real wave of suppression has been achieved.
They didn't kill Ronan, didn't take the gem, and didn't even manage to completely incapacitate him.
But they proved one thing—
This guy is afraid of rhythm.
He becomes unstable if his rhythm is off.
As long as he remains unstable, there is a chance.
Star-Lord took off one earphone, panting and laughing, "What did I tell you? Music is the most powerful weapon in the universe."
The Rocket checked the EMP equipment. "Forty seconds of cooling time left. We'll have to be more careful with it next time."
Groot nodded, its roots re-entering the rock strata, its branches trembling slightly, poised to burst forth.
Gamora stood on the side of the high rock peak, her short blade gleaming coldly, her gaze sharp as a knife.
Ye Mo stood in the middle of the slope, his palms still pressed against the ground, sensing the aftershocks coming from underground. His heartbeat gradually calmed down, and his gaze never Cairo.
He knew this was just the beginning.
The real showdown is yet to come.
Ronan stood atop the high rock, his hands gripping his scepter tightly, his breathing heavy, his body swaying slightly.