The metal edge of the vent was digging into Ye Mo's forearm. He shrank back half an inch, his shoulder just wedged into the shadow between the maintenance pipe and the main control corridor. Thirty meters ahead was the alloy door that emitted a purple light. Two Kree guards were still pacing back and forth, their boots clicking rhythmically on the floor like a countdown to a time bomb.
He didn't move.
The phrase "sneak in silently" sounds easy, but if you really want to carry it out, there's only one way— through the Wall Phasing.
There were guards in front, scanners overhead, pressure sensors buried in the ground, and even the ventilation ducts were locked by gravity traps. In a place like this, a normal person would have to calculate the direction of airflow even when breathing, for fear of triggering an alarm. But Ye Mo was not a normal person; he possessed " Regenerative Phasing."
This ability sounds mysterious, but it's basically a combination of Shadowcat's ability to Wall Phasing and Wade Wilson's Self-Healing, allowing the body to pass through solids without being torn apart by their molecular structure. In short, it's like drilling through walls while simultaneously Self-Healing; it's incredibly painful, but it's also incredibly effective.
He closed his eyes, and his Spatial Perception activated.
Instantly, a structural diagram of the three walls ahead appeared in his field of vision: the first layer was a regular alloy plate, behind which cables and cooling pipes were hidden; the second layer had added vibration-sensitive crystals, which would trigger an alarm if stepped on; the third layer was the thickest, with an anti-invisibility coating embedded in it, specifically designed to deal with Wall Phasing abilities. Beyond that... was an open area, with a weak but stable energy reading, pulsating at a frequency of once every three seconds.
It is Power Stone.
It's right behind the last wall, no more than fifteen meters away.
Ye Mo opened his eyes and licked his chapped lips. The system didn't give any prompts or pop-ups; he had to rely entirely on his own judgment. He knew that this kind of composite wall couldn't be forced; he had to find a weak point. His gaze swept over the seams in the wall and he noticed a maintenance mark in the lower right corner—a triangle with a wrench drawn inside, clearly a marking only found on older ship models.
The equipment is old, requires frequent maintenance, and has loose joints.
This is the breakthrough point.
He took a deep breath and placed his right hand on the wall. The moment his skin touched the metal, the Gene Spiral Tower inside his body vibrated slightly, like a key being inserted into a lock. " Regenerative Phasing " was activated, cells began to recombine, and surface molecules gradually fused with the wall.
The Wall Phasing has begun.
His body sank in little by little, like water seeping into sand. There were no light effects, no sonic booms, not even ripples in the air. Only he could feel that familiar tearing sensation—as if every nerve was being slowly cut open by a dull knife, only to be immediately replaced by new tissue. The pain wasn't intense, but it was continuous, like someone was sanding your bones.
He gritted his teeth and persevered, inching forward inch by inch.
Five seconds later, he disappeared into the wall.
He passed through the first wall and landed in the mezzanine. It was narrow and dark, filled with pipes, and the air smelled faintly of engine oil. He leaned against the corner for a couple of seconds to catch his breath; the tinnitus hadn't subsided, and his head was buzzing. The continuous use of Spatial Perception, coupled with just passing through Wall Phasing, was taking a toll on his body.
But he had no time to rest.
There are two more walls ahead.
He closed his eyes again, using his Spatial Perception to scan the second layer of the wall. Vibration-sensitive crystals were distributed in the left half, and there was a maintenance channel interface in the upper right corner, connected to an old data cable, which was probably a discarded node left over from the previous system replacement. Such places usually have weak shielding because no one would think that someone would be foolish enough to crawl in from here.
He chose the right side.
Stick to the wall, activate the capability, and penetrate again.
This time it was even more difficult. The wall material was denser, the friction was greater, and the speed of travel slowed down significantly. Twice he almost triggered crystal resonance, and he immediately stopped to wait for the energy fluctuations to subside before continuing. The whole process took nearly twenty seconds, and when he came out, his forehead was covered in cold sweat, and there was a small hole in the right leg of his work pants—it was scraped by the edge of the wall. Fortunately, the wound was small, and the Self-Healing module automatically dealt with it.
He crouched in the corner of the mezzanine, catching his breath.
Now only one wall remains.
That's also the most difficult one.
The anti-stealth coating is no joke; it's specifically designed to counter Mutants- level penetration capabilities. Once any unnatural material movement is detected, the alert level for the entire area will be raised to the maximum. At that point, forget about infiltrating; even escaping alive will be a problem.
Ye Mo didn't rush to make a move.
He's waiting.
Once my body recovers a bit and my senses become clearer, I'll wait until my Spatial Perception is slightly impaired from using my abilities repeatedly. Things are like looking through frosted glass. If I try to pass through Wall Phasing in this state, I might get stuck halfway inside, which would be a real joke.
Three minutes later, the tinnitus subsided, and vision returned to normal.
He rescanned the last wall. The coating was evenly applied, but a small piece of the insulation behind the electrical box had peeled off, likely due to years of neglect. That spot was directly opposite the surveillance camera, and the rotating scanner on the ceiling had a blind spot for about 0.8 seconds with each rotation.
You only get one chance.
He adjusted his breathing, lowered his center of gravity, like a cheetah preparing to pounce.
Then take action.
Stick to the wall, activate " Regenerative Phasing," and your body will slowly seep in.
This time, he controlled it with extreme precision, minimizing energy disturbance. The anti-cloaking coating, like a layer of sticky glue, tightly bound his torso, creating terrifying resistance. He could feel his cells Regeneration frantically, and even the surface of his skin was shimmering with a faint silver light—a sign of system overload.
But he didn't stop.
Moving forward centimeter by centimeter.
Finally, half of his body passed through.
The moment he landed, he immediately curled up and lay face down on the cold ground, holding his breath.
It was quiet all around.
The lights flickered, and the scanner overhead slowly rotated, scanning the blind spots every seven seconds. He was hiding behind the electrical box, a low and narrow spot, just big enough for one person to lie down. Ten meters ahead was the door to the secret room; the purple light shining through the crack in the door was brighter than before, and the pulsating frequency was faster.
The Power Stone is within reach.
He didn't move.
It's not that I don't want to move, it's that I can't move.
That last stunt had almost drained him of most of his strength. A dull, jagged pain shot through his ribs, as if a wire was pulling back and forth inside. He knew this was a side effect of cell tearing, and he would have to rely on the Self-Healing module to slowly repair it. If he acted rashly now, even a stumble could expose him.
He closed his eyes and relied on touch to perceive his surroundings.
The floor is made of non-slip alloy, and the footprint recognition system should be integrated into the seams; there is current fluctuation on the inside of the wall, indicating that a vibration sensor is built in; the scanner on the ceiling is an infrared + dynamic capture dual-mode, but the angle is biased towards the front, so it is basically ineffective for his position.
Safety.
It's safe, at least for now.
He slowly opened his eyes and stared at the crack in the door.
The purple light flashed and faded, like a heartbeat.
He knew Ronan was still in the control room busy deactivating the self-destruct program, and no guards had been moved here. This area was currently at the intersection of a surveillance blind spot and a manpower vacuum, which was his best window of opportunity.
But he dared not relax.
The closer you get to your goal, the easier it is to make a mistake. Last time, he thought he had it in the bag, but the moment he touched the controller, the alarm went off, and he was almost apprehended by the patrol. He learned his lesson after that: Don't be complacent; only those who survive to the end truly win.
He gently moved his wrists to make sure his joints weren't stiff. The hood of his black hooded sweatshirt had slipped down, but he didn't bother to fix it, letting it hang on his back. His silver half-rimmed glasses were still on his nose, the lenses a little foggy, which he wiped with his sleeve.
Visibility is clear now.
He activated his Spatial Perception again to calibrate the gem's position one last time.
The energy source was located in the center behind the door, about 1.2 meters high, surrounded by a weak magnetic field, which should be some kind of basic protection. No other guards were seen, nor were any trap signals detected.
You can get close.
But he didn't get up.
He has to wait.
Wait until the scanner finishes its next rotation, and until the light no longer reaches this corner for 0.8 seconds.
Seven seconds.
Six seconds.
Five seconds.
The scanner's red light swept across the area in front of the door and then turned to the other side.
Right now.
He raised his left hand, his fingertips just a millimeter off the ground, his muscles taut, ready to move at any moment.
But just then, my body suddenly twitched.
It's neither an alarm nor an enemy.
It's his own system.
" Regenerative Phasing " has entered its cooldown period.
There was no notification sound in his brain, but he could feel it—the warm, cellular energy was fading, replaced by a slight numbness. This meant he couldn't Wall Phasing for a while, and even if he wanted to retreat, he would have to run on foot.
He frowned.
Why did it have to cool down now of all times?
But scolding won't help. The system has always been like this: it only provides the capabilities, not the instructions. When it can be used and how often it can be used are all up to the user to figure out through trial and error.
He had no choice but to take a gamble.
Before the next scanning cycle began, he suddenly straightened up, moved forward three steps quickly along the wall, and hid in the shadow of an equipment cabinet. The movement was light, and he landed silently without even stirring up a speck of dust.
It was a success.
Only eight meters left to reach the door to the secret room.
He crouched behind the cabinet, his breathing extremely slow.
The purple light continued to flash, getting closer and closer, and becoming more and more real.
He knew that the next chapter would have to wait until they left this place.
Now, he just wants to take one more step forward.