The shadow of the equipment cabinet pressed down on half of Ye Mo's body. The fabric from the gash on his right leg was still stuck to his newly healed skin, and any movement made his nerves tingle. He ignored it, using his left hand to brace himself and slowly shifting half an inch, moving his weight from his knee to the outside of his foot. When Wall Phasing just now, he almost got stuck in the anti-stealth coating, and now his ribs felt like they were being twisted by wire, and he had to carefully calculate every breath he took.
He closed his eyes briefly.
Spatial Perception returned, and a light gray outline appeared in his field of vision—the secret chamber door, the crystal node, the ground wires, all marked with faint energy trajectories. It was clearer than before, but the edges were still a bit jagged, like the shaking of an old television screen when the signal was bad. He knew this was a side effect of the power overload, and he needed to recover a little longer.
The scanner overhead emitted a red light that swept across the area in front of the door before moving to the other side.
A round lasts seven seconds, the rhythm remains unchanged.
But the light frequency has changed. The once stable white light now flickers every ten seconds or so, as if the power supply is unstable. The air is also strange. Just now I could feel a slight breeze from the vents, but now it's almost still, and even the smell of engine oil has settled down and is stuck in my nasal cavity.
He frowned.
If this ship is going to have problems, it's either Ronan's doing, or the self-destruct mechanism is about to kick in.
He dared not gamble.
He opened his eyes, his gaze falling on the door to the secret chamber. Purple light leaked out from the crack in the door, brighter than it had been three minutes ago, and the pulsation rate had increased, from once every three seconds to once every two and a half seconds. The gem had been activated and was heating up. He could feel the energy trembling slightly within the walls, like a piece of red-hot iron being thrown into cold water.
Six crystals, each about the size of a fingernail and a matte grayish-blue, were embedded around the door frame in a ring. He watched two scan cycles and noticed that each time the red light swept across, the surface of the crystal would flicker slightly, synchronized with the scanner. It wasn't an independent alarm system, but a linked device—once an abnormal intrusion was detected, it would immediately trigger an electric shock and communication alarm.
The metal floor panels are also carefully designed. The grooves at the seams are deeper than elsewhere, clearly for burying wiring. He used his Spatial Perception to zoom in and saw three layers of wiring underneath: the bottom layer is the main power supply, the middle layer is the signal feedback, and the top layer is the high-voltage trigger. Stepping on it won't cause an immediate explosion, but if the weight exceeds sixty kilograms or the person stays there for more than two seconds, it will trigger a chain reaction.
Forcing our way in? That won't work.
Wall Phasing? The Regenerative Phasing is still cooling down; attempting it now would be like drilling into an electrical grid.
He needs to find a way in.
My eyes scanned the gaps between the crystals. About seven centimeters, just enough to insert a finger. If I could cut the signal wire in the middle, it might cause the system to malfunction temporarily. But the problem was, how could I complete the three steps of "touching the door - probing the finger - cutting the wire" within 0.8 seconds?
He tested his reaction speed.
He raised his left hand to his chest, his fingers spread and then clenched. His muscles were a little stiff, but still usable. He blinked, and his glasses fogged up again. This time, he didn't rush to wipe them, but instead glanced down at his cuff—it had been brushed against the electrical box earlier and had some grease on it. In this environment, his glasses were more of a hindrance than a help.
He reached out and took off his silver half-rimmed glasses, gently placing them on the ground in front of him.
Then I used the lining of my sweatshirt to thoroughly wipe the lenses, moving very slowly, as if I were killing time, but actually I was adjusting my breathing rhythm. After wiping, I put them back on. My vision was clear, and my heartbeat was steady.
"If the system won't speak, then I'll calculate it myself."
He said it in a low voice, so low that even he could barely hear it himself.
The problem now is location. He's eight meters from the door, hiding behind the equipment cabinet. It's safe, but too far. Once the scanner's red light turns on, he has to rush over, crouch down to disconnect the wire, and then retreat—the whole process can't take more than a second. If he fails, the next wave of red light will expose him immediately.
No, we need to move forward.
He slowly shifted his weight forward, sliding his right foot half a step forward, the sole of his shoe barely touching the ground, making no sound. His left foot followed, and he slithered forward a meter like a snake. He stopped, waiting for the scanner to complete a full rotation and confirm that no anomalies had been triggered.
Slide another half step.
And so on.
The third time, he moved directly to the very front of the equipment cabinet, only five meters from the door. This position was outside the complete shielding zone; if the scanner were angled even slightly off, it could capture his shoulder. But he had to take the risk.
Five meters, a sprint that takes only 0.7 seconds.
He placed his right hand on the outside of his thigh, palm facing up, and began to simulate the action: rushing forward, pressing his left hand against the door frame, and using his right index finger to cut into the gap and hook down to sever the signal wire. Once, twice, three times... muscle memory was gradually built up.
Suddenly, a muffled thud came from afar.
The sound, like metal clashing or some kind of mechanical restart, echoed briefly deep within the ship before fading away.
He didn't look up, nor did he stop, continuing the simulated actions. But out of the corner of his eye, he had already locked onto the direction of the passage entrance. That path led to the main control room, where Ronan was deactivating the self-destruct program. If he was almost done, he could come over at any time.
There's not enough time.
He took a deep breath, suppressing all distracting thoughts. There was no turning back now; he couldn't use his Regenerative Phasing, and he couldn't outrun Ronan. He had no choice but to go for it.
He moved his left foot slightly forward, toes touching the ground, concentrating all his strength in the ball of his foot. The angle of his knee bend was just right for a powerful start, without trembling due to tension. His right hand hung at his side, ready to strike at any moment.
The scanner's red light slowly swept across the area in front of the door, illuminating the purple-tinged crack in the door.
Then turn to the other side.
0.8 seconds.
He stared at the gap, his mind filled with nothing but the countdown.
seven.
six.
five.
The red light completely left the gate area, and shadows once again enveloped the area.
Right now.
Just as he was about to exert his strength, his body suddenly stopped.
wrong.
This time the scanner rotated so smoothly, without the slight lag it had before. Last time, there was a 0.1-second delay when it passed a certain seam, but this time there was none. He stared at the rotating shaft for a second and noticed a tiny oily sheen on the bottom—someone had tampered with it, and the speed had been increased.
The actual blind spot is not 0.8 seconds, but 0.6 seconds.
A difference of 0.2 seconds is enough to distort his movements, preventing his fingertips from touching the thread.
He slowly relaxed his muscles and lay back down.
Don't rush.
That impulsive moment just now almost killed him. The more critical the situation, the calmer he needed to be. He felt in his work pants pocket; there was still half a compressed energy gel inside, which he'd smuggled from the abandoned S.H.I.E.L.D.. station. Eat it now? No need. Save it for when he's truly unable to move.
He drew his attention back to the door frame.
There are six crystals arranged in a ring, with the signal lines concentrated between the third and fourth crystals on the right. That's the main control node, and also the weakest link in the defense—the insulation layer is two millimeters thinner because it needs to take into account heat dissipation. He noticed that when Wall Phasing earlier, but he hadn't thought about it in detail.
What if he didn't use his fingers, but instead used tools?
He touched his belt. It held a multi-purpose military knife, a gift from Tony years ago, who said it would "pry open cans in a pinch." Now it was proving quite useful. The blade was only six centimeters long when folded and eight centimeters when extended, just the right length to reach.
The question is, how do you precisely insert the blade?
He stared at the gap for three scan cycles and finally found the pattern: every time the red light swept across, the crystal resonance would cause a tiny vibration, and the gap would expand by about 0.3 millimeters. Although it was only for a moment, if he could act at the same time the vibration occurred, he could insert it smoothly.
You only get one chance.
He took the military knife from his belt and gently opened the blade. The "click" of the metal popping out was very faint, but it still made his heart skip a beat in the quiet corridor. He held his breath, waited two seconds, and only after confirming that no alarm had been triggered did he transfer the knife to his right hand.
The knife tip is pointing downwards, resting against the outside of the thigh.
He returned to the ready position.
Move your left foot forward, shift your weight forward, and tense your muscles to the limit.
The scanner's red light moved slowly.
seven.
six.
five.
A red light swept across the gate region, causing the crystal to vibrate slightly.
The gap is widening.
He moved.
His body shot forward like an arrow, covering five meters in one stride. The moment he landed, his left knee slightly bent to cushion the impact, his left hand pressed directly onto the left side of the door frame, and his right hand, with the tip of the knife, smoothly sliced into the gap, cutting downwards.
"Laugh--"
A faint cracking sound.
The signal cable is broken.
A sudden burst of purple light caused the pulsation in the crack of the door to pause for half a second before resuming, though the frequency was clearly erratic. The alarm didn't sound, and the electric shock wasn't triggered. It was a success.
He didn't leave.
Instead, he took half a step forward and stood right next to the door.
The door handle is a rotary knob, an older model, without fingerprint or iris recognition. It seems Ronan thought a crystal array would suffice, not expecting the signal to be physically cut off.
He reached out and grasped the knob.
It was cold, but there was no electrical feedback.
Turn it gently.
One square, two squares...
Click.
The door opened a crack.
A wave of heat hit him, carrying a faint smell of ozone. The purple light inside the sealed room intensified, turning half of his face blue. He didn't rush in, but instead used his Spatial Perception to quickly scan the internal structure.
The space was empty, with a suspended support in the center where the Power Stone rotated, about 1.2 meters off the ground, surrounded by a weak magnetic field. No other traps were seen, nor were any backup alarm sources detected.
You can take it now.
He took a deep breath and was about to push the door open when he suddenly heard a very faint "beep" sound behind him.
It sounded like a system restart notification.
He turned around abruptly.
The scanner's red light is slowly changing direction.
It doesn't rotate naturally.
It was being remotely controlled by someone.