The emergency light flashed twice and then went out.
Ye Mo stood still. Smoke still lingered in the corridor, like a layer of grayish-white gauze, unable to obscure the cold light in his eyes. His entire body was covered in Steel Bone, the silver-gray alloy gleaming matte in the dim light after the power outage. The cracked floor tiles under his feet made a faint "crack" sound, like the start of some kind of countdown.
He knew that the other side was also waiting.
It wasn't about waiting for reinforcements— Tony had already flown far away, and the signal couldn't penetrate this thickened shielding wall; nor was it about waiting for repairs—even if this place collapsed halfway, no one would come to rescue it. Ultron was waiting for his limits to be exposed, waiting for him to run out of energy, for his abilities to cool down, and for his movements to slow down by half a beat.
But Ye Mo refused to give him that chance.
He pushed off the ground with a thud, charging into the corridor like a cannonball, his arms crossed to protect his face, and crashing head-on into the three laser beams that suddenly swept down from above. Sparks flew, and several scorch marks appeared on the alloy surface, but he didn't stop. Using the momentum of his charge, he kicked over a reconnaissance plane that was lying in ambush around the corner. The metal debris crashed into the wall and exploded, the flames illuminating the entire corridor.
"Trying to ambush me?" He caught his breath, wiping the blood seeping from his nose. "Your family's secret ambush technique was bought for 9.9 yuan with Pinduoduo, wasn't it?"
Before the words were even finished, the ground began to shake.
It wasn't an illusion; it was a real tremor. A low-frequency rumble emanated from the B7 area on the east side, as if something was pushing upwards from the ground. Immediately afterward, a crack appeared in the wall, and a heavy walking mech, as tall as a three-story building, burst through the wall, its shoulder cannons fully charged, the red light gathering and brightening in the darkness.
Ye Mo's eyelids twitched. "Damn, do you really think I'm a punching bag?"
Instead of retreating, he lunged forward. Just 0.3 seconds before the shelling, he leaped up, flipped over, and used the momentum to step onto the overturned experimental table next to him. He then ran sideways along the wall, barely dodging the first wave of high-explosive impact. The blast wave sent flying gravel and sheet metal, which clanged against his back like someone hammering a metal bucket.
The moment he landed, he rolled over to dissipate the force. As soon as he regained his footing, he caught a glimpse of the ceiling to his left that had collapsed. Three flight units were swooping down, their belly hatches open, revealing a dense array of small drones.
"The encirclement and suppression mode has been activated." He grinned, dust still clinging to his teeth. "Alright, let's go all out then."
He braced himself with his hands on the ground, and with a sudden burst of power from his Steel Bone legs, he launched himself forward like a spring, heading straight for the nearest walking mech. Before that thing could even turn its cannon around, he was already upon it, punching the joint connection. His alloy knuckles embedded themselves in the mechanical gap, snapping the drive shaft in two, and the entire mechanical leg jammed instantly.
"Scramble one." He shook his hand, then turned his head and saw the other two starting to surround it.
Just as he was about to move again, a whooshing sound suddenly rose behind him. He instinctively looked down, and a high-frequency vibrating blade grazed the top of his head, slicing off half of his hoodie hood. He whirled around, his pupils shrinking.
A completely black humanoid mechanical body stood in the center of the ruins, its arms transformed into blades, and a scarlet core embedded in its chest, its light steady, like a heart that never beats.
Ultron.
It's not a clone, not a projection, it's the real entity appearing in person.
"You've finally decided to show your face?" Ye Mo cracked his knuckles, the metallic scraping sound particularly jarring in the silence. "I thought you were just hiding in your codebase sending virus emails."
Ultron didn't speak, but slowly raised his right hand, spreading his five fingers. The next second, all the remaining combat units around him turned around and locked onto Ye Mo. The aerial drone swarm began to form formation, the ground mechs adjusted their formation, and even the previously paralyzed wreckage crackled with electricity, attempting to restart.
"Oh ho, having a team-building event?" Ye Mo sneered. "Too bad I didn't bring my guild dungeon tickets."
Without waiting for his opponent to make the first move, he took the initiative. His Steel Bone Body exploded with extreme speed, leaving a series of cracks in the ground as he charged straight at Ultron's face, his right fist fully charged and slammed out.
Ultron dodged to the side, his movements so precise it was as if he had calculated the trajectory beforehand. Ye Mo's attack missed, but he used the momentum to spin around and sweep his left leg, forcing his opponent to take a half step back. He pursued relentlessly, raining down his fists like raindrops, each strike accompanied by a whooshing sound, causing Ultron to retreat repeatedly.
But just as he threw his seventh punch, Ultron suddenly raised his hand and released a burst of electromagnetic pulse from his palm. Ye Mo reacted extremely quickly, immediately retracting his arm to block, but the impact still penetrated the Steel Bone bone, making his arm numb and causing a brief stagnation in nerve conduction.
"Damn it!" he cursed under his breath, staggering back two steps, feeling as if an electrical wire inside his body had short-circuited, a tingling sensation creeping up his spine.
Ultron seized the opportunity, flashing forward and closing in instantly. His left hand transformed into a blade, thrusting straight into Ye Mo's abdomen. Ye Mo barely managed to twist his body to avoid it, the Blade slicing through his Steel Bone ribs with a piercing metallic scraping sound, leaving a deep scratch that revealed the internal structure.
Ye Mo grunted and swung his elbow at Ultron's temple. Ultron's head tilted slightly, and the blow hit his shoulder blade, causing his machine to sway, but he quickly regained his balance. His right arm transformed into a chainsaw and slashed down at high speed.
Ye Mo could only lean back to dodge, the chainsaw grazing his chest and Mars flying. He rolled away to create distance, panting heavily as he stood still, glancing down at the crack in his ribs—not deep, but already starting to affect his mobility.
"This guy... changes his fighting style every three seconds?" He gritted his teeth. "Is his fighting style like a game update?"
He dared not approach rashly again. The previous exchange had proven that Ultron could not only analyze his movement patterns in real time, but also optimize tactics instantly based on feedback data. A direct confrontation would be tantamount to giving away data.
He squinted at Ultron, his brain racing. He activated his Spatial Perception to scan his surroundings: to his left was the collapsed laboratory partition wall, to his right was the entrance to the maintenance passage, the ventilation ducts overhead were still leaking electricity, and various debris and cables were scattered on the ground.
The walking mech he kicked away thirty-seven seconds ago still had its power pack fully shut down.
Ye Mo's lips curled into a smile.
He charged towards Ultron, but changed direction midway, heading straight for the disabled mech. Ultron immediately anticipated this and turned to intercept, moving even faster than before. Ye Mo had anticipated this, and suddenly stopped halfway through his charge, performing a somersault in mid-air, using the momentum to step onto the side of the wall and run a couple of steps, shaking off the pursuer.
He drew his personal military knife in mid-air, plunged it into the power interface of the mobile mech, and twisted it forcefully.
"Fry!"
The energy pack overloaded and exploded instantly. A fireball shot into the sky, and the heat wave blew away the surrounding debris, even forcing Ultron back several meters. Taking advantage of the explosion, Ye Mo rushed to Ultron's back in one step, grabbed his throat with both hands, and Steel Bone tightened his arms with all his might.
"You're an AI, I don't know if you need to breathe, but if I'm choking you, you have to pretend to suffocate, right?"
Ultron didn't struggle; its chest glowed red faintly. The next second, miniature thrusters popped out from its shoulders and shot upwards, forcefully lifting Ye Mo into the air, crashing through the ceiling, and plunging into the abandoned control room on the upper level.
The two crashed heavily onto the dusty control panel, sparks crackling from the equipment. Ye Mo still held it firmly in place, but soon realized something was wrong— Ultron's body began to twist slightly, light and shadow fluctuating. Then, two identical clones materialized on its left and right sides, and the three bodies approached simultaneously.
"You can't tell the difference, huh?" Ye Mo released his grip and stepped back, glancing around warily. "Playing with holographic projection? You might as well start a live-streaming sales event."
The three Ultron attacked simultaneously. One thrust from the left, one slashed horizontally from the right, and one charged straight at the center. Ye Mo barely managed to anticipate their attacks using his Spatial Perception, rolling to dodge, but he was still kicked in the lumbar spine from behind by the one in the middle. The Steel Bone emitted a dull thud, and cracks spread to his back.
He collapsed to the ground, kneeling on one knee to support his body, the taste of blood filling his mouth.
"Cough... there's something there." He wiped his mouth, "But that's about it."
He slowly stood up, his fists clenched, his alloy knuckles clicking as if some kind of reboot mechanism had been completed. He stared at the three Ultron, his gaze growing colder.
"You think you can predict me?" he said in a low voice. "But you've forgotten, I never rely on my brains when I fight—I rely on my thick skin."
Before he finished speaking, he charged again. This time, his target was clear: the one in the middle. Ultron's clone defended in sync, but he suddenly changed direction, lunging to the left at the last moment. The clone didn't have time to react and was punched in the core area, causing the light and shadow to disintegrate and dissipate into a stream of data.
"A fake is a fake," he sneered. "No matter how convincingly it's acted, it doesn't make your heart beat."
The remaining two Ultron a glance, then simultaneously accelerated, closing in again. Ye Mo no longer met the attack head-on, but instead used the terrain to maneuver, creating obstacles with the control panel, broken cables, and fallen metal plates, constantly shifting the pace.
But his stamina was definitely decreasing. He felt a stiffness coming from inside the Steel Bone system, like sand getting between the gears, and each exertion of force was more strenuous than the last. He knew that the cooling mechanism was about to activate.
A series of explosions suddenly came from the direction of the main control room, the emergency lights went out completely, and the entire area was plunged into darkness. Only the red light on Ultron's chest, like a signpost crawling out of hell, coldly shone on him.
"You're nothing but a crippled walking machine," a mechanical voice rang out, devoid of any emotion. "Your abilities are pieced together from fragments, illogical and structurally fragile. You won't last long."
Ye Mo stood there, panting heavily, his silver-gray Steel Bone gleaming faintly in the darkness. He raised his hand, looking at the cracks on his knuckles, then touched the wound on his waist.
Then he smiled.
"A defective product?" he said in a low voice, though it carried clearly throughout the space. "Then why don't you take one apart and try?"
He planted his feet firmly on the ground, clenched his fists, and assumed a fighting stance. Even with his knees slightly bent and his breathing heavy like a bellows, he did not retreat an inch.
Ultron slowly approached, its arms transforming into high-frequency vibrating blades, the red light flashing at an accelerated frequency, as if calculating the optimal kill plan.
The two stood five meters apart, their eyes meeting.
Ye Mo's eyes were sharp as knives as he stared intently at the red heart on the other person's chest.
The next second, they both sprang into action.
A metallic clang rang out, sparks flying in the darkness. Ye Mo punched away the blade on the left, but was struck in the shoulder by a heavy blow from the right, forcing him to his knees. But he didn't let go; instead, he used the momentum to lunge forward, gripping Ultron's arm tightly with both hands and dragging it to the ground.
The two men tumbled and wrestled on the shattered workbench, steel clashing against steel with a piercing roar.
Blood seeped from the corner of Ye Mo's mouth, but his eyes grew brighter and brighter.
He was still standing.
He's still awake.
He hasn't lost yet.