Sensing Reinforcements, Revising the Strategy
Electric arcs crackled in Ye Mo's palms, and the Steel Bone in his left shoulder continued to slowly Regeneration, each movement feeling like a red-hot wire tugging at his muscles. He crouched in the center of the signal tower ruins, a fine layer of sweat beading on his forehead, his gaze fixed on the seven mechanical bodies gleaming with a cold metallic sheen. O-02 stood at the very front, its energy core pulsating rhythmically, the red light in its eyes like some kind of countdown.
"These aren't purely mechanical!" Ye Mo suddenly looked up, his voice low but strong enough to penetrate the wind, "They react with the X-Factor!"
Tony was hovering in the southeastern sky when a bio-signal analysis interface instantly popped up on his armor's HUD. A few seconds later, an alarm sounded softly, "Mutant-like genetic Mutants detected... Damn, this guy really knows how to do side hustles."
Before Captain America could finish speaking, the tactical whistle blew—two short whistles, signaling everyone to retreat. Thor landed with his hammer, lightning swirling around him before receding; Black Widow swiftly emerged from the shadows of the western pipeline; Hawkeye lay atop the billboard wreckage, bowstring slightly loosened, arrow still aimed at the data ring on O-08's head.
The six people formed a circular formation around Ye Mo, amidst the collapsed steel frame and rubble. The air was so heavy it felt like you could wring water out of it, with only the intermittent sirens of the distant city occasionally breaking the silence.
"Are you sure it's X-Factor?" Captain America asked in a low voice, shield held across his chest, his gaze sweeping over the seven motionless mechanical figures. "They don't seem like living, breathing things."
"The system wouldn't lie to me." Ye Mo gritted his teeth and propped himself up, the electric arcs in his palms crackling even more rapidly. "Just now, O-02's Wall Phasing move resonated with the frequency of the Shadowcat's ability fragments. And..." He paused, touching the charred wound on his left shoulder, "This wound is particularly difficult to Regeneration, as if some ability has interfered with cell activity."
Tony activated the holographic projection, and a satellite thermal map unfolded in the air. "It's not just these seven in front of us," he said, pointing to the distant horizon, "There are three more similar energy signals approaching from three kilometers away. They're not moving fast, but their paths are encircling us."
"More than one wave of reinforcements?" Thor sneered, gripping Mjolnir tightly. "Then let's not wait for them to line up and salute. Charge in and tear these metal cans apart."
"No." Ye Mo raised his hand to stop them. "Their inaction means they're waiting for synchronization instructions. Ultron just opened the 'door,' and these guys haven't finished initializing yet. If we act now, we might disrupt their deployment."
"But what if we wait until they're all connected?" Hawkeye squinted at the slowly rotating data ring above O-08's head. "That thing is already scanning us—movements, rhythm, attack preferences... In another thirty seconds, it will be able to predict our next move."
Black Widow glided along the ground for a few steps, approaching the wreckage of a disabled old mech, and quickly removed a circuit board, connecting it to her handheld terminal. "Their movement trajectories follow a coordinated pattern." She stared at the screen. "O-03 and O-04 always turn at the same time, and the step frequency difference between O-06 and O-07 is a constant 0.3 seconds—this isn't autonomous AI behavior, it's remote command."
"Remote range?" Tony frowned. "Ultron's main body is inside the tower, where would he get the bandwidth to allocate to this reinforced regiment?"
"It might not be under his direct control." Ye Mo stared at the faint red light deep within the signal tower. "It could be a pre-set protocol, or it could be... a relay node."
Before he could finish speaking, O-08's clasped hands suddenly paused, the data ring's rotation speed increased by half a turn, and then returned to normal.
"It heard us." Ye Mo's pupils contracted. "We were discussing its control methods, and it sent the information back."
"Let's shut it up for now." Hawkeye slowly drew back the bowstring, and a specially made electromagnetic interference arrow was already nocked. "I'll interrupt its scanning cycle; you guys use that opportunity to devise your strategy."
"Wait." Ye Mo suddenly pressed the communicator. "Don't rush to fire. The most crucial thing now is—we need to dismantle half and keep the other half."
"What do you mean?" Thor scratched his head.
"If we take down three or four, the rest will enter emergency mode. They might self-destruct or activate a coordinated group attack." Ye Mo took a deep breath. "But if we only eliminate half, they'll misjudge our strength and maintain their current formation, giving us the opportunity to pick them off one by one."
Tony whistled. "Your brain is more convoluted than my quantum processor."
"Stop flattering me." Ye Mo grinned, then frowned. "I'm fully awake and in pain."
Captain America paused for a few seconds, then finally nodded. "Objective clear—destroy half first, then go back and take care of Ultron's lair. Everyone agrees?"
Five responses rang out almost simultaneously.
"Let's do it." Thor swung his hammer, electricity crackling around his arm once more.
"Count me in." Black Widow put away her terminal, revealing two miniature concussion grenades in her hand.
"I've been aiming for twenty seconds," Hawkeye said calmly. "I'm just waiting for you to say one more word."
Tony adjusted the thruster angle. "Leave the air to me and God of Thunder. Anyone who dares to take off, I'll weld it back to the ground."
"Okay." Captain America turned to Ye Mo, "You stay in the middle lane, responsible for early warning and jamming. Once any abnormal signal transmission is detected, immediately use the arc to sever the link."
"Understood." Electric arcs surged in Ye Mo's palm, casting flickering light and shadow on half of his face. "However, I have a suggestion—a two-pronged approach."
All eyes turned to them.
"Thor and Tony are in charge of air suppression, focusing on O-06 and O-07. These two are highly maneuverable and have the highest priority." Ye Mo pointed southeast. "Captain America and Black Widow will flank from the west. O-03 and O-04 are slower and suitable for a surprise attack. Hawkeye locks onto O-08, and strike the moment it begins charging and scanning, blinding it in one blow."
"What about O-02 and O-05?" Tony asked.
"O-02 is mine." Ye Mo stared at the mechanical entity that had ambushed him. "It Wall Phasing quickly, but it takes 0.8 seconds to materialize; I can predict that. Hand over the Hive drone swarm to Thor's Thunderstorm Coverts; don't let them take off."
"That's quite a detailed plan," Hawkeye chuckled. "Did you secretly draw on a tactics board last night?"
"It was a system notification," Ye Mo shrugged. "It said, 'Properly allocating resources can increase the chances of survival.' It sounded like nonsense, but I believed it."
Tony rolled his eyes. "When did you start listening to the system? Last time you called it an artificial idiot."
"That's when it told me to jump into the nuclear reactor," Ye Mo grinned. "This time it makes sense; I'll take it as an epiphany."
After a brief silence, Thor suddenly burst out laughing, "I like this guy. He's in so much pain he's practically smoking, yet he still manages to tell jokes."
"How can I keep going without telling jokes?" Ye Mo moved his right arm, the newly formed Steel Bone making a soft clicking sound. "I'm not like you guys, with thick skin and no need for showers."
"Alright," Captain America interrupted, raising his hand. "Everyone, confirm your positions. We'll move out in three minutes. Hawkeye, you're in charge of the timer."
"Roger that." Hawkeye drew back the bowstring, the arrow tip steadily aimed at the O-08 data ring core. "And... don't steal my kill."
The six people quickly dispersed.
Tony ascended to a height of 100 meters, his armor glowing with an energy shield; Thor took to the air, Mjolnir spinning in his palm, gathering power; Captain America and Black Widow used the rubble as cover, quietly advancing along the broken pipe on the west side; Hawkeye crouched low, his breathing slowed to its lowest point; Ye Mo remained standing in place, arcs of electricity constantly dancing in his palm, his eyes fixed on every subtle change in the seven mechanical bodies.
The wind swept across the ruins, swirling up Ashes like snow.
O-02's eyes flickered slightly with red light, as if it had sensed something.
Ye Mo held his breath, and the electric arc at his fingertips suddenly condensed into a ball.
Just then, the data ring above O-08's head began to spin faster again, and rings of blue light spread outwards.
"They're here!" Ye Mo roared, "Hawkeye —attack!"
The instant the arrow left the bowstring, an arc of electricity shot out from Ye Mo's palm, heading straight for the invisible communication node between the mechanical bodies.
The entire battlefield fell into utter silence at this moment.