Reinforcements Arrive, Fierce Clashes
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 beings. The entire battlefield fell into utter silence at that moment.
The next second, the data ring above O-08's head suddenly vibrated, and a ripple of blue light exploded out. Hawkeye's electromagnetic interference arrow was twisted in mid-air by an invisible Force Field. The arrow tip deviated, grazed the edge of the data ring, and embedded itself in the steel frame behind it with a "hum".
"Damn it!" Hawkeye cursed under his breath, his finger immediately nocking a second arrow.
Although Ye Mo's electric arc struck the communication node, the leaping current was repelled by a purplish-glowing barrier the moment it touched the metallic dust in the air, as if hitting a rubber wall. His pupils contracted. "A shield? No... it's ability interference!"
Before the words were even finished, O-02's chest energy core flashed, and the red light pulsed three times like a pulse lamp. Then, with a "boom," a high-frequency Shockwave swept out, instantly turning the rubble on the ground into dust. Captain America and Black Widow, who were flanking from the west, were directly thrown away by this impact. The two rolled on the ground to dissipate the force, but their movements were noticeably slowed down by a beat.
"Plan failed!" Tony roared from high above, the armor's HUD frantically updating data. "Their synchronization speed is seven times faster than predicted! O-06 and O-07 have begun their jump!"
In the southeastern sky, two dark figures tore through the void. O-06 deployed six-winged thrusters from its back, while O-07 was covered in mirror armor. Upon landing, it directly reflected sunlight, creating a brief blinding flash.
Thor roared and swung Mjolnir at O-06, but the opponent didn't take the hit head-on. Instead, he swung out a magnetic chain, which wrapped around the hammer handle and pulled Thor off course. At the same time, O-07 charged its shoulder cannon, and a high-energy particle beam blasted straight at the wreckage of the billboard—the spot where Hawkeye had just been hiding.
"Holy shit!" Hawkeye rolled off the broken support and jumped down, not even having time to grab his bow, watching helplessly as his sniping spot was blown into a fireball.
"Don't just stand there!" Ye Mo gritted his teeth. The Steel Bone in his left shoulder finally Regeneration, and with a click, the joint locked. He raised his hand and unleashed a compressed arc of electricity, striking O-02's face directly. O-02 tilted its head, and the arc grazed its neck, leaving a scorch mark, but it actually grinned—an expression that shouldn't be on a mechanical face.
"Is it mimicking human reactions?" Ye Mo felt a chill run down his spine.
Before he could think it through, O-03 and O-04 activated simultaneously, two alloy arms suddenly bursting out of the ground, emerging directly from the rubble at an absurd speed. Captain America had barely steadied himself when O-03 threw a punch, which his Vibranium Shield took head-on, leaving his arm numb. Black Widow threw a concussion grenade, but O-04 raised its hand and a wall of ice materialized in the air, causing the grenade to explode into a cloud of white mist.
"Ice-type ability? Shadowcat + Iceman combo?" Ye Mo's brain system suddenly prompted: [Detected X-Factor Resonance Fragment: Extreme Cold Manipulation (Lv.1)].
Before he could even rejoice, the back hatch of the O-05 opened, and the Hive drone swarm roared into the air. Although Thor immediately triggered a thunderstorm, three small drones still managed to break through the defenses and speed towards the city.
"The civilian district!" Black Widow roared.
"Don't worry about it!" Captain America grabbed her arm. "If we move, the entire defense line will collapse!"
Tony spun sharply in mid-air, his armor switching to "Scarlet Destruction Mode," his back thrusters spewing blue flames as his speed surged. He then dove towards O-06. The two aerial units clashed in mid-air, sparks flying. But O-06 suddenly spread its arms, releasing an EMP pulse. Tony's armor malfunctioned for half a second, barely managing to restart its engines during the fall and stabilize itself.
"These guys aren't ordinary AI!" Tony gasped as he entered the public channel. "They can learn! They can evolve! That last move was my MK-7's signature move!"
"Now you know fear?" Ye Mo sneered, stomping his feet and using his Steel Bone legs to propel himself forward like a cannonball towards O-02. O-02 tried the same trick, making his body ethereal and preparing to Wall Phasing, but Ye Mo had anticipated this. He gathered an arc of electricity in his left hand to block the path in advance, while his right hand, made of Steel Bone, formed a blade and directly pierced into O-02's chest cavity, which was about to disappear.
"Keep wearing it! Keep wearing it!" Ye Mo roared, and arcs of electricity shot into the metal frame, causing O-02 to convulse violently, forcing it to materialize and stagger backward.
Just then, three energy signals suddenly accelerated in the distance, and three new mechanical bodies broke through the air, creating a dust wave as they landed. O-08 clasped its hands together, its data ring spinning at high speed, clearly connecting to a new unit.
"The reinforcements have really arrived." Ye Mo wiped the dust off his face, his breathing becoming heavy.
Tony hovered in mid-air, his armor's energy bar at 67%, the HUD constantly displaying warnings: [Right arm thruster overheating][Left leg armor 32% damaged]. He stared at the three new mechanical beings, his voice turning somber. "Brothers, we need to find a different way to fight."
Thor knelt on one knee, Mjolnir planted in front of him, sweat trickling down his forehead, his hand gripping the handle trembling slightly. The previous thunderstorm had drained him too much energy, and he couldn't recharge it quickly. He looked up at Ye Mo: "Can you still hold on?"
Ye Mo didn't answer, but simply stretched his shoulders, the newly formed Steel Bone emitting a soft grinding sound. He stared at O-02, then glanced at the O-05 drone control center, his mind racing with calculations: ** Wall Phasing penetration delay 0.8 seconds, ice wall formation takes 1.2 seconds, EMP charging interval 4 seconds...**
"System," he muttered to himself, "Any reliable suggestions? Not just more nonsense like 'rational resource allocation'."
[Note: Currently available combo skills: Steel Bone Enhancement + Electric Arc Conduction + Basic Perception, cooldown remaining: 12 seconds.]
"Twelve seconds?" Ye Mo grinned. "I'm practically riddled with bullets and you're still using cooldowns?"
Before he could finish speaking, O-07 suddenly fired a barrage of shoulder cannon shots, three particle beams crisscrossing and blocking Ye Mo's retreat. He stomped on the ground, his Steel Bone right leg unable to withstand the impact, cracking open with a "crack." He rolled away to avoid the attack, but his left arm was struck by the aftershock, leaving his skin charred black.
"Ye Mo!" Captain America called out.
"I won't die!" He rolled over and stood up, but the taste of blood filled his mouth.
Black Widow seized the opportunity to throw a grenade, but O-04 raised her hand and created another wall of ice. After the grenade exploded, only a corner of the ice melted, and the rest quickly Regeneration.
"Regeneration defense?" She frowned. "It's impenetrable."
"Then let's disrupt its rhythm." Ye Mo took a deep breath and forcibly activated the Gene Spiral Tower, combining the three abilities of "Wade Self-Healing," "Shadowcat Wall Phasing," and "Electric Arc Release" in an attempt to activate "Regenerative Phasing"—but the system did not respond at all.
"No? Or are the conditions not right?" His heart tightened.
At this moment, O-06 and O-07 completed data synchronization and began to anticipate each other's movements. Hawkeye fired a tracking arrow, but the opponent turned to the side in time, and the arrow missed. Captain America threw his shield, but O-03 moved a step ahead, and the shield grazed past him.
"They've seen through us!" Hawkeye roared.
"Then don't let them see!" Ye Mo leaped up, his Steel Bone arms crossed to protect his head, and rammed into O-02's arms. The electric arc was at full power, directly burning out the drive shaft from the inside. O-02's knees buckled, and he collapsed to the ground, temporarily losing his ability to move.
But he wasn't much better off; his right arm's Steel Bone had multiple fractures, and a tearing sensation in his muscles spread from his shoulder blade all the way to his fingertips.
Tony seized the opportunity, his armor releasing a miniature EMP bomb that precisely hit O-07's flight system, causing it to stagger and crash. Thor then used the opportunity to detonate a lightning bolt, charring and smoking half of O-07's fuselage.
But victory was fleeting.
The O-08 data ring spun again, and the three newly arrived mechanical bodies activated simultaneously. O-09 released Force Field, forcefully deflecting the EMP bomb from its trajectory. O-10 clasped his hands together, creating an energy shield that blocked the second lightning strike for O-07.
"Screw you!" Tony cursed, increasing altitude to reorganize the attack.
Captain America and Black Widow defended back-to-back, while O-03 and O-04 pressed forward relentlessly, alternating between Ice Wall and Alloy Fist for pressure. Hawkeye switched to Armor-Piercing Arrows, but just as the scope locked onto O-07's head joint, the opponent ducked to avoid it.
"They really are learning." Black Widow's voice tightened.
Ye Mo stood in the center of the ruins, his left shoulder Steel Bone exposed, cracked and crisscrossed, his breathing like a broken bellows. He looked around: Tony was maneuvering in the air, Thor was charging up, Captain America and Black Widow were being overwhelmed, Hawkeye was running out of arrows, O-02 had fallen but was not destroyed, and the remaining six mechanical bodies were still advancing in a fan shape.
The pressure was like a mountain pressing down on us.
But he knew he couldn't back down.
"System," he asked in his mind again, "Are there any hidden functions? Like time-pausing or space-folding?"
[Permission denied.]
"Damn, what's with the aloof act?"
He wiped his face, raised his hand again, and crackled with electricity in his palm.
In the distance, O-09 slowly raised his arm and pointed at him.
O-10 took a step forward.
O-11 uses red light in its eyes to lock onto the target.
Seven mechanical bodies, six Avengers, Ye Mo stood motionless in the center of the battlefield, arcs of electricity exploding between his fingers, casting flickering light and shadow on half of his face.
His right leg began to tremble slightly and uncontrollably.