The electric arcs crackled and popped in Ye Mo's palm, and the light membrane on the shield's surface was still trembling slightly. His feet were firmly planted on the ground, and his arms remained in a forward-pushing position, but blood was already dripping from his nose down to his chest, and the white smoke emanating from the Steel Bone joint in his right leg was growing thicker and thicker, like burnt electrical conduit.
Ultron hovered in mid-air, its red eyes locked onto the center of the shield. The mechanical legion behind it charged its cannons in unison, the red light stretching out in patches, like the flames of a barbecue grill at a night market, densely packed.
Ye Mo's eye twitched.
He knew he couldn't hold on any longer.
If they held on any longer, either the shield would be blasted apart, or he himself would fall apart first. His teammates huddled inside, their breathing audible, metallic scraping. No one spoke, no one moved, but the oppressive atmosphere was heavier than a pressure cooker.
His mind raced: Ultron's mechs were positioned on the outer three sides, providing fire coverage with blind spots, but the cannons needed a three-second buffer to recharge—this was the only window of opportunity.
"We can't wait for them to fire all at once," he muttered to himself. "Either we charge out now and unleash a barrage, or we'll be carried away on our backs."
He gritted his teeth, his consciousness plunging into the seventh level of the " Gene Spiral Tower," directly locking onto the blue-red module he had just absorbed—" Flame Control." This was a fragment of ability he had picked up from the aftershocks of the explosion when Hela popped out of the seal last time. He had only dared to try it once before in a corner of the lab, and the Mars he emitted almost set Tony's coffee cup on fire, for which he was scolded.
There's no time to worry about that now.
He took a deep breath, and the energy within his body flowed backward, rushing straight to his palms. A burning sensation shot up his spine, as if someone had poured scalding magma into his veins.
"Come on, buddy, don't let me down," he muttered.
The next second, he abruptly pulled his arms back.
The shield's light suddenly contracted, the light membrane dimmed instantly, and it looked like it was about to go out.
Ultron's red eyes flashed frequently, indicating that the defense had failed, and he immediately ordered a general attack.
The mechanical legion pulled the triggers in unison, unleashing a torrential downpour of energy beams that illuminated the entire battlefield and distorted the air itself.
Just as the first beam of light left the gun—
Ye Mo slammed his left foot into the ground, using the momentum to slam forward, his entire body bursting through the edge of the shield like a cannonball! The shield shattered into specks of light behind him with a "crack" and dissipated in the wind.
He leaped into the air, pushed his palms forward, and roared, "Great Mighty Heavenly Dragon!"
A crimson pillar of fire erupted with a deafening roar!
Not just one line, but an entire area!
The weapon swept across the 300-meter battle zone in a fan shape, instantly causing the temperature to soar and the air to hiss and explode. The joints of the first row of mechs were melted by the high temperature, and their arms and cannons crashed to the ground. The energy cores of the second row were ignited, exploding one after another with a series of bangs. Fireballs rose into the air one after another, debris flew everywhere, and black smoke billowed.
The third row tried to retreat, but their escape route was blocked by the explosions in front. Several mechs had just turned around when they were hit by the side fire waves, and their armor softened and deformed on the spot, like plastic toys thrown into an oven.
The fire spread extremely quickly, and the mechanical legion's formation was thrown into chaos. Some tried to cool down using the water cooling system, but when the water pipes were turned on, steam hissed out, short-circuiting their internal circuits instead; others tried to flank from behind, but the ground was already red-hot, and their tracks stuck as soon as they touched it, unable to move.
When Ye Mo landed, he was half-kneeling on the ground, using his hands to support himself. His palms were charred and smoking, and Mars were still dancing on his fingertips. His breathing was heavy, as if he had just finished a marathon.
But his eyes remained open, fixed intently on Ultron.
Ultron hovered in the air, its body undamaged, but its data stream was clearly disordered, and its red eyes flickered like a faulty light bulb. It hadn't expected Ye Mo to suddenly switch tactics, let alone that this guy was hiding such a wide-range weapon.
The outer forces suffered nearly 40% losses, and the wreckage was still burning, the flames reflecting off its metal shell in a reddish hue.
Ye Mo wiped the dust off his face, looked up and grinned. "How is it? Strong enough barbecue smell?"
Ultron did not respond, but the remaining mechs behind him quickly regrouped, their cannons aimed at Ye Mo again, and the red charging light shone brightly once more.
Ye Mo didn't move, his knees still pressed to the ground, but his eyes showed no fear. He knew the other side was about to launch a second wave, and he also knew that he had just used up his Flame Control. The system notification sound was buzzing in his mind, like an automatic restart after a router lag.
He dared not fight any longer, but he could not back down either.
If you quit, your teammates will be exposed.
He glanced down at his right hand; his palm was still steaming, and several thin cracks in his skin were seeping blood. That move had been incredibly taxing; not only was his physical strength depleted, but even his gene module was getting hot, like a phone overheating and throttling after playing a game for a while.
"The cooldown will probably take a few minutes..." he thought to himself, "But now is not the time to wait."
He slowly stood up, his legs still trembling slightly, the Steel Bone joint in his right leg crackling with sparks, and he walked with a limp, but his posture remained upright.
He took two steps forward and stood in the center of the battlefield, facing Ultron.
The firelight danced behind him, casting a long shadow like a flagpole stuck in the ruins.
"Didn't you want to clear the place out?" He gasped for breath, his voice hoarse. "Fine, I'll clear it out for you—but I'll clear out your people."
After saying that, he took another step forward.
Ultron locked onto him with its red eyes, and the data stream refreshed rapidly, as if reassessing the threat level.
The mechanical legion's cannon charging progress bar stopped halfway through.
It hesitated.
Ye Mo knew this was his opportunity.
He raised his left hand, palm up, and the remaining energy in his body gathered again at his fingertips. Although the flames were not as fierce as before, a dark red halo had appeared on his palm, like charcoal embers about to ignite.
"Don't think I'm out of options," he said in a low voice. "The thing I hate most is people saying I can only use one set of skills."
Before he finished speaking, he suddenly waved his hand, and a short wave of fire shot out, heading straight for a mech that was being repaired on the left.
"Boom!"
A fireball exploded from the mech's chest, triggering a chain reaction of explosions in the energy tanks. Two other mechs nearby were also affected and instantly disabled.
Ultron's eyes flashed red, as if he had been provoked.
Ye Mo laughed, "You finally reacted? I thought you were planning to stand there like a statue."
He stood still, his hands hanging at his sides, his palms still warm, his breathing gradually becoming steady. He knew that the enemy wouldn't give him a third chance to unleash a large-scale fire attack, but the previous wave had already disrupted the enemy's rhythm.
The fire was still burning, and every now and then there was a "bang" from the pile of wreckage, with thick smoke and Mars drifting into the sky.
Ye Mo stood still, facing Ultron, his position unchanged, his posture unchanged, and his gaze unchanged.
In the distance, smoke was still rising from the crater in the mountain, and the wind swept Ashes across the battlefield, making the hem of his hoodie flutter in the wind.
He raised his hand, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and whispered, "Come on, keep hitting."
Ultron slowly raised his hands, and the remaining mech cannons rotated in sync, locking onto Ye Mo again.
The humming sound of energy charging filled the air once again.