The moment the energy torrents collided in mid-air, Ye Mo's Steel Bone arm was on the verge of exploding.
It's no exaggeration; cracks really spread from his palms to his shoulders, the metal fibers crackling like burnt-out wires, and black smoke billowing from his joints. The recoil forced him to one knee, his knee slamming into the alloy floor, creating a spiderweb-like crater.
But he didn't let go.
The fist continued to push forward, the energy vortex of lightning mixed with fire and frost biting tightly at Ultron's purplish-black beam of light, pushing the destructive ray back inch by inch.
"You... can't win... the future..." Ultron's voice was broken, his mechanical eyes flashed red a few times, and then suddenly convulsed violently.
The next second, the energy core on its chest exploded with a "crack" and a burst of sparks. The entire machine shuddered violently, its hovering posture completely collapsed, and it crashed straight to the ground like a piece of scrap metal.
boom!
A cloud of dust erupted as Ultron tumbled sideways, his right arm snapping off instantly and flying more than ten meters away, leaving only half a wire twitching slightly. His head lolled to the side, his mask shattered, revealing a flickering blue core beneath, its frequency as erratic as an old television that couldn't receive a signal.
Ye Mo, panting heavily, finally relaxed.
The energy from the collision exploded with a "bang," the shockwave overturned the remaining equipment around it, several supporting pillars snapped, a corner of the ceiling collapsed, and flames burned up the pipes.
He sat there, too lazy to even move.
The Steel Bone began to degenerate automatically. The metal layer on his face shrank back like melting wax, returning to his arms and shoulder blades, and finally retracted into his body with a "whoosh," leaving behind charred work pants and a tattered black hoodie. The Regeneration system was still working, but it was as slow as a lagging video. A tearing sensation rose in waves from his ribs, his throat tasted sweet, and he almost vomited blood.
He raised his hand to wipe his mouth, his fingertips stained with blood.
"You won?" he whispered, his voice hoarse. "Your AI is pretty resilient."
Ultron lay three meters away, its head tilted to the ground, the blue light flickering, its voice module emitting intermittent static. "Balance... will... be... achieved... the... program... is irreversible..."
Before it could finish speaking, a red light suddenly flashed on its chest.
Immediately afterwards, a red countdown projection appeared on the control floor of the entire hall, the numbers starting to jump from 05:00, and a piercing alarm sounded, repeating over and over. "Self-destruct procedure initiated, all personnel please evacuate immediately."
Ye Mo's eyelids twitched.
"Damn it." He cursed, trying to push himself up, but his left leg buckled and he fell back to his knees.
Looking down, he saw that his calves were still covered in frost. The residual low temperature from the lightning strike hadn't dissipated, and his joints were stiff like rusty bearings. He gritted his teeth and patted his legs a couple of times, and the ice cracked open, allowing him to move with difficulty.
He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.
Now is not the time to give up. His teammates are still in the base; some might be nearby, others are clearing the perimeter, and nobody knows this thing is going to explode. He has to get the message out.
But the problem is--
The ability of Telepathy drains one's mental energy with each use. After several rounds of high-intensity combat, my brain is now like a circuit board that's been soaked in water, buzzing and throbbing, and the system hasn't even given me a cooling-off warning.
He closed his eyes and tried to activate the " Gene Spiral Tower " in his consciousness. The Telepathy module on the seventh layer was still there, but its state was gray and hazy, as if there was a problem with the connection.
"Fine," he muttered. "It's just sending a signal, not writing a thesis."
He recalled his previous experience working with Emma Frost. She had taught him that Telepathy was most vulnerable to distractions; the more complex the connection, the easier it was to fail. The best approach was to simplify the information as much as possible, like a radio station transmitting Morse code, repeating the same instruction over and over again.
He took three deep breaths, slowed his heartbeat, blocked out the alarms in his ears, and focused all his attention on his mind.
Objective: Not directed at any individual, not conveying any specific content, but simply releasing a high-frequency, repetitive mental pulse—a general alert similar to an "emergency evacuation."
He constructs the signal, like pressing the "send" button in his mind.
Buzz--
In an instant, it felt like a needle had pierced his temple, his nose felt hot, and blood trickled down his chin. His vision went black, and his ears were filled with the sound of electricity, but he didn't stop and continued to output power.
Once, twice, three times...
Until that pulse shot out like a signal flare, exploding into an invisible ripple on the mental level.
He opened his eyes, a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth. "Sent."
My body is completely weak.
He staggered as he tried to stand up, but his left leg slipped, and he almost fell. He quickly reached out and grabbed a broken support pillar next to him. The metal pillar was scorching hot; he could feel the heat even through his gloves. But he didn't let go. He just leaned against it, panting heavily, staring in the direction of the hall's exit.
The end of the corridor was dark, with only the emergency lights flashing red.
There was no one in sight.
There was no response.
He didn't know if anyone had received the signal, or who was where. All he knew was that if no one ran, they would all be buried here.
"Run faster..." he whispered, his voice almost drowned out by the siren, "Don't wait until I say that."
The countdown is still going on: 04:12.
He looked down at his hands; faint arcs of electricity still flickered between his fingers, but they were no longer enough to generate a decent attack. The Steel Bone system was in a dormant state, its Regeneration progress stuck at 67%, and the wound on his left shoulder was still bleeding, albeit at a slower pace.
He knew he couldn't stay any longer.
But he can't leave.
Not at least not now.
What if someone doesn't receive the signal? What if someone is on their way here? If they leave, the last group of people might be lost.
He could only wait.
Even just ten more seconds could save a life.
He leaned against a broken pillar, his feet apart, forcing himself to stay awake. His eyes were fixed on the exit, his ears listened to the rhythm of the alarm, and his mind went over the frequency of the signal he had just sent out, confirming that there was no deviation.
03:45.
A muffled explosion came from afar, like a pipe bursting somewhere. The vibration traveled up the ground and could be felt underfoot.
He didn't move.
03:30.
The overhead lighting system went out completely, leaving only the red countdown light reflected on the wall, like blood.
He raised his hand and wiped the blood and ash from his face, his fingers trembling.
03:15.
He suddenly remembered things from before he traveled through time.
In his university dorm, the day before his final exams, he stayed up all night playing video games. His roommates called him to the exam hall, but he waved them off and said, "Just one more game." In the end, he was matched with four AFK players, which made him so angry he smashed his mouse.
At that time, I felt like the sky was about to fall.
Looking back now, it's fucking ridiculous.
03:00.
He grimaced, but didn't laugh out loud.
As the countdown reached 02:58, he suddenly caught a glimpse of movement at the end of the corridor.
A blurry figure flashed by, moving too fast to make out who it was, but it was clearly running away.
His tense body relaxed slightly.
Someone received it.
More than one.
In the next ten seconds or so, two more figures rushed around the corner, one after the other, their steps hurried, without looking back.
I couldn't see his face clearly, but his movements were very familiar; he must be one of our own.
At least three.
That's enough.
He leaned against the pillar, slowly straightened up, and prepared to leave.
But just as he lifted his foot, a "ding" sounded in his mind.
[ Telepathy module is on cooldown: 00:03:17 remaining]
He was stunned for a moment.
"Huh?" he said in a low voice, "Giving you a hint now? Why didn't you do it sooner?"
That's good, at least it means the system is still working and hasn't completely crashed.
He took one last look at Ultron.
The thing was still lying on the ground, its head tilted to one side, the blue light growing weaker and weaker, like a light bulb about to run out of power. The self-destruct program was running independently, and it couldn't control itself anymore.
"You said you wanted to balance the universe," Ye Mo said, looking at it in a low voice, "But you can't even balance your own base, and you're resorting to mutual destruction?"
Ultron did not respond.
Only the alarm is still ringing.
02:10.
He turned around, ready to leave.
But as soon as he took a step, his left leg stiffened again. The frost hadn't completely dissipated, and his knee creaked as if a rusty gear was being forced to turn.
He stopped, leaned back against the pillar, and caught his breath.
No, it's too risky to go now. If I collapse halfway, I'll only be a burden to others.
He has to wait until his leg recovers a bit, so he can at least run again.
He stood still again, facing the exit, his hands braced against the pillars, staring at the end of the corridor.
01:55.
A third wave of footsteps approached from afar, this time more concentrated, involving at least three or four people, moving in unison, clearly indicating a retreat.
He didn't move.
01:40.
Suddenly, the pipes overhead burst open, steam gushed out, and white mist instantly filled half the hall.
He raised his hand to block the view and squinted at the other person.
The figures moved through the fog, growing farther and farther away, and no one looked back.
01:25.
He looked down at his hands; the residual energy of the lightning was still dancing between his fingers—weak, but still usable.
He tried to conjure a small arc of electricity; his fingertip crackled briefly before the arc went out.
That's enough.
He took a deep breath, preparing for the final sprint.
But just then, a "ding" sounded in my head again.
[ Steel Bone system reboot complete: Availability 31%]
He paused for a moment, then smiled.
"Oh, waking up at this hour? You know how to pick your time."
He moved his shoulders, and the metal fibers vibrated slightly under his skin. Although he hadn't fully recovered, they were at least able to support his body.
01:10.
He stopped waiting.
My left leg is still a little stiff, but I can move it.
He braced himself against the pillar to stand up, spread his feet apart, shifted his weight forward, and prepared to sprint.
If you rush out of the main hall and into the escape route, you have a chance to survive.
He stared at the exit, his breathing slowing.
01:03.
He suddenly pushed off the ground, his left leg unleashing a burst of force, propelling him forward.
One step, two steps, three steps--
But just as he stepped into the center of the hall, he caught a glimpse of Ultron out of the corner of his eye.
The blue light emanating from that thing suddenly flashed.
It doesn't flicker randomly.
There is a pattern to it.
It looks like... data is being transmitted.
He stopped in his tracks and suddenly turned his head.
Ultron slightly raised its head, and the remaining voice module emitted intermittent syllables. "... to... replace... me... and... continue..."
Before he could finish speaking, the blue light went out completely.
He stood there, panting, and looked back for two seconds.
Then he turned around and kept running forward.
00:45.
He rushed to the exit; the corridor was dimly lit, and there was no one in front of him.
He didn't stop, and ran forward along the passage.
Behind me, the countdown was still ticking.
00:39.
00:38.
00:37.