Lightning injection, shifting the detonation

The air in the laboratory felt like it was filled with red-hot iron; every breath made his throat dry. Ye Mo leaned against the control panel, his fingers gripping the metal edge so tightly that his knuckles turned white. He could feel the vibrations coming from the soles of his feet—not the roar before an explosion, but the intermittent twitching of an old machine on the verge of falling apart.

The Yellowjacket spread his arms, his armor glowing a blinding red light. The heat distorted his vision, and the outer shell of the distant instrument had begun to soften and deform, dripping black oil. Emma Frost stood ten meters ahead, her Diamond Form glowing dark red. Cracks in her left arm had spread to her shoulder blade, and with every slight movement, a faint "click" could be heard from inside the crystal, like ice about to shatter completely.

Scott huddled behind the cooling tubes, his suit alarm blaring. "Overheating, evacuation recommended." He wiped the sweat from his face, and only when he ran the back of his hand over his mouth did he realize that his jaw was clenched too tightly, and his gums were bleeding slightly.

No one moved.

Whoever moves first might detonate this human bomb.

Images flashed through Ye Mo's mind. He had previously encountered a Mutants teenager nicknamed "Lightning Kid," whose ability was to unleash low-frequency lightning, but his control was terrible; in a moment of excitement, he would set off all the streetlights on the entire street. After that encounter, the system stored a lightning-related gene fragment, which remained unused on the 17th layer. Now, thinking back, although that current was weak, it had a unique characteristic—it would automatically deflect its path when it encountered a high-temperature conductor, following the hot zone.

He stared at the crack on the Yellowjacket's back, the very spot where Scott had just attached the EMP module. It had originally been a heat vent, now half-sealed shut by the high temperature, but the internal mechanism was still functioning, flashing red light like a hot water bottle about to burst.

If lightning is injected... the high temperature will cause the current to flow preferentially to the hottest area, while the armor core is overloaded and heating up, essentially creating an "energy depression". If the timing is right, the lightning can forcibly disrupt the energy accumulation rhythm, shifting the detonation point from the chest to the back - even a shift of only a few centimeters could turn an all-around explosion into a one-way jet.

Let's take a gamble.

He didn't explain, but lowered his voice over the communication channel. "Emma Frost, hold on for three more seconds, don't let him finish."

Emma Frost's eyes twitched slightly. She didn't turn around, but her shoulders slumped as if she were preparing to fight back.

Ye Mo closed his eyes for a second, his consciousness sinking into the 17th level of the "Gene Spiral Tower". The fragments of lightning ability lit up, and he quickly brought up the "Current Guidance" combination model, simulating and deducing in his mind: compress the output frequency, reduce the initial voltage, and avoid being pushed back as soon as it was injected. This thing is not as intuitive as Self-Healing or Wall Phasing; he might end up being electrocuted into a carbon stick first.

But he had no choice.

He placed his hands on the metal bracket below the control panel, one of the best-grounded circuits in the entire laboratory. He activated his abilities, slowly injecting compressed low-frequency lightning into the conductor. The current crawled along the bracket, drilled into the electrical network under the floor, and, with the help of the residual signal from the jammer Scott had previously deployed, stealthily approached the bottom of the Yellowjacket's armor.

The moment the first wave of lightning touched the armor shell, it immediately exploded into a shower of sparks.

"Sizzle--!"

The Yellowjacket shuddered, and the hum of his armor suddenly rose half a note. He looked down at the ground at his feet, where several blue-white electric snakes shot out from the cracks, crawling up his leg armor like small snakes.

"What the hell is that?" he roared, instinctively wanting to stomp it out.

Now!

Ye Mo suddenly increased his output, and lightning rapidly spread along the high-temperature metal, heading straight for the heat dissipation vent on his back. In that instant, the energy flow inside the armor became noticeably erratic—the core, which had been concentrated in his chest, began to fluctuate, and the readings jumped wildly, as if someone had stirred it up inside.

The Yellowjacket sensed something was wrong and immediately attempted to forcefully detonate the explosives.

It's too late.

The lightning had seeped deep into the circuitry, resonating with the overloaded, high-temperature energy. It was like pouring a ladle of water into a pot of boiling oil; amidst the crackling sounds, the energy flow was forced to divert, and the detonation point shifted from the main core in the chest cavity to the not-yet-completely-sealed heat dissipation channels in the back.

"Boom!!!"

A deafening explosion rang out, but the shockwave was erratic—it didn't scatter in all directions, but instead concentrated and shot backward like Rocket booster igniting. The Yellowjacket was thrown back, his back slamming into a load-bearing wall. His armor caved in, parts flew off, and Mars flew everywhere.

Ye Mo was prepared and rolled behind the control panel. Scott immediately lay down, curling up and covering his head. Emma Frost raised her intact right arm to shield herself, and the heat wave swept past her side, causing another fine crack to appear on the diamond's surface.

The explosion was much smaller than expected; the main structure did not collapse, and key equipment was not destroyed. The fire was confined to the vicinity of the Yellowjacket's landing point; several pipes ruptured and caught fire, producing thick black smoke, but it did not trigger a chain reaction.

Ye Mo lay on the floor, his ears ringing, and a metallic taste in his mouth. He reached up and touched the corner of his mouth; his fingertips were bloody. The surge of lightning had jolted his nerves, almost causing him to faint on the spot.

He took a couple of breaths, then struggled to his feet, his legs feeling a little weak.

"Is he still alive?" he asked over the radio.

"Alive." Scott rolled over, took off his helmet, and wiped his face. "It's just that firecrackers are still going off in my ears."

Emma Frost didn't speak, slowly lowering her arms and standing straight. Her Diamond Form was nearing its limit, her entire body gleaming with an abnormal orange-red luster, like glass about to melt in a furnace. But she didn't retreat or fall, still staring at the slumped figure in the corner.

The Yellowjacket lay sprawled on the ground, his armor in disarray, a charred hole blasted into his back, exposed wires crackling and sparking. His limbs twitched slightly, and the red lights on his armor were still flashing, but at a rate as slow as a failing heartbeat. He struggled to sit up, but as soon as he raised his hand, it slammed back down.

It's not completely useless.

But at least for the time being, it can't move.

Ye Mo staggered two steps to the control panel, his finger swiping across the screen. Thermal imaging showed that the core temperature of the armor was slowly decreasing, and it was only a matter of time before the energy reading reached zero. He let out a long breath, leaned against the table, and felt his bones screaming.

"Scott, can we still use the cryotherapy spray?"

Scott checked the suit's systems and shook his head. "Only one quota left, and it can only be used for five seconds."

"That's enough," Ye Mo said. "Wait until he moves again, then seal off the joint movement area."

Scott nodded, put his helmet back on, and the suit activated the final power supply program, with the palm nozzles poised to fire.

Emma Frost finally moved. She walked forward step by step, her steps light, each step accompanied by a subtle "click". She stopped five meters away from the Yellowjacket, raised her right hand, and her mental energy quietly spread out.

It's not an attack.

It's an illusion.

She created a false noise—as if someone was approaching from the left-hand pipe, the footsteps clearly audible. The Yellowjacket reacted, tilting his head slightly, his eyes unfocused yet still alert.

At that very moment, Scott made his move.

"Laugh--"

Freezing gas was ejected, precisely covering the opponent's left shoulder and right knee joint. The low temperature instantly solidified the metal, producing a crisp "crack" sound, and the moving parts were instantly frozen to death.

The Yellowjacket struggled violently, only to find his limbs stiff. He roared and tried to exert force again.

Ye Mo raised his hand and pressed a button on the control panel. The east vent once again emitted low-temperature gas, forming a brief white fog barrier. The three took the opportunity to retreat to the safe area on the west side of the laboratory.

"Don't chase him." Ye Mo leaned against the wall, his voice hoarse. "He's beyond saving."

Scott took off his helmet and sat on the ground, panting. "Do you think he might suddenly jump up again?"

"No." Ye Mo stared at the monitor screen. "The armor's energy is only three percent left, and the cooling system is completely destroyed. Forcing it to start will only burn me to death."

Emma Frost slowly walked back. The Diamond Form began to deteriorate; its luster gradually faded, and the cracks slowly healed. She stopped beside Ye Mo and asked softly, "What's next?"

"Wait," Ye Mo said. "The police will be here soon. We just need to make sure he doesn't die here."

As soon as he finished speaking, the Yellowjacket suddenly let out a muffled groan, his entire body convulsed violently, and then he collapsed to the ground, motionless. The red lights on his armor flashed at a slower and slower frequency, eventually settling on a faint pulse.

The laboratory fell silent.

The only sounds were the crackling of the flames and the distant dripping of water.

Scott leaned back against the wall, closed his eyes, and said, "I've never thought silent mode sounded so good."

Emma Frost looked down at her hand; the crystals were slowly fading, returning to her normal skin color. She looked up at Ye Mo, who was staring at the stabilizing vital signs curve on the screen.

"When did you think of using electricity?" she asked.

"Just now," Ye Mo grinned, blood still lingering at the corner of his mouth, "I saw a red glow emanating from his back, and it suddenly reminded me of a science video I'd seen before, which said lightning likes to go to hot places."

"You're going to use yourself as a guinea pig?"

"What else?" he shrugged. "We can't let him actually blow this up."

Scott opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. "Could you at least give me a heads-up next time? I almost thought you were going to summon God of Thunder."

"You wouldn't believe me even if I told you." Ye Mo coughed twice, then slowly squatted down, leaning against the wall. "The system doesn't give me any prompts to teach me how to play physics and chemistry."

The three remained silent for a moment.

The faint sound of police sirens could be heard outside, growing louder as they approached.

Ye Mo looked up at the timestamp in the corner of the surveillance camera: 04:17.

Dawn was approaching.

He reached out and tapped the control panel, his voice barely audible. "We... aren't dead yet."

Emma Frost slid down to the floor against the wall and closed her eyes.

Scott placed the helmet on his lap and tapped the outer shell lightly with his fingers.

The sirens grew closer, and red and blue lights shone through the broken windows, casting streaks of light and shadow across the mess.

The Yellowjacket lay prone in the corner, the red lights of the armor wreckage flashing intermittently, like a heart that refused to go out.