The smoke from the gunpowder in the center of the square had not yet dissipated, and the air was filled with the smell of burnt rubber and the stench of dust.
Ye Mo pressed himself against the shadows behind the broken wall, his breathing reduced to a minimum. His eyes, enhanced by the X-Gene Resonance, were fixed intently on the very center of the battlefield. There, T'Challa had no more to hold back.
The previous probing exchanges are over; now it's down to a pure hand-to-hand combat, a head-on clash.
Ulysses Klaue was a formidable opponent. Although the prototype of his sonic weapon was temporarily suppressed, he was no ordinary man. His body had undergone some kind of illegal enhancement, his muscles taut as iron, and every punch he threw was accompanied by a whistling sound. But even so, he struggled immensely against Black Panther, who was clad in Vibranium Suit.
T'Challa moves at an extremely fast speed.
That kind of speed wasn't just a simple sprint, but a kind of agility that was almost like a dance. His steps seemed chaotic, but in fact, each step was taken at the point of gravity, using the unique elasticity of the Vibranium Suit to move freely through the hail of bullets from the mercenaries.
"Bang!"
A muffled thud.
T'Challa dodged a straight punch to the side and followed up with a powerful elbow strike to the ribs of a mercenary. The man didn't even have time to scream before he flew through the air like a kite with a broken string, crashing into the sandbags behind him.
But this is just an appetizer.
The real focus is on the showdown between Klaue and T'Challa.
Klaue roared, clenching his fists, and charged forward like two enraged bulls. His strength was astonishing; each punch was enough to shatter a concrete wall. However, T'Challa did not choose to take the blows head-on.
He moved with lightning speed, like a black bolt of lightning, and slipped past Klaue's armpit.
Immediately afterwards, a sharp spinning kick landed precisely on the back of Klaue's neck.
"Thump."
Klaue stumbled forward and fell to one knee. But he reacted quickly, using the momentum of his kneeling to slam his palm into the ground, sending up a shower of gravel in an attempt to distract T'Challa.
T'Challa landed lightly, the black fur on his suit trembling slightly, showing his intense focus. He gave Klaue no chance to catch his breath, pushing off with his feet and closing in again.
The two figures intertwined in the center of the square, forming a blurry black shadow.
The sounds of fists and feet clashing were as dense as raindrops.
T'Challa's moves are concise and efficient, without a single unnecessary flourish. Every strike is aimed directly at vital points: the throat, the heart, and the joints. This is the highest level of combat technique of the Wakanda Royal Guard, emphasizing a single, decisive blow.
Although Klaue was brave, he was clearly inferior in skill. He could only barely withstand T'Challa's attacks by relying on his strong physique.
"Damn it! You black monkey!" Klaue cursed through gritted teeth, his voice tinged with obvious panic. He realized that the harder he exerted himself, the more T'Challa was able to use his force against him, converting his own strength into kinetic energy for a counterattack.
T'Challa did not answer.
His eyes were icy cold, his lips were tightly pressed together, and his expression remained unchanged. In his eyes, Klaue was not just an enemy, but a dangerous source that needed to be eliminated.
Ye Mo saw it all clearly from the side.
T'Challa is indeed very strong, incredibly strong. But if it were just T'Challa alone, this battle would be difficult to end in a short time. Klaue's vitality is so tenacious it's like a bug; even when injured, he can still unleash amazing resistance.
More importantly, the mercenaries surrounding Klaue continued to provide fire support. Although most bullets were deflected by the Vibranium Suit, the intense fire still limited T'Challa's range of movement.
"Three inches below the left rib, the defense is weak."
Ye Mo silently made a mental note of it.
These were details he captured through the X-Gene Resonance System. During the previous exchange, when T'Challa launched a series of attacks, Klaue unconsciously protected his abdomen with his left hand to maintain his balance, causing a brief defensive gap in his right rib area. This gap lasted for less than 0.5 seconds.
An ordinary person would never have been able to seize this opportunity.
But Ye Mo is no ordinary person.
He's the one pulling the strings behind the scenes.
Emma Frost stood not far from Ye Mo, her face as pale as a sheet. The mental shock she had just experienced had taken a heavy toll on her, and she was now doing her best to maintain a thin Mind Barrier to prevent the mercenaries Klaue, from going insane after being mentally disturbed, while also protecting herself and Ye Mo from being caught up in the chaos.
"He won't last much longer."
Emma Frost's voice entered Ye Mo's mind through Telepathy, weak yet clear.
"I know," Ye Mo replied in his mind. "He's waiting for reinforcements, or looking for an opportunity to activate that damn sonic cannon."
We can't let him start it.
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
Ye Mo's gaze never left Klaue.
He was like a sophisticated scanner, constantly analyzing his opponent's every move, every breath, and every emotional fluctuation.
Klaue is in a very bad state right now.
His breathing became heavy, sweat trickled down his cheeks, dripping onto the dusty ground. His eyes were filled with anxiety, anger, and a deep fear. He hadn't expected this guy in black to be so troublesome.
This fear is deadly.
In battle, fear leads to hesitation, and hesitation leads to mistakes.
Ye Mo noticed a subtle movement from Klaue.
When T'Challa charged again, Klaue's instinctive reaction was to step back, but his left foot seemed a little stiff, and he was a beat slow.
It's that half-beat.
T'Challa keenly seized the moment of hesitation, twisted his body sharply, and swept his leg hard towards Klaue's lower body.
Klaue lost his balance and fell backward.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, T'Challa leaped up, his hands coming together to form a black blade that slashed straight at Klaue's shoulder.
"Click."
The sound of bones cracking rang out.
Klaue let out a painful roar, his right arm hanging limply at his sides.
Seeing this, the surrounding mercenaries increased their firepower, and bullets rained down on T'Challa.
T'Challa landed and rolled, quickly creating distance and establishing a standoff with Klaue.
The two were no more than three meters apart.
T'Challa's chest heaved violently, and his suit bore several scratches, indicating he had also suffered some minor injuries. But he stood ramrod straight, his gaze piercing, fixed intently on Klaue.
Klaue clutched his injured right shoulder, his face ashen. He glanced around and saw that the situation was completely out of control. The mercenaries were either knocked down or too frightened to advance. The prototype sonic weapon in his hand, due to the earlier shock, had its indicator light flashing red, showing unstable energy.
"You can't beat me," Klaue said hoarsely, panting. "If I press this button, the entire square will be reduced to ruins."
He brandished the red remote control in his hand, a ruthless glint in his eyes.
T'Challa snorted and assumed a fighting stance, "Then let's see."
The atmosphere instantly froze to an extreme.
Ye Mo hid behind cover, his fingers lightly tapping his knees.
He was calculating.
Calculate the probability of Klaue pressing the button, calculate the best time to act, and figure out how to end the battle completely without alerting the other mercenaries.
Emma Frost was also observing.
Through Telepathy, she clearly sensed Klaue's inner struggle.
Greed, fear, and resentment.
These intertwined emotions made Klaue extremely unstable. He didn't really want to die together with his opponent; he just wanted to use this method to threaten them and buy himself a chance to escape.
"He's trying to run," Emma Frost texted back. "He's waiting for us to let our guard down for a moment."
"I won't give him a chance," Ye Mo thought with a cold laugh.
He slowly stood up, his body taut like a bowstring.
His gaze cut through the chaotic crowd and landed on Klaue.
At that moment, Ye Mo felt a strange resonance within his X-Gene Resonance System. It wasn't the activation of an ability, but rather the awakening of an intuition. He seemed to hear the sound of time flowing and could see everything that might happen in the next few seconds.
He saw Klaue raise his hand.
He saw T'Challa lunge forward.
He saw his path forward by cutting in from the side.
Everything is under control.
"Now."
Ye Mo silently recited it in his heart.
He didn't act immediately, but continued to observe. He knew that T'Challa needed some time to create the best opening.
T'Challa was clearly aware of this as well.
He deliberately slowed his pace, approaching Klaue step by step, as if engaging in a silent psychological game.
Klaue's eyes flickered, and his hand gripped the remote control tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force.
The surrounding air seemed to stand still.
Only the distant roar of helicopter rotors churning the wind, and the occasional gunshot, reminded people that they were on the brink of life and death.
Ye Mo took a deep breath and adjusted his breathing rhythm.
His pupils contracted slightly, and the world in his field of vision became clearer.
Every speck of dust dancing in the air, every wisp of smoke spreading, is clearly visible.
He was ready.
We are ready to strike at any time.
Behind the broken wall not far away, Emma Frost closed her eyes, focusing all her mental energy deep into Klaue's brain. She was waiting for a signal, a signal that could instantly shatter Klaue's will.
T'Challa stopped in his tracks.
He stood two meters away from Klaue, looking down at the arrogant arms dealer.
"It's over," T'Challa said calmly.
Klaue paused for a moment, then revealed a sinister smile, "You say it's over? Then look behind you."
Before he could finish speaking, Klaue suddenly pressed the remote control in his hand.
At the same time, Ye Mo made a move.