The challenge escalates

The fragments of the alloy door still emanated a chill from the ground, and Ye Mo stood motionless. The previous wave of ice storm had taken a toll on him, but he could feel a surge of new energy flowing within him, as if something had been pushed open.

Tony glanced down at the armor status panel; the temperature warning on his right arm was still flashing red. "The cooling system needs repair, but it's still usable for now." He looked up at the end of the corridor. "Those three guys didn't even press the alarm, which means they know we're here."

As soon as he finished speaking, a dull "crack" sound came from the metal floor behind the monitoring room.

Ye Mo's eyes narrowed, and he immediately raised his hand to signal, "Don't move."

The ground began to twist, like a stone thrown onto water. Steel plates rose and rolled up, quickly piecing together an arc-shaped shield that blocked the two people from the corridor.

"There's someone ahead," Ye Mo said in a low voice. "Not a clone. Their breathing rhythm is off, and their nerve signal fluctuations are alive."

Tony squinted at the steel wall. "You're saying he's the commander?"

"More troublesome than the commander." Ye Mo stared ahead. "This guy... he's serious."

No sooner had the words been spoken than footsteps sounded from behind the shield. One step, two steps, unhurried. Then, a hand wearing a dark gray metallic glove emerged from behind the shield and gently grasped it.

The ice shards on the ground instantly floated up, swirled and compressed in the air, and finally solidified into a sharp ice cone—exactly the same one Ye Mo usually used.

Ye Mo's pupils suddenly contracted.

"You... how could you know this?" He instinctively took a half step back.

The other party didn't answer, but with a flick of their wrist, the ice spike shot straight at them.

Tony reacted extremely quickly, shoving Ye Mo aside and firing his palm cannons simultaneously. Blue light exploded in mid-air, blasting the ice spikes into powder.

"Don't let him get away with it!" Tony roared, igniting the armor thrusters and taking a step forward. "This thing is your patent, who gave him the right to use it?"

The man finally emerged from the shield's shadow. He was nearly two meters tall, his entire body encased in dark gray nanotech armor, its surface shimmering with a metallic sheen. Most eerie of all were his eyes—they gleamed silver-white, like liquid mercury swirling within them.

He glanced down at the remnants of the ice pick he had just used, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"Imitation?" Ye Mo stared at him. "You're here for me."

The man raised his hand, palm up. The surrounding metal pipes began to peel away, turning into countless fragments that floated in the air like a swarm of bees waiting for orders. Then, he once again conjured an ice ring, which slowly rotated around his arm.

"It's not just imitation," the man said, his voice carrying a metallic quality, "It's analysis."

Ye Mo's heart raced. This wasn't a mechanical replication like a clone; it was a genuine understanding of how the ability worked.

"Can you see the logic behind my ability combinations?" he asked.

"Every battle is recorded." The man slowly raised his hand. "Your Ice Manipulation, combined with Telepathy prediction and Tony's rhythmic firepower, makes for a very efficient fighting style."

Tony scoffed, "Sounds like a hater who got dumped by their idol."

"I am Oryx," the man said. "You can't keep your secret anymore."

As soon as he finished speaking, he shook his hands, and metal shards flew out of the air like a rain of knives. At the same time, the ground beneath his feet exploded, and a thick steel bar burst out of the ground, piercing straight into Ye Mo's chest.

Ye Mo raised his hand and conjured ice, instantly forming a thick ice wall. Metal fragments crashed into it with a crackling sound, and the ice layer trembled violently but did not break.

"This guy doesn't just copy homework," Ye Mo gritted his teeth, "He also changes the question format!"

Tony locked onto the target with his shoulder-mounted missile and fired a smoke grenade to obscure his vision. Taking advantage of the billowing smoke, he quickly moved to the flank, charging his palm cannon in preparation for a surprise attack.

Oryx didn't even turn his head; the metal plates on his back automatically unfolded, forming a fan-shaped armor that precisely blocked Tony's shooting angle.

"The Thermal Vision is being interfered with." Tony frowned. "His armor can simulate ambient temperature."

"Not only that." Ye Mo suddenly sensed something was wrong. "He's waiting for me to make my move."

Sure enough, just as Ye Mo raised his hand to release the Wall Phasing Ice Spike, Oryx immediately turned around, already conjuring the same skill form in his hand.

"Every time you use your power, you leave an energy trail," Oryx said. "I can see it."

Ye Mo's heart sank. This meant he couldn't use the old tricks anymore, otherwise it would be tantamount to handing over his tactics.

"Then let's change to a new question," he said in a low voice.

He deliberately raised his hand to unleash his signature Frost Nova, creating a ring of freezing air in front of him. Oryx, as expected, raised his hand to copy it, beginning to condense the same structure.

"Now!" Ye Mo shouted.

Without hesitation, Tony pressed the button, and an electromagnetic pulse grenade was launched from the wrist launcher, hitting Oryx precisely in the chest eight seconds later.

Boom!

An invisible ripple spread out, Oryx's entire armor instantly lost its luster, metal fragments fell to the ground, and even the silver light in his eyes dimmed. He knelt on one knee, his fingers digging into the cracks in the floor until his knuckles turned white.

"It works!" Tony gasped for breath. "So you have CDs too?"

Ye Mo remained vigilant. He scanned the area with his Telepathy and discovered that there were metallic fibers wrapped around the other person's brain, like a protective net. No wonder the Consciousness Seal couldn't penetrate it.

"He maintains synchronization through external devices," Ye Mo said, "But it takes time to rebuild the connection after each imitation."

"So we're going to exploit his skill gaps?" Tony grinned. "Isn't that just like kiting in a video game?"

"More or less." Ye Mo took a deep breath, "But he learns quickly and won't fall for the same trick again."

Just then, a cold notification sounded in my mind:

"Powerful enemy detected. Gene Spiral Tower unlocks its 22nd floor."

A surge of heat rushed up Ye Mo's spine to the top of his head, and he felt every cell in his body tremble. The twenty-second floor slowly opened, as if some hidden protocol had been activated.

New capabilities are being developed.

Oryx slowly raised his head, the silver light in his eyes returning. The surface of his armor began to self-repair, liquid metal flowing from the cracks and quickly filling the damage.

"You think you're limiting my output?" He stood up, his voice even colder. "I'm just collecting data."

He raised his hand, and all the surrounding metal debris began to reassemble. The floor, ceiling, and pipes were all stripped away, transforming into a steel jungle. Sharp metal spikes grew out from all directions, blocking any escape route.

"Next," he approached step by step, "I will use your abilities to defeat you."

Ye Mo slowly raised his hands, and the cold energy condensed in his palms into the shape of double blades. He could feel the newly unlocked energy flowing in his meridians, as if some kind of fusion was about to be completed.

"He can imitate me," Ye Mo whispered to Tony, "But he can't learn how we fight."

Tony flexed his wrists, and the armored HUD switched to collaborative mode, its blue light reflecting on his face.

"Then let him see what an original group is all about."

The two stood back to back, one in control and the other the main attacker, their postures perfectly synchronized as if they had rehearsed a thousand times.

Oryx raised his hand, and a metal spear took shape in his palm, while his other hand conjured the prototype of Ice Blast Spell.

"Come on." Ye Mo's eyes sharpened.

Tony's Palm Cannon was fully charged, its blue light flickering intermittently.

Oryx leaped up, unleashing a simultaneous attack of his metal spear and ice blast, charging straight at the two.

Ye Mo crossed his arms, unleashing a burst of icy energy, and a spiraling ice blade slashed out.

The three forces collided in mid-air, exploding into a cloud of white mist.

Metal fragments fell like rain.