Ye Mo's hand was still resting on the maintenance ladder in the shaft. The ice wall had just sealed off the passage above when the sound of the robots' footsteps exploded overhead. The noise of clashing metal was like a hammer hitting sheet metal, making his ears ring. He didn't turn around, but he knew that those guys with Vibranium fragments embedded in their chests were frantically ramming into the ice. The ice wouldn't hold for long.
But just then, his head twitched again.
It wasn't the dull pain from before; this time it was sharper, like a needle piercing his brain from his temple. He gritted his teeth and tried to continue climbing, but his body suddenly froze. Something... was wrong.
He closed his eyes and activated his newly awakened " Danger Sense " ability. He originally only wanted to confirm the location of the pursuers above him, but when he scanned the area, the signal was completely distorted. The robot's frequency was still increasing, but another fluctuation emerged from the ground, chaotic and sometimes strong, sometimes weak, as if someone had put their heartbeat on fast-forward.
He'd seen that feeling before in Chapter 102.
He had been tracking Banner's trail and discovered a source of interference in the scorched earth, initially mistaking it for an enemy shielding his mental detection. Now he realized it wasn't a signal from equipment, but rather an emotion—an emotion about to erupt after extreme repression.
Bruce Banner is about to lose control.
Ye Mo opened his eyes, his breath sinking. He could have gone up to meet Emma Frost and dealt with the robot threat first. But now he knew the real bomb wasn't up there, but down below. Once Banner fully transformed, the entire base could be overturned.
He released the ladder and turned to a nearby abandoned ventilation shaft. It was rusty, with a half-collapsed cover, just big enough for a person to squeeze through. Without hesitation, he lay down and activated his Wall Phasing Technique. The moment his skin touched the metal, his body became translucent, as if passing through a film of water, and he silently slid into the wall's interlayer.
The passage was narrow and dusty, forcing him to crawl forward. He could no longer hear the sounds of his pursuers, but instead, he could hear low-frequency vibrations emanating from deep within. With each step he took, the vibrations became clearer. It wasn't the sound of machinery, nor footsteps, but rather... the struggle of some kind of creature.
He climbed for about two minutes, and then a downward slope appeared ahead. Sliding down it, he came to a heavy alloy door with the words "Isolation Zone - Gamma Experiment Subjects Prohibited" written on it. A faint blue light shone through the crack in the door, and a wave of heat rushed towards him.
Ye Mo pressed himself against the door and touched the doorframe. The temperature was frighteningly high. He took a deep breath and gently pushed the door open.
The laboratory was quieter than I had imagined. The lights flickered, the instrument screens flashed garbled text, several centrifuges lay overturned on the floor, liquid spilled everywhere. The air was thick with the smells of sweat, rust, and an indescribable burnt odor. In the innermost corner, a person was curled up.
Bruce Banner.
He sat on the ground, leaning against the wall, his hands covering his head, his shoulders shaking violently. His clothes were soaked with sweat and clung to his body. His breathing was heavy, one breath after another, like a broken bellows. The veins under his skin bulged, and bluish-black lines spread like a spider web, especially on his neck and arms.
Ye Mo slowly approached, making each step as light as possible. He stopped when they were three meters apart.
He tried to send a calming signal through Telepathy. The moment he released his consciousness, he was jolted back by a surge of violent emotion. Images flashed before his eyes: an exploding laboratory, screaming researchers, a collapsing ceiling... and countless eyes staring at him, shouting "Monster!"
This is Banner's memory, and also his fear.
Ye Mo immediately severed the connection, cold sweat beading on his forehead. That attack was no less than being hit on the head with a club. He knew he couldn't forcefully invade the other's consciousness again, otherwise it would only accelerate his collapse.
" Dr. Banner," he began, his voice low, "I'm Ye Mo, Tony's friend. Do you remember me?"
Banner didn't move, but let out a low growl, like Beast issuing a warning.
Ye Mo didn't back down. He continued, "I know you're in a lot of pain right now, but I can help you. You haven't become him yet, you can still control yourself."
Banner raised his head slightly, his hair obscuring his face. After a few seconds, he said hoarsely, "Go... go quickly... I can't hold on any longer..."
Each word was spoken with extreme difficulty, as if squeezed out with all the strength in the body.
Ye Mo looked at him and noticed that his fingers had begun to deform, his knuckles were thick and his nails were black. His muscles were also swelling, and his shirt sleeves were stretched to the point of tearing. The most obvious thing was his eyes—his pupils, which were originally light brown, were now blood red, like two balls of fire about to be ignited.
He knew time was running out.
"You're not a monster," Ye Mo said. "You're a scientist, a victim. You've been fighting it, which means you're still alive and conscious."
Banner's body trembled violently, and he looked up at him. In that instant, Ye Mo saw pain, and he saw a cry for help. But quickly, that glimmer of light was swallowed up by anger. He opened his mouth to say something, but only a roaring sob escaped his lips.
"No... quickly... leave..."
Before he could finish speaking, he leaned forward, bracing himself with his hands on the ground. His back muscles bulged, and his spine cracked. The ground trembled slightly from the impact.
Ye Mo took a half step back, his right hand subtly rising. He preloaded the activation sequence of " Steel Bone Body " into the Gene Spiral Tower, so that if things went wrong in the next second, he could instantly harden his skin to defend against the impact. At the same time, he also prepared the activation path for the Wall Phasing Technique, so that if a real fight broke out, he could at least save his life.
The lab lights suddenly went out for a second, and when they came back on, Banner was kneeling on the ground, his breathing becoming increasingly labored. His skin began to turn green, not just a gradual change, but a rapid spread like ink dripping into water. His fists pounded the ground, causing the concrete to crack in a spiderweb pattern.
" Ye Mo..." he suddenly spoke, his voice distorted, half human, half Beast, "If... I change... don't show mercy..."
Ye Mo didn't answer. He knew that any promises were useless at this point. He could only stand there and watch as this person and the monster inside him engaged in their final tug-of-war.
Banner slowly raised his head, his red eyes fixed on him. His lips twitched, revealing an expression that was neither a smile nor a cry.
Then, his back arched suddenly, and a tearing roar exploded throughout the room.