radicalducati Page 40
Page 40
"Liaison Department, synchronize the alert level and time window I just described to S.H.I.E.L.D., the World Security Council, Stark Industries... and all other relevant parties on record. Tell them this is not a drill."
A series of orders, clear, cold, and efficient, like precise gears meshing, set the massive war machine in motion with a roar. Inside headquarters, the previously relaxed atmosphere vanished instantly, replaced by a suffocating tension and the cacophony of high-speed operation. In the corridors, the footsteps of heroes and staff, the communications of departments confirming orders, and the hum of equipment starting up intertwined to create a symphony of impending battle.
An hour later, at the headquarters' largest assembly plaza.
All S-rank and A-rank heroes, as well as selected B-rank elites whose abilities are suitable for large-scale operations, were present. They stood in pre-set formation, completely silent.
Flint Marko, the Sandman, stood at the forefront, as steady and imposing as an ancient sand dune. He had just video-chatted with his daughter, Penny, who waved her fist in encouragement, softening the lines of his bronze face for a moment before making him appear even more resolute.
Bruce Banner, the Green Doctor (in Professor Hulk form), stood beside him. His massive body contained terrifying power, but his eyes were calm and wise. He pushed up his glasses and silently checked the "valve" of the green power within him.
Electro Max Dillon hovered half a foot above the ground, the electricity flowing around him no longer leaping, but condensing into solid blue-white bands of light, demonstrating his unprecedented focus and control. He looked at Otto beside him, his eyes filled with dependence and trust.
Dr. Octopus's four mechanical tentacles quietly retracted behind him. He tilted his head slightly, gazing at the high platform ahead, his expression complex behind his goggles. Just moments ago, he had received the first batch of team-building equipment—a new type of high-interference-resistant communicator—that the Equipment Department had rushed to produce based on his exercise data. Leo Fitz, sporting dark circles under his eyes, patted his mechanical arm with a grin and said, "Doctor, it's all up to you!" At that moment, a strange feeling, called "responsibility," overwhelmed his usual calculations.
Standing in the group was the meditation master, Lin, whose white dress was spotless. With her eyes closed, she exuded a gentle yet firm spiritual aura, like a calm harbor in a storm, soothing the inevitable tension of her companions.
Spider-Man Peter Parker, unusually, didn't sway from side to side; he stood ramrod straight, his lips pressed tightly together beneath his mask. He had just texted Aunt May, saying the Association was having a closed training camp and he might be out of contact for a few days. Aunt May replied, "Be careful, love you," followed by a big smiley face. He stored that smiley face deep within the suit's database.
Daredevil Matt Murdoch stood at the edge of the crowd, his "gaze" sweeping across the entire scene, sensing the life force that was either surging or restrained, tense or resolute, his guide cane gripped tightly in his hand.
Kingpin appeared on the high platform. He did not deliver a long speech, but simply used his deep, cold eyes to slowly scan every face below.
"Ladies and gentlemen." His voice, transmitted clearly through the loudspeaker system, reached everyone's ears clearly. It was not loud, but it carried immense weight, suppressing the last trace of noise in the square.
"The storm we've been monitoring, warning of, and preparing for for so long has finally arrived."
"Seven days from now, or perhaps sooner, three dragon-level disasters with a unified will and the ability to alter the environment will descend simultaneously."
"This will not be a battle over a single street or a single city. This will be a war that will determine the survival of civilization."
"Behind us are countless lives that need our protection, and the home we depend on for survival."
"The significance of the association's existence lies in this moment."
"I have nothing more to say. All the tactics and all the deployments have been issued."
"I only ask you to remember one thing:"
Kingpin's voice suddenly rose, like a drawn sword slicing through the heavy air—
"We are the Hero Association!"
Chapter 99: Strike! The Dragon Catastrophe Descends!
The dark golden alarm light, like the final pulse of a dying star, flashed wildly in every corner of the association headquarters for seven whole days. When the last embers of the countdown died down, the system's cold, almost cruel confirmation tone replaced the piercing alarm in the command center:
[“Winter's Nest,” “Heart of Scorching Sand,” and “Green Scar” have fully awakened.]
[Energy Reaction Level: Confirmed Dragon Level.]
[Vital signs confirmed: Extremely high-intensity complex condition.]
Based on its energy fluctuations and rate of environmental alteration, it is projected that irreversible structural damage will occur to the respective continental plates' ecosystems within 72 hours.
“They’ve finally arrived.” Kingpin stood before the massive global situation map. The three areas that had initially been merely flashing red dots on the screen had now swelled into large, writhing, expanding dark red smears covering vast areas of the map, like festering wounds on a planet’s surface. His voice was deep and unwavering, carrying only a steely resolve. “According to the plan, launch the attack!”
The command transformed into invisible radio waves, instantly spreading across the globe.
Siberia, the "Nest of Winter".
The endless snowfields have been utterly overturned. It's not a simple blizzard, but a living, roaring "cold wave." The air itself seems frozen into billions of sharp ice crystals, driven by some unseen force, forming a white sandstorm that sweeps across the land. Where this sandstorm passes, it doesn't simply cover, but rather "assimilates"—towering ancient trees are drained of all moisture and heat within seconds, turning into fragile ice sculptures, then shredded into part of the ice sand; permafrost is peeled away layer by layer, merging into this wave of death; even light is distorted and swallowed, turning this region into an eternal, desolate wasteland.
On the very edge of this white hell, space distorted slightly, and the Association's signature fast-response transport ship tore through the blizzard, making a forced landing. The hatch opened, and the first to step out was Dr. Bruce Banner, the Green Doctor. The biting cold caused his breath to instantly freeze into ice crystals, but his massive green body only trembled slightly as the surging bio-energy within him dispelled the discomfort. He adjusted his glasses, calmly analyzing the destructive energy field before him.
"The force field core is thirty kilometers away, the energy readings are chaotic, and there are multiple high-energy reaction points," he said in a deep voice, his voice still clear amidst the howling wind and snow. "'Iron Wall,' deploy the regional defensive force field and establish an advance base. 'Frost,' attempt to disrupt the local climate; we need a stable route of advance."
The words had barely left his lips when another, completely different roar of engines approached from afar. A suit of gold and red steel armor pierced the clouds and hovered above the transport ship. The visor opened, revealing Tony Stark's face, etched with a complex expression.
"Looks like I didn't miss the opening show." He glanced at the association's team below, who were waiting in full force.
“Tony,” Dr. Green looked up, his tone calm, “the cold here is unusual; the lubricant in your armor joints may freeze.”
“Thanks for your concern, big guy. Jarvis has activated the internal heating and environmental adaptation modules.” Tony said, as the weapon systems on the armor's arm began charging, emitting a faint blue light. “So, big guy, how are we going to fight? Looks like you guys already have a plan.”
The Sahara, "the heart of the scorching sands".
This was no longer a desert, but a boiling, seemingly living "lava inferno." The once golden sea of sand had turned a dark, blackish-red, like cooled lava. The ground bulged and cracked, spewing out scorching air currents and viscous, ominous-red liquid energy. The sky was shrouded in a thick, orange-red haze composed of dust and energy particles; the air was distorted, and the heat waves were visible to the naked eye. A huge, crater-like depression sat at the center of the region, where some enormous heart seemed to beat, each beat causing the entire "inferno" to expand a little further.
Flint Marco, the Sandman, stood at the edge of this scorched earth, his feet sinking deep into the sand. He wasn't doing it passively; he was actively feeling the painful and frantic pulse of the earth beneath his feet. His expression was grave. The sand here was filled with violent fire energy, completely different from the gentle sand he was familiar with, and it was unusually difficult to control.
“The earth’s energy has been completely disrupted; it’s drawing geothermal heat from the entire area,” Flint said in a low voice to Max the Electro and Dr. Otto the Octopus beside him. “My sand is being suppressed here. Max, be careful of the energy backlash. Doctor, find its structural weaknesses.”
Otto's four mechanical tentacles plunged deep into the ground, sensors fully activated, rapidly analyzing the data flow. "The energy flow is chaotic, but there's a main circulation channel... Found it! Southeast, about 1.5 kilometers underground, there's an energy node operating at overload! It's powering the entire domain!"
Just then, a meteor-like figure crashed down not far from them, stirring up a wave of scorching sand. Captain America, Steve Rogers, stood up, his vibranium shield still gleaming in the dim light. He looked around at the scene, which resembled the entrance to hell, his brow furrowed.
“Captain Rogers,” Flint nodded to him.
“Sandman,” Captain America strode over, his voice urgent and firm, “S.H.I.E.L.D.’s reconnaissance units have been almost completely wiped out. The situation here is worse than we thought. We need to find the core as soon as possible and stop it from expanding!”
“We’ve just located a critical point.” Otto pointed southeast with his tentacles, “but the energy there is extremely violent, and someone needs to withstand the pressure to carry out precise destruction.”
“Leave it to me.” Captain America didn’t hesitate, gripping his shield tightly. “What do you need me to do?”
Amazon, "Green Tragedy".
What's displayed here is a more eerie, more chilling kind of "vitality." The rainforest seems to have come alive, growing, twisting, and mutating at a frenzied pace. Tree branches intertwine and writhe like giant pythons, the edges of leaves gleaming with a metallic sheen, becoming as sharp as razors. Vines are no longer plants, but like sentient tentacles, waving in the air, capturing anything that moves. The air is thick with a pungent, sweet-smelling pollen, easily numbing the nerves and distorting perception. The entire rainforest resembles a giant stomach digesting its prey.
Lin, the psychic, Peter Parker (Spider-Man), and Matt Murdock (Daredevil) rendezvous with the "Eyes of the Jungle" reconnaissance team, who had arrived earlier, at the edge of the rainforest. Lin's face was somewhat pale; her mental barrier was continuously resisting the pervasive mental pollution and pollen toxins.
“The life magnetic field here is completely distorted,” Lin’s voice was tinged with weariness. “It’s assimilating all life forms that enter its range. My purification field can only maintain a very small area.”
“My senses are also severely impaired here,” Matt said, gripping his guide cane tightly. His extraordinary hearing and touch were filled with countless amplified life signals and malicious whispers, making him frown. “There’s too much noise, making it hard to distinguish the real threat.”
Peter used his spider webs to quickly scout through the mutated trees. When he returned, his voice was tense: "No! Everything inside has changed. The vines attack on their own, and the moss on the ground is as sticky as glue! And I feel... the whole forest is watching us!"
A lithe black figure slithered out of the shadows like a cat; Black Widow Natasha Romanoff had arrived. She glanced at the eerie "living forest" before her, then at the slightly weary trio of the association, and calmly said, "A direct assault won't work. We need to find the 'brain' controlling this forest."
“We tried to go deeper, but the further we went, the stronger the mental interference and physical obstacles became,” Lin explained.
Natasha's sharp gaze swept across the restless jungle: "Every system has its own operating rules. No matter how wildly it grows, it still needs energy and a source of command. Captain and Stark have held off the main disaster on the other two battlefields. The key here is to find that 'source of command,' not to confront the entire rainforest head-on."
Chapter 100: A Bloody Battle to the Death! The Price of Dawn!
The battle raged on three hellish battlefields, instantly reaching a fever pitch.
Siberia, the "Nest of Winter".
Dr. Green's analysis was entirely correct. The white sandstorm that swept across the sky was not chaotic; deep within its core, several "nodes" composed of pure ice energy could be vaguely seen, floating and writhing like jellyfish. They were interconnected, forming a vast energy network that drove this deadly realm.
The defensive force field erected by the "Iron Wall" fluctuated violently under the continuous impact of the ice crystal storm, emitting a hum that seemed to be struggling under the strain. The "Frost" team tried their best, but could only barely create a small, relatively stable low-temperature zone around the force field, attempting to "cool down" the ice crystals and slow down their activity, but the effect was minimal.
"Those nodes must be destroyed!" Tony Stark's armor was covered in a thick layer of frost, making the exhaust plumes from his thrusters appear somewhat dim. He piloted dozens of micro-missiles, leaving pale trails as they hurtled towards the nearest node.
However, before the missile could even get close, it was detonated in mid-air by countless sharp ice crystals! The flames of the explosion were instantly swallowed by the icy air, failing to damage the node in the slightest. Instead, even more ice crystals, as if possessing a life of their own, coalesced into several enormous tentacles composed of ice blades, lashing out fiercely towards Iron Man and the ground base!
"Watch out!" Dr. Green roared, his massive body leaping into the air as his fists slammed into an ice crystal tentacle with a tearing sound!
"boom!!!"
Ice shards flew everywhere, shooting out like cannonball fragments, leaving fine white marks on Dr. Green's tough skin. Tentacles shattered instantly, but more tentacles coalesced from the storm, seemingly endless.
"This won't do! Their regeneration rate is too fast!" Tony shouted into the comms while bombarding the approaching ice crystals with his palm cannon. "Banner! Can't we find a way to disrupt their energy connection?"
Dr. Green landed, shattering a patch of frozen soil. He adjusted his glasses, his eyes sharp: "Jarvis, analyze the energy fluctuation synchronization rate between the nodes! Tony, I need you to use high-frequency pulses to simultaneously attack the three secondary nodes I marked, disrupting their resonance!"
The Sahara, "the heart of the scorching sands".
Based on the coordinates Otto had located, Captain America, braving the heatwaves capable of melting steel and the constant streams of energy erupting from the ground, charged like a blue whirlwind towards the overloaded energy node. His vibranium shield sometimes acted as a barrier against the spewing lava, and sometimes as a flying disc to shatter the hardened energy pillars blocking his path.
Flint the Sandman followed closely behind, the sand beneath his feet no longer golden, but a dark red mixed with crystallized fragments. He struggled to control the polluted land, constructing temporary sand walls in front of the captain to withstand the most violent energy bursts, while simultaneously attempting to envelop and cool the eruption vents with sand.
"The node is just ahead!" Otto's voice came through the communicator, crackling with electrical interference. "But its external defenses are extremely strong! Conventional attacks can't penetrate them!"
Ahead, a dark red energy sphere, over ten meters in diameter and pulsating like a heart, was half-buried in the boiling sand, its surface covered by a flowing, high-density energy shield.
“Max!” Flint yelled.
Electro Max hovered in mid-air, gritting his teeth, frantically gathering all the energy in his body between his palms, forming a highly compressed ball of lightning that flashed with blinding white light. "Break...open it!"
The lightning ball, carrying a destructive aura, crashed into the energy node!
"boom--!!!"
A blinding white light collided violently with the dark red shield, unleashing a deafening roar. The shield twisted violently, flickering unpredictably, but ultimately did not shatter completely! Instead, several scorching energy beams shot out from within the node, retaliating against Max!
"Watch out!" Captain America instantly threw his shield, which accurately blocked Max's path.
"Clang!" The energy beam slammed into the vibranium shield, sending it flying. Captain America was also thrown back several steps by the enormous impact.
Max was still shaken and had exhausted his energy, causing his body to lose much of its radiance.
"No! The energy level isn't high enough!" Otto analyzed urgently. "The shield's structure is self-repairing! It needs a more focused and penetrating attack! Captain, your shield might be able to..."
Amazon, "Green Tragedy".
The meditator, Lin, sat cross-legged on a relatively clean open space, fine beads of sweat forming on her forehead. She tightened her mental barrier to its maximum extent, enveloping only herself, Natasha, Matt, and the core members of the "Eye of the Jungle" team. Outside, countless twisted vines and razor-sharp branches surged against this last sanctuary like a tidal wave, producing a teeth-grinding scraping sound.
Spider-Man Peter Parker and Daredevil Matt Murdock became the only mobile force. Peter used his webs to daringly weave through the frenzied plants, trying to find a path into the depths of the rainforest, but each time he was forced back by more and more agile vines. Matt, on the other hand, relied on his extraordinary senses to painstakingly discern the most hidden and core source of command among countless malicious life signals.
"Three hundred meters to the left front, that's the largest strangler fig... its root system has an abnormal energy flow!" Matt suddenly pointed in a direction, his ears twitching slightly as he filtered out the noise. "But its defenses are the most robust!"
Natasha looked in that direction and saw the strangler fig's branches flailing wildly like the tentacles of a monster, surrounded by a thick, impenetrable green poisonous mist.
“Someone needs to draw fire and create an opportunity,” Natasha calmly assessed. She glanced at the exhausted Lin, then at the endless horde of plants outside. “I’ll go.”
“That’s too dangerous!” Peter shouted.
“This is the only way.” Natasha had already checked her Widow's Sting and weapons. “Miss Lin, the instant I charge out, please concentrate the power of the barrier for me for three seconds. Matt, guide me along the most direct route. Peter, get ready; once I draw the main attack, you immediately rush in along the route Matt indicates!”
There is no time to hesitate.
Like an arrow released from a bow, Natasha dashed out the instant the mental barrier opened a crack! Her lithe figure immediately attracted the attention of a large number of vines and mutated creatures, who swarmed towards her like sharks smelling blood!
The widow's sting, the electric shocks, the precise shots, the skillful evasion... Natasha brought her combat skills to the extreme, struggling forward in the green wave of death, tearing open a fleeting gap for Peter!
"Now! Peter!" Matt shouted.
Peter Parker took a deep breath, pushed his spider-sense to its limit, and followed the almost non-existent path that Matt had pointed out with his voice. He increased his speed to the maximum, becoming a red and blue afterimage as he shot towards the giant strangler fig!
Chapter 101: Collaboration! The Battle to Break Through the Barrier!
Siberia, the "Nest of Winter".
Iron Man, controlled by Tony Stark, moved like a firefly struggling in a blizzard, precisely firing high-frequency pulse beams at the three secondary nodes marked by Dr. Hulk. However, the anticipated energy disruption did not occur; the energy shields on the surfaces of the ice crystal nodes merely rippled more violently before recovering, and even the rate at which ice crystals condensed accelerated!
"No! Their synchronization rate is too high! The pulse interference is like throwing a stone into the sea!" Tony roared into the communication channel, a crystalline tentacle grazing his armor, leaving a deep scratch. "Jarvis, recalculate! Find the weak point in their energy network!"
Dr. Green's massive body smashed through another of the surrounding giant ice pythons, ice shards solidifying into armor on his green skin. He breathed heavily, his white breath instantly freezing. "Tony! It's not about high synchronization! It's about the core! There's a master control core coordinating all the nodes; interference from secondary nodes will be instantly neutralized! We must find and suppress that core!"
His gaze pierced through the raging wind and snow, locking onto the deepest part of the storm—a pale blue orb of light, several times larger than the other nodes, pulsating slowly like an icy heart. "It's there! But its defensive force field is greater than the sum of all the other nodes!"
"Then concentrate your firepower and tear it apart!" All the weapon bays in Tony's armor opened instantly, their dazzling lights illuminating the snowstorm. "Banner, create an opportunity for me!"
Dr. Green let out a superhuman roar, holding back no longer. The gamma energy within him boiled over, his muscles bulged, and his body seemed to expand even further. He no longer passively defended, but instead, like a savage giant, charged towards the heart of the storm, his fists carrying the power to shatter mountains and split rocks, slamming fiercely into the ice crystal barrier surrounding the dark blue orb!
"boom!!!!"
The earth shook violently! The solid ice crystal barrier was smashed open with spiderweb-like cracks, but it began to repair itself in an instant.
"Now! Tony!"
"Fire all missiles!" Tony roared, and all the missiles and energy cannons poured down like a metal storm onto the cracks created by Dr. Green!
The flames from the explosion mingled with the fragments of ice crystals, creating a chaotic energy turbulence that temporarily engulfed the dark blue orb of light.
The Sahara, "the heart of the scorching sands".
Electro Max's all-out attack failed, and the energy backlash caused his electricity to become chaotic, almost causing him to fall from the sky. Captain America, Steve Rogers, endured the soreness and numbness in his arm, caught the vibranium shield that had been thrown away, his eyes resolute.
"Doctor! Is there any other way?" Flint shouted anxiously, manipulating the sand to withstand the rays of the energy node's counterattack. His crystallized sand wall had begun to show signs of melting under the continuous impact of high-temperature energy.
Otto Octavius's mechanical tentacles danced wildly, analyzing the data stream at the moment the shield was damaged. "The shield structure is biased towards energy dispersion, and there is a theoretical weak point in the physical defense due to resonance! The captain's shield is made of special material. If it can be impacted at a specific angle and frequency... but it requires absolutely precise calculations and timing! Electro! Can you do it again? On a smaller scale, but it must be more concentrated! The goal is to create a three-second energy disruption window!"
Max looked down at the terrifying energy node, a flicker of fear crossing his blue face. But seeing Sandman struggling to stay afloat beside him and Captain America with unwavering eyes, he gritted his teeth and said, "I...I'll give it a try!"
He forcibly stabilized the restless energy within his body, compressing all his power into a slender yet extremely condensed blue-white bolt of lightning, which, like a scalpel, shot once again towards the spot on the shield that had just been struck!
"Zi la——!"
The shield fluctuated violently again, its light flashing intermittently.