Marvel: Starting with Iron Man in the Apocalypse

Chapter 33 Energy Mutation

Chen Haotian stared at the metal fragments in the isolation dish. The throbbing sensation emanating from the transgression rune within his body grew clearer, as if a slumbering beast had been awakened by the aura of its own kind. It was no longer a faint resonance, but a gradually intensifying tremor, filled with both longing and wariness, spreading along his nerve endings.

"Jarvis, simulate the vibration pattern of that 'summoning signal' using the lowest power and safest isolation method." Tony clearly realized the seriousness of the problem, but his exploratory desire as a top scientist overcame his instinctive unease. He wanted to know what would happen between this fragment and Chen Haotian.

"Sir, I must remind you again that there are uncontrollable risks associated with interactions with unknown energy." Jarvis's voice carried a calm warning characteristic of electronic tones.

"Record all data, activate the highest level energy suppression field in the laboratory. Execute." Tony's tone left no room for doubt, his gaze fixed on Chen Haotian and the fragment.

"Understood. Analog signal generation, energy output set to one ten-thousandth of the original signal strength... Release."

A low-frequency vibration, almost impossible to detect by conventional instruments, rippled outwards in a specific, complex pattern within a specially designed energy field, its target the metal fragments in the isolation dish.

Almost at the same instant, a sudden change occurred!

Chen Haotian's body trembled violently, as if struck in the chest by an invisible hammer. The runes within him no longer throbbed, but instead, like ice cubes thrown into boiling oil, suddenly boiled and exploded! A violent, uncontrollable torrent of energy surged from the depths of his body, completely disregarding his will. He tried to suppress it, but the power, like a wild horse, ruthlessly rammed into his limbs and bones.

A pale silver glow, visible to the naked eye, emanated from his body. It was no longer the stable stream of light that had appeared when he opened the spatial rift, but rather a distorted, flickering, and extremely unstable flow of energy. The lights in the laboratory began to flicker wildly, the data on the various instrument screens changed drastically, and piercing alarms sounded.

"Energy readings are surging! Exceeding the safety threshold by 300! 500! 800!" Jarvis's alarm became urgent.

The metal fragments in the isolation dish, upon receiving the faint analog signal, suddenly glowed with a dark, ominous purple light. No longer still, they trembled slightly, and the strange patterns on their surface seemed to come alive, beginning to flow. A magical energy, completely different from the silver energy within Chen Haotian's body, yet also containing fluctuations in space and rules, was activated, creating a violent collision and…attraction? with Chen Haotian's energy.

The two forces seemed to be testing each other, or perhaps tearing each other apart. The air in the laboratory became thick, and the invisible pressure made it difficult for everyone to breathe. Wesker and his team members instinctively stepped back, their faces filled with horror.

"Chen!" Tony shouted. He saw Chen Haotian's face was deathly pale, veins bulging on his forehead, and his body slightly hunched over, clearly enduring immense pain. "Shut down the signal! Immediately!"

"The analog signal has been terminated," Jarvis responded.

But it was too late. After being briefly activated, the magical fluctuations contained within the metal fragment seemed to have found their source, becoming even more persistent in their entanglement with the rampaging runic energy within Chen Haotian's body. The purple light on the fragment intertwined and collided with the silver light emanating from Chen Haotian, bursting forth with tiny, electric-spark-like energy fragments that struck the reinforced glass isolation dish, leaving charred marks.

"Ugh—" Chen Haotian let out a suppressed growl, feeling as if his body was about to be torn apart by the two forces attacking from both inside and outside. The runes, originally an extension of his consciousness, like nimble fingers, had now become an out-of-control engine rampaging through his body. What terrified him even more was that he felt the runes spontaneously and greedily "absorbing" the alien magical energy emanating from the fragments, but this absorption was haphazard, brutal, and dangerous, further exacerbating the chaos of the energy.

"Energy field out of control! Local spatial stability is decreasing!" Jarvis issued the highest level warning. The air on one side of the laboratory began to distort, like a heat wave under high temperature, vaguely showing unnatural ripples, which were signs that the spatial structure was being forcibly disturbed.

Tony rushed to the control panel, his hands flying across the keys, attempting to activate stronger energy suppression measures. "Activate all backup power sources! Stabilize the energy field at full speed! Calculate energy escape points and attempt regional spatial anchoring!"

"Suppression field overload! Backup energy access... limited effect! Spatial anchoring algorithm cannot keep up with the speed of energy mutation!" Jarvis's feedback made Tony's heart sink.

Chen Haotian gritted his teeth, his academic instincts and high-IQ thinking racing through him in extreme pain. He realized that forcibly suppressing them was impossible; these two energies were like positive and negative electrodes, and once they got close, the resulting reaction couldn't be resolved by simply separating them. They had to be channeled! He had to find an outlet, or… allow them to "merge" or "neutralize" in some controllable way?

He tried to stop resisting the runes' rampage and instead focused all his attention on guiding the raging energy flow. He wasn't trying to attack the fragments or impact the outside world, but rather attempting to construct a temporary, complex energy loop within himself. This was an extremely risky move, akin to carefully defusing a bomb detonated inside his body; one mistake could result in the complete annihilation of his energy.

Sweat instantly soaked through his clothes, and his body trembled violently from extreme focus and mental strain. The composure and cunning of a playboy had vanished, leaving only the persistence of a scientist facing an unknown problem and the tenacity of a warrior struggling to survive in dire straits.

Under his guidance, the turbulent silver energy began to show faint signs of order. Although still violent, it was no longer rushing around like a headless fly. However, the purple magical energy from the metal fragments continued to relentlessly entangle him, like a persistent leech, interfering with his guidance.

"Tony..." Chen Haotian forced out the words through gritted teeth, "Fragments...the source of interference...isolate...or...find its...energy frequency...and counter it..."

Tony immediately understood his meaning. Simple energy suppression wouldn't work; a more precise strike was needed. "Jarvis! Analyze the core frequency of the fragment's energy! Calculate the resonant wave that will produce the maximum interference cancellation effect! Quickly!"

"Analysis in progress... Frequency feature capture... Severe interference... Requires time..."

"We're running out of time!" Tony was frantic, watching Chen Haotian's increasingly pale face and the ever-growing spatial distortions around the laboratory. He could even see the edges of some of the workbenches and instruments beginning to blur, a sign that the spatial structure was about to collapse.

Just then, the energy circuit that Chen Haotian had barely constructed within his body seemed to have touched a strange balance point amidst the continuous collisions with the fragmented energy. Or perhaps, the runes had undergone an unknown transformation after passively absorbing enough exotic magical energy.

boom!

A surge of energy, more intense than before but strangely imbued with a sense of stability, suddenly spread out from Chen Haotian's center!

The laboratory lights went out instantly, leaving only the stark white glow of the emergency lights. All the sophisticated instruments went black simultaneously, and the energy suppression field completely failed. The spreading energy swept over everyone, bringing a brief feeling of weightlessness, as if their souls had left their bodies.

Tony was pushed backward by the force, crashing into the cold metal wall. Wesker and the others were also thrown about.

At the eye of the storm, Chen Haotian's silver and purple aura suddenly receded, shrinking back into his body. He groaned, kneeling on one knee, supporting himself with his hands, panting heavily, each breath hot with heat.

The laboratory fell into a deathly silence, broken only by the faint hum of the emergency lights and the heavy breathing of the people inside.

The energy turbulence seems to have... subsided?

"Chen? How are you?" Tony steadied himself and looked at Chen Haotian immediately.

Chen Haotian slowly raised his head, his face still pale, but his eyes held a complex expression that was hard to describe. There was the relief of surviving a calamity, the shock of the power he had just experienced, and even more so... a sense of a deeper change in his own runes. He felt that the runes within him had not quieted down, but existed in a new, more active, yet more "hungry" state, as if the foreign energy had "activated" some deeper function.

"I...I'm not going to die yet." He replied in a hoarse voice, trying to stand up straight, but his legs felt weak.

Tony rushed forward to support him, glancing at the isolation dish. The purple light on the surface of the metal fragment had completely vanished, returning it to its previous cold and silent state, as if everything that had just happened was merely an illusion.

But the laboratory was a mess; the screens were off, there were burnt marks, and the lingering energy in the air, carrying ozone and a strange burnt smell, all of which were brutal testament to the terrifying ordeal that had just taken place.

"Jarvis? System status?" Tony asked in a deep voice.

After a moment of silence, Jarvis's voice broke out intermittently, accompanied by noticeable interference: "System...severely damaged...main power offline...backup power 37% remaining...core database...partial data lost...energy suppression field...permanently damaged...warning...weak point detected in spatial structure...extremely unstable...recommendation...immediate evacuation..."

Tony's heart sank completely. He looked at Chen Haotian, who was barely able to stand, and then at the chaotic and perilous laboratory.

Although the energy anomaly has temporarily subsided, its consequences are only just beginning. This armory base, which they had painstakingly built and which houses a wealth of valuable research and samples, is no longer safe.