Marvel: Starting with Iron Man in the Apocalypse

The alloy gate closed silently behind them, completely blocking out the last ray of light from the ground. Chen Haotian and Tony stood in an unimaginably wide metal corridor, surrounded by silver-white alloy walls that exuded a cold and austere industrial atmosphere. Neatly arranged LED light strips overhead provided ample but cold illumination, revealing every detail within the corridor. The air circulation system hummed low, delivering strictly filtered, cool air carrying the smell of disinfectant.

"The environmental control is quite good," Tony said, looking around as the miniature device on his wrist continuously scanned the surrounding environment. "Constant temperature and humidity, high level of air purification, stable energy field... It seems that this 'Red Queen' knows how to maintain her nest."

Chen Haotian remained silent, his senses extending outwards like invisible tentacles. The passage stretched straight ahead, seemingly endless, with occasional numbered alloy doors appearing on either side; their access control indicators were mostly red, signifying they were locked. The entire space was eerily quiet, save for the faint echoes of their footsteps and breathing in the empty corridor.

"We've been locked on," Chen Haotian suddenly said, his voice not loud, but exceptionally clear in the quiet environment.

Tony raised an eyebrow, glancing at the screen of his wrist device. There were no abnormal energy fluctuations or signs of scanning. "Are you sure? My detector isn't responding."

"It's not an energy scan," Chen Haotian tilted his head slightly, his gaze sweeping over the seemingly ordinary light fixtures and ventilation openings above the passageway. "It's a line of sight. There are many pairs of 'eyes' watching us. Very well hidden, almost blending into the environment."

Almost the instant he finished speaking, about fifty meters ahead, a screen on the side wall of the passage, which had been displaying a schematic diagram of the base's structure, suddenly flickered. The image disappeared, replaced by a somewhat abstract face of a little girl made of red lines. The red light reflected off the silver-white metal wall, creating a jarring and eerie atmosphere.

At the same time, a crisp, calm, yet emotionless synthesized electronic voice rang out in the corridor, seemingly originating from speakers hidden throughout the walls:

"Unauthorized access detected. Identifier: UBCS Emergency Recovery Force, Temporary Access Kappa-7. Biometric verification failed. Warning: You are not a registered UBCS member."

Tony whistled, his tone relaxed: "Quick-witted, little girl. Looks like our fabricated identity didn't fool you."

The little girl's red face remained expressionless on the screen, her voice steady: "Logical conflict. Tyrant unit T-103, serial numbers Delta-12, Delta-15, Delta-19, has undergone a cleanup procedure on the ground. Status confirmed: Destroyed. Individuals carrying its identification code do not have access rights. Inference: The visitor obtained the identification through illegitimate means, constituting an intrusion."

Chen Haotian took a few steps forward, looked up at the red face on the screen, and a faint smile appeared on his lips: "The Umbrella Corporation's welcoming ceremony is to send three-headed monsters to 'eliminate' us? Now that we've walked in ourselves, what are you planning to do, Red Queen?"

The red line on the screen flickered, seemingly due to a tiny data processing delay caused by being called by name. "Intruder identification...failed. No match found in database. Threat level reassessed: High. Initiating Level 1 security protocol."

As soon as the words were spoken, the indicator lights on several alloy doors on both sides of the passage, which had previously shown a red locked status, instantly turned green. Accompanied by a hissing sound of air pressure being released, the doors slid open. Behind the doors were not rooms, but deeper passages or equipment rooms. However, at this moment, low and chaotic roars, as well as the sticky sound of something being dragged on the ground, could be heard coming from these openings.

Chen Haotian circulated his internal energy, and an invisible aura slowly spread out from him, making the surrounding air seem to stagnate. He sharply scanned the open doorways and whispered, "Not dogs, but a 'welcoming team'."

First to emerge were a dozen or so swift zombie dogs. They were enormous, with bulging muscles, large areas of their skin rotting and peeling away to reveal dark red muscle tissue and stark white bones. Saliva dripped from their torn mouths, and their scarlet eyes were fixed on the two people in the passage, emitting aggressive growls.

Closely following them were even more ordinary zombies. They wore tattered UBCS uniforms or researcher lab coats, moved slowly and unsteadily, but their sheer number nearly blocked the open doorways, surging towards the center of the passage. The stench of decay spread with their movement, mingling with the smell of disinfectant to create a nauseating stench.

"Use the grunts to wear them down first, standard AI tactics," Tony commented, his tone still sarcastic, but his actions were decisive. He pushed his palms forward, and two thick beams of energy shot out, accurately hitting the two zombie dogs charging at the front. The energy beams instantly pierced their skulls, and the powerful kinetic energy even sent their remains flying, knocking down several zombies behind them.

Chen Haotian's movements were even more graceful and ghostly. With a swift motion, as if blending into the wind, he proactively faced the horde of zombies surging from the other side. He used no weapons, only his fingers forming a sword-like gesture, striking with palms or fists, each strike precisely hitting the zombie's head or cervical spine. His attacks, imbued with pure internal energy, either shattered skulls or severed nerves, instantly rendering those struck incapacitated and collapsing to the ground. His movements were fluid and effortless, weaving through the horde of zombies; wherever he passed, they fell like cut straw, his efficiency astonishing.

The zombie dogs attempted to ambush from the sides and behind, but their supposedly superior speed proved utterly ineffective against Chen Haotian's perception. He didn't even need to turn around; by listening to the wind and pinpointing their location, he flicked his finger, and the sharp gust of wind pierced through the eye sockets of the charging zombie dogs, turning their brains into mush.

Tony, on the other hand, unleashed a barrage of firepower, alternating between palm-mounted cannons, micro-missiles, and small laser emitters on his shoulders, creating a deadly barrage that wiped out hordes of zombies and zombie dogs swarming towards him. The flashes of explosions and energy beams within the passageway illuminated the red-faced girl on the wall, causing it to flicker between light and shadow.

The cleanup lasted less than two minutes, and the passageway was filled with twisted and mangled corpses, thick, dark red blood and shredded tissue smearing the silvery-white floor. The roars subsided, leaving only the faint hissing sound of the energy weapons cooling and Chen Haotian's steady breathing.

Tony withdrew the energy glow from his palm, his visor rose, revealing a scrutinizing expression: "Combat strength is average, but their numbers are considerable. It seems the infection situation inside the Hive is more severe than we imagined, or rather, this AI lady has a very ample 'stockpile' of resources."

The red face on the screen remained expressionless, as if what had just been wiped out was merely a pile of insignificant data. "Initial defenses failed. Intruder combat capability assessment: Extremely high. Initiate Level 2 security protocol. Release 'Licker' units."

From the depths of the passage came a completely different sound—the scraping of sharp claws against the metal floor, accompanied by a suppressed, beast-like panting. The sound came from multiple directions, clearly indicating that what was being released this time was far superior to the zombies and zombie dogs of the past in terms of speed, power, and danger.

Chen Haotian flicked non-existent blood off his hands, looked at the screen, and said with a hint of mockery, "There are even more advanced 'toys'? Red Queen, you certainly haven't disappointed us. However, this alone is not enough."

Tony pulled down his armor again, and the weapon systems of the various parts of the suit were once again in standby mode. He continued, "That's right, little girl. If this is all you've got, then today we're really going to have a proper 'visit' of your 'Hive'."

The red-lined face remained silent for a moment, seemingly engaged in more complex logical calculations. Then, the cold electronic voice sounded again: "Threat level upgraded to: Highest. All non-essential energy concentrated on the defense system. Intruders, your vital signs will be completely wiped out within three minutes."