Marvel: Starting with Iron Man in the Apocalypse

The heavy alloy gate slowly rose, gradually revealing the vast space behind it to Chen Haotian and Tony. Countless enormous cylindrical culture chambers stood like a silent forest, with pale green nutrient solution swaying slightly inside, and the outlines of various twisted and enormous creatures could be vaguely seen floating within. But the most striking figure was the towering figure that almost reached the ceiling, standing directly in front of the passage.

Standing nearly three meters tall, it wore a heavy, long, tan-colored overcoat seemingly made of a special material. Several thick pipes were attached to the back of the overcoat, extending to a fixed device behind it. Its head was completely covered by a rough, sack-like hood, leaving only a few holes for observation and breathing, obscuring its face. Its exposed hands were an unhealthy grayish-white, with bulging muscles and unusually sharp nails. Simply standing there, it exuded a chilling, mountain-like sense of oppression. This was the prototype of the "Tyrant" that the Red Queen spoke of, T-001.

"Wow," Tony's lips twitched behind the mask, "This design... has quite the unique taste. Jarvis, scan."

"Scan complete, sir. The target organism has extremely high muscle density, abnormally active life responses, and high energy levels detected on its surface. Its trench coat is suspected to be some kind of restraint device, and the internal energy readings are steadily increasing. We recommend maintaining the highest level of alert."

The tyrant's hooded face seemed to "look" at the two people in the passage. It slowly raised a giant hand, spread its five fingers, and then slowly clenched it, the knuckles making a teeth-grinding "crack" sound.

"Looks like we can skip the pleasantries." Chen Haotian's eyes were sharp. He could clearly sense the violent power contained within this monster, which was far more dangerous than the previous Licker.

Just then, the virtual image of the Red Queen reappeared on the wall screen, her voice carrying a cold declaration: "T-001 prototype, cleanup mode activated."

Before the words were even finished, the tyrant made his move!

Its massive body didn't appear clumsy at all; instead, it unleashed an astonishing speed completely disproportionate to its size! With a sudden burst of force, it kicked a shallow dent into the metal ground, and its enormous form, like an out-of-control heavy truck, hurtled towards Chen Haotian, who was standing slightly ahead! Its massive fist, carrying the force to shatter everything, slammed down fiercely!

The force of the punch was so strong it sent Chen Haotian's hair flying backward. He didn't choose to take it head-on; instead, he shifted his footwork, his figure moving like a ghost to the side and back, narrowly avoiding the devastating blow.

"boom!"

The massive fist slammed into the spot where Chen Haotian had just stood, shattering the sturdy alloy floor like a fragile biscuit, with spiderweb-like cracks spreading several meters away, sending debris flying everywhere.

After missing his target, the tyrant didn't pause. His other arm swept horizontally like a steel whip, covering a huge area that almost blocked Chen Haotian's space to dodge left or right.

"Hey! Big guy, look over here!" Tony's voice rang out, and at the same time, several blinding pulse beams of light accurately struck the Tyrant's back and side ribs.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The explosion of energy erupted on the Tyrant's trench coat, only slightly slowing its forward momentum and leaving some charred marks on the surface, but causing no real damage. It didn't even turn back, its arm sweeping towards Chen Haotian continuing at full speed.

Chen Haotian's pupils contracted slightly, knowing he couldn't fight them head-on. He instantly raised his internal energy to its limit, stomped his feet hard on the ground, and his body suddenly rose into the air as if weightless, narrowly avoiding the thick arm sweeping past his feet. The sharp wind made his trouser legs flutter loudly.

"Its defense is strong! Energy attacks aren't very effective!" Tony analyzed the situation quickly while moving at high speed to dodge potential counterattacks. The high-frequency cutting blades on the armor's arm popped out again. "Try this!"

He swooped down, the cutting blade humming with high-frequency vibrations, slicing towards the tyrant's relatively vulnerable neck joint.

"Clang!"

A piercing clang of metal clashing rang out, sparks flying. The cutting blade did indeed pierce the tyrant's grayish-white skin, but it only penetrated less than two centimeters before being firmly stopped by incredibly tough muscle and bone, unable to advance any further!

Attacked, the Tyrant let out a low, inhuman roar, its hooded head suddenly turning towards Tony, while its other giant hand swiftly grabbed at Tony's armor!

Tony reacted with lightning speed, immediately abandoning his weapon and activating his thrusters at full power, narrowly avoiding the giant claw capable of crushing steel. The high-frequency cutting blade was still stuck in the Tyrant's neck, trembling slightly.

"Shit! Is this thing made of stone?" Tony couldn't help but curse.

Chen Haotian landed, his expression grave. With its extremely high physical defense and energy resistance, and terrifying speed and strength, this Tyrant was indeed a formidable opponent. Moreover, he noticed that the pipes connected to the back of the Tyrant's trench coat were subtly supplying some kind of liquid with its movements, seemingly providing it with energy or maintaining some kind of state.

"Tony, attack the pipes behind it! That might be its energy supply or restraint device!" Chen Haotian shouted a warning, and at the same time, he charged towards the Tyrant again. This time, he held nothing back; a faint golden aura swirled and condensed in his palms, and the surrounding air seemed to become scorching hot—he had used his most powerful pure Yang internal energy.

"Understood!" Tony immediately understood, activating all the weapon modules on the shoulders and arms of his armor. Micro missiles and pulse cannons rained down on the Tyrant's back, aiming to disrupt and restrain it.

The Tyrant was clearly aware of the threat behind it. It abandoned its pursuit of Tony and its massive body spun with an agility that defied logic. With a swing of its arms, it actually detonated most of the attacks aimed at the pipes behind it! The flames and shockwaves of the explosions continued to burst around it, but they could not break through the defensive circle formed by its arms.

Just then, Chen Haotian closed in! He was short and stout, dodging the tyrant's waving arm, and his palm, containing the most powerful and masculine internal force, landed solidly on the tyrant's chest and abdomen!

"Bang!"

A muffled thud, like the beating of a giant drum, resounded. The tyrant's massive body trembled violently, involuntarily taking half a step back. Its cloak on its chest and abdomen instantly turned black and torn, revealing the skin underneath, which was also charred, and even a faint smell of burning flesh wafted out.

Pure Yang internal energy seems to have an additional restraining effect on this kind of Yin, evil, and lifeless biological creation!

The tyrant roared even more furiously, and a flash of red light seemed to appear from the holes covered by its hood. Ignoring the harassment behind it, it focused all its attention on Chen Haotian, its attacks becoming increasingly ferocious. Its fists pounded down like pile drivers, each strike powerful and heavy, forcing Chen Haotian to use his Lingbo Weibu (a martial arts technique) to its fullest extent, maneuvering and dodging in the confined space, facing constant danger.

"You've got its hatred all out there, bro!" Tony said, still managing to grumble as he continued to harass the Tyrant from behind with firepower, trying to find an opportunity to cut off the pipes.

Chen Haotian had no time to reply; he was completely focused on dodging the attacks while searching for his next opportunity. He noticed that after taking a blow imbued with his pure Yang internal energy, the Tyrant's movements seemed to freeze slightly, though it quickly recovered, indicating that it had been effective!

"One more time!" Chen Haotian seized an opening and pounced again, this time targeting the Tyrant's relatively vulnerable knee joint side!

However, just as his palm was about to land, the tyrant seemed to have anticipated his movement, and suddenly raised his huge foot and slammed it down on the ground!

"Boom!"

A visible shockwave suddenly spread out from the Tyrant's foot! The entire passage shook violently, and several of the ceiling lights shattered with a crackling sound, dimming the light considerably. Chen Haotian felt a tremendous force coming from beneath his feet, causing him to sway involuntarily, and his previously precise attack missed its mark.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, the tyrant opened his giant hand, like a fan, and slammed it down on Chen Haotian, who was off balance! If this grip were to land, even steel would probably be crushed!

"Watch out!" Tony exclaimed, and all weapons instantly focused fire on the Tyrant's arm and head in an attempt to stop it.

At the critical moment, Chen Haotian remained calm and composed. His internal energy reversed at an unprecedented speed, and he used a highly advanced technique of deflecting force from lightness skill. He gently pressed his palms on the tyrant's wrist that was grabbing him, and with the help of that enormous force, his body floated backward like a willow catkin. Although he looked a bit disheveled, he managed to narrowly avoid the fatal grab.

However, he was also shaken by this force, and after landing, he took several steps back before he could regain his balance.

The tyrant's attack missed again, making it even more frenzied. It began to attack everything around it indiscriminately, its huge fists slamming into the walls, leaving deep dents.

"This won't do! This thing is a tireless killing machine!" Tony shouted. "My attacks have limited effect on it, and while your internal energy is effective, close combat is too dangerous! We have to find a way to restrict its movement or cut off its energy source!"

Chen Haotian took a deep breath, calming his turbulent blood, his mind racing. The Tyrant's defense, strength, and speed were all beyond expectations; the Red Queen's release of this thing had indeed caused them enormous trouble. A direct confrontation was not the solution; they had to outsmart them.

His gaze returned to the energy-conducting pipes behind the Tyrant, then to the chaotic surroundings left by the battle, and to the virtual image of the Red Queen on the wall, who remained calmly monitoring everything.

"Tony," Chen Haotian suddenly spoke, his voice carrying a hint of calm calculation, "Ignore the pipes, attack its lighting system and ventilation ducts!"

Tony was taken aback, then immediately understood Chen Haotian's intention: "You want to create chaos? Interfere with its perception? Or... cause some trouble for Red Queen?"

"That's right!" Chen Haotian's lips curled into a cunning smile. "Since she's unleashing her dogs, then we'll tear down her kennel! Jarvis, can you pinpoint the main ventilation ducts and emergency lighting circuits in this area?"

"Locked, sir. Data has been transferred to Mr. Stark's armor system."

"Great idea!" Tony laughed, and the armor's firepower immediately changed targets. The pulse cannons and micro missiles were no longer aimed at the Tyrant, but instead, as if they had eyes, they were fired at various key nodes at the top of the tunnel!

"Boom boom boom!"

Explosions rang out one after another, lights went out one after another, and debris rained down, plunging the entire passage into semi-darkness. At the same time, several large ventilation ducts were blown apart, and the powerful airflow inside instantly became turbulent, emitting a sharp whistling sound, stirring up dust and debris from the ground, and making visibility extremely poor.

The sudden change in light and the turbulent airflow clearly affected the tyrant, which relied primarily on some kind of biological perception and fixed program. Its movements became hesitant and chaotic; its attacks were no longer as precise and coherent as before, and it began to throw punches somewhat aimlessly.

More importantly, the Red Queen, who had been calmly monitoring the battlefield, flickered in her virtual form, and her cold electronic voice sounded again. But this time, it seemed to carry a very subtle, almost interference-like noise: "Warning, the B-7 test area's environmental system has been compromised. Visibility is reduced, and air circulation is abnormal. Sensor parameters are being adjusted... recalibrating..."

It's now!

Chen Haotian and Tony exchanged a glance, both understanding the meaning in each other's eyes. It seemed that some of the Red Queen's computing resources had been diverted to dealing with environmental issues, inevitably reducing her precise control over the Tyrant!

"Now's the time!" Chen Haotian shouted, his figure shooting out again. This time, his target was clear—the slightly complicated interface device connecting the pipes on the back of the Tyrant's body to the Tyrant's body, which had been exposed due to environmental interference!

Tony understood perfectly, and all the remaining firepower was concentrated on the front of the Tyrant to draw its last attention.

In the chaos, the tyrant reacted a beat too slow. By the time it realized the real threat came from behind, Chen Haotian was already close, like a leech, and with a powerful chop of his hand, accompanied by a piercing shriek that tore through the air, he slashed fiercely at the interface device that was flashing a faint indicator light!

"Snap!"

With a crisp crack, the interface made of special alloy and composite material shattered under the precise strike imbued with pure Yang internal force! Several thick pipes instantly detached from the tyrant's back, spraying out a certain pale yellow liquid that remained inside!

"roar--!!!"

The tyrant let out its most piercing and agonizing roar yet, its massive body convulsing violently, its movements becoming extremely uncoordinated, as if it had lost some vital support. Its body beneath its cloak began to expand and contract unnaturally, its exposed skin becoming even darker and more cracked.

It appears to have fallen into some kind of highly unstable state.

Chen Haotian and Tony quickly retreated, watching the tyrant struggling in pain on the spot with vigilance.

On the wall screen, the Red Queen's virtual image stabilized again, but her voice seemed colder than before, even carrying a hint of... annoyance?

"The T-001 prototype's energy supply has been interrupted, its biological stability has dropped sharply, and it is about to get out of control. Initiate emergency isolation procedures."

As she spoke, red warning lights suddenly lit up on the ground in the area where the tyrant was located. Immediately afterwards, four thick alloy isolation plates rose rapidly from the ground and ceiling, emitting a heavy rumble, seemingly about to completely seal the tyrant, who was struggling in a frenzy of rage, into that small space.

"We should go," Chen Haotian glanced at the closing barriers and the cold red figure on the screen. "The Red Queen's system has been temporarily disrupted by us. Let's take this opportunity to find the data center!"

Tony nodded, and the armor's thrusters activated: "Agreed. Fighting this rock is too much trouble. Jarvis, record all the data, especially its reaction after its energy was interrupted. I'll analyze it carefully later."

Ignoring the isolated Tyrant and the Red Queen, who was likely still "recalibrating," the two transformed into two afterimages and swiftly slipped deeper into the Hive along the passage. The brief technological suppression bought them precious time.