Chapter 94

The flight speed of the Metal Slug was extremely fast, with the initial velocity provided by Magneto's electromagnetic pulse, it accelerated to an astonishing degree the moment it entered the Earth's atmosphere. In terms of measurement units, its speed had already exceeded 25 Mach.

This speed seemed comparable to Zhou Yi's maximum speed, but one must not forget that its own weight and volume were much larger than that of a human. Weighing over 400 tons and with a volume exceeding 100 cubic meters, its kinetic energy was unimaginable. Moreover, its material was a super-dense alloy restructured under Magneto's control. If a comparison were to be made, this kinetic energy alloy projectile could be considered a true high-metal-content meteorite.

If left to fall freely, it could cause significant geological changes not just in Paris, but even across all of France and Europe. The most optimistic outcome would be the destruction of a city, causing earthquakes and tsunamis. More severely, the kinetic energy alloy projectile could trigger small-scale tectonic plate shifts, leading to the collective eruption of volcanoes that should not have been activated.

If that were to happen, humanity would face a very cold season. The massive amount of volcanic ash would be enough to usher the world into an early winter, or even a sudden ice age.

After reaching this conclusion through Medusa's simulation program, Zhou Yi set two absolute goals for himself: first, to stop the alloy projectile at all costs; second, to make Magneto taste the power of his fists.

Under the pressure, his speed soared, and gravity and air resistance began to create immense pressure on his forward movement. The greatest pressure, however, came from the massive alloy projectile above him. The atmosphere it created during its descent was clearly perceived by Zhou Yi from a distance. Sensing its existence, Zhou Yi was shocked by the kinetic energy it carried. This thing absolutely could not hit the ground.

His telekinetic field erupted completely, forming a barrier harder than any wall in the world directly below the alloy projectile. This was Zhou Yi's first line of defense. In his plan, this telekinetic barrier would absorb most of the kinetic energy, reducing the projectile's kinetic energy by more than half.

However, he did not expect the super-dense alloy created by Magneto to have a penetration capability far beyond his estimation. In just an instant, the alloy projectile pierced through the telekinetic barrier he had constructed, and the kinetic energy it carried shattered the entire barrier before he could react.

Originally, Zhou Yi had intended to use his mental power to withstand the first impact, thereby reducing the projectile's kinetic energy. This way, he could calmly reduce his mental power and use other methods to deal with the massive alloy projectile.

But he did not expect his telekinetic barrier to be so fragile in the face of the kinetic energy projectile, and the violent manner in which it destroyed his barrier left his brain in a state of chaos and pain. The feeling was like being pierced through the frontal lobe with a red-hot iron rod, causing his entire nervous system to be flooded with pain signals.

This mental pain was also visibly manifested externally. Blood flowed from the corners of Zhou Yi's eyes and nose. Unlike a normal person, his blood was extremely hot, appearing a bright red. When his blood dripped onto his helmet, the helmet's self-inspection system immediately activated a low-temperature fire extinguishing program. Some cold inert gas was sprayed directly onto Zhou Yi's face, helping his brain, which was in pain, to regain some clarity.

As soon as his brain cleared, Zhou Yi regained control of his body. Although his limbs were still numb and his ears were filled with a piercing noise, his overall condition had recovered. Compared to a human's physical constitution, his body's recovery was absolutely monstrous.

As soon as he recovered, Zhou Yi focused his gaze on the rapidly falling alloy projectile above him. After piercing through his telekinetic barrier, its kinetic energy had only slightly decreased, with almost no impact on its overall kinetic energy. It still resembled a meteor, trailing a long tail of flame, carrying the momentum to destroy everything as it flew toward the earth.

Seeing the alloy projectile penetrate the stratosphere, Zhou Yi resolutely abandoned all auxiliary means and directly approached it from below. Time did not allow him to prepare. He could only make a desperate attempt.

Super-high-temperature thermal rays began to output at maximum power, with the temperature rising from 100,000 degrees and quickly reaching a peak of nearly 400,000 degrees Celsius. This temperature, highly radiative and destructive, was essentially no different from the high-intensity rays extending from the sun.

The super-high temperature directly penetrated the projectile's body, and the beam, as thick as a waist, easily melted the external structure of the alloy projectile. However, completely melting and destroying this massive projectile would require a significant amount of time, which Zhou Yi lacked.

At this projectile's speed, it would hit its target in less than ten seconds, but at the rate Zhou Yi's rays were melting it, it would still retain most of its structure upon impact. If this were the case, it would mean that Zhou Yi's interception had been completely ineffective. Even if only one-tenth of its volume remained, it would spell the end of the city.

So he had to do more. Looking at the rapidly falling projectile, Zhou Yi gritted his teeth and flew up to it. In less than a second, he appeared below the projectile. However, wisely, he did not try to collide with it directly. The result of two supersonic objects colliding would not be simple. The force generated would be far beyond what Zhou Yi could survive.

So he changed his approach. He maintained a high-speed reverse flight, keeping his speed roughly in sync with the alloy projectile. In this state, he used the thermal rays to melt the projectile's metal body at close range while setting up a powerful repulsion field around his body.

He dared not directly withstand such an impact with his body, but with the repulsion field, he was willing to try. He had no other choice. Magneto's attack had affected a much larger area than he had imagined.

In this situation, he could neither retreat nor evade. Below him was Paris, with countless humans, including his mother, sister, and girlfriend. With these people, he could not afford to retreat. If he did, countless lives would end, and the people he cared about the most would face the same threat. This was something he could not tolerate. Even for their sake, he had to use his body to stop this projectile.

The alloy projectile had already come into contact with the repulsion field he had set up. The kinetic energy penetrated, instantly thinning the repulsion field. The immense force even directly affected his body, causing his bones to crack. He desperately used his hands to support the projectile's body, and his body, which had been retreating in the air, slowly came to a stop.

This action was equivalent to directly withstanding all the kinetic energy it carried. When this kinetic energy fully pressed down, the repulsion field struggled to maintain. Zhou Yi mustered all his strength to barely distribute some of the kinetic energy, preventing the field from collapsing. The remaining kinetic energy fell directly onto his body.

The nanometal on his palms had completely collapsed, and the black metal particles turned to ash under the ultra-high temperature. This allowed his hands to directly touch the scorching metal surface, but his skin, far more resistant to high temperatures than nanometal, allowed him to almost ignore this temperature. He even used the thermal rays at close range to melt the projectile, extending his hands into the almost melted alloy. His hands appeared to be elongating, but this was just an illusion. His hands maintained a constant position, while the alloy projectile's melting metal began to engulf his arms as he supported it.

If he could use his arms, he might have been able to destroy the projectile more effectively. However, he could not. He could only maintain a small repulsion field in front of him, pushing the melting metal into a flat shape, hoping to reduce the kinetic energy by increasing the surface area.

As soon as his hands made contact with the alloy projectile, they lost their other functions. He could clearly hear the sound of bones breaking in his left arm, and most of the muscles were torn and damaged. Blood vessels burst, causing his skin to turn an eerie bright red, with distorted heat waves visible. However, these were obscured by the melting metal.

This physical pain was no better than the pain in his brain earlier, but compared to that, Zhou Yi clearly felt the projectile's descent speed slowing down. This achievement temporarily made him forget the pain in his body, and he focused on persisting.

His left arm was no longer functional, forcing him to use his shoulder to support the kinetic energy. Any slight movement of his injured arm was immediately seized by the kinetic energy, causing his muscles to bulge. This was a natural reaction of the human body under external pressure, and due to this reaction, the armor on his arm and shoulder was shattered by his muscles. The damaged nanometal, already compromised by the kinetic energy, turned into particles and detached from his body.

Despite losing part of his armor, Zhou Yi managed to maintain the situation. His shoulder supported the other side of the projectile. The penetrating force caused severe bruising in his shoulder and back muscles, but compared to the initial injury to his arm, it was much better. This indicated that the projectile's kinetic energy had significantly decreased.

The land was not far below, and it was time for the final effort.

Zhou Yi used his shoulder to firmly support the projectile, and his free right hand began to deliver high-speed punches to the projectile's side. Countless punches landed on one side of the projectile. These high-speed punches not only disrupted its descent direction but also gradually wore down its remaining kinetic energy.

Despite the equal and opposite reaction, Zhou Yi did not stop. His punches, like bullets from a metal storm, landed on the projectile with each impact producing a loud crash. Broken metal, melted debris, and black particles surrounded his fists, looking like a rain of fire from a distance. Along with this, his roar of pain made him sound like a dying but still majestic dragon.

This scene deeply moved the hearts of all the humans below.

As Zhou Yi's actions continued, the kinetic energy of the projectile finally dissipated to almost nothing. Apart from its own weight, it had no kinetic energy left. It rested on Zhou Yi's shoulder, all its movement controlled by him. This meant it was no longer a weapon but just a massive piece of junk.

When Zhou Yi carried the massive object to the ground, everyone held their breath. There was no terrifying impact, and the earth remained unscathed, with no tremors. The ground was also undamaged, and Zhou Yi did not even touch the ground with his shoulder. Thus, the crisis was completely averted.

The remaining human residents of Paris erupted in thunderous cheers. Amidst the cheers, Zhou Yi punched through the alloy projectile on his body. The damaged metal shell was instantly torn into two large pieces. Stepping on the massive shell, Zhou Yi shook his shoulder and shouted at Magneto.

"Come on, let's have the second round. Let everyone witness your failure."