Discovering Gravityium made the rest much simpler.
Daisy broke seven or eight stone pillars, and her arm bones couldn't bear it any longer, needing time to recover, so the rest was handled by Su Ming himself.
As for why they needed to break them and make the pillars float to find Gravityium? Naturally, it's because it's easier this way.
Each pillar is as gigantic as a skyscraper, and when cut, they slowly float upwards. The floating center is precisely where the Gravityium is located, saving time on digging aimlessly through the pillars.
As for the residents of the pillar complex... consider it a sacrifice for Earth, as underground creatures don't have human rights anyway.
However, it's clear that there are smart people elsewhere too. After discovering what the Shield Squad was doing, the Longevity People who had fallen into the Abyss earlier also extracted the Gravityium from their pillars, and Hydra clearly took action, starting to organize blasts.
In the end, Su Ming obtained the vast majority of Gravityium from over thirty pillars, but the Longevity People and Hydra also had their gains, beginning to stir restlessly.
Of course, as Deathstroke practically destroyed others' homes, an army of underground creatures came over too.
Monsters wielding various cold weapons, with heads resembling Minotaurs, pigs, dogs, making different shrill calls, rushed towards the pillars where Su Ming and others were.
"King, send them to the surface; I need to chop down the pillar we're residing on." Su Ming immediately commanded the butler Xiaowang.
"Alright, Master, I'll be right back." After speaking, the King began drawing circles, preparing the Teleportation Gate, while Su Ming slowly ascended, preparing to cut the pillar. Meanwhile, Strangulation pulled out over ten firearms from the bag, letting a torrential bullet hail push back all the underground creatures surging from all directions.
"I'll stay and help." Daisy suggested, gritting her teeth against the pain. She actually wanted to stay and kill Hydra members, as her hatred was directed solely at them.
She raised her head, eagerly looking at Deathstroke, feeling restless after a few days without killing Hydra.
"People say I'm ruthless, even the neighbor's dog cried after licking my hand. You're just in your twenties; don't watch what's next, it'll affect your development." After Su Ming spoke, he gestured 'drawing circles' to the King.
The young butler caught on immediately, grabbed the forming Teleportation Gate in the air, tore it off, and threw it beneath Daisy's feet. The girl let out a scream and fell, landing on the snow on the other side of the Gate.
The King picked up the circle on the ground again, and as if hanging clothes behind a door, hung the Teleportation Gate back in place: "Who else wants to stay?"
Coulson and others weren't as impulsive as Daisy, and evacuating here was the original plan, as without a foothold, this underground space was just an Abyss.
So he smiled at the King, and led the people through the Teleportation Gate, one by one, without any hesitation.
After everyone, including the King, left, Su Ming didn't chop down the pillar as he mentioned; instead, he descended to engage in combat with the underground creatures.
This is the last remaining stone pillar here. Although the surrounding rock walls of the underground space have caves and paths used by the underground race, with endless troops surging from the distant darkness towards him, carbon-based life forms to Strangulation are merely food, no matter how many come.
Su Ming fought conservatively, still needing the pillar to attract the Longevity People and Hydra over. Although they had to circle along the rock wall path, greed seeks the greatest reward possible and seeing Gravityium, how could they leave?
Those wanting to monopolize all Gravityium aren't limited to Coulson; the enemies desire it too.
The Shield Squad knows what the Longevity People plan, then the opponents surely know Shield's intelligence too and will try to hinder Shield's tracking. Seizing all Gravityium is the simplest method.
And as for Hydra, it's needless to say. They appear here definitely not for vacation; their purpose is unclear for now, but they prefer treading others' paths, leaving no path for others.
But where would Element Zero be? This is Su Ming's reason for coming here.
The underground race shows no sign of utilizing Zero Element; is Dormammu unimpressed with their intelligence? Or is it because their Ancient bloodline resists the erosion of Dark Matter?
Strictly speaking, these underground creatures subtly retain the Snake God Set bloodline, which is indeed slightly more advanced than Dormammu. Though Dormammu now manifests as an intangible giant formed by Dark Matter, he used to be a human Black Mage, inferior in lineage compared to Set, the most Ancient Demon.
But before searching for Zero Material, clearing out the pursuers is imperative, can't drag a tail while seeking items, so fishing here becomes inevitable.
Su Ming casually selected a room, wedging himself in the doorway, with Strangulation responsible for eliminating enemies entering from doors and windows, while Su Ming sat in the corner, smoking.
The underground race is not completely useless; some of these creatures are naturally endowed with divine power, while others can use magic. They are purely suffering from the disadvantage of weapons, overwhelmed by over ten heavy machine guns engaged in strangulation, unable to lift their heads.
But this does not mean one can sleep easy; over time, the enemy might come up with countermeasures.
Now Su Ming just hopes that the Hydra or the Longevity People will come quickly to meet their demise, launching a surprise attack to catch them all in one fell swoop.
........
On the other side of the underground cavern, Hydra's team is advancing quickly and orderly. The front row is composed of mechanically modified super soldiers, tearing monsters apart as if playing games, their metal bodies able to even knock the strongest Minotaur into the Abyss.
So, even though the pathway alongside the cave walls is not very spacious, their pace remains swift; it won't be long before they bypass the big hollow and reach the final spire.
The team doesn't have just one leader, but two. One is a beautiful blonde woman in a gray coat, and the other, with purple-gray skin, would look like a squid-like creature if not for the black military uniform.
There is no communication between the two; the Octopus Head walks in the front. He is not only impervious to blades and bullets but also possesses various strange abilities to brainwash enemies to work for him.
Meanwhile, the blonde woman is meticulously guarded by bodyguards, appearing like a princess without any strength to even bind a chicken.
"Are those giant stones truly that important?" The blonde woman asked in German, her black boots clashing crisply against the rocks.
The Octopus Head didn't even look at her. A broken voice echoed in the woman's mind: "In the ancient prophecy, at this very site today, iron birds in the sky will bring a ladder to the outer cosmos. The giant stones are their manifestation. You may not comprehend this, Viper, but our world is too small."
The woman known as Viper indifferently crossed her arms. She was a chemist, a biologist, and was unlikely to believe in nonsensical prophecies.
"But even so, we should look at the sky to find the iron bird. There isn't much reason to drill underground, right? Do you know I'm skilled in tunnel battles and brought me here specifically for fun?" Viper fetched a tube of green liquid from her pocket, tossing it around in her hand, her black nails occasionally touching the glass, uttering faint sounds.
Hive made no superfluous movements. The tendrils on his head swayed with their usual rhythm, a voice again echoed in Viper's mind: "An unexpected joy, I've sensed powerful energy underground. This energy must be used for my purposes."
The Hydra's female leader glanced around at the giant pit. According to Hive, strong energy resided at the pit's bottom; initially, it was unnoticeable but grew more active as suspended pillars were dismantled.
This concept of Gravityium was unfamiliar to him but led the half-mechanic soldiers to collect some for later study.
This metal not only resembles liquid, lacking mass, able to transform at will, but also possesses anti-gravity attributes, repelling other energy forms, akin to a unique seal, rationally suppressing another powerful matter in the Abyss.
Originally, the black particles in the air were a volatile release of another matter, yet this silver metal acts like a natural blower, expelling these particles from the underground hollow into interconnected passageways.
Hence, the closer to this underground space, the fewer energy molecules in the air.
Hive now wants to see what emerges if he breaks the final 'seal' below.
Viper wasn't aware of Hive's thoughts. She unscrewed the venom tube, using a small brush to apply some on her nail. Along with a green smoke, the faded part of her nail was recoated black.
She blew on her nail, extended her arm to check, nodded with satisfaction: "I'm here just to assist you, don't forget what you promised me."
"Rest assured, the thirty thousand living test subjects promised to you are ready. Once we return, they will voluntarily head to India to cooperate with your work," Hive folded his hands behind his back; the path ahead had been cleared by Mechanical Warriors, allowing him to quicken his pace.
Acquiring so many willing test subjects might be challenging for other leaders, but Hive can easily achieve this, controlling thoughts through parasitic invasion of others' brains.
In fact, his power vastly surpasses that of Red Skull and other leaders; if he wishes, he could even control them.
But he differs from his colleagues, pursuing stronger power beyond this cosmos. He has no interest in struggling for power; Hydra serves as a platform where he can better utilize its intelligence and logistical support for his agendas.
Besides pursuing power, if he has any other interest, it's devouring raw meat, especially swallowing live cows. As a conglomerate of countless parasites, the scene of his cow consumption is akin to a swarm of flies feasting.
Of course, in the absence of cows, humans serve as an adequate alternative; consuming humans is his second favorite.
Viper revealed a smile, her crimson lips slightly curled: "This is acceptable, but my journey here is not in vain; there are some vampires, and I can test their drug resistance."