The next morning, sunlight streamed through the windows as Dr. Helen Cho lay sprawled across the bed, still fast asleep. Oblivious to Hong Fei's deception, she remained undisturbed. After seeing Frank off downstairs, Hong Fei gripped the stark blade and made his way underground. In the surveillance room, the footage showed Abomination sprawled on the alloy floor, deep in slumber. Hong Fei surveyed the cramped room, leaned over, and barked into the microphone.
"Bronski!" Abomination instantly jolted awake, performing a swift kip-up to stand upright. Heavy breaths hissed through his nose and mouth as his sharp eyes scanned the seamless ceiling, filled with vigilance. The memory of being burned and electrocuted last time lingered, etching Hong Fei's voice into his mind. "Colonel Bronski, long time no see. How are you holding up?"
Abomination's grin was vicious, his tone dripping with malice. "Not bad. And you? Planning to keep me locked in here forever?" "Of course not," Hong Fei replied smoothly.
"That would be a waste. Maybe I'll carve off a piece of you every few days and hand it to Samuel for research. Remember him? The guy you threatened into injecting you with the Hulk serum? He's mutated too, though not quite like you. His head got bigger, but the rest is... normal."
Abomination's eyes narrowed. "I remember him. Thought I'd crushed him to death."
"A pity," Hong Fei said dryly. "I doubt he'll be thrilled to hear that."
"You researching the Super Soldier Serum too?"
"Not a chance. I've got better things to do than waste my time on thankless tasks."
Abomination's tension eased slightly. "Then what do you want? If you need me to do something, just name it. I'll agree right now."
"Later," Hong Fei said dismissively. "Right now, how about some fresh air? Ready to step out?"
"What?" Abomination blinked, caught off guard.
"Fresh air. Right now. I'll be waiting upstairs."
With that, Hong Fei gestured to the surveillance staff and turned to head to the spacious area on the second underground level. Moments later, a crack split the seamless alloy floor, widening steadily. Hong Fei stood at the edge, peering down to meet Abomination's gaze across the ten-meter gap. He smiled and gave a casual wave.
Abomination crouched low, then sprang upward with explosive force. His massive body shot into the air, landing with a thunderous bang as the floor sealed shut behind him. His wary eyes locked onto Hong Fei's.
"Think you're dreaming?" Hong Fei teased, his smile widening as Abomination's eyelids twitched. He raised a hand, pointing upward. "We're still underground. Want to see the surface?"
Abomination glanced up but remained silent, his mind racing. Why would Hong Fei release him so casually? Wasn't he afraid of being crushed? Or was this just another test, some virtual illusion? Unable to decipher the situation, Abomination decided to hold his ground. The memory of being burned and electrocuted was painfully fresh—his powerful self-healing abilities only prolonged the agony, his flesh repeatedly torn apart and destroyed.
Hong Fei saw his hesitation and immediately stopped thinking. With a flick of his wrist, he spun the Cross-blade, its hum slicing through the air, and strode toward Abomination.
Abomination's eyes narrowed, his sandbag-sized fist clenching as he swung a punch. In sheer strength, Hong Fei was no match—but that didn't mean he couldn't hold his own.
The moment their fists and blades were about to collide, he tapped his foot and vaulted into the air. With a second step, he landed squarely on Abomination's fist, using the momentum to flip his body. The blade came down in a vicious arc, slicing through Abomination's tough hide. As Hong Fei descended, the blade slashed again, sending green blood spraying into the air.
Abomination roared in pain, twisting his massive body to swing his long arm at his attacker. The air whistled as the blow tore through the space. Hong Fei's toes barely touched the ground before he pushed off, retreating rapidly to avoid the strike. They faced each other again, tension crackling between them. Abomination's eyes widened with unmistakable shock.
Hong Fei flicked the blood off the blade, a smirk playing on his lips. Stark's gift had proven its worth. "Don't just stand there," he taunted. "Let's fight. Win, and I'll take you up. Lose, and you go back to squatting." Abomination's breathing grew ragged, his chest heaving violently. Finally, he let out a deafening roar that reverberated through the underground chamber.
The beast crouched and launched himself forward, his massive body hurtling toward Hong Fei like a cannonball. Instead of dodging, Hong Fei strode forward to meet the charge head-on. Death wish, Abomination thought as he swung his fist with all his might. The blade slashed down in perfect sync, colliding with Abomination's fist in a shower of sparks.
No feints, no dodging—just a brutal clash of force. The blade bit deep into Abomination's wrist with a sharp swish. The Cross-blade's momentum halted with a metallic clang, but Abomination's fist kept going, smashing into Hong Fei with a bone-jarring impact.
Hong Fei was hurled backward, blade still in hand, until he slammed into the wall and crumpled to the ground. He leaned on the blade, coughing violently, one knee planted firmly on the floor. For the first time, he understood how his own opponents must have felt when he'd sent them flying. It was like embracing a speeding locomotive.
Still, the pain wasn't unbearable. Just before impact, he'd channeled nearly half of his "Qi" into protecting his chest and organs. Coupled with his enhanced physique—far beyond that of an ordinary human—the blow, while devastating, had caused limited damage. That said, Abomination's punch had completely drained his reserves.
Abomination, meanwhile, clutched his right wrist, where a deep gash exposed bone. Blood poured freely, and his thick fingers trembled uncontrollably. Hong Fei pushed himself up, tightening his grip on the blade as its cold light shimmered in the dim underground space.
With a guttural roar, Abomination charged again, fists clenched. A faint breeze began to swirl around the Cross-blade, quickly enveloping its surface. The stomping footsteps grew louder, closer. Hong Fei focused, channeling every last ounce of "Qi" into the blade. Five meters. Three meters. One meter! At the last second, he rolled to the side.
Abomination's fist smashed through the ten-centimeter steel plate, shattered the outer concrete, and plunged straight into the soil beneath. He kicked off the wall to wrench his hand free, then swung relentlessly at Hong Fei. Bang! Bang! Bang! Each impact was more violent than the last, the echoes reverberating endlessly through the chamber.
Hong Fei gripped the blade's hilt, his fingers tightening against the faint tremor running through the steel. His movements were swift, precise, each step calculated to evade Abomination's relentless onslaught. The air crackled with tension as the two danced—one predator, one prey—in a deadly rhythm. In the surveillance room, Big Head stood rigid, his fists clenched so tight his knuckles whitened. He'd rushed here the moment he heard the news, and now he watched, breath held, as the scene unfolded.
Time slipped away like sand through fingers. Abomination's fists carved through the air, inching closer with each strike, grazing Hong Fei's form by mere millimeters. The alloy floor and walls bore the scars of their battle, dozens of deep, jagged craters marking where fists had landed. Sweat dripped down Hong Fei's brow as frustration gnawed at him. He'd trained hard, but it wasn't enough. His control over "Qi" still faltered, leaving him vulnerable in the face of Abomination's raw, unchecked power.