#400 - Ice Ghost entering the spawning period

When the coup d'état occurred on Paradise Island, Yang Le wasn't idle either; rather, he was quite busy.

When initially planning to return to Paradise Island, Yang Le didn't choose to transform into an Amazonian because that form wouldn't grant him the ability to fly. Therefore, to minimize trouble, he chose the androgynous Ice Phantom.

Originally, this choice was excellent. Even among those overpowered alien heroes, the Ice Phantom's strength could rank near the top, as intangibility is truly broken.

However, Yang Le overlooked one crucial point, turning this good choice into the worst possible one: the Nackvigil species of the Ice Phantom generally lay eggs only once every eighty years, and Yang Le's transformation happened to coincide with the Ice Phantom's spawning period.

When an Ice Phantom enters its spawning period, the Omnitrix wearer's mind becomes dominated by the Nackvigil's physiological imperatives, much like a mother beast in nature, single-mindedly focused on birthing its offspring.

Yang Le was no exception. After transforming into the Ice Phantom, he only managed to inform Diana before losing control of himself.

Like normal creatures, Nackvigils need to consume large amounts of food before giving birth to ensure sufficient nutrition for the process. However, their diet is much more intense than that of ordinary creatures.

Their staple food is various metals. During the spawning period, a Nackvigil's appetite far exceeds its usual intake, requiring massive amounts of metal to replenish nutrients. Coincidentally, Yang Le was near a place with abundant metal: the Bialyan military base.

...

Inside the Bialyan military base, the troops that had just surrounded Yang Le and Diana had only just returned. The commander leading the unit couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. When he received the order to stop Wonder Woman and her companion, he thought he had misheard.

Me, fight Wonder Woman? Seriously?

Although a million times unwilling, he dared not disobey the dictator's orders. Facing a superhero, even Wonder Woman known for her decisive and ruthless actions, he still had a chance of survival even if he opened fire. But if he dared to refuse the orders, his entire family would definitely end up with bullets in their backs, staged as a suicide.

In this society where good people are pointed at with guns, the commander hesitated only for a few seconds before ordering his soldiers to move out. Although there were some twists and turns, it generally went as he expected: Wonder Woman and her companion didn't harm them.

It was fortunate that they didn't actually fight. If they had, these ordinary soldiers would only have served as cannon fodder. Unless the big shot in the base took action, even bringing out the tanks wouldn't be enough to take down Wonder Woman.

While thinking, the commander prepared to report to his superiors. Their mission this time could be considered a successful completion. He hoped the leaders would give him some reward, preferably a promotion, so he wouldn't have to worry here.

Just as the commander was dreaming of a bright future, the tall metal structures of the military base began to emit strange noises. First, there was a squeaking sound like fingernails scratching a blackboard, followed by the crunching sound of a hydraulic press crushing metal, making people's skin crawl.

Affected by these bizarre sounds, the soldiers instinctively assumed battle positions without needing orders. The commander nodded in satisfaction at his subordinates' excellent qualities. He raised his voice.

"Get ready for battle! Attack as soon as the enemy cuts through the gate."

Obviously, the commander assumed the sounds were enemies cutting through the metal gate. Under normal circumstances, his assumption would be reasonable, but the scene that followed would be etched in his memory forever.

"Screech!"

A grating sound of metal tearing echoed as a hole about the size of a human face appeared. The soldiers inside the base saw only a black-faced maw with pale blue teeth, and the remains of chewed metal debris inside.

"Oh God."

Some soldiers couldn't help but exclaim. The hole, originally the size of a human face, grew larger and larger, until the soldiers could finally see the true face of the culprit.

It was a blue, humanoid insect, about the size of a normal adult, but more slender. Yet, this slender creature was tearing off pieces of the modern industrial-made metal blast door and stuffing them into its mouth.

"What are you waiting for! Fire!" The commander was exceptional after all. He was the first to react, shouting at his subordinates to attack. This shout jolted the soldiers back to their senses like a bolt from the blue.

"Bang bang bang!"

Bullets rained down on the Ice Phantom. If Yang Le's mind were in control, even if he wasn't afraid of the bullets, he would have used intangibility to dodge them. After all, even if it didn't hurt, being hit by so many bullets would be irritating.

Unfortunately, the Ice Phantom in its spawning period didn't think that way. It was happily devouring the gate, not even looking at the bullets flying towards it. However, the Ice Phantom wasn't stupid. Its wings were the best bulletproof vest.

Turning its wings into a cloak and draping them over its body, the rain of bullets continuously struck the Ice Phantom, scattering and falling to the ground, unable to affect it in the slightest.

By the time the soldiers had emptied an entire magazine, the Ice Phantom had finally finished eating the entire gate. But this two-meter-tall metal door was just an appetizer for it; it was far from enough to fill its stomach.

The instinct to hunt made it focus on the soldiers' equipment. Their guns and daggers were the best food.

Reopening its wings, the Ice Phantom flew towards the nearest soldier like a true ghost. Facing the metal-eating monster flying towards them, the soldiers quickened their pace of changing magazines, starting the second round of firing before the Ice Phantom reached them.

This time, because it didn't want to abandon its mobility, the Ice Phantom didn't choose to take the hit head-on, but honestly activated intangibility, dodging the hail of bullets.

The Ice Phantom, demonstrating its abilities, undoubtedly frightened these soldiers. How could they fight an enemy they couldn't even touch? Their minds immediately plunged into chaos.

The Ice Phantom didn't care about that. Flying in front of them, it stretched out its claws and cut the soldier's equipment belt, snatching the gun from his hand, and then swallowed the gun whole in front of the dumbfounded soldier.

It was as smooth as slurping a mouthful of noodles.

Seeing this scene, the commander immediately understood that the enemy in front of them was not something they could deal with. They had to let that guy in the base take action.