Marvel: Hunter-Chapter 353: Mystery

Blaine stepped forward. The thing sealing the opening in front of him was still the same protective shield that surrounded Wakanda, but this one clearly belonged only to T'Challa.

Looking at the shield, Blaine could only think that protection might last for a moment, but never forever—especially not against him.

Sure enough, in the next second, Blaine released his own energy shield. The two barriers merged together, and Blaine walked straight through.

What he did not expect, however, was a metal wall hidden behind the protective shield—a second layer of defense.

The moment Blaine saw it, his expression changed sharply. He recognized this metal wall immediately. It was the same scale-like structure he had seen opposite the control console of the mysterious battleship on the moon.

Even more alarming was that the instant Blaine stepped inside the protective shield, his spiritual power was completely suppressed. He could not sense anything beyond the wall. Even Hawkeye failed him now; his vision could no longer penetrate it.

At this moment, Blaine finally understood—what had been blocking his mental perception throughout Wakanda was not the protective shield, but whatever lay inside this mountain.

What shocked him even more was that although his mental power could not perceive anything within the mountain, it could still trace the outline along the periphery of the metal wall. And through that limited perception, Blaine made a startling discovery.

The mountain before him was fake.

It was not formed from soil, stone, or compressed strata created by tectonic movement. It was entirely artificial.

A mountain several thousand meters tall, constructed by design.

That alone was astonishing. Even more incredible was the fact that, from the outside, even someone as strong as Blaine had failed to notice anything abnormal.

This only deepened his curiosity. Beneath this mountain, there had to be something far more significant than Vibranium—something worthy of Wakanda building an entire mountain to suppress it. Whatever it was, it certainly was not Vibranium alone.

As precious as Vibranium was, it did not justify such an enormous undertaking. Moreover, this mountain clearly predated T'Challa, and even his father.

Blaine was certain of this because although the mountain itself was artificial, the trees growing on its surface were real. Without hundreds of years of growth, such massive trees could never have taken root on a metal structure.

To create something so convincingly real on this scale—only Wakanda's level of technology could accomplish it.

As for the reason behind it, Blaine knew there was only one way to find out. Still, he had no illusions. Whatever lay beyond this metal wall was likely far more dangerous than Wakanda's Vibranium mines.

Anything capable of blocking his mental power and suppressing Hawkeye's vision had to be dangerous—dangerous enough to injure him, or even kill him.

But fear alone would not stop him. Blaine was no ordinary man. Having already faced Dormammu, he refused to believe he would fall in a place like Wakanda. After confirming that the Hunter Space was still accessible, he felt reassured—he still had a final lifeline.

The Ability Shield began merging into the metal wall. The material was clearly special—not Vibranium, at least—and the integration process was abnormally slow, growing more difficult by the second.

And the Ability Shield consumed mental power.

Ever since arriving in Wakanda, Blaine's spiritual energy had been steadily draining away. Although his reserves were vast, meditation alone was like pouring water into the sea. Worse still, the Soul Pendant—his most effective recovery tool—was currently protecting his soul. That left Blaine with very little mental power to spare, and it was being consumed at an alarming rate.

Before long, his mental power was nearly exhausted.

Yet the shield had only carved out a hole the size of a basketball. For someone of Blaine's size, that was nowhere near enough.

"Tch… If only I had Ant-Man's ability," he muttered.

"When I get back, I really need to fix that."

Blaine clenched his teeth. Even with the Soul Pendant's protection, the dizziness from overusing his mental power was overwhelming.

But he was not someone who gave up halfway. Once he made up his mind, he saw things through. At worst, he could enter the Hunter Space after getting inside and rest for a few days until his strength recovered.

After all, no one could locate the Hunter Space. Invisible and intangible, it was his ultimate refuge. And time flowed much faster there—several days inside amounted to only a few hours outside.

As the opening widened, growing from the size of a basketball to something closer to a washbasin, and then to a round table, Blaine's heart climbed into his throat.

An opening that size was just barely enough for him to squeeze through sideways.

He could not hold on any longer. While he was still conscious, Blaine prepared to force his way in before the integration was complete. The posture might be undignified, but dignity was the least of his concerns right now.

Just as Blaine struggled forward, fighting the waves of dizziness, a voice suddenly echoed in his ear. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

"You came after all."

"But you don't seem to have kept your promise to me."

Despite his extreme mental exhaustion, Blaine broke out in a cold sweat.

The voice was unfamiliar—yet deeply unsettling. One thing was certain: it did not belong to the man who resembled him on the battleship's wall on the moon. Blaine could not remember that man's voice clearly, but he knew this was not it.

As soon as the voice fell silent, Blaine felt his remaining mental power vanish in an instant, as if something had drained it completely.

The next second, his body was struck as if by a massive hammer. He crashed onto his back and lost consciousness on the spot, his mind going completely blank.

It all happened too fast. Blaine did not even have time to think, let alone enter the Hunter Space.

He did not know how long passed afterward. It felt like a century—or perhaps an entire lifetime—before Blaine slowly regained consciousness.

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