Clues and a Silent Warning

Beneath the calm of Thunder Temple, undercurrents still surged. Dr. Banner was immersed in optimizing the nanobots, while Lin Ye's attention had temporarily turned toward the active "Good Neighbor" in Queens, New York.

"Remy, pull up Peter Parker's latest activity records, especially at night," Lin Ye ordered.

Multiple scenes immediately appeared on the holographic screen: a figure in a crude red-and-blue suit swung nimbly between the buildings of Queens on webbing, stopping a convenience store robbery, helping an elderly woman find her lost cat, and even awkwardly trying to repair a leaking fire hydrant... His movements still carried the immaturity of youth, yet were full of energy and kindness.

"His strength control is acceptable, his agility is extremely high, and he possesses some kind of danger-predicting ability—Spider-Sense. He has a strong sense of justice... but almost no tactical awareness, relying entirely on instinct," Remy analyzed calmly. "According to intercepted communications, he has recently been troubled over how to earn a 'considerable' income to help support his household. His aunt, May Parker, appears to be facing changes at work."

Lin Ye watched the teenager on the screen, busy yet faintly burdened by financial anxiety, and the corner of his mouth lifted slightly. Classic Spider-Man origin-period troubles.

"Give him a little 'guidance,' Remy," Lin Ye said blandly. "Anonymously send an encrypted link for 'Stark Industries Internship Recruitment' to the tech forum he frequents. Requirements: skilled in photography and physics, generous compensation. Then 'accidentally' leak a map of surveillance blind spots and shift-change schedules for a Kingpin-affiliated smuggling warehouse on Third Avenue in Queens. Low security, but decent profits."

"Order executed. The information will be sent through multiple anonymous proxies. The source cannot be traced," Remy replied with great efficiency.

Lin Ye had no intention of meeting Peter personally just yet. Intervening too early might affect the little spider's growth trajectory. Giving him a perfectly timed "opportunity" would let him solve his immediate problems himself, while also making it harder for S.H.I.E.L.D. and any other possible observers to discern his movements.

Just as Lin Ye casually placed a chess piece that would influence Peter's fate, Wakanda's pursuit quietly arrived.

Princess Shuri mobilized Wakanda's Vibranium energy-sensing satellite network in low Earth orbit, disguised as space debris. She raised its detection sensitivity to the maximum and scanned eastern North America, especially the area around New York, searching for any faint signal resembling the intruder's energy signature.

However, Thunder Temple's concealment field far exceeded her expectations. The Sanctuary itself was like a black hole, perfectly swallowing every energy fluctuation within. Lin Ye's daily activities and cultivation kept his energy exceptionally restrained; unless he deliberately unleashed it on a large scale, it would be extremely difficult for the outside world to detect him.

Days of continuous scanning yielded nothing.

"How is that possible..." Shuri stared at the completely unremarkable data on the screen, frustrated and unwilling to accept it. "His energy signature was so obvious. As long as he used it, there had to be traces! Could it be that he never used his abilities again after leaving Wakanda?"

After King T'Chaka learned of the progress, he became even more cautious. "That means his control over his own power has reached an astonishing level, or his base possesses shielding technology beyond our understanding. Shuri, continue monitoring, but lower the priority. We cannot expend all our resources on this."

But the young princess had her own stubbornness. She did not give up completely. Instead, she set up a long-term monitoring program that would immediately sound an alert upon detecting an energy burst at a specific frequency.

S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier.

Natasha led her team back from Siberia, bringing prisoners and data seized from a Hydra surveillance site.

"Preliminary interrogation indicates the prisoners are peripheral personnel of Garrett the Clairvoyant. They confirmed that the trap was set for Lin Ye," Natasha reported to Fury. "Data recovery is still underway, but we have already found clues of indirect financial dealings connected to consultant Alexander Pierce. They cannot serve as direct evidence, but they are enough to deepen our suspicions of him."

A cold gleam flashed in Fury's single eye. "Pierce really is involved. Keep digging, but be more careful. Before we have irrefutable evidence, we cannot alert the enemy."

At that moment, Coulson entered with a report in hand. "Sir, there's another matter. We've detected unusual redeployment of Wakanda's low Earth orbit satellites recently. Their detection focus is centered on the New York area, and the pattern looks like they're searching for a specific energy signal."

"Wakanda?" Fury frowned. "They almost never take the initiative to interfere with outside affairs. Can we determine what they're looking for?"

"The signal pattern is unusual—a highly concentrated mixture of bioelectric fields and lightning characteristics..." Coulson pulled up the data analysis. "Wait... this pattern... is highly consistent with Thunder's energy signature above Greenland! Wakanda is looking for him?"

Fury and Natasha exchanged a glance, each seeing the surprise in the other's eyes.

"What did Lin Ye do to make Wakanda deploy orbital satellites to search for him?" Natasha asked in confusion.

"Whatever he did..." Fury tapped the desk. "This means trouble. Coulson, closely monitor Wakanda's satellite movements and any possible diplomatic contact. Natasha, find an appropriate time to 'remind' our ally that he appears to have caught the attention of an isolated technological kingdom."

Several days later, Natasha once again arrived outside Thunder Temple and sent a request for a visit through an encrypted channel.

This time, Lin Ye did not let her enter the Sanctuary. Instead, he "received" her directly on a scenic cliff outside it.

"Agent Romanoff, what advice do you have for me this time?" Lin Ye asked casually as he looked over the sea of clouds below.

Natasha briefly explained Wakanda's satellite tracking, then carefully observed Lin Ye's reaction.

After hearing her out, Lin Ye merely raised an eyebrow, his tone entirely calm. "Wakanda? Oh, that little kingdom that hid itself away just because it had some Vibranium. What, I took a few scraps they had no use for in order to do some research, and they got anxious? They even deployed satellites to look for me? They're rather petty."

Natasha: "..." She nearly choked on his words. A few scraps? That was Wakanda's Vibranium! From his tone, it sounded as though he had merely taken discarded cardboard boxes left outside a neighbor's door.

"Mr. Lin," Natasha said, trying to maintain a professional smile, "Wakanda is no ordinary small nation. Its technological level and strength far exceed the outside world's imagination. Being targeted by them may bring unnecessary trouble. Director Fury suggests that you... exercise a little caution."

"Caution?" Lin Ye turned to look at Natasha, a teasing flash of lightning glinting in his eyes. "They should be the ones exercising caution. I only took a few things they could not use up. If they want to come looking for 'trouble' because of that..."

He paused, his voice calm but carrying an unquestionable pressure. "Then I would not mind helping them understand that their barriers and satellites are no different from paper in my eyes."

Natasha felt an invisible pressure constrict her breathing slightly. She did not doubt for a moment that the man before her could do anything he claimed.

"I'm only delivering the information," she immediately clarified her position. "S.H.I.E.L.D. has no intention of intervening in matters between you and Wakanda."

"Good." Lin Ye nodded. "Is there anything else?"

Natasha knew that was a dismissal. Her purpose for this trip had already been achieved—reminding him and observing him. Lin Ye's response showed that he knew everything and did not care in the slightest, which itself revealed a great deal of information.

"No. Goodbye."

After Natasha left, Lin Ye's eyes shifted slightly.

"Wakanda still doesn't seem very settled. Remy, send an encrypted data stream to their satellites and ground energy cores. The content is simple: 'Know when to stop.'"

"Order executed. The data stream has been disguised as natural solar wind activity. The source cannot be traced."

A few minutes later, Wakanda.

The monitoring screens before Princess Shuri suddenly flickered with static at the same time. Though it lasted only one-tenth of a second before returning to normal, every scanning program targeting the specific energy signature had been forcibly terminated!

At the same time, the energy core monitors in the royal palace and the Wakandan Royal Institute of Technology both recorded an extremely faint yet indecipherable interference pulse. After the pulse passed, an undeletable garbled message appeared in the core operation logs. Translated, it read—

[Know when to stop.]

Princess Shuri and King T'Chaka received the reports almost simultaneously.

Shuri stared at the message, and cold sweat instantly soaked her back. The other party had not only discovered their tracking, but could also easily penetrate their defense systems and send information directly to their most critical equipment! What kind of terrifying technological strength was this?!

King T'Chaka remained silent for a long time before slowly issuing an order. "Cancel all targeted external energy scanning operations. Shuri, focus all efforts on barrier upgrades and internal defenses."

For the first time in a true sense, Wakanda felt the suffocating pressure brought by an individual from the outside world.

They finally understood that the mysterious "Thunder" was far more terrifying than they had estimated.

The pursuit was temporarily declared a failure.

As if nothing had happened, Lin Ye turned his attention back to the Sanctuary and the "small matters" that interested him.

Under New York's night sky, Peter Parker stared at the mysterious "Stark Industries Intern Recruitment" email on his computer screen and the detailed warehouse information beside it, caught between hesitation and excitement.

The web of fate continued to spread in silence.

(End of Chapter 21)