Thaddeus Ross stared at the screen, his hands still trembling.
The monster he had personally modified lay motionless on the ground. Only a few wisps of smoke rose from the back of the Abomination's neck in the monitor, like a burnt-out circuit board. He pressed the restart button three times, but the system didn't respond. The fourth time, the screen went completely black.
The adjutant stood at the door, not daring to come in.
"Reporting, General, the S.H.I.E.L.D.. technical team intervened in the signal channel three minutes ago, and all remote control protocols were forcibly terminated."
The Treasury Department has frozen seven secret funding accounts.
"The Pentagon oversight team has boarded and is expected to arrive in forty minutes."
Thaddeus Ross didn't speak. He took off his military cap and placed it on the table. The golden eagle on his epaulettes stared at him coldly.
He suddenly remembered that he had signed a document yesterday—the "Super Soldier Phase II Project Budget Proposal," numbered G-7, amounting to 980 million. He thought the number was auspicious and sent a encrypted message to his partner, "This time we can make a profit."
He then opened his private terminal and entered the key. A page popped up, and the project status section read, "Cancelled, funds recovered."
His finger hovered over the screen.
It's not delayed, it's not under review, it's cancelled.
He jumped to his feet, his chair slamming against the wall. He grabbed the communicator and roared, "Calling the Scavenger Unit! Repeat, activate Thunder Suppression Protocol immediately! I authorize highest priority!"
The communicator only transmitted a mechanical voice. "You do not have permission to access this channel."
He tried again. He said the same thing.
The adjutant whispered, "General... we just got word from the Scavengers that the contract is void; they won't take on jobs they're guaranteed to lose."
Thaddeus Ross turned to look at him. "What did you say?"
"They said... they couldn't afford to pay it back."
Thaddeus Ross laughed, his shoulders swaying with laughter. He walked back to his seat and slowly sat down. He touched the epaulettes; the metal was cold.
Dawn was breaking outside. At the edge of the camp, the armored convoy began its retreat. No one gave the order, but they all knew the mission was over. A transport truck drove past the command vehicle; the driver glanced at the command vehicle with its red lights on, then stepped on the gas and drove away.
Thaddeus Ross saw it. He didn't call out, he didn't bang on the table, he just stared in the direction where the car's taillights disappeared.
He knew what this meant.
His soldiers ran away.
His money is gone.
His projects were all cancelled.
Even his business partner, who had been hiding in the shadows, stopped answering his calls.
He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. His mind was filled with the images from just now— Abomination kneeling down, Ye Mo standing on high and speaking, Tony landing, Emma Frost projecting a mental image... The three of them had never even been in this car, yet they had broken him down.
He didn't lose to anyone's fists; he lost to the rules.
Stark Industries ' security protocols were automatically reported to Congress, the Department of Defense issued an investigation order overnight, and S.H.I.E.L.D..'s technical tracing directly locked onto three overseas accounts under his name. Overnight, all avenues were blocked.
This isn't defeat, it's bankruptcy.
He opened his eyes and picked up the combat log on the table. It had a red cover with gold lettering: Top Secret - Operation Thunder. He turned to the last page, which was blank. The place where he was supposed to write a summary of the victory was now empty.
He picked up his pen, wanting to write something.
He wrote two words: "Failure".
Crossed out.
He also wrote, "I am not convinced."
Cross that out too.
In the end, he wrote nothing, closed the notebook, and placed it on his lap.
At this moment, a notification sound rang in Ye Mo's mind:
"The conspiracy has been foiled, and new achievements have been unlocked in the Gene Spiral Tower."
At the same time, Thaddeus Ross's terminal vibrated. A new notification popped up:
"[ Stark Industries ] You have illegally used a military-grade biocontrol device. This act has been recorded and filed with a military court. Further processing will be available upon formal summons."
After he finished reading, he turned off the screen.
The only sound in the entire command center was the whirring of the air vents. The air conditioning was too cold, but he didn't adjust it. He sat there like an abandoned statue.
Ye Mo was still standing on the battlefield ten kilometers away.
He held the Vibranium fragment in his hand, its battery reduced to only 1%. His Regeneration abilities were still active, and the wound on his ribs was slowly healing. He didn't turn around, but he could still feel the residual signal from the northern mountains flickering.
Tony crouched beside the armor, dismantling the damaged modules. The palm cannon's outer casing was cracked; he tapped it twice with a wrench and stuffed it into his bag.
"Do you really believe you can survive?" he asked.
"You have to believe it or not," Ye Mo said. "Anyway, the system didn't alarm."
Is your system reliable?
"At least he's more reliable than some people." Ye Mo looked up, "Like that general who insisted on treating the monster like a dog on a leash."
Tony chuckled. "I heard it exploded over there."
"It exploded?"
"Accounts frozen, troops deserted, even the Scavengers cancelled their orders. This is a complete collapse." Tony stood up. "Do you know what's the worst part? He spent nine hundred million on a project, and in the end, he didn't even get a press release. The number one trending topic online is ' Iron Man's new armor tested,' and the second is ' Spider-Man helps an old lady find her cat.'"
Ye Mo shook his head. "In this world, nobody sees you doing bad things."
Emma Frost was still unconscious as they spoke. She lay on the rubble, her breathing steady. Ye Mo went over and covered her with his coat.
"When she wakes up, she'll definitely accuse me of being indecent again."
"You're just messing around," Tony said, "But it works."
Ye Mo didn't reply. He looked at the distant mountain shadows. The signal was still there, weak but persistent.
He knew the Scavenger Unit wasn't finished yet.
But he also knew that Thaddeus Ross was finished.
This man was once able to mobilize special forces, control mutant test subjects, and bypass S.H.I.E.L.D.. oversight to conduct underground projects. With a single word, he could seal off an entire area, silence the media, and make scientists disappear.
But now, he can't even keep one armored vehicle on standby.
Ye Mo touched the Vibranium fragment in his pocket. It was no longer hot, but it was still usable.
He looked up at the sky. The sunlight was blinding, shining on the ruins, and dust swirled in the air.
Tony patted him on the shoulder. "Want to go?"
"Wait a little longer."
"What are you waiting for?"
"Wait until he completely admits defeat."
Ten kilometers away, Thaddeus Ross finally moved.
He picked up the combat log and walked to the car door. His adjutant was startled, thinking he was about to order a counterattack.
Thaddeus Ross handed him the notebook. "Give this to the oversight team."
The adjutant took it, his voice trembling. "General... and you?"
"I'm here," he said. "I'm not going anywhere."
He walked back to his seat, sat down, and placed his hands on his knees. He wasn't wearing a coat, just a shirt. His tie was askew, but he didn't straighten it.
The last military vehicle drove away, kicking up a cloud of dust.
The lights on the command vehicle went out.
Ye Mo finally turned around.
He walked towards Tony, his steps steady. His Regeneration abilities were still working, but fatigue was creeping over him. He blinked, trying to dispel the black spots in his vision.
"We need to find out more about Scavengers," he said. "They take money to do things, they won't cancel orders for nothing."
"Who do you think is behind this?" Tony asked.
"I don't know. But there aren't many people who can force the Scavengers to back down."
S.H.I.E.L.D..?
"No. They're not that fast."
"Then there's only one possibility left." Ye Mo paused, "Someone is more ruthless than them, or... richer."
Tony squinted. "You mean, there's a bigger owner who kicked Thaddeus Ross out?"
"Otherwise what?" Ye Mo sneered, "You think he's really the boss? He's just a front-stage actor; the people behind the scenes have changed long ago."
Tony paused for a moment, then said, "So this scene isn't over yet?"
"The second act has just begun."
Emma Frost's finger twitched as they spoke.
She was still asleep, but the remnants of the mental link swept across the battlefield, capturing a short, encrypted signal. It was extremely brief, flashing by in an instant, like some kind of response.
Ye Mo suddenly turned around.
He looked towards the direction of the northern mountains.
There was a cloud there, unusually low.
A flash of light appeared beneath the clouds.
It wasn't lightning.
It's a navigation light for the drone.