Emma Frost looked at him, her eyes devoid of any mind-reading power or the sharpness of her fighting spirit. She simply stared at Ye Mo, as if waiting for an answer.
Ye Mo didn't look away. He had just been thinking about the Vibranium fragment with the groove engraved on it, wondering if the signal would ring again, when he looked up and met her gaze.
He chuckled. "It's not a greeting, it's a game of chess. Using a piece of scrap metal as bait."
He spoke Chinese, and his pronunciation was clear. He knew Emma Frost understood him, and he knew he wasn't talking to anyone on the phone, nor was he playing any tricks.
Emma Frost frowned. "Aren't you afraid of getting burned?"
"The fire has already burned through." Ye Mo flipped the Vibranium fragment over so the groove was facing up. "This is just to leave a mark. I'll recognize it next time they get close."
He paused, then lowered his voice. "Like when you were injured last time, I remembered the rhythm of Abomination's muscles twitching before he threw a punch."
Emma Frost didn't move, but her eyes changed. She slowly got up, walked to him, and squatted down, her gaze level with his.
"Did you remember my frequency?"
Ye Mo was taken aback.
"I'm not asking if you can sense when I'm angry or when I'm lying," she said softly. "I'm asking... if you can sense that I want to stay, not because of the mission, not because of the base, but because of—you."
The wind whistled through the broken steel frame. The reflection on the distant ridge was no longer visible; the night pressed down on the ruins, and it was so quiet that one could hear each other's breathing.
Ye Mo took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. He didn't answer immediately, as if he was searching for the right words or sorting out the chaotic thoughts running through his mind.
"The system didn't tell me this data," he said, his voice a little hoarse, "But I tried."
He looked up at her. "Every time you get injured, my first reaction isn't 'how many seconds are left on the cooldown,' nor 'how to combine the next ability.' I only have one thought—you can't die."
He paused, his hands unconsciously clenching.
"I'm not afraid of pain, I'm not afraid of broken bones, I'm just afraid of turning around and not seeing you standing there."
After saying that, he didn't lower his head again, nor did he change the subject. He just looked at her and waited.
Emma Frost didn't speak. She slowly reached out and gently touched the back of his hand with her fingertips. She didn't use her powers, nor did she probe his emotions; she simply touched him.
In that instant, Ye Mo felt a "ding" in his mind.
[High-intensity emotional resonance detected; the emotional level has exceeded the threshold; the energy pool of the nineteenth layer of the Gene Spiral Tower is now 15% full; the emotional energy module is activated.]
He smiled slightly, but didn't say thank you or express his gratitude. He knew that saying too much about such things would only seem insincere.
The two sat down side by side, less than half a meter apart. No one mentioned the signal again, nor did anyone care about the marked Vibranium fragment. The night wind swept across the wreckage, stirring up some dust that landed on Ye Mo's shoulder.
He didn't take the picture.
Emma Frost closed her eyes, as if she were regulating her breathing, but actually she was memorizing his breathing rhythm. One breath, two breaths, three breaths... She stored this frequency in her memory and labeled it: Safe Band.
"Do you remember the first time you met me?" she suddenly asked.
Ye Mo thought for a moment, "I remember. You were in the Hellfire Club's training grounds, wearing a white dress, and you shattered a three-meter-tall alloy target with one punch."
What did you say at the time?
"I'm telling you... this woman really went all out. Don't mess with her again."
Emma Frost opened her eyes and glanced at him. "That's it?"
"I also said that if she sides with me, the enemy will probably live ten years less."
Emma Frost didn't smile, but the corners of her eyes relaxed. She leaned against the steel beam, her shoulders relaxing.
"Back then, I didn't trust anyone," she said. "I thought everyone who approached me was only after my abilities."
Do you believe it now?
"I don't believe you," she shook her head, "But I'm starting to believe you."
Ye Mo didn't reply. He knew these words weren't easy to say. Emma Frost wasn't someone who easily gave her trust, especially after experiencing a place like the Hellfire Club. The fact that she could say those words was more important than any ability unlocking.
"Do you know why I always use the system as an excuse?" he suddenly said.
Emma Frost looked at him.
"Because I'm afraid of saying the wrong thing, afraid of doing the wrong thing, afraid you'll think I'm an outsider." He smirked. "That's why I always say 'the system tells me to do this,' but actually it's because I don't want to take responsibility."
"But things are different now." He turned to look at her. "I don't want to hide anymore. I want to protect those who deserve protection, like you."
Emma Frost was silent for a moment, then suddenly reached out and straightened his silver half-rimmed glasses.
"You don't have to pretend to be so composed every time," she said. "You can panic, you can cry out in pain, you can curse. As long as you can get back up in the end, I'll believe you."
Ye Mo looked at her without saying a word.
A muffled thud of metal hitting the ground came from afar, like an aftershock of a complete structural collapse. But he didn't move, and neither did Emma Frost.
They just sat there, neither of them mentioning the next steps or the Scavenger Unit. None of that was urgent.
Ye Mo placed his hand on the ground, his fingertips not far from hers. He didn't touch her, but he could feel the faint warmth from her body.
"Are you cold?" he asked.
"It's not cold," she replied.
"Then I'll take off my coat."
He actually took off his black hooded sweatshirt and casually draped it over a broken beam nearby. Underneath, he wore a gray T-shirt with frayed cuffs, clearly a long-worn piece.
Emma Frost glanced at it. "How many times have you washed this dress?"
"Ten times? Twenty times? I can't remember." He laughed, "As long as it didn't smell bad."
"It smells bad," she said casually. "Change it tomorrow."
"Okay, whatever you say."
He didn't argue, nor did he joke. He knew that when she cared what he wore, it meant, "I care about you."
Another gust of wind came by, ruffling her hair. Ye Mo subconsciously raised his hand and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. The movement was very gentle, as if afraid of startling something.
Emma Frost didn't dodge.
"You just said you were testing my frequency." She opened her eyes. "And what did you find?"
Ye Mo withdrew his hand and touched his left ear. It was still slightly numb, but the signal hadn't improved.
"I figured it out," he said. "You don't want to be used as a tool, or a pawn. You want people to see you as a person, not just your abilities."
Emma Frost paused for a moment.
What else did you find out?
"You're afraid of being alone, but you're even more afraid of depending on others." He looked at her, "So you always push me away first, and then come back when you realize something's wrong."
Emma Frost didn't deny it.
"And you?" she countered, "What's your frequency?"
Ye Mo smiled and said, "My frequency is simple—as long as you're still here, I won't run away."
He paused, then lowered his voice even further. "Especially you."
Emma Frost didn't ask any more questions. She slowly leaned back against the steel beam and closed her eyes. This time it wasn't an act; she was genuinely resting.
Ye Mo didn't move. He knew she was tired, and he knew that she was willing to close her eyes at this moment because he was there.
He looked up at the sky. The clouds had parted, revealing a few stars. He didn't know which ones belonged to Earth and which ones to some other universe. All he knew was that this was the place he wanted to protect.
My phone vibrated in my pocket. It was an encrypted message from Tony, asking if there was any feedback from the decoy.
He didn't reply.
It's not important now.
He looked down at Emma Frost. Her breathing was steady, and her eyelashes cast a small shadow on her face. He gently pulled his sweatshirt over her feet.
"Go to sleep," he whispered. "I'm here."
Emma Frost didn't open her eyes, but the corner of her mouth twitched.
It looked like he was smiling.
Ye Mo sat back down, placing his hands on his knees. He didn't adjust his abilities or check the system anymore. He just sat there, listening to her breathing, counting the time as it passed.
The reflection on the distant mountain ridge never reappeared.
But at that very moment, his left palm suddenly felt hot.
He looked down.
The Vibranium fragment with the grooves engraved on it was glowing red.