Funding secured, recruitment begins
Ye Mo's fingertips were still on the phone screen, but Tony's face had already disappeared from the picture. The call was over, but things had only just begun.
He flipped his phone over and placed it face down on his knee. The Vibranium fragment lay quietly in his pocket, no longer hot. Sunlight streamed in through the cracks in the ruins, landing an inch in front of his shoes, before he crawled any further.
Three hours.
Tony said the first batch of money would arrive within three hours. It wasn't a promise, it was a notification. He knew Tony meant what he said.
Without waiting, he immediately opened the encrypted terminal and brought up the trust account interface. Just as he logged in, a new message popped up:
"The first phase of funding for ANCHOR Project, $50 million, has been allocated, with restrictions on its use: infrastructure, manpower, covert transportation, and untraceable routes."
Ye Mo stared at the string of numbers for two seconds, then swiped his finger to save a screenshot of the information into the system folder, naming it: Startup Funds.
He closed his eyes and silently repeated in his mind, "What does 'talent pool initialization' mean?"
There was no audio response.
But he felt the Gene Spiral Tower deep within his consciousness tremble slightly. A line of semi-transparent text appeared in the eleventh layer:
[Information on potential collaborators can be registered]
[Tags: Affinity, Ability Tendency, Risk Level]
He opened his eyes, and his lips twitched slightly.
So this thing can also be used as a human resources system.
He took out his small notebook, tore off a blank page, and wrote three words:
ability
Will
free
After writing it down, he laid the paper on his lap and stared at it for a few seconds. These three words were the bottom line. Not one could be missing.
Ability determines whether you can fight; willingness determines whether you are willing to come; freedom determines whether you can leave when you want to.
He didn't want to resort to forced detention, nor did he want anyone to sign indentured servitude contracts. If this place turned into another Hellfire Club, he'd rather it be blown up.
Just then, my headphones suddenly beeped.
"Hey, still waiting?" Tony's voice came through, a little hoarse from just waking up. "Did you receive the account information?"
"Just arrived," Ye Mo said. "You're quick."
"I had JARVIS go through the procedures ahead of time," Tony said. "The money is clean, it's going through an offshore trust, no one can trace it. The technical team is also ready, they'll give you three site options within 24 hours, all physically isolated areas, signal shielded, and geologically stable."
"Where are they?" Ye Mo asked. "You said I could decide for myself, but I can't just call everyone and ask, 'Do you want to join the secret base?'"
"Of course not." Tony laughed. "You think I wasn't prepared? I had JARVIS create a screening model, pulling data from unofficial rescue records, underground research archives, and cases of unusual return of missing persons. The target is those with extraordinary abilities who aren't registered with S.H.I.E.L.D.., Hydra, or any other organization."
The screen flashed, and three files were automatically pushed to Ye Mo's terminal.
First: A woman who single-handedly rescued an entire scientific expedition team during a Siberia snowstorm. Eyewitness reports stated that her hands could freeze into ice crystals, and despite a body temperature below -20 degrees Celsius, she showed no signs of frostbite. She was last seen at the Murmansk border, after which she went missing.
The second: A young man who briefly appeared at the Wakanda border. Surveillance footage showed him disappearing into the shadows for three seconds, reappearing thirty meters away. His identity is unknown, and his language pattern is close to an East Africa dialect. He has not been entered into any database.
The third case involves a patient at a private mental hospital who accurately predicted news scenes for the next three days for seventy-three consecutive days, including unreleased government announcements and street advertisements. The hospital dismissed it as a coincidence, but records show he had never been in contact with outside media.
Ye Mo read through each line one by one, without rushing to click "agree".
He remembered the result of his last impulsive rescue attempt—he was almost surrounded by Thaddeus Ross's special forces, Emma Frost was seriously injured, and he himself almost died in the EMP explosion.
This time, we can't rely on luck.
He first deleted two borderline cases. One was a 15-year-old boy who had rescued people by moving concrete slabs with his bare hands during an earthquake; the system automatically grayed out the case and displayed a "protection protocol triggered" message. The other was a 12-year-old girl who claimed to be able to understand animal speech; her file was marked "suspected mental abnormality."
The system has an automatic filtering mechanism for minors. He doesn't know who set it up, but he's very grateful.
The remaining three were all adults, acted autonomously, and showed no obvious signs of external manipulation.
He opened the file of the first candidate and began entering the information into the system.
Name: Unknown
Code name: Tentatively "Frostmark"
Abilities: Low-temperature operation, environmental adaptability
Affinity: Low (Isolated Actor)
Risk level: Medium (had rejected all aid offers)
After the information was filled in, the Gene Spiral Tower shook again.
This time, a long-awaited notification sound rang in his mind:
"Recruitment initiated; Gene Spiral Tower talent pool initialized."
Ye Mo paused for a second.
This is the first time the system has given feedback because of "recruiting" rather than "fighting".
He suddenly found it a little funny. In the past, every time he got injured or risked his life, the system never made a sound. Now, it just recorded his name, and it checked in on time.
He circled the three words on the paper and whispered, "Do it this way."
Ability determines whether you can protect, willingness determines whether you can walk together, and freedom determines whether you can turn back.
Tony was silent for a few seconds in the earpiece, then suddenly asked, "Do you know what the hardest part is?"
"It's not about finding people," Ye Mo said, "It's about convincing them that this place really won't lock up."
Many people aren't afraid of danger itself, but rather of never being able to leave once they've entered. They've seen too many organizations using the guise of "protection" to engage in control.
He didn't want that.
What he wanted wasn't an obedient team, but a group of people willing to stand up. Even if they only stood for a day, that would count as standing.
"So how do you plan to contact them?" Tony asked. "Send an email saying, 'Hi, we have a secret base and we need people. Are you interested?'"
"No." Ye Mo shook his head. "I'll go see them. Face to face, let them see clearly who I am and what I want. I don't need their immediate agreement, I just need them to know that such a place exists."
"Okay," Tony said. "I'll provide you with a stealth transport aircraft, fueled by Stark Industries' latest model, leaving no trails. The communication channels are encrypted, one-way access, and you can cut it off at any time."
"No need for that," Ye Mo said. "I'll start making the first call now."
He opened his contacts and found the Siberia woman's emergency contact information—a relay number from an abandoned research station, where she was said to check her messages periodically.
He entered a short message:
"I know you've rescued people in the snow. I'm also looking for a place where I can stand up and catch my breath. If you'd like to chat, reply to this number. It's okay if you don't come."
send.
The message was sent, like a pebble thrown into a deep well; I don't know if there will be Echo.
He put down his phone and looked up at the sky.
A crack appeared in the clouds, and sunlight streamed down, falling on the paper in front of him. The three characters were illuminated by the light, appearing almost white.
ability
Will
free
He didn't move or say anything.
Just then, the terminal vibrated.
Breaking news.
He looked down.
It was a reply from that Siberia number.
There is only one word:
"Explain."