Ye Mo flipped his phone over and placed it face down on his lap. The sunlight made the metal frame hot, but he didn't touch it.
He knew that the previous wave of information wasn't the end, but the beginning. The Mutants Response Group roster was complete, the files were categorized, and the system notification had already sounded. But he knew in his heart that these people alone weren't enough.
They can fight, they can endure, and they can survive in Extremis. But no one knows how to repair generators, no one can understand quantum signals, and no one knows how to turn Vibranium fragments into a stable energy source. If the base relies solely on superpowers, it will eventually become a large shelter, not the place he envisioned.
He pulled out another device, an older tablet with a bulging battery and a cracked casing. This was the backup terminal Tony had given him; it was offline and hadn't been connected to the internet since connecting to the dark web once. He was a little slow when entering the password, and it took him two tries to get it right.
An interface popped up, and a list appeared before my eyes. The title was "Marginal Researchers," and three names below were Starbrand. The information was incomplete, with only code names and a brief comment.
The first is a former Vibranium materials researcher who was ousted from Stark Industries for opposing weaponization projects. Her last recorded activity was renting an abandoned weather station in northern Norway and supporting herself by teaching remotely.
The second is a quantum physicist whose paper was banned by the academic community on the grounds that "the theory cannot be verified." However, his proposed multidimensional folding model is highly consistent with the spatial distortion perceived by Ye Mo when the Wall Phasing Technique was activated.
The third one is the most troublesome: a biological neuroengineer who researches consciousness uploading and has been on the run for many years due to suspected illegal experiments. Natasha once mentioned that this person may have had access to S.H.I.E.L.D..'s Black Box technology, and that data is more valuable than life itself.
Ye Mo stared at these three names for a long time. These kinds of people don't easily trust anyone, nor will they show up just because someone says "I'll come help." They've been burned before, treated like madmen, criminals, or losers. To win them over, you have to show them something real.
He opened the encrypted push notification app and created a new message. The content was very simple:
"You've seen the truth, but they call you a liar. Here, we don't want lies, we only want answers."
Below is a dynamic waveform code. He stayed up all night to make this, combining the gamma data analysis framework left by Bruce with the power frequency spectrum he extracted from the system, piecing together a message that only true experts can decipher.
He clicked send.
Then wait.
My first thought came from Norway.
Three hours later, the plate vibrated. The materials researcher replied, "If you really understand the Vibranium Resonance, I'll come."
Ye Mo didn't reply immediately. He retrieved the Vibranium Sense fragment he had obtained during the Black Panther campaign. The memory was still there, and he could read the residual frequency signals in his brain. He used a tool to simulate a precise wave pattern, compressed it into a visual waveform, and sent it back.
The other party remained silent for ten minutes.
When he returned, he only said one sentence, "Give me three days."
He breathed a sigh of relief and marked it as "confirmed".
The second response was faster.
The quantum physicist didn't waste any words, immediately throwing out a math problem: a five-dimensional space folding equation with seven sets of variables and ambiguous boundary conditions. This wasn't a test of knowledge, but a test of thinking methods.
Ye Mo ran a hand through his hair. He couldn't solve this kind of problem, but he remembered Bruce mentioning a similar model once when he was drunk, saying, "Reality is like origami; you think it's tearing, but it's actually bending."
He pulled out the transcript of that conversation and, combined with Banner's handwritten notes, painstakingly deduced the story. He got stuck twice, restarted the calculation process three times, and spent two hours before finally arriving at a conclusion.
submit.
The other person replied instantly, "You're not working alone. I'm very interested."
It's done.
The third one is the most difficult to deal with.
Neuroengineers require video verification. This must involve seeing a real-world environment, demonstrating technical capabilities, and ensuring the security of the communication link.
Ye Mo got up and went to the next room. This was the prototype laboratory area of the temporary safe house. There was a table, two old computers, and a whiteboard on the wall covered with messy circuit diagrams. He set up the camera, activated the local encrypted channel, and said to the lens, "Everything you need to see is here."
The other person appeared in the corner of the frame, wearing a hat, with side lighting on their face, making their features unclear.
"You said you wouldn't let me do the experiments?" the man asked in a hoarse voice. "Then why are you looking for me?"
"I need you to know that we can do things differently." Ye Mo said, picking up a small device from the table. It was about the size of a palm, with crooked solder joints, like a student's work. This was a prototype he had made a few days ago, using Telepathy- tune the circuit's on/off state, achieving contactless switch control.
He placed his hand above the device and closed his eyes for a second.
The lights came on.
The light turned on by itself without any button being pressed or any remote control signal being received.
There was silence on the other end for a few seconds.
"This isn't anything new," the man said, "But the fact that you can make it like this... shows you have people and resources."
"I don't need you to build a brain cloner," Ye Mo said. "I just need you to help us understand the consciousness barrier and prevent mental intrusion. Can you do that?"
The other party remained silent for a while.
"I can try," he said, "But I don't promise to stay forever."
Ye Mo smiled, "No one has to stay here forever. As long as you're willing to come for even one day, that day has meaning."
"Okay." The other party nodded. "I'll contact you about the next access time."
The call has ended.
Ye Mo turned off the camera, leaned against the wall, and took a breath. All three connected.
He returned to the main terminal and refreshed the system panel. The Mutants Response Group was still running, with seven new unread messages, all sporadic responses from various locations. He ignored them for the time being.
Swipe your finger to enter the new module.
The [ Wisdom Response Team ] has been created.
The following sections are divided into four categories: Materials Science, Quantum Theory, Neural Engineering, and Energy Conversion.
Each item has a small green dot lit up next to it.
A system notification sounded, "Scientist recruitment successful. Gene Spiral Tower technology development initiated."
The eleventh layer vibrated again, and the data stream automatically reorganized. The spiral structure, which was originally used only for storing fragments of energy, began to divide into independent blocks specifically for processing scientific research information input.
He stared at the screen, and a blueprint suddenly popped into his mind. It wasn't a map, nor a battle plan, but a complete infrastructure diagram. Laboratory zoning, data center hierarchy, and the linkage of protection systems... everything was crystal clear.
He knew this diagram didn't appear out of thin air. The system was helping him organize his thoughts, and it was these newly joined talents who were causing the entire system to evolve.
He opened the document and created a new page. The title was "First Phase of Base Construction".
The first rule states: Prioritize the establishment of an energy core, using a dual-mode power supply of Vibranium Resonance and gamma recovery.
Article 2: Establish a closed R&D area, prohibit external network access, and store all data locally.
Article 3: A two-way exit mechanism is set up, allowing anyone to leave at any time without leaving any trace.
After writing these three points, he paused to take a sip of water. There were stains on the bottom of the glass, which he didn't wipe.
My phone vibrated at that moment.
It was a message from the neuroengineer. "Your security protocols are too primitive. I can change them."
This is followed by a file package named "Firewall v3-Neural Blocking Type".
He clicked download.
The file was loading, and when the progress bar was halfway through, he received another message.
The coordinates were sent by a quantum physicist, along with the message: "I'm on my way."
He looked up at the window. It was dark, and the city lights were coming on one by one. There was the sound of traffic in the distance, but nothing nearby.
He placed two sheets of paper side by side on the table. One was a list of Mutants Response Group, and the other was a newly drawn sketch of the base.
He tapped his finger lightly on the table.
"Now, we're not just a place to shelter from the wind anymore."
A breeze blew in, ruffling a corner of the page.
A line of text was revealed on the back:
"Capabilities protect the present, wisdom determines the future."