Ye Mo stared at the control panel; the screen was still displaying the word "heartbeat."
It wasn't a real person speaking; it was signal encoding. The other party compressed a bioelectric waveform into two words and sent them over, the frequency of which perfectly matched the fundamental frequency of the Gene Spiral Tower in his body. This didn't seem like a test; it was more like a coded message.
He didn't reply, nor did he shut down the system. He simply dragged the data into the analysis module and casually marked it with a star.
He knew that the real test was not outside, but inside.
The base is built, the gates are open, people need to come in one by one, and it needs to be functional.
He stood up and walked towards the training area corridor. Just as he stepped out, the quantum signal receiver flashed blue again—this time it remained lit. System notification: First responder's biometrics have been recorded; the mission [Training Ground Adaptation Plan] is automatically activated.
They've arrived.
Frostmark walked in through the passageway wrapped in a thick Cloak, her entire body shrouded in shadow. She stood motionless at the doorway, her eyes scanning the surrounding metal walls and the motion-sensor lights overhead, her fingers constantly clenched into her palms.
Ye Mo didn't go up to them or say anything. He sat down at the edge of the shooting range and patted the ground next to him.
The girl hesitated for a few seconds, then slowly walked over and sat down, about half a meter away from him, no more, no less.
"Do you know why I contacted you?" Ye Mo asked.
She shook her head.
"Because you saved three people," he said. "On the day of the blizzard on the Murmansk border, the expedition team was trapped for seven hours, and you brought them out. Others thought you were a monster, but you didn't freeze them to death; instead, you used your cold air to block the avalanche."
The girl's fingers loosened slightly.
"My ability... I can't control it," she said softly. "During the last practice session, the ice cracked all the way to the third-floor corridor."
"Then don't press it," Ye Mo said. "What you're most afraid of right now isn't losing control, it's hurting people. But the more afraid you are, the easier it is to explode."
He raised his hand, palm up. "Try releasing a little of your cold energy, don't let it take shape, just let it float."
The girl frowned. "What if..."
"If it explodes, Tony can pay for the repairs," Ye Mo grinned. "He's rich, he's not afraid of repairs."
She didn't laugh, but she raised her hand.
A wisp of white mist escaped from her fingertips, swirling slowly in the air. Then it suddenly spread, and frost began to form on the ground, creeping outwards in concentric circles.
Ye Mo remained seated. "Don't stop it, let it go. Bring it back when you feel it's full."
The frost stopped at the edge of his shoes. The girl's breathing became heavy, and sweat beaded on her forehead. But she didn't stop; instead, she closed her eyes and gently tightened her fingers.
The white mist flowed backward and retracted into the palm of the hand. The ice on the ground crackled and shattered into fine powder.
"It's done." Ye Mo nodded. "You managed to retrieve it on the first try, not bad."
He stood up and activated the training AI: "Initiate simulated combat, level one, objective: cooperative defense."
System response: [Training Ground Adaptation Plan] Progress 1/3, Ability Stability Rating Improved to C+.
At the same time, a notification came from the research area.
Researchers at Vibranium requested urgent access to the gamma-ray spectrometer to verify a new model. The problem is that the equipment is currently under the control of biological neuroengineers, who have not yet agreed to share access.
Ye Mo connected the call, "You two, talk face-to-face now."
Two seconds later, the scene cuts to a different view. On the left is a middle-aged man wearing glasses, and on the right is a female engineer with a ponytail; neither of them looks too good.
"His experiments will affect the neural signal calibration I'm currently conducting," the female engineer said.
"But if my model holds true, it could increase Vibranium energy conversion rate by 18 percent," the researcher retorted.
Ye Mo listened, tapping his fingers on the table. "Here's the arrangement: I'll open a temporary connection. Your data can be cross-validated, but she retains control over the original samples. You can use her data to run models, but she has the right to disconnect at any time. How does that sound?"
The two exchanged a glance and nodded.
"Okay," the female engineer said, "But if he secretly changes the parameters, I'll cut off the internet."
"I've been coding for ten years longer than him," the researcher scoffed.
Ye Mo directly operated the backend, creating a new isolated sandbox environment and setting up log tracking. The two people's project data began to flow synchronously, and the first joint analysis report popped up on the screen.
[Scientific Research Project] triggered, S-level potential marker appeared: The idea of " Vibranium -gamma coupling effect" has entered the preliminary review stage.
He breathed a sigh of relief and turned back to the training area.
The South Africa youth had arrived and was conducting Vibration Sense tests with Frostmark. The boy's ability was to detect underground structural fluctuations, making him suitable as an early warning probe. However, he was too nervous, and each signal feedback was delayed by half a beat.
"You're not a machine," Ye Mo said, standing beside him. "Don't focus on precision; first, feel the rhythm. Like listening to a song, don't count the beats, just sway along."
The boy took a deep breath and relaxed his shoulders. When the next simulated earthquake signal came in, he suddenly raised his hand and pointed to the corner on his right.
"There's a cavity there," he said.
Ye Mo looked at the radar image—indeed, there was an unmarked maintenance pipe three meters underground.
"Oh, right," he patted his shoulder, "Next time, don't wait for it to ring, shout first."
At 3 PM, the system compiled the first round of data.
Five rounds of basic drills were completed at the training ground. The three-person team achieved two zero-error coordinated defenses. Frostmark's temperature control accuracy improved by 40%, and the South Africa youth's reaction speed reached the B-level standard.
Three reports were submitted from the research team, one of which was marked as high priority. JARVIS AI recommended that prototype testing be started immediately.
A notification sounded in my brain:
"The successful training of new recruits increases the future strength reserves of the Gene Spiral Tower."
Ye Mo stood in the second-floor observation corridor, looking down. The training area lights were stable, and the screens in the research area were scrolling continuously. The maintenance technician hadn't arrived yet, but Tony had messaged to say that the background check had passed and he would arrive tomorrow morning.
He touched the Vibranium fragment in his hoodie pocket; it was still warm.
The "heartbeat" signal remained online, without sending any new content, but it also didn't log out. It was as if it was waiting for something.
Instead of contacting them immediately, he pulled up the newcomer's growth curve chart. All three lines were trending upwards, albeit slowly, but without breaking down.
Some people are born to shine, while others need time to ignite their brilliance.
He is not in a hurry.
At 7 p. m., he re-entered the training field.
This time, a practical training module was included.
"Listen up, everyone," he said to the three men below. "Over the next seventy-two hours, there will be emergency alarms, false intrusion signals, and simulated equipment malfunctions. You must judge for yourselves whether they are real or fake, and decide how to handle them. I will not interfere; I will only observe."
"What if we're wrong?" the South Africa youth asked.
"It's a mistake, that's a mistake," Ye Mo said. "The base won't collapse, and we won't lose any people. But you need to remember where you went wrong and correct it next time."
He started the program and left the training area.
Back at the control panel, a new supplementary clause to the agreement was found from the biological neuroengineer: requiring all personnel connected to the brain-computer interface to sign an informed consent form and setting up a three-level emergency disconnection mechanism.
He clicked "agree" and left a note saying, "You're stricter than me."
The other person replied instantly, "Because I don't want to wake up one day and find myself working for Hydra."
He smiled and was about to reply when a new notification popped up in the lower right corner of the screen.
The [Facility Maintenance Procedure] task has been activated.
The maintenance technician arrived at the perimeter of the base, his identity was verified, and he is now undergoing a security scan.
Ye Mo stood up and walked towards the entrance passage.
He knew that from this day forward, this place would no longer be an empty shell.
It's not anyone's refuge.
It's a beginning.
He walked to the gate, and saw the man carrying the toolbox in the surveillance footage raise his head and wink at the camera.
Ye Mo pressed the door open button.