The Avengers arrive

The crack on the main screen stopped at three centimeters, like a solidified scar. Ye Mo's hand was still suspended in mid-air, the warmth of the Vibranium fragment still lingering in his palm. He didn't look at the screen, nor did he move his fingers; he simply slowly withdrew his hand and stuffed it into his hoodie pocket. The metal was still vibrating against his skin, but he no longer stared at it.

He turned and walked towards the entrance of the passage, his steps slow and he didn't look back.

"Notify everyone to come to the central hall."

His voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear. He gave the order and continued walking forward without waiting for a response. He knew they would come. This wasn't the time for one person to guard one machine.

Tony was the last to arrive. When he walked into the hall, his armor was still partially removed, his shoulder armor was still glowing blue, and he was carrying an unopened bottle of energy drink. He spotted Ye Mo standing in front of him and, without saying a word, tossed the bottle to him.

"I left this for you, don't say I didn't take care of you, you poor wretch."

Ye Mo reached out and caught it, nodding gently. The bottle was cool to the touch, with a layer of water droplets on it. He unscrewed the cap, took a sip, and then handed it to the left.

Emma Frost stood there, her silver-grey eyes fixed on the bottle in his hand. She didn't speak, but took it and held it in her hand. Her knuckles turned slightly white, but she didn't let go.

The bottle was passed to the right. Bruce Banner had just walked in; he was more robust than before, and his face was no longer so pale. He looked at the drink being offered, hesitated for a moment, but still took it. The bottle lay quietly in his palm; he neither drank nor put it down.

Four people stood in a row. Ye Mo was in the middle, Emma Frost was on the left, Bruce was on the right, and Tony stood on the far side. In front of them was a giant projection screen, on which a holographic image of the Earth slowly rotated, with a red dot marking the location of the crack. Light shone on everyone's face, and no one blinked.

Tony cracked his wrists, the armor components making a slight grinding sound. "Are we just going to stand here and wait for it to explode?"

Nobody paid him any attention.

Ye Mo closed his eyes. His consciousness sank in, entering the Gene Spiral Tower. The twenty ability modules lit up one by one, from the first to the seventeenth, each vibrating as if awakened by a certain frequency. He didn't rush to use any abilities, but simply made them operate, as steady as a heartbeat.

A notification sounded in my brain:

"The Avengers ' prototype begins to emerge; the Gene Spiral Tower embarks on a new journey."

He opened his eyes.

"We are not here to win any particular battle."

The sound wasn't loud, but it carried far in the spacious hall.

"So that in the future, when someone wants to disrupt this world, they will see—that someone is still standing."

Tony snorted, but a slight smile played on his lips. "That sounds plausible."

He didn't move, but his shoulders straightened even more.

Emma Frost raised her hand, a faint white light emanating from her fingertips. Diamond Form activated, and fine crystalline patterns appeared on her skin, like a thin layer of ice covering her entire body. She didn't look at anyone else, only at the screen in front of her. Her breathing became steady, and her gaze no longer wandered.

Bruce took a deep breath. His fingers twitched, leaving a shallow mark on the bottle. He glanced down at the drink in his hand, then slowly placed it on the control panel beside him. His movements were gentle, as if afraid of disturbing something.

He straightened up, shoulders back, his gaze fixed on the model of the globe. The struggle and fear that had once lingered in his eyes were still there, but now there was something else. Not anger, nor determination, but acceptance—to himself, to the power, and to whatever might come.

Tony glanced at him and whispered, "Given your condition, isn't the Hulk going to throw a tantrum today?"

Bruce glanced at him, a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth. "As long as you don't blow up the engine first, I won't lose control."

"Hey, my armor is way more reliable than yours." Tony patted his chest. "JARVIS's code is even polite when it comes to bugs."

"Then who was the one who yelled for help when you got hit by an EMP last time?" Ye Mo asked.

"That was a tactical call for reinforcements! Do you understand?" Tony immediately retorted. "Besides, if I hadn't drawn fire, would you have been able to successfully Wall Phasing and launch a surprise attack?"

"You still have the nerve to bring this up?" Emma Frost finally spoke. "That time you almost crashed through three layers of protective walls, shattering the mental link I had just established."

"An accident! Purely an accident!" Tony waved his hand. "And didn't we win in the end?"

The atmosphere in the hall changed. The tension hadn't snapped, but it was no longer deathly silent. They were still warriors facing an unknown threat, but now they were more like a team. Not a hastily assembled group of helpers, but people who knew each other's moves.

Ye Mo looked at the three of them. Tony was sharp-tongued, but his stance always protected his right side; Emma Frost had a cold face, but her action of handing over the drink earlier revealed her habit—always prioritizing checking on the person next to her; Bruce was silent, but what he put down wasn't just a drink, but also his guard.

He looked at the screen again. The crack was still there, but faint fluctuations began to appear around the red dot. The system didn't issue any alarms or indicate an approaching attack. But it was changing. The frequency was increasing, and the amplitude was expanding, as if some kind of signal was being loaded.

"It's still testing," Ye Mo said.

"Let it try." Tony opened his wrist terminal. "I've buried the swarm of drones three stories underground. If it dares to show itself, I'll give it a welcome party."

"The mental firewall has been rebuilt." Emma Frost closed her eyes for a second. "Any information intrusion will trigger a backlash program."

"I'm ready too." Bruce placed his hand on the edge of the console. "I can transform anytime if needed."

Ye Mo nodded. He didn't give any orders or lay out any tactics. They didn't need to. Everyone knew their place and what they were supposed to do.

He raised his right hand, palm facing forward. The twentieth floor of the Gene Spiral Tower trembled slightly, and a hidden energy began to flow. This was neither an attack nor a defense, but a declaration—their rhythm had begun.

Tony saw his movement and chuckled. "Are you about to unleash your ultimate move?"

"It's not a powerful move," Ye Mo said, "It's opening a door."

"Oh?" Tony raised an eyebrow. "Invite them in for tea?"

"No." Ye Mo stared at the screen. "It's to show them what home-field advantage really means."

As soon as he finished speaking, the lights in the entire base dimmed for a moment before returning to normal. The hum of the energy core increased by half a degree, like the warm-up of an engine before ignition. All monitoring screens switched to global mode simultaneously, with the crack data updating in real time, refreshed every 0.1 seconds.

Bruce noticed something and frowned. "The energy readings are rising, not from the outside, but from within."

"Living Crystal Shield charging." Emma Frost opened her eyes. "Are you activating a combined mode of Regenerative Phasing and Quantum Sensing?"

"Not only that," Ye Mo said, "I've also added Danger Sense. The warning time can be increased to four seconds."

"Aren't you afraid of system overload?" Tony asked.

"I'm afraid," Ye Mo said, "But I'm even more afraid that they'll come in and find we're not ready."

Tony grinned and patted him on the shoulder. "Not bad, you've got some nerve now."

"I've always had it," Ye Mo replied.

"Come on, when you first came here you'd yell 'System notification told me to hide' at everyone you met," Tony mimicked his tone. "Now you've learned to take responsibility."

"People have to grow up eventually," Ye Mo said calmly.

"True," Tony shrugged. "After all, you're ' Mr. X ' now; you can't always use the system as a shield."

Ye Mo didn't reply. He stared at the screen; the crack had widened to 3.2 centimeters. The growth rate was slow, but continuous. He knew the other party wasn't testing him, but preparing. Like drawing a bow, the string was tightening, waiting for the arrow to be released.

He raised his left hand and gently clenched his fist. The Vibranium fragment in his palm heated up again, this time not Passive Resonance, but actively responding. He could feel that something hidden within it was awakening.

Emma Frost noticed something was wrong and turned to look at him. "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing," Ye Mo said, "It just feels like... it recognized us."

"Who?" Tony asked.

"I don't know," Ye Mo, staring at the screen, "But it's coming for us."

Tony's smile faded, and he looked back at the projection. Bruce tensed up as well. The air grew heavy again, but this time, no one was tense. They simply waited, like hunters lying in wait for a trap.

Ye Mo raised his hands and placed them on either side of the control panel. The Gene Spiral Tower was fully activated, with all twenty layers of ability modules operating simultaneously. Energy traveled up his nerves, and a glint of silver flashed in his pupils.

"Attention all personnel." He pressed the communication button, his voice echoing throughout the base, "Level 1 combat readiness maintained. No one is permitted to leave their post."

We won't hide.

"I won't run away."

"Wait for them to come in."

"Then close the door and beat the dog."

Tony chuckled and put on his helmet visor. Emma Frost's white light intensified, forming a semi-transparent shield. Bruce unbuttoned his jacket, revealing the pressure suit underneath. Tony's armor automatically completed the final assembly, and his palm cannons glowed red.

The four people stood side by side, facing the screen. The crack widened to 3.5 centimeters, and the edges began to twist, as if torn apart by an invisible hand.

Ye Mo opened his arms, the eighteenth level of the Gene Spiral Tower was unlocked, and a new power began to merge.

Just then, the main screen suddenly flickered.

A line of text appeared at the center of the crack:

Are you ready?