Ye Mo put his phone in his pocket, screen down, inside his hoodie pocket. The rhythm he had just recorded was still playing on a loop: three long beats, two short beats, a one-second pause, then three more. He tapped his knee with his knuckles, matching the frequency of the flashing fragments.
wrong.
The Vibranium shard flashed red light every twelve seconds, as rhythmic as a heartbeat. But the rhythm of the man tapping his leg changed three times, with the last time including an extra short beat.
"He's adjusting it," Ye Mo said softly. "It's not a fixed password, it's real-time feedback."
Emma Frost leaned against the rock wall, her eyes closed. Her fingers were still gently pressing on her temples, her mental energy still lingering. She nodded. "Each time an arc of electricity appears, his right hand twitches slightly half a second in advance. This isn't receiving, it's confirming."
"So the people behind this are testing the defense mechanism." Ye Mo stroked his chin. "Let's see when the hammer reacts, how hard it hits, and what kind of action it targets."
"These people are living test subjects." Emma Frost opened her eyes, her gaze cold. "Their consciousness is being controlled in sync; they don't even feel fear."
"Easy," Ye Mo smirked. "Even if he dies, we don't have to pay compensation."
They all fell silent. The wind in the valley began to change direction, scattering pebbles across the ground. The crowd remained rooted to the spot; no one drank water, no one moved, and even their blinking frequency was roughly the same. The police had been gone for almost an hour, and after the taillights of the police car disappeared around the bend in the mountain road, the scene became even quieter.
Ye Mo looked down at the Vibranium fragment buried in the crack. It was flashing faster than before, from once every twelve seconds to once every ten seconds. The surface temperature had also risen slightly, and he could feel a slight vibration.
"Energy is accumulating," he said. "It's not random fluctuation; it's a purposeful recharging."
"You want to take action?" Emma Frost asked.
"No." Ye Mo shook his head. "If I move even slightly now, tomorrow's world headlines will be 'Mysterious Man Attempts to Steal God of Thunder's Weapon.' Tony will send me a cease and desist letter."
Emma Frost glanced at him. "You do know what's important."
"I've remained clear-headed the whole time." Ye Mo put on his silver glasses. "I'm just thick-skinned, not stupid. The most important thing now is to see who can stay calm."
"You mean, wait for the person who actually wants the hammer to show up?"
"Yes." Ye Mo pointed to the man in the hat by the pit, "We're watching him now, but others might be watching us too. Whoever moves first will be exposed."
Emma Frost was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly raised her hand and made a gesture. A white light appeared at her fingertips, which quickly went out. She was setting up a mental warning network, not very large, just enough to cover the area where the two were hiding. If any external consciousness probed in, she could detect it immediately.
"You're getting more and more skilled at this trick," Ye Mo said.
"Stop flattering me." Emma Frost withdrew her hand. "You said you wanted to wait until tonight, what was your reason?"
"Three," Ye Mo held up one finger. "First, fewer people make the target easier to spot; second, the dark environment interferes with visual surveillance, so if the other side uses drones or remote observation, the accuracy will decrease; third—" He patted his pocket, "This thing lights up more frequently at night, which means it's most active at night."
Emma Frost glanced at the sky. The sun was almost setting, with only a reddish-orange rim remaining in the west, casting long shadows on the rock face on the other side of the valley. The shadows stretched longer and longer, and the figures of the crowd merged into a dark mass, looking from a distance like a row of wooden stakes driven into the ground.
"You suspect the hammer has a time lock?" she asked.
"I don't know," Ye Mo said honestly, "But I've seen too many things sealed during the day and unsealed at night. Church cellars, ancient tomb mechanisms, and even Tony's wine vault... it's all the same trick."
Emma Frost couldn't help but laugh, "You're comparing a divine artifact to a wine cabinet?"
"Essentially the same," Ye Mo shrugged. "They're all for preventing theft."
They continued to watch the scene. The man in the hat moved again. This time he raised his left hand, drew a circle in the air, and then made a diagonal cut. The movement was so subtle that it was almost imperceptible without close inspection.
"New signal." Ye Mo immediately took out his phone, turned on the camera mode, and zoomed in on the image.
What does the circle represent? A period? A cycle? Or some kind of coordinate system?
"That cut looked like a severance," Emma Frost squinted. "It might be a change in condition."
" The Vibranium shard flashed twice after he made the move," Ye Mo said, replaying the video. "This indicates that the two actions are related."
As they were talking, the sound of an engine came from afar. A pickup truck drove up from another mountain road, its side bearing the logo of a local television station. Two reporters got out, one carrying a camera and the other a microphone, both wearing windbreakers and looking well-prepared.
The two had just reached the edge of the tunnel and hadn't even spoken when a bolt of electricity suddenly shot out from the ground, striking the camera lens directly. The equipment immediately started smoking, and the reporter jumped back in fright, nearly falling over.
The others did not react.
The man in the hat remained standing, but his right hand trembled slightly, as if he were recording some data.
"The same reaction pattern," Emma Frost said. "Any initiative to approach will trigger an attack."
"But they weren't here to steal," Ye Mo said, watching the two reporters retreat in a disheveled state. "They just wanted to take news photos."
"The system only recognizes intent," Emma Frost analyzed. "Whether you're a hero or a reporter, as long as you're thinking 'I want to get close to that thing,' it triggers the condition."
"What if we stand here so far away and silently repeat 'I want to go over there' in our minds?" Ye Mo joked.
"You'll get electrocuted and your hair will turn into curly hair." Emma Frost said expressionlessly.
Ye Mo touched his hair and shrank his neck.
It was completely dark.
After the last ray of light disappeared, the temperature in the valley plummeted. A metallic smell became more pronounced in the air, like rust mixed with static electricity.
The Vibranium fragments began to generate continuous heat.
Ye Mo pulled it out of the ground and found that the surface texture was faintly glowing, with a bluish tint. The flashing frequency had changed to once every seven seconds, and after each flash, the surrounding pebbles would jump slightly.
"It's resonating." Emma Frost opened her eyes. "It's not just receiving signals, it's responding."
"It's not a response," Ye Mo shook his head, "It's a calibration."
"What's the meaning?"
"It's learning," Ye Mo, staring at the fragments. "Like a child listening to a song, at first they don't understand the melody, but after listening to it many times, they can hum along. This film is currently recording the energy rhythm here."
Emma Frost looked at him. "Can you use it to trace back?"
"Not necessarily." Ye Mo carefully put away the fragments. "But I'm certain of one thing—someone will definitely make a move tonight."
"Why?"
"Because the energy peak is approaching." Ye Mo pointed to the center of the pit, "Look at the hammer handle."
Emma Frost looked in that direction.
On the handle of Mjolnir, the ancient runes were lighting up at an extremely slow pace, like breathing. Each time they lit up, a low-frequency vibration would emanate from the ground, which could even be felt by the rocks where they were hiding.
"It's unlocking," Emma Frost said.
"Or maybe they're waiting for the key." Ye Mo stood up, brushing the dust off his pants. "We need to find a different spot."
"Now?"
"When no one's looking," Ye Mo pointed to a narrow ditch on the left, "It's closer over there, the view is better, and we can avoid the main path's surveillance range."
Aren't you afraid of triggering an alert?
"I'm scared." Ye Mo grinned. "That's why I let you go first."
Emma Frost rolled her eyes, but still got up and moved along the rock wall. Ye Mo followed behind, his steps very light. The two of them walked one after the other through the scree and into the depths of the ravine. The new observation point was only forty meters from the edge of the pit, with no obstructions in between, and they could clearly see the movements of Hammer and everyone else.
Ye Mo squatted down, took out a black circuit board from his backpack, and stuck it to the back of the rock. This was a homemade signal jammer that could block electronic detection within ten meters.
"You even prepared this?" Emma Frost asked in a low voice.
"These are parts I picked up when we dealt with the Scavenger Unit last time." Ye Mo turned on the power. "Don't ask, just tell me the system told me to bring them."
Emma Frost scoffed, "You always say that."
"I'm serious." Ye Mo looked at her earnestly. "The system just reminded me—'Don't turn around.'"
Emma Frost instinctively froze.
But she didn't turn around.
The two remained in their positions and breathed softly.
In the distance, the man in the hat raised his hand once again.
This time he didn't use any symbols.
Instead, he slowly took off his hat.
The moonlight shone on his face.
It was a face devoid of any expression.
The pupils are pure black and do not reflect light.