The moment Thor transformed into a bolt of lightning and soared into the clouds, Ye Mo remained standing still. His right arm's Steel Bone had just finished Regeneration, its metallic sheen reflecting the sunlight slightly. The crack on his left shoulder was still crackling, with sparks occasionally flickering, like a short-circuited socket.
He looked down at his hands, and suddenly felt a numbness in his palm.
It wasn't the pain from the wound, nor was it a system alarm; rather, it was a strange warmth that surged from my fingertips, creeping along my veins into my arm. The sensation came suddenly, and it didn't feel like an attack, but rather like... something had come to me on its own initiative.
A notification sounded in my head, but this time it was different.
There were no alarms, no countdown, and the tone wasn't as mechanical and cold as usual.
[ X-Gene Resonance System Notification: High-intensity divine lightning energy residue detected, meeting the activation conditions for the " Lightning Control " ability. Fuse?]
Ye Mo was stunned.
He opened his mouth, almost blurting out, "Did you take the wrong medicine today?" But he held back, instead replying in his mind, "I'm sure."
The next second, my spine jolted violently, as if it had been pierced by a high-voltage electric shock. The second level of the twenty-layered Gene Spiral Tower trembled slightly, and a silver-blue pattern appeared on the tower wall, with four words written on it: Lightning Control - Beginner.
"Done?" He moved his wrist and found a faint electric current running under his skin. It didn't hurt; in fact, it felt a little good.
Emma Frost walked over and stood next to him. Her face was still pale; her mental energy was too depleted to continue scanning for a short time. But her eyes were clear, though her brows were furrowed.
Your heart is racing.
"It's nothing," Ye Mo waved his hand. "That sudden burst of power just now gave me a little charge."
What are you saying?
"Literal meaning." He raised his right hand, palm up, trying to concentrate. A small cluster of blue-white arcs of electricity emerged from between his fingers, crackled a few times, and then went out.
Emma Frost stared at him for two seconds. "So you can generate electricity now?"
"The basic version can't even charge a phone." He withdrew his finger. "But at least I unlocked a new skin; now I have another side hustle."
The two stood there, neither of them moving.
The sky had brightened considerably, and sunlight shone through the gaps in the dark clouds onto the scorched ground. In the distance, the remains of the Destroyer lay scattered on the ground, a pile of twisted metal and charred circuit boards.
Ye Mo bent down and picked up a black fragment from the Ashes. It was the chip remnant that had been destroyed by " Regenerative Phasing " earlier. He turned it over and saw that the Asgard runes on the back were actually glowing golden in the sunlight, and it felt a little warm to the touch.
"This thing isn't quite dead yet," he said in a low voice.
Emma Frost closed her eyes and sensed for a moment. "It's not safe here. Loki may have cut off the signal, but he might still have remote detection capabilities. We can't stay here any longer."
"I know." Ye Mo stuffed the chip into his inner bag. "Take it back and disassemble it. Anyway, I can control electricity now, so it might be useful as a temporary decoder."
Emma Frost glanced at him. "You're planning to study it?"
"What else?" He shrugged. "A free cheat code, might as well use it. Besides—" He paused, looking up at the sky, "In that battle just now, not only did he grow stronger, but I also benefited."
Do you think Thor can win?
Emma Frost asked the question, her voice very soft.
Ye Mo didn't answer immediately. He looked down at his right hand, and a small arc of electricity unconsciously gathered in his palm, the blue light reflected in his pupils.
"I don't know," he said.
Then he looked up, gazing at the direction of the gap in the clouds. "But he didn't come back alone. This time, he even brought back my electricity."
Emma Frost suddenly laughed, "So you're recharging with God's help?"
"Make good use of resources." He shrugged. "It's better than relying on the system to draw cards every day."
The wind blew through the valley, stirring up Ashes and debris. Faint smoke still rose from the ground, and the air still smelled of burnt metal. In the distance, the faint sound of police sirens could be heard from the direction of the town, indicating that the local police had begun their intervention.
But none of them moved.
Ye Mo stood there, his gaze fixed on the crack in the sky. He knew Thor had crossed the Bifrost and entered Asgard. But he still wanted to see that moment with his own eyes—to confirm that the man who had once exchanged coins at the gas station for hamburgers had really returned carrying his hammer.
Emma Frost stood beside him, her hands hanging at her sides. She didn't speak again, but her Mental Network quietly spread out a thin barrier to prevent any unknown signals from infiltrating. The battle just now had revealed too much information; she didn't believe Loki would give up eavesdropping so easily.
Time ticked by, second by second.
The sunlight grew stronger.
Ye Mo's right arm Steel Bone began to automatically repair the crack in his left shoulder, the metal fibers slowly extending and filling the gap. Each repair caused a slight stinging pain, but he got used to it. This pain at least showed that his body was still working and the system was still functioning.
He suddenly remembered something and reached into his pocket.
The chip is still there.
The temperature is a little higher than before.
He gripped it tightly without making a sound, his fingertips brushing against the edge of the rune. In that instant, the arc of electricity in his palm suddenly flickered, and the frequency changed.
It's like a response.
"Interesting," he thought to himself.
Emma Frost noticed his movement. "What's wrong?"
"This chip... seems to recognize my current current frequency," he murmured. "That attack just now not only gave me a fragment of power, but it might also have created some kind of synchronization between me and God of Thunder's power."
"You mean, the system absorbs not only energy, but also permissions?"
"Perhaps." He squinted. " Asgard technology likes to bind to bloodlines, but their magic is a bit allergic to Mutants genes. I, the latecomer, have somehow slipped through the net."
Emma Frost paused for a few seconds, then said, "You must use it carefully. That kind of power is not something ordinary people can control."
"I'm not an ordinary person," he laughed. "I have a system."
The moment he finished speaking, a sudden surge of electricity crackled in his palm.
This time it wasn't a faint spark, but a three-centimeter-long bolt of lightning that exploded with a crack.
Ye Mo quickly withdrew his strength, but his fingertips were already numb.
"Damn." He shook his hand. "This thing isn't very obedient."
"You've only just unlocked it," Emma Frost reminded her, "Don't rush to use it as a high-voltage power line tower."
"I know." He rubbed his temples. "It's just that... it wants to move, not that I want to move."
Emma Frost turned to look at him. "What do you mean?"
"Like now." He raised his hand, and an electric arc reappeared in his palm. This time, the current spontaneously converged, forming a small vortex-like structure that lasted for two seconds before dissipating.
"It's learning from me," Ye Mo said. "I'm using it, but it's also adapting to me."
The air fell silent for a moment.
The sound of sirens grew closer in the distance.
But they still didn't move.
Ye Mo lowered his right hand and took a deep breath. He knew he couldn't try again; his body and system needed time to adjust. Forcibly controlling it might cause a backlash, and he clearly remembered the lesson of almost being paralyzed when he merged with the " Steel Bone Structure " last time.
He looked at Emma Frost: "We have to go back."
"Wait a minute," she said.
"How?"
"I want to wait a little longer." Emma Frost gazed at the sky. "When Thor left just now, I felt a brief mental fluctuation, like a farewell, or perhaps a warning."
Ye Mo nodded. "I felt it too. It's not targeting us, it's for the entire Earth."
"So he knew there would be more to come."
"Of course," he sneered, " Loki won't give up so easily. The Destroyer is just the beginning; the real show hasn't even started yet."
Emma Frost looked away and asked him, "Are you ready?"
In which aspect?
"To be the one who can catch lightning."
Ye Mo did not answer.
He simply raised his hand and looked at his palm one last time.
The electric arc lay there quietly, like an animal just awakened, still yet full of power.
He knew this ability was incomplete, uncontrollable, and might even harm him. But he also knew that this small flame was stolen from the war of gods.
He risked his life for it.
It's what he deserves.
"Prepare my ass." He grinned. "There's always a way when you reach the mountain, and electricity will work when you have it."
Emma Frost finally smiled.
She turned around, ready to leave.
But Ye Mo didn't move.
He remained standing there, gazing at the horizon.
The sunlight shone on his face, casting a long shadow.
The arc of electricity in his palm suddenly flickered.
Immediately afterwards, the chip in my pocket also vibrated for a moment.
Same frequency.