The moment Thor transformed into lightning and soared into the clouds, the arc of electricity in Ye Mo's palm suddenly contracted, as if it had been drawn back by something. He looked down at his hand; the current flowing beneath his skin was still there, but its rhythm had changed. It was no longer surging wildly; instead, it had calmed down and was slowly circulating along his veins.
He didn't move.
Emma Frost didn't move either.
The two stood there, staring at the sky. The Bifrost had closed, leaving only a pale golden streak in the air, like a mark left by an eraser on paper.
"He went back," Emma Frost said.
"Hmm," Ye Mo responded softly.
He knew Thor had retrieved the hammer and regained his power. But he also knew that this was not a triumphant return, but a final moment of calm before the battle.
The sirens grew closer, coming from the distant mountain road. At least three vehicles were heading this way. It was probably the local police who had received a report of unusual weather and were coming to investigate. Ordinary people shouldn't stay at the scene in this situation, but they couldn't leave too quickly either.
"Keep it for another thirty seconds," Ye Mo said.
"Why?" Emma Frost asked.
"Because I just remembered something." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the black chip. It was still warm, the runes on its surface glowing slightly, just like before. But this time he noticed a detail—whenever there was an air current disturbance in the sky ahead, the chip would vibrate once, at a fixed frequency.
This is not a passive reaction.
It's eavesdropping.
"This thing records environmental data," he said. "It's not just Asgard technology; it can also trace the source of energy fluctuations in reverse."
Emma Frost frowned. "You mean, someone is using it to see our current situation?"
"It's not necessarily who it is." Ye Mo flipped the chip over. "It could be Loki, or it could be some other spy from Asgard. But whoever it is, they want to know what this battle left behind."
"Aren't you afraid of being exposed if you take it out now?"
"I'm scared." He shoved the chip back into his inner pocket. "But I need to confirm if it has a self-destruct mechanism. That battle was too clean; the Destroyer was completely destroyed, yet this core fragment remained intact. It's too much of a coincidence."
Emma Frost paused for two seconds. "What do you want to do?"
"Go back and build a shielded room," he said. "The first thing to do is lock it in a Faraday cage and cut off all radio signals. If it's a key, we'll figure out how to open it; if it's a bomb, then we'll have to disarm it first."
She nodded. "Okay. But I have to go now, I can't hold on much longer."
She was telling the truth. She had used too much mental energy in that battle, first interfering with the Destroyer's locking system, and then helping Thor transmit emotional signals. Now her brain felt like a wrung-out towel, unable to even maintain a basic scan.
Ye Mo glanced at her. "Can you even put up a fake signal? Like that last move before you left."
"Yes," she said, closing her eyes, "But only for five minutes."
"Enough." He turned to face the center of the battlefield, raised his hand, and gestured, "Let's begin."
Emma Frost took a deep breath, releasing her last bit of mental energy to create a false energy afterimage above the scorched earth. It looked as if someone was still active, with faint electrical flashes, as if the ability user was recovering. In reality, there was nothing there; it was just an illusion.
After doing all that, she was a little unsteady on her feet.
Ye Mo reached out and helped him up.
"I'm fine," she said. "I can walk."
"I know." He released his grip. "You've always been able to walk."
The two began moving towards the edge of the valley. They didn't run, nor did they look back. Their steps were steady, like a stroll, but each step was calculated. They wanted the approaching investigators to see a chaotic battlefield, but no survivors.
Halfway there, Ye Mo suddenly stopped.
"What's wrong?" Emma Frost asked.
"I remembered the system notification from earlier," he said. " Lightning Control, beginner level. Sounds impressive, but it can't even light a light bulb."
"You just unlocked it, how could it be so fast?"
"The problem is that it moves on its own." He raised his right hand, palm up. Sure enough, the electric arc reappeared, a small cluster of blue-white sparks spontaneously condensing into a ring, which lasted for two seconds before dissipating.
"It's adapting to me," he said. "It's not that I'm controlling it, it's that we're adjusting to each other."
Emma Frost stared at it. "You think it can be conscious?"
"Not really." He shook his head, "But it remembers Thor's power pattern. When that lightning struck just now, there was a resonance between me and the hammer, though it was only for a moment, but the system picked it up."
"So you took advantage of his influence?"
"To be precise, I jumped on the bandwagon," he chuckled. "It's like connecting to your neighbor's Wi-Fi; even with the wrong password, you can still steal some bandwidth."
Emma Frost didn't laugh.
She looked at the arc of electricity in his palm and suddenly said, "Have you ever considered that this ability might have a binding mechanism? For example, it might only be usable on Earth, or it might become ineffective outside a certain range?"
"I've thought about it," he said, "So I won't try it right away. I'll go back and do a quarantine test first to see how reliable it is."
He took a few more steps forward and stopped next to a charred metal plate. It was a fragment of the Destroyer's armor, still bearing the marks of high-temperature melting. He crouched down and touched the surface with his hand.
The temperature is lower than before.
But the moment his fingers touched it, the arc of electricity in his palm suddenly jumped, automatically extending out and gently touching the metal.
A soft "sizzle" sound.
A small current traced a loop along the edge of the fragment, as if probing something.
Ye Mo immediately stopped.
"It moved by itself," he said.
"What do you mean?" Emma Frost walked over.
"It wasn't randomly discharging," he said, pointing to the spot where they had just been. "It was looking for something. That last burst was scanning for residual energy."
Can you control it?
"No." He stood up. "Right now, I can only turn it on or off; how it actually operates is up to it to decide."
"So you have a disobedient pet?"
"Pretty much." He dusted off his pants. "But at least it's our own dog; it's better than being bitten by a stray dog outside."
The sirens were already at the foot of the mountain, and the headlights of the cars were flashing as they shone through the bend in the road.
"It's time to go," Emma Frost said.
"Wait five more seconds." Ye Mo looked up at the sky.
The sky cleared, and the wind stopped. The oppressive feeling from before had disappeared, but there was still an indescribable smell in the air, like ozone mixed with rust. He knew it was the lingering scent of divine energy, which wouldn't dissipate anytime soon.
Five seconds passed.
He turned and walked with Emma Frost toward the edge of the woods.
The two traversed the charred ravines, their footsteps crunching on the gravel. The aircraft, hidden on the leeward side, was undamaged and ready to take off at any moment. But they were in no hurry.
As they reached the edge of the woods, Ye Mo suddenly spoke up, "What do you think will be the first thing Thor does when he gets back?"
"Find Loki," Emma Frost answered quickly.
"Yes," he nodded, "But he won't act directly. Odin set this up to test his character. Now that he's taken the hammer, it's like slapping Father in the face. The people of Asgard will definitely have something to say."
"So he needs to stabilize the situation first."
"That's right." Ye Mo smiled. "And we'll just sit on Earth and watch the show. Whoever wins, we'll decide which side we're on."
Emma Frost glanced at him. "Are you really planning to be a fence-sitter?"
"I'm not grass," he said. "I'm a power outlet. Whoever needs to charge, I'll plug in."
She didn't say anything.
The two continued walking.
The forest grew denser, the sunlight was blocked by the tree canopy, and the shadows on the ground lengthened. The aircraft was just three hundred meters ahead, hidden behind a row of rocks.
Just as they were about to arrive, Ye Mo suddenly stopped again.
"What is it now?" Emma Frost asked.
He didn't answer.
He put his left hand in his pocket, his right hand hanging by his side, palm down. The electric arc was still there, but this time it didn't surface; instead, it was hidden under his skin, like a hibernating snake.
He sensed something was amiss.
It didn't come from my body, nor was it a system notification.
It's a chip in my pocket.
It's hot again.
Moreover, this time it wasn't due to external fluctuations.
It's heating up on its own.
He subtly reached into his pocket and touched the back of the chip with his fingertips. The runes were so hot they almost burned his skin.
At the same time, the electric arc in his palm trembled slightly.
It's like a response.
He immediately understood.
This is no coincidence.
A connection has been established between the chip and the lightning capability.
It's not one-way reading, it's two-way communication.
He looked at Emma Frost and whispered, "The chip is alive."