Lightning advanced, power multiplied

The scorch mark on my palm was still burning.

Ye Mo didn't wipe or bandage it, just let it lie in the air, feeling the continuous burning heat. That momentary reverse touch was too real; it wasn't an electric shock or a hallucination, but more like someone gently touching the back of his hand through glass.

He stared at the chip inside the Faraday cage. The blue light had dimmed, but the surface of the runes still retained a slight warmth. The electromagnetic readings on the monitoring screen were zero; the shielding layer was intact, there was no leakage, and no intrusion signal.

But he knew that what had just happened had occurred.

"You're not an inanimate object," he whispered. "You're imitating me."

No sooner had he finished speaking than footsteps sounded behind him.

Emma Frost walked in, wearing black trousers and a turtleneck sweater, her hair tied in a low ponytail. She didn't speak, but stood at the edge of the training area against the wall, arms crossed.

Ye Mo turned around and glanced back.

Aren't you going to sleep?

"I can't see you're asleep either," she said. "And your heartbeat has been off for the past three minutes."

He glanced down at the monitoring ring on the inside of his wrist—his heart rate was 48, significantly lower than normal. He hadn't even noticed it himself.

"I'm tuning in," he said, "Using my heartbeat instead of my breathing rhythm."

So you want to test if it can keep up with your new frequency?

"It's not just about keeping up." He walked towards the five-meter line. "I want to see if it will imitate me on its own."

This time, he only wore a glove on his left hand, leaving his right hand completely bare. He removed his protective mask and knee pads. He knew the next move would be risky; his muscles might not be able to withstand the high-pressure rebound, but he had to try.

The target was still the same copper-core metal plate, with three scorch marks stacked together, and the center of the plate slightly sunken.

He stood still, raised both palms, facing each other, and began to condense arcs of electricity in his hands.

At first, it was just thin threads, dancing between his fingers. He didn't rush to fire, but instead let the current travel across the surface of his skin, pushing along the meridians towards his shoulder blades. A tingling sensation climbed up his spine, and his head felt a little dizzy, but he gritted his teeth and held on.

In the surveillance footage, his neural electrical signal graph showed dense peaks.

"You need to control your output," Emma Frost reminded her.

"I know," he said, closing his eyes, "But I need to let it see my pattern first."

After he finished speaking, he suddenly opened his eyes and pushed forward with his right palm.

A thick arc of electricity shot out, piercing straight to the bullseye.

"Boom!"

The metal plate vibrated violently, the dents deepened, and spiderweb-like cracks appeared along the edges.

It hasn't stopped yet.

The second shot followed immediately, faster than the first, briefly splitting into two in mid-air before striking the same area in a Y-shape, producing a piercing metallic tearing sound.

He didn't release the third one immediately.

He compressed the current in his palm, making it smaller and smaller until it became a flickering point of light. Then, it flowed back into his body along the meridians in his arm, circled the back of his neck, and then forced back to his fingertips.

This time, the electric arc spun out and traveled in a spiral.

"Smack!"

The explosion was louder than the previous two, the target surface instantly carbonized and expanded three times, the penetration depth reached 1.2 centimeters, the base was melted through, and a charred crater was left on the ground.

Automatic background annotation: Single output power increased by 317% compared to yesterday's baseline.

Ye Mo took a breath, his hands trembling slightly.

But he immediately looked up at the Faraday cage.

The chip's blue light illuminated.

It's not once every seven seconds, nor is it in sync with your breathing rhythm.

Instead, it flashed three times in succession, with the intervals precisely corresponding to the time points of his three previous releases.

It is imitating.

Moreover, it's an active imitation.

"You're imitating me..." He slowly walked over, his voice lowering, "Now it's my turn to imitate you."

He took off his remaining glove, clasped his hands together in front of his chest, and stood still with his eyes closed.

The room was quiet.

Only the cooling fan is running.

He stopped using his own rhythm to guide the process and instead opened his senses to capture the frequency of the blue light emitted by the chip. Each flash was a signal. He tried to convert these signals into neural impulses, allowing his brain to adapt to its beat.

Ten seconds later, he slowly pulled his hands apart.

A dark blue arc of electricity appeared between his palms.

The color has changed.

It was no longer silver-white or purplish-black, but a blue that resembled the divine radiance of Mjolnir.

Emma Frost's pupils contracted.

"This is not your lightning."

"No," he opened his eyes, "We pulled it together."

He turned to face the target, no longer aiming or adjusting his posture, but simply waving his hand by feel.

"Boom!"

A bolt of lightning as thick as an arm shot out from the palm, pierced through the bullseye, and directly penetrated the foundation, blasting a crater as high as a person, with debris flying everywhere.

It was a success.

Its power is doubled.

He withdrew his hand, the scorch marks on his palm warming up again, making the letter outlines seem clearer.

Emma Frost took a step closer. "How long can you control this state right now?"

"I don't know." He looked down at his hands. "That last attack used up seventy percent of my maximum energy. If I do it again, it might damage my nerves."

"So you want to continue?"

"Of course." He stared at the chip in the cage. "It can mimic me, which means it has recording capabilities. But that time it stayed on wasn't a response; it was an active output. It wanted me to know it was there."

"So you suspect it's alive?"

"I'm not doubting," he said, placing his hand on the glass dome. "I'm certain."

As soon as he finished speaking, the chip's blue light illuminated again.

This time, it remained constantly lit.

He pressed his palms even tighter.

A few seconds later, a familiar reverse heat flow came from my palm.

It's like a response.

It also resembled a handshake.

He suddenly spoke up, "The next step is to make it speak."

Emma Frost didn't move. She lightly pressed her fingers to her temples, activating her Mental Network to scan the surrounding electromagnetic fluctuations. She confirmed that there was no external interference or traces of hallucinations.

All of this is real.

Ye Mo's abilities are evolving, and so is the chip.

The two stood silently, one staring at the cage, the other staring at him.

The base's alert lights changed from green to yellow, and the system automatically upgraded to level two alert.

The cooling system was operating at increased power, and the air was filled with the smell of ozone.

Ye Mo suddenly raised his hand and made a grasping motion in the air.

A dark blue arc of electricity reappeared in his palm, more stable and deeper in color than before.

Instead of firing at the target, he directed the electric arc to his old injury on his left shoulder—where the cracks from the Regeneration of the Steel Bone still remained.

The electric current seeped into the skin and spread along the bones.

A sharp pain shot through him, but he didn't let go.

Three seconds later, the edges of the crack began to glow faintly, as if they had been re-welded by some kind of energy.

He let go and stretched his shoulders.

"It's somewhat useful," he said.

"You're experimenting on yourself?" Emma Frost frowned.

"Someone has to try it," he chuckled. "Otherwise, how will we know what else this thing can do besides fighting?"

After he finished speaking, he looked at the chip again.

"Since you can help me repair my body, can you also send messages?"

No one answered.

But he knew it had heard him.

He sat back down on the bench in the training area, opened his notebook, and turned to a new page.

Write:

Article 5 Supplement: Lightning output can be precisely compressed through heartbeat rhythm, and its penetrating power can be enhanced by spiral propulsion.

Article 6: The chip possesses active mimicry and bidirectional feedback capabilities, and is suspected of having a basic consciousness module.

Article 7: The current lightning band has incorporated external signals, and its nature is approaching that of divine energy; it is tentatively named "Resonance Lightning".

He paused for a moment, then added:

Next test direction: Try to receive information fragments transmitted by the chip and establish a reverse communication channel.

After finishing writing and closing the notebook, he looked up at Emma Frost.

Are you scared?

What are you afraid of?

"I'm afraid that one day I'll be controlled by it, or conversely, that I'll turn it into a weapon."

She looked at him, her eyes calm.

"I'm not afraid of what you do," she said, "I'm afraid you'll have to carry this alone for too long."

He paused for a moment, then smiled.

"Don't worry, if I really go crazy, you'll be the first person to read my mind."

"I will," she nodded, "And I won't give you any advance notice."

He stood up, walked to the Faraday cage, and placed his palm on the glass again.

"Did you hear that?" he said to the chip. "She's watching me. If you want to cause trouble, you'll have to get past her first."

A blue light flashed.

It's like a response.

It also sounds like an agreement.

He withdrew his hand, clasped his palms together, and began the third recharge.

This time, he no longer dictated the pace.

He relinquished control, allowing the lightning within his body to sense the chip's frequency, thus synchronizing the two naturally.

Ten seconds.

Twenty seconds.

An electric arc slowly formed in the palm of his hand, its color deepening until it almost turned blackish-blue.

He opened his eyes.

Eyes locked on the target.

Slowly pull your hands apart.

The arc of lightning stretched out, hanging in the air like a taut string.

The next second--

He shoved forward with a sudden burst of energy!

The entire arc of lightning transformed into a violent beam of energy and exploded with a deafening roar!

The target and its base vaporized instantly, melting a hole as tall as a person into the wall, with the steel bars twisting like vines.

All the monitor screens are black.

Backup power is activated.

Emma Frost took a half step back, feeling an unprecedented sense of oppression.

Ye Mo stood still, his hands hanging down, the scorch marks on his palms glowing faintly, the edges of the letters slightly curled up as if they were about to crawl out of his skin.

He didn't turn around.

He just whispered:

"It's started transmitting things."