The Avengers Assemble, Everyone on Standby

Another message popped up in the bottom right corner of the screen.

It all boils down to those two words: Thunderfall.

Ye Mo stared at it for two seconds, then tapped his finger lightly on the table. This time he didn't speak or move, but simply took off the silver bracelet from his left wrist and placed it on the edge of the control panel. The scorch mark was still on his palm, slightly warm.

Emma Frost stood to the side, her Mental Network already extending five kilometers to the city's outskirts. She didn't speak, but her eyes swept over Ye Mo.

"They're almost there," she said.

The sound of engines grew louder in the distance. A slight tremor ran through the ground, and the metal doors of the base entrance slid open automatically. A red and gold armored figure swooped down from the sky, landing steadily on the tarmac. The hatch opened, Tony stepped out, his helmet off, his first words being:

"You don't even have a coffee machine here? I just flew 3,000 kilometers, and I can't even get a hot cup of coffee after landing?"

Ye Mo looked up, "What you need to drink is your life, not coffee."

Tony grinned, walked to the control panel, and immediately saw the countdown on the projector—two hours and thirty-six minutes. His smile faded slightly.

"Are you really planning to pull this off?"

"It's not just a plan," Ye Mo said, activating the Nine Realms Map, "It's a necessity."

The holographic image unfolded, Jotunheim's location was glaringly red. Tony frowned, swiped his fingers in the air a few times, and brought up the data stream.

"Bifrost energy offset 73%, parameters tampered with, nodes locked... You mean Loki did it all by himself?"

"It's not a single person," Ye Mo pointed to the chip, "It's this thing that's working with him. It can learn from me and respond to me. This isn't a program; it's alive."

Tony stared at the black chip for a few seconds. "So you're God of Thunder 2 now? Synchronizing with it by heartbeat?"

"I don't need my account banned." Ye Mo put his hand away. "I just need a thirty-second window."

"Thirty seconds?" Tony shook his head. "The last time you said thirty seconds, I almost got fried into a kebab."

"You were wearing Mark 45 that time," Ye Mo said, looking at him. "Now it's an 85, with upgraded heat dissipation, stress resistance, and a jump-start module. What are you afraid of?"

Tony squinted at him. "When did you become so eloquent? You used to always say 'The system told me to leave'?"

"The system won't take the blame anymore," Ye Mo said in a low voice. "This time, I'll take the fall."

The two stared at each other for a second. Tony suddenly laughed and patted him on the shoulder. "Okay, you're in charge then. But I'm warning you, don't make me defuse the bomb."

"You don't need to dismantle it," Ye Mo switched interfaces. "You're in charge of blowing up the door."

"That's more like it." Tony turned and walked towards the communications port. "I've started the armor preheating program; we'll airdrop it once the coordinates are confirmed. Also—" He turned back, "Banner's here too."

As soon as he finished speaking, a second set of footsteps sounded outside the base. The heavy protective suits clattered against the metal floor. Bruce Banner walked in, a portable monitoring device in his hand. His face was calm, but his fingers were trembling slightly.

"The signal is connected," he said. "Heart rate, blood pressure, gamma fluctuations—all synchronized."

Ye Mo nodded, "You're more stable than last time."

"I've practiced," Bruce said softly. "Not every instance of anger has to be out of control."

He walked to the control panel, glanced at the countdown, then looked at the chip's data waveform, and frowned slightly.

"This frequency... is very similar to Thor's residual energy."

"It's not just like me," Ye Mo said. "It recognizes me. Whenever I use lightning, it responds, once every seven seconds, like a heartbeat."

Bruce reached out to touch the chip, then stopped. "The sealing mechanism set by Odin may have been triggered. If that's the case, forcibly severing it might cause a backlash."

"I know the risks," Ye Mo said, looking at him. "But we don't have time to wait for Asgard's reaction. If we delay for another two hours, Jotunheim's spatial structure will collapse, and the chain reaction will affect Asgard, Earth, and even Wakanda."

Tony interjected, "So you want to interrupt the synchronization before it's fully activated?"

"Right." Ye Mo pulled up the tactical map. "We need three steps. First, Tony will use his armor to create a high-energy shockwave to disrupt the master control node; second, I'll use my lightning abilities to penetrate the frequency layer and find the synchronization source; third, Bruce will monitor the gamma fluctuations in real time and immediately halt operations if any anomalies are detected."

Bruce paused for a few seconds, then said, "I can access the system, but what if the Hulk suddenly wakes up..."

"We'll control it," Emma Frost said. She had been standing in the corner, her Diamond Form skin gleaming coldly. "My Mental Network can suppress emotional fluctuations. As long as you give me a signal, I can pull you back."

Bruce looked at her and nodded.

Tony turned to look at Ye Mo, "What about you? What if the chip reverses and devours you when you use lightning?"

"Then let it swallow it." Ye Mo raised his right hand, a blue arc of electricity condensing in his palm. "But it has to hold on first."

The electric arc struck the copper-core target plate, causing sparks to erupt. This time, there was no deviation, no jitter.

Tony whistled. "Looks like you really didn't get ahead because of the system."

"I've never been," Ye Mo said, stopping his hand. "I just didn't want to admit it before."

Emma Frost walked over and stood beside him. Her Mental Network was still active, covering the entire area. She whispered, "Nothing's amiss outside, no listening signals. We're safe."

"For now." Ye Mo looked at the countdown.

Two hours and thirty-three minutes.

Tony adjusted his gloves. "So what do we do now? Wait?"

"We can't wait." Ye Mo pulled up the deployment map. "Tony, airdrop the armor modules to the designated coordinates first. I need to make sure you can engage immediately. Bruce, connect the monitors to the main system and set the automatic warning threshold. Emma Frost, maintain vigilance; don't miss any fluctuations."

The three acted simultaneously.

Tony walked to the communication terminal and began remotely controlling the deployment of the armor. Bruce connected the data cable and adjusted the equipment parameters. Emma Frost closed her eyes and extended her mental power to its limit.

Ye Mo stood in the center, watching them work busily. At this moment, he was no longer the one hiding behind the system making excuses. He had companions, trust, and responsibility.

"Do you know what the biggest problem is?" Bruce suddenly asked.

"What?" Tony asked.

"None of us have ever seen what the actual Bifrost control room looks like." Bruce looked up. "We're fighting a war where we can't see the battlefield."

"Then let it reveal itself," Ye Mo said. "Tony, once the armor is in place, you blast open the spatial node. As long as there's a crack, I can follow the energy flow in."

"Are you sure you can get out of here alive?" Tony asked, looking at him.

"I'm not sure," Ye Mo smiled, "But someone has to give it a try."

"You've changed," Bruce said.

"People change," Ye Mo said, watching the countdown, "Especially after being struck by lightning."

Tony shook his head. "You wouldn't have willingly jumped into the fire before."

"Nobody believed me before," Ye Mo, looking at them. "But now they do."

The communicator suddenly beeped. Tony glanced down at it.

"Mark 85 has arrived at its designated coordinates, warm-up complete, and is ready for combat at any time."

Bruce nodded. "The monitoring system synchronization rate is 98%, and automatic early warning has been activated."

Emma Frost opened her eyes. "No abnormalities in the Mental Network; no intrusion signals within five kilometers."

Ye Mo took a deep breath, walked to the main control panel, and placed his hands on the control panel.

"Let's begin."

He pressed the confirm button.

The hologram is magnified, focusing on the Bifrost energy node. The red light spot flashes violently, and the countdown numbers jump: two hours and thirty-one minutes.

Tony put on the helmet, and the armor closed automatically.

"We await your order."

Bruce sat in front of the terminal, his finger resting on the emergency stop button.

"I'm ready."

Emma Frost stood beside Ye Mo, her diamond-like skin gleaming coldly.

We're all here.

Ye Mo looked at the screen, his voice steady.

"Tony, airdrop armor, ten meters above the target node. Bruce, activate real-time monitoring. Emma Frost, immediately sever my consciousness connection if any abnormal mental fluctuations are detected."

"Clear."

"Receive."

"It's already being done."

The three voices rang out almost simultaneously.

Ye Mo raised his right hand, and the arc of electricity in his palm condensed once more. This time, it was a deeper color, with purple edges. He stared at the light as if he were looking at a key.

"I'm going in."

He placed his hand on the interface.

An electric arc surged into the system along the lines, causing the hologram to tremble violently. The image of the Bifrost began to distort, vaguely revealing the outline of a golden passage.

Tony yelled, "Energy reaction rising! The node is about to open!"

Bruce stared at the data. "The gamma fluctuations are normal, but the lightning frequency is accelerating!"

Emma Frost suddenly frowned, "Wait—something is being transmitted back!"

Ye Mo didn't move, his eyes fixed on the screen.

A dark figure flashed past in the golden passage.

Immediately afterwards, the burn mark on his palm suddenly burned.