The countdown jumped to 60.3Hz.
Ye Mo lifted his hand from the console interface, the scorch mark on his palm still burning hot, the electric arc flickering in sync with the blue light of the chip like a heartbeat. He stopped staring at the Loki action map on the projector and turned to walk to the center of the main console, tracing a line in the air with his finger.
The holographic sand table lit up.
The Nine Realms Map was collapsed, replaced by three area markers: Area A, Area B, and Area C, with distinct colors and clear boundaries.
"What I just said was about how to prevent it." His voice wasn't loud, but everyone heard him clearly. "Now, let's talk about who should do it."
Tony, leaning against the armor, his helmet half-closed, paused upon hearing this. "You're moving faster than an AI."
"Are you not used to it?" Ye Mo looked at him.
"I'm used to blowing things up and leaving," Tony tapped his armor, "Not taking attendance."
Emma Frost sat beside the communication terminal, her silver hair falling to her shoulders. She closed her eyes briefly, then opened them again. "He wasn't talking about roll call, he meant you have to play by your assigned number."
Bruce took off his glasses, wiped the lenses, and put them back on. "I understand. We can't afford to mess things up right now."
Ye Mo nodded. "The battlefield is divided into three areas. Area A is the outer perimeter of the Bifrost, responsible for interference and suppression; Area B is the Jotunheim data port, monitoring real parameters; Area C is the Mental Network, managing the authenticity of communications. Who goes where is up to me. You can criticize, but you must listen."
Tony scoffed, "You really think you're the commander?"
"I'm not," Ye Mo said. "I'm the only one who knows who Loki will lie to next. So whether you believe me or not, the mission must be carried out."
He looked at Tony: "You go to Area A. Wear Mark 85 and carry the EMP module. Your AI is already equipped with a dual-verification system: voice spectrum and encryption key double-check. If any abnormal access is detected, immediately activate the self-locking protocol; no forced breach is allowed."
Tony frowned. "What if I want to change the route at the last minute?"
"No." Ye Mo looked him straight in the eye. "You're not Iron Man now, you're Interference Unit Seven. Remember your number."
Emma Frost couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Tony rolled his eyes. "Did you turn me into a robot?"
"More or less." Ye Mo brought up the mission panel. "You like high-tech stuff, right? Now you're part of it. Don't try to be clever, don't show off, and don't think you can do it alone. Just disrupt things, and report everything else to me."
Tony opened his mouth as if to retort, but his fingers were already working on the armor panel, lines of code appearing one after another.
Ye Mo turned his head. " Bruce, you're not going to the front lines. You stay at the B-sector monitoring station and guard the data terminals. I don't need the Hulk, I need Bruce Dr. Banner. Use your scientific expertise to determine the true situation—core temperature, pressure waveforms, vibration frequencies—everything should be based on the raw readings."
Bruce paused for a few seconds. "What if the data is normal, but Emma Frost says there are hallucinations?"
"Then I'll trust you," Ye Mo said. "You're the only objective benchmark. As long as you say 'no problem,' we'll continue."
Bruce nodded. "I can do it."
"You won't transform," Ye Mo emphasized. " The Hulk won't appear. This isn't a matter of power, it's a matter of trust. I believe you can control yourself."
Bruce's fingers trembled slightly, but he quickly regained his composure. "... Thank you."
Ye Mo finally looked at Emma Frost: "You are the core of Zone C. The Mental Network is fully activated, monitoring all channels. Anyone who utters words like 'retreat,' 'failure,' or 'sacrifice' will immediately be flagged for emotional fluctuations. If the speaker's heartbeat is steady but their tone is heavy, or if they appear calm but their brainwaves are disordered, then it's fake."
Emma Frost gently closed her eyes. "I've built three layers of filtering, capable of detecting the most subtle mental disguises."
"Okay," Ye Mo said. "You're not just an alarm, you're also a firewall. Once a forged command is confirmed, automatically cut off the channel for ten minutes and send me a red signal."
Emma Frost opened her eyes. "Where do you want me to go to receive the signal?"
"Relay point." Ye Mo pointed to himself, "I'm going to the signal node in the underground passage. That's the only location where I can simultaneously receive signals from three parties. I'll bring the lightning rhythm generator as a dynamic key source and also be responsible for final command verification."
Tony looked up abruptly. "You alone? That's too dangerous."
"It's precisely because it's dangerous that we can't send anyone else," Ye Mo's voice remained unchanged. "He's here to make us distrust each other. If I'm not in the middle, you won't even be sure if each other is the real person."
The room quieted down.
The countdown on the screen is still going on: 60.2Hz.
Ye Mo opened the terminal and generated an encrypted mission statement. The fingerprints of the four individuals were entered one by one. A green confirmation light illuminated, and a notification sounded, "Operation plan confirmed. Codename: Operation Chain Break."
Tony glanced down at his armor's serial number—the words "Interference Unit Seven" flashed.
He sighed, "Me, the CEO of Stark Industries, now reduced to Unit Seven?"
"You are now Avengers' Seventh Enforcer," Ye Mo said. "The number doesn't matter; staying alive is what matters."
Emma Frost said softly, "I think it's a good fit. It's better than being tricked by Loki."
Bruce, adjusting the biosensors, suddenly spoke up, "What if we receive a message from Thor?"
Ye Mo's eyes flickered. "If it's a distress signal, don't believe it. If it's a death notice, cut off communication immediately. Loki loves to use phrases like 'he's dead' to sway us."
"But what if it really is him?" Bruce asked.
"Then let me confirm," Ye Mo said. "I'll determine it by the frequency of the lightning. As long as I'm still standing, Thor isn't dead."
Tony muttered, "You really think you're the hub."
"I'm not the hub," Ye Mo said. "I'm the last one who can still distinguish between truth and falsehood."
He walked to the control panel, swiped his finger across the screen, and brought up the live monitoring footage. Snow was swirling around Area A, data flow was stable in Area B, and the initial construction of the Mental Network in Area C was complete.
"The operation hasn't even begun," he said, "But we can't turn back now."
Tony finished debugging the jamming program, closed his helmet, and said, "I'm ready."
Bruce put on his headphones. "Data channel in Area B is now connected."
Emma Frost closed her eyes, Mental Network expanded. "Communication jamming activated in Zone C."
Ye Mo stood in the center, the electric arcs in his palm flickering again, flashing in sync with the blue light of the chip.
The countdown jumped to 60.1Hz.
He raised his hand and pressed the final authorization button.
"Everyone remember your position. Don't overstep boundaries, and don't act without authorization. If you hear any unusual instructions, confirm them before responding. Whoever makes a mistake is out."
Tony suddenly spoke up, "You still haven't said what will happen if you get replaced?"
Ye Mo stopped what he was doing.
He slowly turned around and looked at Tony.
"If what I say is illogical, if my emotions fluctuate abnormally, if my thunderous rhythm changes—" he paused, "Then it means I am no longer myself."
Emma Frost opened her eyes. "Then what do we do?"
"Kill me," Ye Mo said.
The air froze for a second.
Tony scoffed, "You make that sound too easy."
"It's not easy for me," Ye Mo, looking at the three of them. "But I know Loki's methods better than anyone. He's not afraid of our strength; he's afraid of us coming to our senses. So he'll make sure I still look like myself, but everything I do is entirely his doing."
Bruce said in a low voice, "Then you'll have to give us a standard for identification."
"Yes." Ye Mo raised his right hand, arcs of electricity swirling in his palm. "As long as my lightning and the chip are out of sync, or if I utter words like 'give up' or 'surrender,' it will be immediately identified as forgery. Emma Frost can directly sever my consciousness connection."
Emma Frost paused for a few seconds, then said, "I can do it."
"Do you dare to do it?" Ye Mo asked.
She looked at him, her eyes resolute. "I dare."
Tony shook his head. "You two are insane."
"We just don't want to lose," Ye Mo said, "And we don't want to see you all fall one by one."
He walked to the task board and ran his finger across each person's responsibilities.
" Tony, you just focus on the interference. Bruce, you just focus on the data. Emma Frost, you just focus on the truth. I'll piece together the last piece of the picture."
Tony stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly laughed, "You know what? When you used to huddle in the corner saying you just wanted to survive, I really thought you were a piece of trash."
"And now?"
"Now I think you're more of a character than I am," Tony said. "You may have a foul mouth, but you're got a brain."
Ye Mo didn't smile, he just nodded.
He returned to the control panel and opened global communications.
" Operation Chain Break, all personnel on standby."
"Status confirmation for each position."
Tony: "Jack-on Unit Seven, ready."
Bruce: "Sector B monitoring station, data transmission is stable."
Emma Frost: "Sector C's Mental Network coverage is complete."
Ye Mo stared at the screen, the electric arc in his palm flashing in sync with the blue light from the chip.
The countdown has reached 60.0Hz.
He pressed the confirmation button, his voice calm:
"Relay point access, dynamic key activation."
"Wait for further instructions."
Tony suddenly said in the communication:
"Hey, Ye Mo."
"Um."
"If you really get replaced."
Whom should we listen to?
Ye Mo's finger hovered over the button.
The electric arc in his palm suddenly jolted.
The chip's blue light flashed three times in sync.
When he spoke, his voice was the same as before.
But the tip of his right finger twitched involuntarily.