Ye Mo's right hand was suspended in mid-air, his fingertips only two centimeters away from the terminal interface.
The electric arc was still jumping, seven flashes followed by a brief burst of light, as regular as a heartbeat. His arm stretched forward uncontrollably, his muscles tense to the point of numbness. He knew something was wrong; the system hadn't given any warning, yet his body was moving on its own.
He wanted to stop, but his nerves seemed to be taken over in reverse.
Just as my palm was about to touch the interface, a transparent barrier suddenly appeared in the middle.
"Don't touch it!" Emma Frost's voice came from behind.
She rushed into the control room, her long silver hair whipped back by the airflow, her left hand bracing against the Mental Barrier, a vein throbbing slightly on her forehead. Her pupils glowed white as she forcefully severed the frequency resonance between Ye Mo and the system.
"Your current and system are mismatched! One more touch and it will blow up the entire underground level!"
Ye Mo jerked his hand back, staggering backward and crashing into the control panel. Cold sweat dripped down his chin, and his right arm was still twitching slightly.
He looked up, panting, and saw Emma Frost standing in front of him, breathing rapidly, clearly having used up a lot of energy blocking the attack.
"How could you...?"
Before he could finish speaking, a metallic roar came from above.
Tony's armor ripped through the ceiling and descended, sparks flying as his feet landed. He lifted his mask, scanned the control room, and his gaze fell on the green code scrolling on the terminal screen.
"Trajectory deviation rate 82%, ten minutes faster than estimated." Tony quickly brought up the scan interface. "Three groups of enemies are pressing in this direction from the left passage. Their equipment has a magical coating; ordinary bullets can't penetrate it."
He raised his hand and fired two chaff projectiles toward the door, and a pale blue electromagnetic mist quickly sealed off the entrance.
"Where's Banner?" Ye Mo leaned against the edge of the table, his right hand hanging down, not daring to move.
"On the way." Tony had barely finished speaking when the wall suddenly burst open.
The Hulk kicked through a load-bearing wall and rushed in, grabbing an enemy who was trying to ambush him and swinging him away. The man crashed into the ceiling and then fell down, instantly losing consciousness.
"Roar--" The Hulk landed and stood still, looked around, flared his nostrils, and let out a deep warning sound from his throat.
Tony glanced at his watch. "Thirty-second negative review? Can you please be on time next time?"
The Hulk turned and glared at him, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.
"Just kidding," Tony immediately raised his hand. "You're the MVP."
Emma Frost walked to Ye Mo's side and reached out to check his pulse. Her fingertips were icy cold, but her eyes were steady.
"You weren't controlling lightning just now," she said.
"I know," Ye Mo nodded, "It's using me."
"But now we have four people."
After he finished speaking, he took off his glasses and wiped the lenses with his sleeve. The frame was a little crooked, but he didn't rush to put them back on. Instead, he stared at his right hand.
The electric arc was still jumping, the rhythm remained unchanged.
But he was able to control it.
" Mr. X," Tony walked over, the shoulder-mounted cannons deployed, "You have two choices: either I let you detach this hand and send it for repair, or we clear out those guys in rune vests outside."
"The third option." Ye Mo put on his glasses and straightened up. "I can still fight."
Tony grinned. "I knew you'd say that."
The alarm in the control room suddenly blared, and the coordinates on the screen refreshed at a faster rate.
"They've initiated the self-destruct sequence." Emma Frost stared at the terminal. "This isn't a bluff; they really are going to blow it up."
The Hulk growled and walked towards the door.
" Banner, wait a minute," Tony said, opening the comms. "We need to coordinate; we can't let him charge in alone."
"He is not alone." Ye Mo walked to the center and placed his palms on the ground.
Lightning spread along the floor, forming a ring of pulse waves. A series of explosions came from afar; the explosives planted on the perimeter had been detonated prematurely. The shockwave was blocked by the buffer zone, and the control room only shook twice.
"Clearance complete." Ye Mo withdrew his hand. "Now only the two at the door remain."
Tony immediately took off, his armor locking onto the target.
" White Queen, announce your position."
Emma Frost closed her eyes, and her mental energy penetrated the wall.
"At three o'clock, two people with rune guns are flanking us... Banner, to the left!"
The Hulk suddenly turned around and punched the corridor. The entire passage collapsed, and rubble buried the passageway.
"Well done," Tony clicked his tongue. "If I had a daughter, I'd definitely make her marry a monster like you who obeys orders."
The Hulk turned around, his lips twitching as if he were smiling.
The last enemy slid down the ventilation duct, detonator in hand. He was spotted by Emma Frost the moment he landed.
"Don't move." Her voice was very soft.
The man's finger was already on the button.
Emma Frost directly invaded his consciousness, forcibly stopping the transmission of single neural signals. He remained frozen for three seconds.
That's enough.
The Hulk leaped over, grabbed the man, and slammed him to the ground. The man's head lolled to the side, and he lost consciousness completely.
The detonator rolled to Ye Mo's feet.
He glanced down at it, but didn't pick it up.
The four stood back to back, surveying the battlefield. Smoke billowed from the charred walls, the ground was riddled with cracks, and the air smelled of burning.
The alarm gradually faded, leaving only the terminal still displaying scrolling data.
Tony hovered in mid-air, his armor scanning the surroundings.
"External support will arrive in twelve minutes," he said, "But we don't need to wait."
Emma Frost stood to Ye Mo's left, sweat beading on her forehead, her Diamond Form still activated. She was maintaining her mental alertness.
"The shielding is still working," she said, "But they won't be coming back."
"Not necessarily." Ye Mo looked at the terminal. "Those people were too synchronized just now, like they were being commanded remotely."
" Loki?" Tony asked.
"May be."
"It could be someone else," Emma Frost added.
The Hulk crouched at the edge of the ruins, breathing heavily but not out of control. He looked up at Ye Mo, his eyes clear.
"Are you alright?" Tony asked.
Ye Mo moved his right arm, and an electric arc twitched; this time, he initiated it.
"I won't die," he said.
"Then let's continue."
"Wait." Emma Frost suddenly raised her hand.
She closed her eyes, and her spiritual power spread once more.
"Someone is reading terminal data," she said. "Not through a physical connection, but through remote synchronization."
"Hacker?" Tony frowned.
"No," Emma Frost shook her head, "It's sensory theft, like Mind Stone link."
"Then turn off the terminal."
"No." Ye Mo stared at the screen. "Once the power is cut off, the offset data will immediately return to zero, and then the calibration program will automatically restart—that's a true self-destruct command."
"So you can't close it, and you can't touch it." Tony stroked his chin. "A typical Asgard trap."
"All we can do now is stay put," Emma Frost said.
"Then let's guard it." Ye Mo walked to the terminal and placed his hands on either side.
An electric arc emanated from the palm and gently touched the edge of the interface.
"I'll act as the fuse," he said. "As long as I'm connected, the system won't be fully activated."
"Can you handle it?" Tony asked.
"We have to endure it, even if we can't."
The Hulk stood up and walked to his right.
Tony glanced at Emma Frost, who nodded.
The three quickly adjusted their positions.
Tony flew upwards, activating his armor's holographic monitoring mode; Emma Frost stood to the left front, maintaining mental alertness; the Hulk guarded the right exit, ready to engage the enemy at any moment.
Ye Mo stood in the center, his hands pressing lightly, and an electric current flowed through his fingertips.
The green light from the terminal shone on his face, and his glasses reflected a cold glint.
Time ticked by, second by second.
Suddenly, an arc of electricity flashed in his right hand.
It's not seven times plus one more.
It's eight times.
Immediately afterwards, the numbers on the terminal screen paused for a moment.
Ye Mo's pupils contracted.
"It's learning from me."
Tony immediately pulled up the dashcam footage.
"What is learning from you?"
"My rhythm," Ye Mo's voice tightened, "The flashing frequency has changed; it's starting to mimic the electrical patterns within my body."
In other words--
"It's not just recognizing a master," Ye Mo looked up, "It wants to become me."
Emma Frost's expression changed.
Disconnect!
"It's too late." Ye Mo gritted his teeth, "It's already 73% synchronized."
The Hulk growled and took a step forward.
Tony quickly ordered, "Everyone on alert! Prepare for the system to go berserk!"
Ye Mo stood still, his hands remaining motionless.
The electric arc grew brighter and brighter.
The eighth flash occurred.
His fingers began to twitch uncontrollably.
A new window suddenly popped up on the terminal screen.
A line of text slowly appeared:
Welcome back, Master.