No escape: Ye Mo sets his defenses

Loki was still kneeling in the electric net, his neck pressed down by the Hulk's knee, his hands bound by nanochains. Ye Mo stood still, his fingers still conducting electricity, the current crawling down the ground into the cage, circling around Loki.

He looked down at the ground. The trace of the distorted air had disappeared, but the current near the node was still off. The delay had increased from 0.2 seconds to 0.15 seconds; the frequency had changed.

"He tried again," Ye Mo said, "Not sending it outwards, but taking it back in."

Tony stood beside him, his armor partially open, the panel lit up. "Are you sure it's not a problem with the jammer?"

"It's not a machine problem," Ye Mo shook his head. "It's the rhythm. He's waiting for a specific moment, like knocking on a door—three short knocks followed by two long ones."

Emma Frost leaned against the wall, her face a little pale. She had just forcibly severed the mental link, and her head was still buzzing. "I probed once; going too deep would have a backlash. But there was definitely something moving in his head, like a program starting up on its own."

Banner looked up. "I can hold his body down, but I can't control his mind."

"Then let him think we know nothing." Ye Mo placed his palm on the ground, and the blue light of the lightning net suddenly dimmed for a moment before returning to normal, but the rhythm of the fluctuations changed, beginning to mimic the frequency of human breathing.

"What are you doing?" Tony asked.

"Pretend to be asleep," Ye Mo said. "If he thinks we're letting our guard down, he'll make his move first. Let's let him make his move, then catch him red-handed."

Tony glanced at him. "That's a dirty trick."

"The system notification told me to do it," Ye Mo grinned. "Anyway, I'm not taking the blame."

Tony rolled his eyes, turned around, and activated his wrist terminal. The three jammers were still running, but he had switched the main frequency to an unpopular band and added an automatic frequency-hopping function. "I've set a trap. Once an abnormal signal is detected, I'll immediately switch frequencies to counter it. If he dares to connect, he'll have to get past me first."

"How long can you hold out over there?" Ye Mo asked.

"Seventy-two hours," Tony said, "Provided no one unplugs the power."

"Then let's take turns." Ye Mo looked at Emma Frost. "You log out and rest for fifteen minutes. Banner will take over the suppression, and Tony will switch frequencies in sync. Once you've recovered, you can go back up and disrupt his rhythm."

"Okay." Emma Frost nodded and slowly withdrew her Mental Network. As soon as she withdrew, her head felt heavy, and she almost lost her balance. Banner reached out and steadied her.

"Are you alright?" Banner asked.

"I won't die." Emma Frost tossed her hair. "Just don't make me go that deep next time."

Ye Mo squatted down, tracing the electrical patterns on the ground with his fingers. He took off his glasses, using the reflection from the lenses to illuminate the node locations. The system prompted in his mind: Abnormal energy fluctuations detected; it is recommended to install vibration piles.

He pulled two metal pieces, each about the size of a fingernail, from his work pants pocket and pressed them into the cracks in the ground. Once activated, the micro-vibration piles would detonate immediately if anyone attempted to access them remotely or if there was a sudden energy change.

"Where did you get this thing?" Tony asked, leaning closer.

"It was from last time I beat up Klaue." Ye Mo patted his pocket. "Don't ask, it's a system reward."

Tony scoffed, "Your system can give you anything, except a proper name."

"Can't we just call it the ' X-Gene Resonance System '?" Ye Mo stood up. "That's much more imposing."

"It sounds like a health supplement ad," Tony said.

The lightning flashed suddenly, and the current density increased locally. Everyone immediately became alert.

"What's wrong?" Banner asked.

"He moved." Ye Mo stared at Loki. "His pupils trembled, and his breathing rhythm changed. It wasn't a natural fluctuation; it was a deliberate adjustment."

"Send it again?" Tony's finger was already on the panel.

"No, this is a test." Ye Mo raised his hand to signal them not to rush, "He's checking if there are any loopholes in our defenses."

Emma Frost closed her eyes, her mental energy gently sweeping over the surface of Loki's consciousness. She dared not delve deeper, only scanning the outer perimeter. A few seconds later, she opened her eyes. "There's an encrypted message, the structure resembles a wake-up protocol, the target is unknown. I didn't dare touch it, afraid of triggering a countermeasure."

"That's enough." Ye Mo nodded. "Tony, prepare to switch frequencies."

"Wait for the signal before you act," Tony said. "If we act now, he'll notice."

They all fell silent, staring at Loki. His chest rose and fell, seemingly calm, but Ye Mo knew that something was secretly knocking in the door of his mind.

A minute passed.

Two minutes.

Suddenly, the current in a corner of the lightning grid flickered slightly, almost imperceptibly.

"They're here!" Ye Mo in a low voice.

Tony swiped his finger, and the three jammers instantly switched to preset, unpopular frequency bands. A muffled sound rang out in the air, like a high-voltage shock hitting the air.

Loki's body jolted, his eyes rolled back, and he gurgled. His lips twitched, but he didn't make a sound.

"The signal was intercepted." Tony looked at the panel. "The target attempted to establish a connection using a secondary key, but it was caught by my trap and automatically blocked."

"It's not completely broken." Ye Mo pointed to the ground, "The node is still experiencing aftershocks, which means the other side hasn't given up."

"Then let's continue the performance." Ye Mo placed his hand back on the ground, and the fluctuations of the lightning net returned to a slow rhythm, as if the person was asleep.

"What do we do next?" Banner asked.

"Keep an eye on him," Ye Mo said. "Since he set a countdown, he won't wait indefinitely. As long as he makes one more move, we can follow the clues."

"The problem is, how long can we hold out?" Emma Frost rubbed her temples. "I can only manage three more runs at most, then I need to take a nap."

"I'll do it for you," Banner said. "Although I can't read minds, I can sense whether he's putting in any effort."

"Where's Tony?" Ye Mo asked.

"I can withstand 48 hours of uninterrupted interference," Tony said, "But only if there's no large-scale magical attack."

"Then let's rotate according to plan." Ye Mo looked at the three of them. "Emma Frost will retreat every fifteen minutes, Banner will hold down the body, Tony will control the frequency. I'll coordinate in the middle, and the lightning grid will be ready to upgrade at any time."

After he finished speaking, he placed his hands on the ground again. This time, it wasn't just about outputting electricity; he extended the lightning's power underground. System notification: Ley Line Sensor Net is activating, covering a radius of 300 meters.

The ground trembled slightly, then returned to normal.

"Alright." Ye Mo stood up straight. "Any energy flow within 300 meters will trigger an alarm. The vibration cones are also ready. Anyone who wants to provide remote support will have to blast open this layer of ground first."

"Your actions are getting more and more outrageous," Tony said. "The last time I saw you, you were just a lackey who only knew how to hide in the back and shout 'The system said so'."

"It's the environment that's forcing us," Ye Mo shrugged. "If you don't evolve, you'll be eliminated."

Emma Frost sat down against the wall, closing her eyes to meditate. Banner walked up to Loki, squatted down, and stared at his face. "If you dare move again, I'll shove your head into the ground."

Loki didn't react; his eyes were closed, and his breathing was steady.

But they all knew it was just an illusion.

Ye Mo stood in the center of the lightning grid, his hands hanging at his sides, a few arcs of electricity occasionally flashing from his fingertips. His glasses reflected a blue light, showing the complex electrical patterns on the ground.

Time ticked by, second by second.

Emma Frost opened her eyes, glanced at her watch, and nodded to indicate that she could take over. She re-released her Mental Network and gently probed into the edge of Loki's consciousness.

Tony's jammer automatically hops frequencies, changing bands every thirty seconds.

Banner's fist remained clenched, ready to strike at any moment.

Ye Mo didn't move.

He knew the real action was yet to come.

It could be the next second, or it could be half an hour later.

But he had already laid out his plan.

We're just waiting for the fish to bite.

Emma Frost suddenly opened her eyes. "He moved again! This time it's not a signal, it's a fragment of memory, hidden deep inside!"

Ye Mo immediately raised his hand, and the lightning grid instantly intensified, doubling the local current density. At the same time, the underground vibration piles emitted a faint red light, locking onto the energy disturbance in a certain direction.

Tony quickly pulled up the data. "There's a band attempting reverse infiltration, using old Asgard encryption!"

"Stop it!" Ye Mo shouted in a low voice.

Tony swiped his finger, and the jammer switched to the corresponding frequency band, unleashing a high-voltage electromagnetic pulse.

A sharp "crack" sounded in the air, like glass being crushed.

Loki's body convulsed violently, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

But he still smiled.

Ye Mo stared at him, then slowly squatted down.

"What are you laughing at?" he asked.

Loki didn't say anything.

But his right index finger twitched very slightly, as if he were typing on a keyboard.

Ye Mo's gaze fell on that hand.