The signal on the monitor lasted for 4.9 seconds.
Ye Mo's fingers pressed the last Enter key on the keyboard, marking this waveform as the "critical point".
He turned to look at Emma Frost.
"They are not testing us."
"It's being calibrated."
Emma Frost nodded. She had rescanned the data stream at the edge of the Mental Network three times, and each time the result was the same—it wasn't random fluctuation, but some kind of regular, synchronized preparation.
"We need to make this understandable," she said.
Ye Mo remained silent, activating the ability module on the thirteenth level of the Gene Spiral Tower. The combination of Regenerative Phasing and Mind Projection was activated, and his consciousness sank into the data core. A three-dimensional dynamic map began to generate on the screen, with all contact points connecting into a network, resembling a beating human brain.
He pulled up geological scans, residents' dream reports, and frequencies of Mind Stone contact from the past 72 hours, and overlaid them all. The images automatically simulated how the locked room amplified fluctuations of consciousness and how they in turn affected reality.
Finally, he initiated the Memory Materialization.
A ten-second "simulated dream segment" was encapsulated in an encrypted file.
"This thing is better than PowerPoint," he said. "Even if you can't read the text, you can at least have a dream."
Emma Frost glanced at him.
"You really dare to post that?"
"I'm typing this because I'm afraid to send it?" He dragged the file into the transfer queue. "If I keep up this, the enemy will really be coming in."
He pressed send. Target: Tony Stark's private channel.
The postscript was only one sentence. "This is not an order, it's a warning. If you dream of water and whispers, don't open your eyes."
The communication light flashed briefly, indicating that the system is now in a wait-for-response state.
Five minutes later, sound came through the headphones.
"What the hell did you stuff into my mouth?"
It's Tony. His voice trembled slightly.
"Were you stunned for a couple of seconds just now?" Ye Mo asked.
"I—" Tony paused, "My vision went black for a moment, then I heard the sound of water, and someone saying 'The door is open.'"
Do you believe it now?
"... Believe it?! Who would believe something like that if you told them?"
"You have to believe it whether you like it or not." Ye Mo unfolded the deduction diagram in full screen. "They're not trying to blow up the bridge and kidnap people; they're trying to make everyone decide for themselves which door to open. Once everyone thinks 'opening the door is the right thing to do,' reality will change."
So Loki deliberately let us capture him?
"He'd love for us to see it," Ye Mo sneered. "He knows it sounds like crazy to say something like that. If you said the whole world was hypnotized, people would just think you're insane."
But we have evidence.
"Now we have it."
There was a few seconds of silence in the communication.
"I'll be right there," Tony said. "Don't move."
"Then hurry up." Ye Mo hung up.
Emma Frost looked at him. "Where's Banner?"
"He has to come too." Ye Mo opened a second communication window, "But I'm afraid things will get out of control."
"I'll go tell them."
She closed her eyes, her mental link tapping into Bruce's frequency. After a few seconds, she spoke, "He's listening."
" Bruce," Ye Mo said into the microphone, "I know you're worried Hulk will cause trouble. But this time, what we need is you, not to suppress him, but to control him."
"How do we take control?" The voice came through the earpiece, low and cautious.
"We have a backup plan." Ye Mo switched interfaces, displaying a lightning frequency interference model. "Once the Mental Resonance gets out of control, I can cut off the connection source, just like turning off a light."
Can you do it?
If you can't do that, I won't call you now.
Another silence followed.
I'll be there in twenty minutes.
"Wear protective suits," Ye Mo said. "It might be noisy."
Communication ended.
Emma Frost opened her eyes. "They're here."
"Then let's wait." Ye Mo shut down the fake signal system and cleared all the decoy packages. False arguments, retreat orders, and incorrect coordinates were all deleted.
"The 'playing dead' phase is over," he said.
The base returned to silence. The sounds of the equipment running became clear.
Fifteen minutes later, footsteps could be heard coming from the outer passage.
Tony came in first, wearing half of his armor, his face still showing a hint of disorientation.
"That dream... it felt so real." He sat down. "I dreamt I was standing on the beach, and a door rose from the water, and I was walking forward."
"That means you've entered the game too." Ye Mo pulled up the chart. "The smarter the person, the easier it is for them to fall for it; their minds work quickly, and their subconscious is more easily swayed."
"Stop flattering me." Tony glared at him. "Let's get down to business."
Bruce then came in, carrying a medical kit, and looked unwell.
"I took steps to calm him down," he said, "But I can't guarantee I was fully conscious throughout."
"We don't need you to completely suppress us," Emma Frost stood up. "We need you to step in at crucial moments."
"I can do it," Bruce nodded, "As long as I'm not left to carry this alone."
"Nobody asked you to carry it." Ye Mo opened the holographic sand table. "Let's take a look."
A curtain of light rose from the ground, revealing the structure of the secret chamber.
"The enemy used a sealed room as an amplifier, fueled by brainwaves during mass sleep, gradually implanting the idea that 'opening the door is justifiable.'" He pointed to the central depression, "This is the core; they may have used a hybrid encoding of Asgard illusion magic and Hellfire technology."
"Physical destruction won't work." He switched to the comparison footage, "Within seven days after a typical explosion, the recurrence rate of dreams rebounded to 81%. Damaged equipment can be rebuilt; once a consensus is formed, no one can stop it."
"So we must first dismantle their psychological foundation," Emma Frost continued. "We need to sow the seeds of doubt and shatter their collective beliefs."
Tony frowned. "How do we broadcast it?"
"Using the same method," Ye Mo brought up the reverse signal model, "We can also create an information stream containing the messages 'There is no salvation behind the door' and 'Opening the door equals destruction,' which will be transmitted to the surrounding population through the earth's ley lines."
"Are you planning to brainwash someone?"
"It's not brainwashing," Ye Mo shook his head, "It's giving them the opportunity to choose not to believe."
Tony stared at the diagram for a long time.
"I'm in charge of the physical side," he said. "Bring in the EMP virus to paralyze the equipment's power supply system, buying you some time."
"Okay," Ye Mo nodded, "But you can't launch a direct attack. They've definitely set a trap; any violent energy fluctuation will trigger an alarm."
So I have to sneak in?
"Right."
And what about you?
" Emma Frost and I will launch a Mind Stone counterattack together." Ye Mo pointed to the outer area of the sand table. "I will use the combination of Regenerative Phasing and Radar Sense to locate all signal nodes, while she simultaneously releases a reverse consciousness wave."
"I'll be monitoring from the rear," Bruce said. "If any unusual energy buildup is detected, alert me immediately."
"You still need to be prepared to take over," Ye Mo said, looking at him. "In case they activate the ritual ahead of schedule, Hulk might be the only one who can withstand the mental impact."
Bruce remained silent for a few seconds.
I'll give it a try.
"It's not about trying," Emma Frost looked at him, "It's about you having to be able to do it. We're all here for you, we won't let you lose control alone."
He nodded.
The meeting has adjourned.
The four people stood around the sand table, the light reflecting off their faces. No one spoke of retreating or waiting to see what would happen.
Ye Mo shut down all disguise systems and cleared the communication channels.
The countdown is still going on.
23:59:48
He picked up his headphones and connected to a public channel.
"Listen," he said, "We're not going to stop an attack."
"We are preventing a reality from being rewritten."
"Remember, it's never a monster that opens the door."
It's human nature.
The channel went silent.
Tony began putting on the remaining armor pieces.
Bruce checks the biosensor connectivity status.
Emma Frost closed her eyes, and her Mental Network slowly expanded to its maximum extent.
Ye Mo looked at the time in the lower right corner of the screen.
Less than ten minutes left.
He stood up, walked to the control panel, and hovered his finger over the final confirmation button.
Just then, the monitor screen flickered.
A new signal has emerged.
The duration was not recorded this time.
It started playing immediately.
A sound came from the speaker.
Low, steady, with a familiar rhythm.
You did a great job.
It's Loki's voice.
But I'm no longer there.
Ye Mo's finger stopped on the button.
He didn't move.
Tony looked up. "Is this a recording?"
Ye Mo shook his head.
"It's real-time transmission."
Where is he?
"Have no idea."
But I know what he's waiting for.
The waveform on the monitor screen continued to fluctuate.
The sound continued.
"The door is never underground."
The door has always been in your hearts.
Ye Mo slowly withdrew his hand.
He looked at Emma Frost.
Her fingers trembled slightly.
He knew what she was reading.
There's something deeper hidden in that signal.
It's not a threat.
It's an invitation.
He took a deep breath.
Then press the communication key.
"Attention all."
"The operational plan remains unchanged."
"We will proceed according to the original plan."
His hand landed on the start button.
Press down halfway with your fingertips.