Crisis Descended on New York

Blood slid down Ye Mo's wrist, dripping onto the metal edge of the control panel. He didn't wipe it away, his eyes fixed on the fluctuating data in the lower right corner of the screen. The system notification was still flashing: Unknown energy fluctuations, abnormal frequency.

He stood there, his hoodie pulled low, his silver half-rimmed glasses tucked into his pocket. The mental battle he'd just fought had left his head throbbing, his Regeneration abilities not fully recovered, and his chest felt heavy, as if it'd been hit by a hammer.

Then he heard it.

It's not a sound, it's a feeling.

Thousands of emotions exploded in the same second—fear, screams, chaos. His Telepathy network was instantly overwhelmed, as if someone had poured a whole bucket of scalding sand into his brain.

He suddenly looked up.

The clouds parted.

A massive portal of light tore through the center of the sky, its edges crackling with purplish-black arcs of electricity, like a slowly opening mouth. The wind suddenly shifted, sending a chill down his back. The streets below were already in chaos; pedestrians looked up at the sky, some frozen in place, others taking off running.

"It's not an illusion," he thought to himself.

My finger is already on the activation button for the thirteenth level of the Gene Spiral Tower.

Radar Sense + Mind Projection, activated in combination.

The perspective has changed.

Countless red dots appeared in the sky above Manhattan, pouring out of the portal. The aircraft formed a swarm formation, with infantry units following closely behind. The energy signals they carried were predictable, not randomly released.

This is a military-level invasion.

He immediately re-established a mental link. "Emma Frost."

There was no response.

Three seconds later, her consciousness crashed into his mind, carrying a chilling sense of oppression.

"I understand," she said. "He's still alive... I can hear his laughter, hidden in the energy flow."

Ye Mo remained silent, his gaze fixed on the center of the portal. The way the crack opened was strange. The rhythm was too smooth, the transition too stable; it didn't seem like something Loki could have accomplished alone. Asgard magic usually exhibits clear runic resonance, but this portal looked more like it had been opened directly with a key.

"System," he whispered, "Record the frequency of this activation—this isn't entirely Loki's doing."

As soon as the words were spoken, the first wave of aircraft rushed out of the portal.

Artillery fire ripped through the sky, and the side of an office building exploded with a deafening roar, sending glass and steel bars flying like pieces of paper. Explosions rang out one after another, alarms sounded, and the city was engulfed in flames.

He carefully put his glasses away and clenched his fists.

It seems that if I want to live a peaceful life... I'll have to postpone it again.

A sudden gust of wind rose overhead.

The roar of the Iron Man Armor's engines grew louder as Tony's figure cut through the smoke and hovered a hundred meters in the air. His helmet visor glowed red, and the communication channel automatically switched.

"Mr. X," he said, "You're right—that thing in the sky doesn't look like a thunderstorm in the weather forecast."

Ye Mo gave a slight smirk. "You got here pretty quickly."

"I just took off my gloves to grab a coffee, and then I saw half the city smoking." Tony adjusted the thruster angle. "Do you think I can slow down?"

Before he could finish speaking, thunderclouds surged in the distance, and a bolt of lightning struck down.

Thor landed on lightning, his cloak billowing, Mjolnir crackling with arcs of electricity, tracing a semicircle in the air. He stood atop the statue in the plaza, roaring with fury:

Loki! You have once again tarnished the name of Asgard!

The sound made the nearby buildings vibrate.

Ye Mo frowned and rubbed his temples. This guy always makes a grand entrance like fireworks, as if he's afraid people won't know he's here.

But he also knew that Thor had never let him down in crucial moments.

Emma Frost leaped onto the rooftop, her entire body transforming into Diamond Form, reflecting the city lights. She stood to Ye Mo's right, her fingers lightly touching her temples, beginning to filter out the chaotic mental signals.

"They're not attacking randomly," she whispered. "What are they looking for?"

Ye Mo nodded.

He sensed it too.

The Chitauri Army's advance was purposeful; while clearing the streets, several squads were moving towards the underground pipe network. Their weapons were highly accurate, but they kept civilian casualties to a minimum.

This is not simply an act of aggression.

It looks more like a search.

"System." He brought up the interface again, "Track the target paths of the first batch of landing units and analyze the intersection points."

Data scrolling.

Three seconds later, the map marked an area: seven underground levels, the former abandoned S.H.I.E.L.D. station.

He squinted.

That place was abandoned long ago; it doesn't even have electricity. Why would they go straight there?

unless...

Someone told them there was value there.

"Loki," he murmured, "What exactly do you want?"

Tony's armor began to rise, preparing to intercept the second wave of aircraft. Thor raised Mjolnir, crackling with electricity, ready to unleash its power. Emma Frost stood still, her diamond arm slightly raised, poised to block any ranged attack.

Ye Mo closed his eyes and activated the Telepathy network once more.

The emotions of the entire city surged like a tide. Fear remained intense, but for some, the emotion became strange—not fear, but a near-numb calm. They didn't run away; instead, they looked up at the portal, muttering unintelligible words.

"System warning." A notification sounded in my head, "Collective consciousness synchronization phenomenon detected, suspected residual psychological manipulation."

He opened his eyes.

Oh no!

Loki's psychological warfare hadn't ended at all; it had just continued in a different form.

He was about to inform Emma Frost when he discovered that she had already noticed.

"Something is connecting to their brains," she said. "Not direct control, but rather the awakening of some kind of memory... or belief."

"Then let's stop them from looking at the sky," Ye Mo said. "Tony, give me ten minutes of interference."

"You think I'm a router?" Tony somersaulted in mid-air, dodging a missile. "But I can try."

He activated the shoulder jamming device, and a beam of high-frequency electromagnetic waves shot towards the edge of the portal. The portal swayed slightly, but quickly stabilized.

"No way," Tony said. "This thing is too resistant to interference; someone has to cut off the energy chain from the inside."

"Inside?" Ye Mo looked at the crack. "You mean you want me to crawl inside?"

"I didn't say that," Tony sneered, "But if you really want to be a space debris collector, I won't stop you."

Thor leaped into the air, Mjolnir flying from his hand and striking the core of the portal. Arcs of electricity exploded, illuminating the sky as bright as day. But the portal only trembled for a moment, remaining completely still.

"It's absorbing energy," Emma Frost said. "Every attack powers it."

Ye Mo stared at the data stream on the screen.

My heart is racing.

He suddenly realized something.

Why did Loki open the portal at this particular moment? Why right after they defeated the consciousness network? Why the instant the system detected unusual fluctuations from deep space?

This is no coincidence.

This is a response.

"System," he whispered, "Compare the current portal frequency with the previously detected unfamiliar fluctuation data."

Calculation in progress...

0.8% similarity.

Although not high, there is a connection.

Moreover, this frequency characteristic... is highly similar to a certain code segment in the early experimental records of the Hellfire Club.

He suddenly turned to look at Emma Frost.

She was looking at him too.

They both realized something at the same time.

There might be someone else behind Loki.

"Tony," Ye Mo connected the channel, "Stop attacking the portal."

"What?"

"It's absorbing energy," Ye Mo said. "Every time you hit it, it's like charging it."

"So what?"

"So we have to wait," Ye Mo, staring at the sky, "Wait for them to reveal their own weakness."

"Wait?" Tony sneered. "You're acting like a philosopher now, the people downstairs are practically being trampled into a carpet."

"We can't save everyone," Emma Frost suddenly said, "But we must protect the key points."

Tony paused for two seconds. "When did you two start talking about metaphysics?"

No one answered.

The wind is getting stronger.

The Chitauri Army has cleared three landing zones, and ground troops have begun their advance in formation. Their objective is clear, and their speed is extremely fast.

Ye Mo's Regeneration ability cooldown progress bar jumped to 67%.

The range of Telepathy has been expanded to fifteen kilometers.

He detected a faint signal from beneath the earth's veins—data being uploaded.

Someone is using that abandoned terminal.

"The system has marked the coordinates," he said. "Once Tony clears a path, I'll go down and take a look."

"Are you crazy?" Tony roared. "Going down there now is suicide!"

"So I won't go down now." Ye Mo looked at him, "I'll wait until you guys are at your most intense fighting, then sneak over quietly."

"You're always like this," Tony shook his head, "Keeping the hardest work for yourself while pretending it's all easy."

"I'm not relaxed," Ye Mo said, "I'm just thick-skinned."

Emma Frost chuckled softly, the Diamond Form reflecting a faint light.

Tony sighed. "Alright, then remember—don't die too quickly, I still owe you a hot pot meal."

"I've got it." Ye Mo leaned against the railing, looking up at the ever-expanding gate of light.

He knew the real battle was yet to begin.

But this battle is unavoidable.

He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, a faint blue light flashed in his pupils.

Keep track of all the city's happenings.

He braced his hands on the edge of the railing, leaning forward like a sword about to be drawn.

The wind whipped up his hooded sweatshirt.

The first Chitauri forces stormed into the city.