The mechanical scorpion's compound eyes stared at Ye Mo, its tail still embedded in the ground, flashing blue light intermittently.
Ye Mo stood motionless on the edge of the rooftop, his toes only half an inch from the broken edge. He had initially intended to jump down to intercept it, but had now changed his mind. This thing wasn't there to sabotage the electric fence; it was there to mark him.
He closed his eyes.
His mental energy spread out like water, passing through the streets, the clouds, and the still-expanding portal. The space on the other side was chaotic, with crisscrossing energy flows, but he still saw it. A dense mass of life signals, crammed together like sardines in a can. There were not only infantry, but also large units with heavy chassis and slow movement, probably heavy tanks or artillery emplacements. There were also flying formations in the air, more than ten times the number of the vanguard.
The main force hasn't moved yet. They're waiting. Waiting for coordinates to be transmitted from the front lines, waiting for the path to be cleared, waiting for an opportunity for a full-scale breakthrough.
Ye Mo opened his eyes.
"They're coming," he told Emma Frost. "Not in waves, but all at once."
Emma Frost stood beside him, her Diamond Form still active. Hearing this, she frowned. "How long?"
"Ten minutes, fifteen minutes at most." Ye Mo raised his hand and touched his glasses frame. The system interface popped up in his mind. The Regenerative Phasing cooldown was still at 41%, the Telepathy range was stable, and the ability module of the thirteenth layer of the Gene Spiral Tower could be called at any time. He didn't plan to use it now, but he needed to know where the trump card was.
"We need to race against time," he said. "Their assault vehicles are propelled by power nodes, and every time the power goes out, we have to find a new connection point. If we can prevent them from moving in a straight line, we can slow them down."
Emma Frost nodded. "How do you plan to stop them?"
"Triangular suppression." Ye Mo pointed forward, "That office building in the Southeast Third District, the top floor of the shopping mall at the intersection of Central Avenue, and the signal tower above the subway ventilation shaft. These three points form an inverted triangle, perfectly blocking the main road and two side roads. You go and transform the high points into a barricade, and I'll mark the route."
Emma Frost didn't ask why these were the three points. She knew Ye Mo wouldn't point randomly. She turned and jumped, her body drawing a silver line in the air before landing on the top floor of the nearest office building.
Ye Mo immediately marked the locations on his Mental Network. Red dots lit up one after another, corresponding to three positions. He wasn't just showing this to Emma Frost; he also extended this setup to Tony and Thor. It wasn't a phone call or a voice message; it was a stream of information that crashed directly into their minds, like someone suddenly reminding you to "watch your back."
He knew they would understand.
Emma Frost has already made her move.
She pressed her palms to the ground, and the energy within her body sank downwards. The concrete on the top floor of the building began to deform, and cone-shaped crystals pierced through the surface, varying in length but all tilting outwards, like rows of inverted knives. The shortest was two meters long, and the longest was almost five meters long, with their tips reflecting light, making it clear that touching them would pierce through.
First one done.
She leaped towards the second spot.
Ye Mo continued scanning.
The Mental Network extended to the other side of the portal, where the main force was still gathering and hadn't moved. However, several small signals were moving, like reconnaissance units, crawling close to the ground at great speed. They were probing for gaps in the defenses, trying to find a breakthrough.
Ye Mo sneered.
You sent a scorpion to watch me first, thinking I wouldn't know?
He noted down these movement trajectories, intending to analyze them together when Emma Frost returned. Now was not the time to pursue; it was time to set up defenses.
Emma Frost landed on the top floor of the mall, her posture unchanged, and pressed her palms to the ground again. The crystal spikes rose up once more, this time with increased density, thirty spikes forming a circle with a gap in the middle, like a trap. Anyone descending from the sky could step into it and be instantly killed.
The second part is complete.
She rushed toward the third point—the signal tower above the subway ventilation shaft.
The location wasn't high, but it was crucial, situated right at the intersection of two roads. Emma Frost didn't rush to build the spikes after going up; she first crouched down to inspect the structure. The tower was made of metal, with limited load-bearing capacity, so she couldn't make too much noise. Instead, she used long, thin, needle-like protrusions, inserting them around the edge of the tower, like putting a steel spike cap on the signal tower.
After she finished, she jumped back and switched back to human form in mid-air before landing.
"All three points are set up," she said. "How long can they hold?"
"I don't know," Ye Mo said, "But at least it will slow them down. The assault vehicles won't dare to charge in; they'll have to take a detour, and that would expose them to Tony and Thor's firepower."
Emma Frost nodded. "And then?"
"Wait," Ye Mo said. "Since they recognize me as a threat, they'll definitely target me first in the next wave. I'm not leaving; I'll stay here."
Aren't you afraid of being targeted by multiple attackers?
"I'm afraid," Ye Mo laughed. "But I'm even more afraid they'll advance straight in without anyone stopping them. From where I'm standing now, I can see three high points and monitor the portal's movements. As long as I'm standing here, they won't dare to charge in recklessly."
Emma Frost looked at him.
This guy always says he's a fuse, that it'll blow when it needs to. But does he know what happens after it blows?
She didn't say it.
She simply re-entered her Diamond Form, stood half a step away from him, facing the direction of the portal.
"Then you stand there," she said. "I'll watch your back."
Ye Mo did not respond.
He closed his eyes, and his Mental Network unfolded once more, this time covering a wider area. It included not only the city but also underground pipe networks, power lines, and communication nodes. He wanted to record the energy flow throughout the entire region so that he could immediately detect any abnormal fluctuations.
Time ticked by, second by second.
The fire in the street was still burning, but no one was screaming anymore. Most of the civilians had been evacuated; those remaining had taken refuge in basements or upper floors and were temporarily safe. Rescue teams were moving, but very slowly. The power outage had rendered walkie-talkies inoperable, so they could only communicate using hand gestures.
Ye Mo didn't care about any of that.
He's only concerned with the enemy's movements now.
Within the Mental Network, the main force finally underwent a change. The formation began to loosen, with the front-line units gradually pressing forward. The aerial formation's engines started, and the energy readings rose.
It's coming.
He opened his eyes and glanced at Emma Frost.
Are you ready?
"It's been fine for a long time."
Ye Mo raised his hand and drew an arc in the air.
"Let's begin."
He synchronized the real-time status of the three crystal spike positions into his Mental Network, creating dynamic markers. He also rehearsed the enemy's main force's advance route, marking possible breakthrough points. Once the enemy takes action, he can react immediately.
He was no longer alone in watching the battlefield.
He is at the center of this network.
Emma Frost stood beside him, her gaze fixed on the portal. Her diamond-like skin reflected the light of purplish-black arcs of electricity, making her look like a statue. But her eyes were moving, scanning every possible location where a target might appear.
Ye Mo suddenly said, "If I collapse later, don't worry about me."
"What did you say?"
"Listen carefully." Ye Mo didn't look at her. "If you see me get hit or fall, don't come down to save me. Keep holding your position. I can Self-Healing. If you leave the high ground, the entire defensive line will be ruined."
Emma Frost paused for two seconds. "Why didn't you tell yourself not to rush in recklessly?"
"Because I'm shameless," Ye Mo grinned. "Besides, the system said someone has to take the blame in situations like this."
Which system?
"That one that reminds me of the cooldown time every day."
Emma Frost rolled her eyes.
In the distance, the energy fluctuations within the portal suddenly intensified.
A ring of purplish-black electric arcs exploded, and then the outline of the first heavy assault vehicle appeared inside the door. The tracks turned, and the gun barrel slowly rose.
There's more to come.
Rows of infantrymen lined up, and the aircraft began to take off.
The all-out offensive has begun.
Ye Mo took a deep breath.
"They've arrived."
He put his hands in his hoodie pockets, pulled the brim of his hood down to cover half his face. His body remained still, but his eyes were fixed on the portal like knives.
Emma Frost straightened up, her hands slightly raised, ready to transform again at any moment.
The wind blew in from the east, carrying the smell of burning and metallic char.
Ye Mo's Regeneration ability cooldown progress jumped to 83%.
He didn't move.
He knew that the most important thing now was not to fight, but to wait. Wait for the enemy to walk into the trap, wait for his teammates to find their rhythm, wait for that one moment of weakness.
He said softly, "Don't rush."
Emma Frost stared ahead and replied:
"You're the one who always wants to be the first."
Ye Mo was about to speak.
The portal suddenly flashed.
An assault vehicle burst out, its tracks crushing the road, its cannon barrel pointing straight at the city center.
The other units followed suit and poured out.
The war has officially begun.