Preparing to Fake His Death

Ye Mo hadn't left.

The roar of the helicopter still circled overhead. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s people should be arriving soon. But he turned and walked into the laboratory, his steps steady, as though he had already decided what to do.

He stood before the console, swiped his fingertips across the projection screen a few times, and pulled up every operation record from the past three months-rescuing Tony in Afghanistan, Emma Frost's identity being exposed, Wall Phasing through the tunnel, fighting Obadiah, negotiating with Coulson... The system had automatically archived every entry, with a clearly defined timeline.

"JARVIS, export all footage of my public appearances," he said.

[Transfer initiated. A total of 37 video files, including media footage, surveillance recordings, and clips shared by S.H.I.E.L.D.]

Watching the images scroll across the screen, Ye Mo knew one thing: he had become far too conspicuous. Not in the way an ordinary person attracted attention, but in the way someone became a target for multiple powers.

Hellfire wouldn't let him go, Hydra's remnants wouldn't leave matters alone, and sooner or later, S.H.I.E.L.D. would investigate the source of his abilities. If this continued, never mind saving people-he himself probably wouldn't survive another six months.

He shut off the projection, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes for three seconds. Then he took the piece of metal from his pocket. It was still burning hot, like a lump of iron fresh from a furnace.

"System, run a simulation," he said quietly. "If I don't disappear, what's the probability of encountering a fatal attack within the next year?"

[Based on analysis of existing behavioral patterns and hostile forces' activity frequency, the probability of death is 82.6%. Primary threat sources: internal information leaks (41%), mutant energy tracking (33%), high-tech ambushes (28%).]

Ye Mo opened his eyes, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly. "Looks like I really do have to die once."

At seven the next morning, Tony rushed into the laboratory and found Ye Mo stuffing a pile of encrypted hard drives into a fireproof case.

"You didn't go to Congo last night?" Tony asked.

"No." Ye Mo didn't even look up. "I went down to the third basement level and looked through those project documents you marked 'Access prohibited.'"

"Huh?" Tony froze. "You actually dared to touch my stuff?"

"That 'Armor Self-Destruct Protocol' you wrote was pretty interesting." Ye Mo closed the case. "Especially the part about faking a death. A synthetic body and a directional blast fooled everyone at the Department of Defense."

Tony narrowed his eyes. "So? What are you planning?"

Ye Mo stood up and looked him straight in the eye. "I'm going to 'die' once."

The air instantly went still.

"What did you say?" Tony laughed. "Are you insane? We just finished talking about the Avengers Initiative, and now you want to desert?"

"I'm not running away," Ye Mo said calmly. "I'm taking a different path. Everyone now knows there's someone named Ye Mo who can use Wall Phasing, read minds, and use all kinds of unbelievable abilities. As long as I'm alive, I'm a walking target."

Tony frowned. "But once you 'die,' how are you going to get anything done? You won't be able to meet people or show your face. You won't even be able to openly enjoy a cup of coffee."

"But I can become 'Mr. X,'" Ye Mo said. "An intelligence source whose identity no one knows, but who never gets anything wrong. I can discover Hydra's bases in advance, infiltrate Hellfire's meetings, and snuff out the sparks before they make their move."

Tony stared at him for a long time, then suddenly turned to the console and pulled up a holographic recording.

It showed every operation Ye Mo had carried out over the past six months-rescuing people in the cave, using Wall Phasing to escape, controlling the secretary's mind, counterattacking in the subway tunnel... Every frame was labeled with a time, location, and energy fluctuation reading.

"Did you know S.H.I.E.L.D. has already opened a file on you?" Tony said. "Codename: 'Ghost Entity 07.' Classified as a high-risk, uncontrollable mutant. If you lose control, you're third on the elimination priority list, right behind Loki and Thanos."

Ye Mo was silent.

"So you're serious." Tony dismissed the recording. "You really intend to erase yourself?"

"Only the dead aren't investigated." Ye Mo nodded. "And I need your help."

Tony sighed and raked a hand through his hair. "Fine. But we have to make it convincing. It can't be a car crash-too ordinary. And it can't be an explosion-JARVIS would detect residual life signs. It has to be the kind of death people believe at a glance, one even an autopsy can't find fault with."

"I've thought about it," Ye Mo said. "A fall from a great height, combined with intense burning. We'll leave charred protective suit fragments at the scene, a bloodstained wrist guard, and... a synthetic body with the same build as mine."

Tony's eyes lit up. "You even thought of that?"

"Why else would I come to you?" Ye Mo grinned. "Don't you have an 'Emergency Stand-In System'? You originally used it to fool reporters, saying Iron Man was hospitalized with injuries when you'd actually gone on vacation."

"Hey, that's a classified project!" Tony pretended to be angry. "But... since you need it, I can upgrade it. Add real-time heartbeat simulation, temperature regulation, even fake brainwave signals. As long as no one cuts its belly open, nobody will know it's fake."

The two immediately began preparations.

Tony opened his private storage vault and brought out a silver-gray sealed pod. Inside lay an android exactly matching Ye Mo's height and weight. Its skin texture, fingerprints, and iris details had all been replicated from Ye Mo's data.

"This is the model I use to test armor compatibility." Tony patted its face. "Now it's going to die for you. Feel honored?"

Ye Mo didn't smile. "When can you finish the modifications?"

"Twenty-four hours," Tony said. "But I have to remind you: once we start, there's no turning back. The news will report it, the police will open a case, and the whole world will think you're dead. Including Emma Frost, including Natasha, including everyone who knows you."

Ye Mo was silent for a few seconds. "I know."

"Then have you considered whether anyone will still trust you when you 'come back to life'?" Tony looked at him. "A dead man suddenly showing up isn't exactly romantic."

"I don't need them to trust me," Ye Mo said. "I just need them to stop looking for me."

Tony stared at him, then finally nodded. "All right. I'll help."

Over the next twelve hours, the two barely stopped.

Tony modified the synthetic body, installing miniature temperature-control chips and a simulated blood circulation system, while Ye Mo repeatedly used Telepathy to calibrate his own biological frequency, ensuring the fake corpse's vital signs matched his exactly.

They built a mock scene in the underground laboratory-the top floor of an abandoned building, fitted with explosives, incendiaries, and camera jammers. Holographic projections simulated the entire sequence of the police arriving, firefighters conducting rescue operations, and the media broadcasting live.

"The key is making JARVIS 'see' you die too," Tony said. "So I need to plant a loophole in the system that cuts off your life signs at the instant of the explosion, then makes them disappear completely."

"Could it be discovered?" Ye Mo asked.

"Hard to say." Tony shrugged. "But as long as I handle it myself, it should hold up for at least a week before anyone finds out. By the time they catch on, you'll already be hidden underground."

Just as the final test was about to finish, Ye Mo suddenly pressed a hand to his temple.

[Warning: level 7 of the Gene Spiral Tower is about to unlock. Countdown to new ability fragment fusion: 12 hours.]

He frowned. Activating a new ability now was too dangerous. If abnormal vital signs appeared during his staged death, the entire plan would fail.

System, suppress the fusion procedure, he commanded silently.

[Unable to execute command. The fusion process is triggered autonomously by the genes. The host can only delay it, not terminate it. Completing the current task as soon as possible is recommended to prevent ability awakening from disrupting physiological stability.]

"This is trouble," Ye Mo murmured.

"What is it?" Tony looked up.

"Nothing." Ye Mo shook his head. "We just need to move faster."

Tony glanced at him and asked no more questions.

At eleven that night, all the equipment had been tested and adjusted.

The synthetic body lay quietly in its transport case, connected to the final data cable; the detonator was embedded inside Ye Mo's specially made glove; the signal jammer was hidden in a ventilation duct along the estate's perimeter.

Tony stood before the console, his finger hovering over the "Start" button.

"This is your last chance," he said. "There's still time to change your mind."

Ye Mo stood in the center of the laboratory, wearing a black protective suit and holding a miniature detonator. He glanced at Tony and nodded gently.

"Let's begin."

Tony pressed the button.

A row of red lights lit up in succession on the console, indicating that all surveillance nodes had been jammed. A faint blue flash streaked through the depths of the night sky, then all was quiet again.

Ye Mo stood where he was, motionless.

He knew that from this moment on, the real countdown had begun.

His phone screen suddenly lit up, and an unnamed message popped up:

[Time remaining until gene fusion: 11 hours, 58 minutes]