Ye Mo celebrated victory, and the team's bonds grew deeper

Ye Mo had just reached the entrance to parking lot B3, and before his hand even touched the dashcam, he heard footsteps behind him. He didn't turn around; he knew who it was.

"Are you planning to stay up all night alone?" Tony's voice rang out, with his usual teasing tone. "The data won't go away, but the wine will get cold."

Ye Mo stopped what he was doing and released his fingers from the device. He turned around and saw Tony leaning against a wrecked armored vehicle, holding two bottles of beer in one hand and making a "go" gesture with the other.

"I don't drink," Ye Mo said.

"You were almost blasted to pieces by magic just now, and now you're saying you won't drink?" Tony rolled his eyes. "Fine, you drink mineral water, and I'll have double."

Emma Frost walked over from the other end of the passage. She wasn't wearing her combat suit, but a dark coat, and her hair was neatly tied back. She walked between the two of them, glanced at Ye Mo's face, and said softly, "We've all been waiting for you."

Ye Mo remained silent.

He knew where they were. A small bar located next to ruins, its sign crooked, named "Mjolnir"—a name Thor had given it, and it had just been put up three days ago.

He didn't want to go. Loki's last look and the unusual reflection in the puddle were still stuck in his mind. But he also knew that if he stayed any longer, the two of them wouldn't leave.

He sighed and stuffed the recorder back into his bag. "Let's go."

As the three emerged from the underpass, the wind dispersed a layer of gray fog. Several strings of colored lights hung at the bar entrance, flickering unsteadily as if they might go out at any moment. As soon as the door opened, music poured out—old-fashioned rock with a slow tempo.

Thor was already inside. He was sitting at the largest table in the corner, with three large wine glasses in front of him. He was holding a fourth one and was drinking from it.

"They're here!" He stood up immediately upon seeing Ye Mo, his voice so loud it made the lights flicker, "Earth warriors! Tonight, we won't talk about fighting, we'll only talk about what the survivors should do!"

"What is it?" Ye Mo asked.

"Drink! Laugh! Then get a good night's sleep!" Thor slammed his fist on the table. "We'll deal with tomorrow's problems tomorrow!"

Tony had already pulled out a chair and sat down, pouring Ye Mo a beer. "Stop pretending, you're starving. I heard you went straight to the command post after moving the supplies without even eating."

Ye Mo sat down without touching his cup. His shoulder felt heavy; it was the spot where Loki had punched him before. It wasn't visible on the surface now, but it would tighten whenever he was quiet.

Emma Frost sat down next to him and reached out to touch his cuff. "Are you still in pain?"

"It's nothing," Ye Mo said.

"Here we go again," Tony chuckled. "Is the system notification reminding you again, 'Use prohibited if cooldown is not full'?"

Ye Mo was taken aback. "How did you know?"

"When you stormed the mothership last time, my armor's listening system picked up a strange electronic sound." Tony blinked. "The frequency is the same as the resonance wave of your Vibranium device, only shorter. I'm guessing it's a voice from your head."

Ye Mo did not deny it.

Emma Frost looked at him and suddenly smiled. "He was almost sliced to pieces by the guards back then, luckily he Regeneration."

"Who wants to hear this?" Ye Mo lowered his head, took a sip of wine, and frowned, the taste bitter.

"The first time I saw you use your Wall Phasing Technique to go in, I thought it was a hallucination," Tony continued. "A living person suddenly disappears, then reappears behind an enemy, and casually unplugs the power cord—it's outrageous."

"That's not a power cord, it's a communication node," Ye Mo corrected.

"The result is the same anyway, the mothership lost its network." Thor laughed heartily, "That move deserves a drink!"

The four people clinked their glasses, the glass clattering together with a crisp sound.

The atmosphere immediately relaxed.

Tony started recounting the part where his armor malfunctioned. "The palm cannon got stuck halfway through charging, and I thought, 'That's it, I'm really going to be naked now.' Then you hit me with a Buzzing Wave attack, and the system rebooted. I thought to myself, 'This guy is my lucky charm.'"

"I'm using you as a test subject," Ye Mo said. "Anyway, your armor is thick; you won't get blown up."

"Bullshit! I call this trust!" Tony pointed at him. "Do you believe I'll tell you right now that you secretly repaired my armor last night?"

Ye Mo nearly spat out his drink. "I didn't."

"Yes," Emma Frost said calmly. "I sensed it. You sneaked into the hangar in the middle of the night and took thirty-seven minutes."

Ye Mo closed his eyes. "The system notification sound is to blame."

"Trying to shift the blame again?" Tony chuckled. "You're even better at arguing Loki."

Everyone laughed.

Thor raised his glass. "Speaking of Loki... he's crossed the Bifrost. He won't be coming back."

No one answered.

The air went still for a moment.

Ye Mo looked down at the bubbles in the glass slowly dissipating. He knew Thor was telling the truth, but he also remembered the delay in the reflection and the temperature changes of the Vibranium fragment.

But now is not the time to talk about these things.

He looked up and saw Emma Frost looking at him. She didn't speak, but her gaze was gentle, as if telling him: Take a rest first.

He nodded.

Tony broke the silence. "Hey, you guys, if we were to fight again, do you think we could still cooperate like this?"

"Of course," Thor replied without hesitation.

"As long as you don't change your tactics again at the last minute." Emma Frost looked at Ye Mo.

"I was just improvising," Ye Mo said.

"You were asking for it," Tony added. "Last time you charged into the command ship, you didn't even activate your shields, you were just holding on thanks to Regeneration. If I hadn't interrupted the communications in time, you'd be a pile of ashes right now."

"But I made it out alive." Ye Mo shrugged.

"Because you're tough," Emma Frost whispered.

These words were spoken softly, but Ye Mo heard them clearly.

He looked at her and suddenly felt his shoulders weren't so heavy anymore.

Thor stood up, Mjolnir slung over his shoulder. "Brothers, I have to go. Asgard has matters to attend to."

He walked to the table, placed one hand on it, and glanced at the three people. "If the Nine Realms descend into chaos again, will you still come?"

Tony immediately raised his glass. "As long as the channel is still open, I'll fly over there even in my pajamas."

Emma Frost looked at Ye Mo, her voice steady. "My Telepathy is always with him."

Ye Mo did not answer immediately.

He looked out the window. The night sky was clear, without cracks or green light, only low-hanging stars. It had been torn apart, but now it had healed.

He remembered the day he first traveled through time, hiding in an alley and listening to Iron Man's flight overhead. At that moment, all he wanted was to survive; he didn't care about anyone else.

Things are different now.

He picked up his wine glass and stood up.

"I'm not fighting this war for the world," he said. "I'm fighting so that you won't die before me."

The four clinked glasses again.

The sound of the glass colliding was louder than before.

As the drinking progressed and the crowd began to disperse, several volunteers passed by and greeted them. Some recognized Ye Mo and waved from afar. He nodded in response but didn't say much.

Tony yawned and stood up. "Alright, I'm going back. JARVIS still needs to check the armor damage."

"If you drink like this, JARVIS will call the police," Ye Mo said.

"He wouldn't dare," Tony grinned. "I created him, he has to listen to me."

Emma Frost didn't leave. She stood next to Ye Mo and handed him a coat. "It's windy outside."

Ye Mo took the clothes and put them on. The clothes were a bit warm, and they weren't his size, but she always remembered that he was afraid of the cold.

"You know what?" she suddenly said, "I was so happy about what you just said."

Ye Mo looked up at her.

She didn't smile, but her eyes were bright.

He finally showed his first genuine smile of the night. "Me too."

He finished the last sip of his drink and placed the glass on the table. A little liquid remained at the bottom of the glass, reflecting the light from the ceiling and swirling slightly.

"Let's go," he said. "We have to work tomorrow."

The three of them walked out of the bar together.

The night wind carried the scent of Ashes and rain. The city hadn't fully recovered, but the streetlights were on, people were walking in the streets, and in the distance, people were clearing away the rubble.

They walked slowly along the main road in the eastern district toward the safe house, without saying a word.

When Ye Mo reached the third intersection, he suddenly stopped.

Emma Frost turned to look at him.

He touched his pocket. The Vibranium fragment was pressed against the outside of his thigh; its temperature was normal.

He didn't say anything and continued walking.

The exterior wall of a building ahead still bears the marks of battle, charred black. Someone is graffitiing on the wall, drawing four figures standing together, facing into the distance.

Ye Mo glanced at it but didn't stop.

They turned into a dimly lit alley. Tony walked in front, humming an off-key tune.

Ye Mo lagged behind by half a step.

He looked up at the sky.

The stars are still there.