Ye Mo slid his finger across the consciousness interface, and the waveforms on the screen began to align automatically. The four cooling records were laid out side by side, the timeline stretched into a straight line. The first time was 0.8 seconds, the second 1.2 seconds, the third also 1.2 seconds, and the fourth extended to 1.5 seconds. The frequency remained the same, but the duration was increasing.
This indicates that the other party has not given up on the connection; on the contrary, they are trying to strengthen the channel.
He pulled up satellite images from the Siberia weather station and marked the three signal bursts in red. The three red dots almost formed an equilateral triangle, with the center located at the third underground level of Zone B3. That place had been abandoned for thirty years; theoretically, even rats couldn't survive there. However, the data showed that each time the signal appeared, the geomagnetic readings in that area would fluctuate slightly, as if something was breathing down there.
Ye Mo overlaid the thermal model. Normally, the heat distribution in an abandoned building complex is scattered and decaying. But this place is different. The temperature curve in Zone B3 shows regular fluctuations, with a cycle of exactly 27 hours, consistent with Loki's attack rhythm.
Too many coincidences are no longer coincidences.
He reconstructed the entire structure in the sand table. The ventilation ducts, load-bearing walls, and cable shafts were all restored. Then he activated the " Wall Phasing Technique + Spatial Perception " combination to simulate the signal penetration path. He found that only by entering from the old drainage channel on the east side could he avoid all known detection nodes. And this route happened to match the infiltration protocol he had previously preloaded.
The other party didn't choose the location randomly; they knew where the safest spot was.
Ye Mo closed the simulation interface and opened the nineteenth floor of the Gene Spiral Tower. A system notification sounded in his mind, "Composite defense protocol to be activated." He found the fusion module of " Neural Silence + Wall Phasing Technique " and added new parameters - once unauthorized brainwave resonance is detected, immediately trigger stealth evacuation and send location signals to five backup terminals.
This protocol was originally intended to prevent sneak attacks, but now it needs to be changed to a 24/7 standby status.
He casually inspected all the metal objects in the base. Screws, doorknobs, server racks... everything was labeled with an isolation tag. He also scanned his watch, glasses, and tactical belt to confirm there were no abnormal programs implanted. The Vibranium shard was still pressed against his palm; its temperature had returned to normal, but he dared not put it back. This thing was now both bait and a bomb; no one knew what it might suddenly transmit next.
He needs an early warning system.
The first level uses this fragment as a sensor. As long as it cools down, it means that the other party is connecting. The second level connects to the global Mutants energy database and sets automatic comparison conditions: frequency of about 0.5 Hz, duration of more than one second, and appearance in an area without heat source. The third level links to S.H.I.E.L.D..'s monitoring nodes. Once the first two levels alarm simultaneously, a drone is immediately dispatched to the scene for investigation.
This system cannot be sustained by him alone.
He packaged the anonymized spectrogram, encrypted it, and sent it to Nick Fury. The attachment contained only one sentence. "This is not a request for support, but an advance notice of what you are about to face." There was no signature or contact information. He knew Fury would understand.
After sending the message, he also sent a simplified version of the contingency plan to Tony and Emma Frost respectively. The content was short, just telling them to upgrade the base's security level, especially the encryption protocol of the communication system. Tony would probably reply with "Trying to scare me again," Emma Frost would probably call directly to ask what was going on. But he didn't have time to explain right now.
After finishing all that, he glanced down at the main control screen. The nutrient injection progress showed 87%. He hadn't eaten anything properly for over thirty hours, relying entirely on intravenous fluids to stay alive. His eyes were terribly dry; even blinking felt like sandpaper. His throat was tight, and his voice had become hoarse.
We can't keep dragging this on.
He turned off the continuously running monitoring window, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes for ten minutes. The system automatically dimmed the lights and reduced the ambient noise to a minimum. His heart rate slowly decreased from 90 to 60, and his breathing rate stabilized. His head was still buzzing, but at least it was no longer burning hot.
When I opened my eyes, the main screen was lit up.
Fury replied. The message was brief. "Received. Response within 24 hours." There were no questions or inquiries about the source. This attitude only made Ye Mo more wary. He knew that S.H.I.E.L.D.. was not a monolithic entity; some people preferred to follow procedures, while others distrusted intelligence from dubious sources.
Sure enough, five minutes later, another message popped up. It came from an unauthenticated terminal and was delivered in a forceful tone. "' Mr. X ' has no authority to intervene in strategic threat assessments. Please submit the complete data chain for review." A typical bureaucratic response, using compliance as a pretext to hold someone back.
Ye Mo sneered and wrote a line in his log, " S.H.I.E.L.D.'s response was slow; the contingency plan needs to reserve an independent operational route."
He reopened the command panel, created a new project folder, and named it " Preventive Measure Alpha ". It was divided into four sub-modules: monitoring network, capability response, coordination mechanism, and emergency evacuation. Preliminary plans were filled in under each module, waiting for further details to be added.
The monitoring network is centered around Vibranium fragments and is bound to a triple verification mechanism; the capability response is preset with three sets of combo skills to deal with mental intrusion, physical penetration and remote control respectively; the coordination mechanism lists the heroes that can be contacted and their contact methods; and the emergency evacuation plan includes seven escape routes covering three major regions: North America, Europe and Asia.
All modules are currently in the "awaiting activation" status.
He didn't activate anything immediately. Right now, he was just setting up defenses; the real action would have to wait for the enemy to make the first move. He wanted to keep the net hanging there quietly, waiting for the prey to walk right into it.
My finger hovered over the "Confirm Deployment" button for a few seconds, but I didn't press it in the end.
Moving too quickly at this point would only expose a weakness. He needs to make the opponent think everything is normal, that he is still on the defensive. In reality, he has already dug the trap, and is just waiting for the final bait.
He glanced at the Vibranium fragment in his pocket. It had been perfectly still when he sent the message. It hadn't heated up or cooled down, just like an ordinary metal piece. But this wasn't normal. According to the previous pattern, it would fluctuate every 27 hours. And now, 25 hours had passed since the last cooling down.
Two hours left.
He reconnected the sensor in the southeast corner and set its sensitivity to maximum. At the same time, he activated the Pseudo-Personality Simulation Program, setting it to release a false signal every two hours to disguise the fact that the host was still scanning. This program had fooled the other party once before, and now he had to make it look more realistic.
He imported his biological data into the simulator—heartbeat, brain waves, breathing rhythm, everything was copied in. Then he cut off the real signal output, making the system think he was still working. In reality, he had exited the main interface and entered offline mode, and all operations were completed locally.
In this way, even if the other party could listen to S.H.I.E.L.D..'s channels, they would only see a bunch of invalid data.
Time ticked by, second by second.
The small window on the left side of the main screen displays a countdown: 1 hour and 47 minutes.
He took a sip of his nutrient solution and continued checking the triggering logic of the defense protocol. He needed to ensure that the system would react within 0.3 seconds should the temperature of the fragments change by more than 0.5 degrees Celsius. Too fast and it would be detected; too slow and it would be too late.
Twenty minutes later, Fury finally gave a formal reply. S.H.I.E.L.D.. agreed to establish a temporary collaborative team, but required " Mr. X " to provide at least two verifiable intelligence points. In other words, the spectrum diagram alone was not enough; physical evidence was also required.
Ye Mo replied with "Understood" and said nothing more.
He knew what this meant. Officials wouldn't easily trust an anonymous source. Even if that person had saved New York and was certified by the council, they would still have to go through the proper procedures. It was a systemic problem, and it couldn't be changed.
Therefore, he cannot wait.
He must obtain sufficiently strong evidence before the other side takes its next action.
The countdown has 1 hour and 12 minutes remaining.
He pulled up a 3D model of the Siberia weather station and marked the expected signal arrival time on the map. Then he deployed virtual probes around it and set up an automatic recording function. As soon as the fluctuations reappeared, all the data would be preserved as is, including phase, harmonics, and distortion characteristics.
This is the limit of what he can do.
As for other matters, only time will tell.
He leaned back in his chair, his fingers lightly tapping the armrest. His eyes were fixed on the screen, unblinking. His body was exhausted, but his mind was taut. He knew the next few hours were crucial. This wasn't a battle; it was a strategic plan. Whoever moved first would lose.
When the countdown reached 58 minutes, a sudden chill emanated from the Vibranium fragment.
It's very light, like the wind brushing against your skin.
Ye Mo's fingers stopped.