The night wind swirled Ashes past the base entrance. Ye Mo stood beneath the metal door frame, the Vibranium fragment in his palm still cold. He stared at it for two seconds, as if waiting for a stone to ignite on its own.
Tony hovered in mid-air, his armor thrusters humming incessantly, his mask half-open, revealing a "Are you even capable?" face. "I'm telling you, Mr. X, we don't have time to waste. That lunatic Killian is probably using Pepper's picture as his screensaver, humming a little tune while getting vaccinated."
Ye Mo ignored him and stuck the shard back on his forehead. A chill ran down his forehead and into his brain, but nothing happened. He closed his eyes and tried to recall the system notification sound—ever since he used " Group Healing," the thing had been like a computer crash, not even making a "beep."
"I have to rely on myself," he said softly.
He began to manipulate his memories. When he was tracking the Extremis Virus, the energy frequency was 0.7 Hz, accompanied by the smell of burnt electrical wires. He used this sensation as Anchor, drawing lines back and forth in his mind, silently chanting, "Resonance, empathy, give me a reaction."
Ten seconds passed, and there was no movement.
Fifteen seconds later, my brain started to throb.
Twenty seconds later, Tony coughed in the air. "How about I fly around first? You standing here like a statue is wasting a lot of electricity."
"Shut up." Ye Mo opened his eyes. "Give me thirty more seconds."
He closed his eyes again, this time completely covering the fragments with his palm, heating them like a hot water bottle. At the same time, he focused his attention down, touching the seventh layer of the " Gene Spiral Tower." This layer had lit up once before when he was testing the combination technique, like a radar warming up before it was turned on.
Sure enough, a glimmer of light flashed.
Immediately afterwards, a layer of ripples rose up, irregular and intermittent, like the flickering of an old television screen when the signal was bad. Ye Mo gritted his teeth and steadied his consciousness, preventing it from dissipating. He guided the fluctuations, using the Vibranium fragments as antennas, and scanned towards the city.
"Five degrees to the left... a little more..."
Suddenly, a point in the northwest direction jumped.
He suddenly opened his eyes. "I've got it!"
"Where?" Tony immediately lowered the flight altitude, hovering two meters above his head.
"About three kilometers to the northwest, a dilapidated building." Ye Mo rubbed his temples, his head feeling like it had been hit with a wrench. "The structure is broken, half of the outer wall has collapsed, and there's a crooked ventilation duct on the roof. There are heat sources inside, more than one, the one in the center is the strongest—it's probably Killian."
Tony raised his hand to bring up the navigation interface, swiping his finger a few times in the air. "Three kilometers northwest... an abandoned biotechnology research institute? I know this place well. It was shut down ten years ago because three people died in an experimental accident. The files were sealed afterward, and even the surveillance footage was lost."
"So it's a blind spot." Ye Mo nodded. "Less electromagnetic interference, suitable for doing shady things."
"But where did you get this information?" Tony squinted. "It's not some system notification you're being made to memorize again, is it? Last time you said 'abilities will be generated automatically,' and my armor almost turned into an oven."
"This time it wasn't something I carried on my back." Ye Mo put the fragment back in his pocket, his tone a little harsher. "I saw it."
"See?"
"Hmm. I have a picture in my head, it's blurry, like fragments, but the positions and structures match." He paused. "That's called Spatial Perception. A newly unlocked ability, it's still unstable, every time I use it my head explodes."
Tony paused for two seconds, then suddenly laughed, "So you're a human GPS now? The kind with thermal imaging?"
"More or less." Ye Mo adjusted his glasses, the cracks in the lenses digging into his nose. "Stop talking nonsense. If you believe me, go. If you don't, you can keep circling around here until he's finished welding the second batch of Extremis Soldier."
Tony stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly activated the wrist scanner and scanned Ye Mo's direction. Data streamed rapidly inside the mask.
"Biosignals normal, brainwave frequency abnormally elevated by 0.4 Hz, pupils slightly tremor," he read aloud. "Conclusion: You did just do something mentally taxing. I don't know if it's true, but—I'll believe you this once."
He increased altitude, the armored engine roaring louder, "Coordinates marked. Anti-Extremis Armor Mode switched to stealth assault. What about you? Not coming with me?"
"What would I do there?" Ye Mo took a half step back. " The Steel Bone haven't been repaired yet, and the Regeneration is cooling down. I'd be out of breath even running a hundred meters. If I go up there now, I'll just be your punching bag."
"True." Tony shrugged. "Then go back to bed and wait for my good news."
"Wait," Ye Mo suddenly spoke up, "Don't rush in. That place has a complex structure; he's definitely set a trap. Scout the outside first, don't just crash into the door."
"Oh?" Tony turned around. "Who was it that just said 'if you believe me, go'? And now you're telling me what to do?"
"I'm not teaching you," Ye Mo leaned against the wall, his voice lowered. "I'm reminding you— Killian isn't hiding there to fight. If he really wanted a direct confrontation, he would have blown up our base long ago. The fact that he's hiding means he's waiting for something. Don't alert him."
Tony paused for two seconds, the red light on his mask flashing slightly. "Okay, I'll do as you say. Let's assess the situation first."
As soon as he finished speaking, the thrusters suddenly increased their power, Iron Man transformed into a streak of silver-blue light, heading straight for the northwest.
Ye Mo looked up and watched the light disappear into the night before slowly sliding down to sit on the ground. The throbbing pain in his head was still there, like someone was turning it with a screwdriver. He took off his glasses, wiped the lenses with his sleeve, and put them back on.
" Spatial Perception... so difficult on the first try." He muttered to himself, "Next time I'll have to find a quieter place, and maybe have a cup of coffee too."
He took out his notebook, tore off a page, and drew a simple diagram from memory: the building's outline, the distribution of three heat sources, and the location of the central target. The handwriting was a little shaky, but still legible. After finishing, he stuffed it into the inside pocket of his work pants.
The wind blew by, carrying the smell of scorched earth from afar.
He leaned against the wall, motionless.
A few minutes later, Tony's voice came through the communication headset. "Arrived over target area, no external surveillance detected. No energy field on the outer layer of the building, but infrared indicators show signs of activity inside. Currently conducting reconnaissance by circling, not landing yet."
Ye Mo pressed the earpiece. "Roger that. Keep your distance, don't trigger passive defense."
"Understood." Tony paused. "How are things on your end? You didn't pass out on the spot, did you?"
"Still alive." Ye Mo forced a smile. "It just feels like I just finished the last exam of the college entrance exam."
"That's good." Tony chuckled. "Once I find that lunatic, you can interrogate him yourself."
Communication lost.
Ye Mo closed his eyes and stopped trying to connect to the system. He knew that this ability was like a newly installed app; crashing was the norm. Forcing a refresh would only make his head ache more.
He only had one thought in mind: the location was complete.
Killian's location has been pinpointed.
Now, let's see how Tony plays.
He slowly stood up, his legs still a little weak, but he could walk. He turned and walked towards the base entrance. The metal door slid open automatically, and the lights inside were still flickering, but brighter than before.
At the end of the corridor was the command center. He needed to save the coordinate map into the offline database and add an asterisk as a note, "Don't let Tony try to break in alone."
He stopped at the corner of the corridor and looked back at the night sky.
There was nothing there.
But he knew that in the shadows of some abandoned building, a cat-and-mouse game had already begun.
And he had just pressed the start button.
He raised his hand and gripped the Vibranium fragment in his pocket even tighter.
It's cold.
But this time, he knew when it would get hot.