The light of six in the morning slanted in through the gaps in the blinds, illuminating the half-empty bottle of electrolyte water on the edge of the control panel. The bottle was tilted, the label was wrinkled from soaking, and a layer of dust floated on the surface of the water. Ye Mo leaned back on the sofa, his left ear still ringing, as if a bee was stuck in his ear canal and couldn't fly out. He raised his hand to rub his face, and as his palm brushed against his cheekbone, he felt a dried bloodstain.
Tony sat at the control panel, his armored left arm dangling, a crack at the joint revealing charred wiring underneath. He was using a small pair of pliers to pick out fragments, humming off-key rock music.
"If you keep humming like that, my ears will Self-Healing," Ye Mo said, his voice hoarse like sandpaper grinding against sheet metal.
Tony didn't even look up. "Did the system notification make you speak so rudely?"
"It just reminded me not to slack off," Ye Mo said with a slight smirk, "Saying that our reaction speed can still be improved."
After the words were spoken, the room fell silent for a second. The feeling of ease that had been floating in the air just moments before slowly deflated like a punctured balloon.
Tony stopped what he was doing, turned around, and his eyes became serious. "Are you serious?"
"Otherwise what?" Ye Mo sat up straighter. "When the shadowy figure made his move, there was a half-second difference between us before we connected. Emma Frost, you saw that too, right?"
Emma Frost had been sitting quietly in the corner, opened her eyes. She had been sitting with her eyes closed, her fingers resting on her temples, as if organizing something. Hearing the name, she nodded. "I sensed his emotional fluctuation three seconds before the attack, but... I didn't report it."
"Why?" Tony asked.
"I was afraid of disrupting your rhythm," Emma Frost said calmly. "Besides, I wasn't sure at the time whether it was an attack signal or an energy adjustment."
Tony clicked his tongue. "So the three of us, one relying on intuition, one on data, and one on mind reading, still couldn't put together a single combo."
"The problem isn't coordination," Ye Mo shook his head. "It's that we're all too slow. My Regeneration cooldown is longer than last time, and my limbs feel heavy after Steel Bone Transformation; your armor response is delayed; Emma Frost's mental link isn't as stable as before. This isn't a coincidence."
Tony stared at him for two seconds, then suddenly laughed, "Wow, Mr. X, now you can even host the year-end summary meeting."
"Don't call me by that name." Ye Mo rolled his eyes. "It sounds like a wanted criminal's registration number."
"It's beyond repair." Tony shrugged. "All of New York is watching the replay live, with the headline 'The Glasses-Wearing Flash Saves Iron Man.'"
"That's Lightning Control, not The Flash," Ye Mo corrected. "Besides, I wear glasses to look sophisticated, what do you know?"
Emma Frost coughed lightly. "Can we get back to the main topic?"
They both fell silent.
Tony sighed and brought up the battle log on his handheld console. The screen lit up, and several videos began to play back: Ye Mo charging towards the shadowy figure, his own palm cannon charging, and Emma Frost's aircraft landing, all arranged side by side in a timeline.
"Look here." He pointed to the timecode. "From the moment the enemy first released their dark energy to the moment we launched an effective counterattack, it took four and a half seconds. Normally, it should have been under three and a half seconds."
"I held you back." Ye Mo stared at his own lunge in the video feed. "I hesitated for a moment, afraid the electric current would miss and affect you all."
"I hesitated too," Tony admitted. "When the Palm Cannon was 85% charged, I was wondering whether I should conserve its power for future attacks."
Emma Frost looked at them and suddenly said, "I have one too."
The two men looked at her.
"It's not that I didn't try to convey the message," she said, lowering her voice. "I was... afraid you'd think I was spying on you. So I hesitated, waiting for him to realize the danger himself."
The room was silent for a few seconds.
Ye Mo scratched the back of his head. "So, the three of us are all treating ourselves like outsiders?"
"Not entirely." Tony tapped the screen. "We've relied too much on our old playing style. We were used to playing solo, and now that we're teaming up, we're feeling constrained."
"Then let's practice," Ye Mo said directly, "Let's work on the rhythm again."
"How do we practice?" Emma Frost asked.
"Let's build a simulation system first," Tony said, pointing to the remaining lab equipment. "Piece together the usable parts and create a combat training ground. It doesn't need to be high-tech, just enough to measure reaction time and coordination efficiency."
"What about the risks?" Emma Frost looked at Ye Mo. "Doesn't your ability to experiment often go wrong? Last time, your Wall Phasing Technique almost got you stuck in a wall for three days."
"That time it was because I didn't calculate the wall density correctly," Ye Mo waved his hand. "This time I'll scan the structural parameters beforehand before activating the combination technique."
"Are you planning to try out a new combination?" Tony raised an eyebrow.
"Of course." Ye Mo grinned. "For example, could 'lightning + Wall Phasing ' deliver a penetrating electric shock? Or could ' Ice Manipulation + Time Lag ' freeze the flow of time in an area?"
"Sounds like a lab bombing combo," Tony quipped.
"Anyway, your house is bigger." Ye Mo shrugged.
Emma Frost watched them bickering and suddenly said, "I can meditate with you for ten minutes every day."
The two were taken aback.
"What do you mean?" Tony asked.
"Let's establish a temporary mental connection," she explained. "We won't use mind reading or touch on private information; we'll just share basic information—like heart rate, breathing rhythm, and focus. This way, in the next battle, I can more accurately judge your intentions and won't get stuck because of 'whether or not to say something.'"
Ye Mo was silent for two seconds. "You're willing to open a passage? Isn't that thing what you're most afraid of?"
"It used to be," Emma Frost looked at him, "But now I know that trust isn't maintained by blocking out others."
Tony whistled. "Wow, is the White Queen going for a sentimental look today?"
Emma Frost glared at him. "If you don't want to, I can practice with Ye Mo alone."
"Who says I don't want to?" Tony immediately sat up straight. "I also want to know when I'll be let down by my teammates."
"Then you'll have to fix the armor first." Ye Mo pointed to his useless arm.
"No problem," Tony waved his hand. "The power will be on tonight."
"Don't brag." Ye Mo stood up and stretched his shoulders, the metal skeleton making a slight grinding sound. " My Regeneration isn't full yet. Right now, I need to lie in bed for three days if I get hit by something."
"So, starting tomorrow." Emma Frost stood up and walked to the center of the room. "The first round of synchronized practice will be at eight in the morning. The location is right here; the equipment will provide basic protection."
"Okay." Ye Mo nodded. "I'll wear half-rimmed glasses to add a sense of ceremony."
"You wear glasses just to block the glare from your pupils," Tony retorted. "The thermal imaging test last time captured it perfectly clearly."
"That's necessary for the look," Ye Mo insisted.
The three of them exchanged a glance and then suddenly laughed.
After the laughter subsided, no one spoke. The city outside the window had fully awakened; the announcements of the early morning buses drifted in intermittently, and cranes at the construction site in the distance turned slowly. The traces of the battle were being cleared away, while they sat here, discussing how to become stronger.
Tony continued repairing the armor, his fingers deftly weaving wires. Emma Frost returned to her corner, closed her eyes, and entered a meditative state, her breathing gradually becoming steady. Ye Mo leaned back on the sofa, closed his eyes, and let his consciousness sink into the " Gene Spiral Tower " in his mind.
The tower rotated silently, and the unlocked ability fragments on the seventeenth floor shimmered like stars. He didn't touch any new combinations, but simply replayed the battle footage repeatedly, marking each decision point.
He knew this victory was not the end.
Enemies evolve and their methods upgrade; next time, they may not get a chance to breathe.
Therefore, he must be faster, more accurate, and more daring.
Even if the system never issues tasks, he still has to set goals for himself.
Tony suddenly looked up at him and asked, "What are you thinking about?"
"Before you get sent flying again, can you strike first?" Ye Mo opened his eyes. "Also, don't let Emma Frost bear all the psychological pressure alone anymore."
Emma Frost didn't open her eyes, but the corners of her mouth lifted almost imperceptibly.
Tony nodded. "Agreed. If she keeps quiet again next time, I'll be the first to yell at her."
"You two," Emma Frost opened her eyes, her tone turning cold, "Do you really think I don't exist?"
"I wouldn't dare," Ye Mo raised his hands in surrender. "We're simply actively implementing the spirit of the meeting."
What meeting?
"It's that one we just had—the 'Internal Seminar on Improving Self-Awareness, Strengthening Collaboration, and Eliminating Individual Heroism' by the Three Leaders." Ye Mo said seriously, "The first point of the meeting minutes: Tony is in charge of technical support, Emma Frost is in charge of Mind Stone development, and I am in charge of practical breakthroughs."
Tony laughed out loud, "You even gave yourself an official position?"
"Otherwise what?" Ye Mo said matter-of-factly, "Someone has to oversee the whole situation."
"Then can you coordinate things? What time is it now?"
Ye Mo glanced at the digital clock on the wall: 06:43.
"It's still early," he said. "Enough for me to nap for another twenty minutes."
After saying that, he leaned back on the sofa, pulling up his hoodie to cover half his face. Tony shook his head and continued fixing the equipment. Emma Frost closed her eyes, her fingertips gently pressing against her temples.
The only sounds in the room were the low ticking of the instruments and the gradually calming breathing of the three people.
The city awakens outside the window; sunlight climbs onto the edge of the control panel, illuminating the bottle of water with its rotten label.
Ye Mo's hand hung by the edge of the sofa, his fingertips trembling slightly, as if he were silently rehearsing the activation sequence of some new ability.