The melting ice droplets continued to fall, one drop, two drops, the pace so slow it made one's eyelids heavy. Ye Mo leaned against the wall, his right hand hidden behind his back, the stinging pain in his fingertips like being repeatedly pricked by a red-hot needle, the Regeneration backlash not yet fully subsided. He didn't make a sound, but quietly rubbed his fingers against the seam of his pants, trying to suppress the twitching.
Emma Frost leaned against the wall with her eyes closed, her breathing shallow but steady. She wasn't asleep; although her mental strength was depleted, her alert circle remained active. Captain America sat on the ground, his shield across his lap, his hand resting on the edge, his knuckles slightly white. He didn't look at anyone; his gaze was fixed on Bucky, yet it seemed he wasn't looking at him at all, just staring blankly at a patch of peeling plaster in front of him.
Bucky sat in the corner, his mechanical arm folded at his side, his left hand resting on his knee, his fingers slightly curled. He lowered his head, as if recalling something, or perhaps resisting something. No one spoke; even the wind was stuck outside the door, and the entire space was so quiet that you could hear the buzzing of electricity flowing through the circuit boards.
Ye Mo suddenly frowned.
It's not because of pain.
It was that buzzing in his ears—he'd initially thought it was a lingering effect of the fight, but now it sounded strange. It wasn't continuous; it was jumping rhythmically, every seven seconds, like some kind of signal scanning a frequency. He held his breath, shifting his attention from his fingertips to his ear canal, trying to use Telepathy Fragment to "listen" to the source behind the sound.
It's not mind reading.
It is the perception of emotional ripples.
He closed his eyes, his mind searching through the noise like tuning a radio. At first, it was completely empty, with only his own heartbeat and Emma Frost's faint mental echoes. But just as he was about to give up, a strange sensation flashed by—extremely distant, extremely cold, carrying a stubborn hostility, like someone watching you from the shadows, sneering and taking notes.
He suddenly opened his eyes.
"We're being watched." The voice wasn't loud, but it was enough to make all three of them look up at the same time.
Captain America didn't move, but his gaze changed, shifting from blank to locked. "Where did this come from?"
"I don't know." Ye Mo shook his head. "It's not a tracking signal, nor a positioning wave. It's more like... someone is setting up a network remotely, waiting to reel it in."
Emma Frost opened her eyes, her brows furrowing slightly. "I didn't sense any intrusion. There are no sources of Mind Stone interference within thirty meters."
"I'm not a mind reader either." Ye Mo rubbed his temples. "I deduced it from the residual field of my ability. The tinnitus I just experienced had a frequency that overlapped with the program's wavelength used to control Bucky by more than 70%. But it's not attacking now, it's just observing, like it's testing our reaction threshold."
Bucky looked up, his eyes no longer darting around. "You mean, they're waiting for us to make a move?"
"Yes." Ye Mo nodded. "They're not after me alone, they're after all four of us. They know the battle just now took a toll, and now they're at their most vulnerable. But they haven't made a move, which shows they're wary, and it also means... they're waiting for a better opportunity."
The air suddenly tightened.
Captain America slowly stood up, without taking his shield, and walked to the center of the room, looking around. "Could it be S.H.I.E.L.D..? A residual tracking signal?"
"It doesn't seem like it," Bucky said, his voice low but clear. "If it were an official operation, they would have already sent out tactical teams to clear the area. This feeling of being watched... it's more like a private operation, with a clear objective and covert methods."
Emma Frost added, "Furthermore, if it's official intervention, it's impossible for my mental abilities to completely miss it. Either the other party has blocked their Mind Stone frequency, or they're simply not within physical range."
Ye Mo reached into his hoodie pocket; the silver half-rimmed glasses inside were shattered, only the temples remained. "So it's most likely remote control, projecting consciousness through a relay station or satellite link. They don't want to reveal their location, nor do they want to alert the enemy; they're purely collecting data."
"What's the purpose?" Captain America asked.
"It's still unclear," Ye Mo shook his head, "But one thing is certain—they're not targeting me, nor are they targeting you." He looked at Captain America, "It's Bucky. In that emotional ripple just now, three of the targeted fluctuations were directed at him, as if confirming his level of consciousness."
Bucky's fingers clenched his knees.
"I'm not a tool anymore," he said softly, as if reminding others, or perhaps convincing himself.
"I know," Ye Mo glanced at him, "But some people don't think that way. They might think that as long as the program refreshes quickly enough, you can log back in."
Captain America crouched down, placing his hand on Bucky's shoulder. "Let them try."
"Don't be impulsive." Ye Mo waved his hand. "Our biggest advantage right now is that they think we've relaxed. If we move now, it will only expose that we've already noticed. It's better to stay here, play dumb, and let them continue their act."
Emma Frost closed her eyes for a moment. "I can maintain a low-energy alert, immediately issuing a warning if there are any signs of mental intrusion. But I don't recommend actively performing a reverse scan; the current state makes it easy to expose our own frequency band."
"No need," Ye Mo shook his head. "Passive reception is fine. I'm like a broken radio right now, full of static, but that's perfect for sneaking in and eavesdropping."
"Can't you be serious for once?" Captain America frowned.
"I'm already speaking in the plainest terms," Ye Mo said, shrugging. "Do you want me to talk about quantum entanglement or neural synaptic coupling? We don't even have WiFi here; the only reason we've managed to get this far is because I'm so down-to-earth."
Emma Frost scoffed, "Your mouth is harder to control than your abilities."
"That's because I'm thick-skinned." Ye Mo grinned, then stopped. "But seriously, we need to set a signal. In case someone sneaks in, we can't rely on that old-fashioned line of 'Watch out behind you' to save our lives."
"For example?" Bucky asked.
"For example, if I say 'The weather is nice today,' it means the enemy has entered within ten meters." Ye Mo said seriously. "If I say 'I'm hungry,' it means I'm about to make a move. If I say 'I want some milk tea,' it means I can't hold on any longer, and you guys need to get in."
"Can you stop thinking about milk tea all the time?" Emma Frost rolled her eyes.
"That's a source of emotional support," Ye Mo said matter-of-factly. "Do you know how many calories you burn to Regeneration? It's equivalent to eating five hot pot meals in a row. My stomach is so empty I could raise fish in it."
Captain America couldn't help but chuckle, then became serious again. "Alright, the code is set. But we can't just wait. Since they want to see our reaction, let's show them something different."
"For example?" Ye Mo raised an eyebrow.
"For example—" Captain America looked at Bucky, "We acted like there were internal divisions. You pretended not to trust me, I acted anxious, and you suddenly left the team, creating the illusion of chaos."
"No way," Ye Mo immediately objected. " Bucky has just calmed down. If he suffers another psychological shock, the program might take advantage of the situation and restart, and all our efforts will be wasted."
"Then what do you suggest we do?"
Ye Mo was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly looked at Emma Frost: "Can you simulate fake brainwaves? You mean... the kind of fluctuations that look like before an emotional breakdown?"
Emma Frost for a moment. "Yes, it's possible, but it only lasts for thirty seconds, and it only works if you're close to the signal source. It won't transmit if it's too far away."
"Enough." Ye Mo's eyes lit up. "We won't act out internal strife; we'll act like ' Ye Mo is about to defect.'"
"Huh?" the three exclaimed in unison.
"Look," Ye Mo said, getting more and more carried away, "I told them I couldn't stand this awful place and wanted to go it alone. Captain America stopped me, Bucky hesitated in the middle, and Emma Frost watched coldly. I slammed the door and went out, but actually went around in circles and climbed back through the ventilation duct. If they were really monitoring us, they would definitely think there was an opportunity, and might even send in a probe unit."
"Aren't you afraid of being intercepted?" Emma Frost asked.
"I'm scared," Ye Mo laughed. "That's why I need to have a backup plan." He raised his right hand, his fingertips still a little hot. " The Regeneration cooldown has four minutes left. When I go out later, remember to count. If I'm not back in more than six minutes, then I'll assume I really ran away—of course, most likely I'll be stuck in the bathroom smoking."
"You still smoke?" Bucky asked, a rare look of confusion on his face.
"I was faking it." Ye Mo blinked. "To make it seem more realistic. How dramatic would it be if a hero who's always spouting righteousness suddenly started smoking?"
Captain America shook his head. "Your fallacies keep coming back."
"That's because I've lived a long time." Ye Mo shrugged. "I understood from the first day I transmigrated that to survive, you have to be seen as unpredictable."
Emma Frost closed her eyes and regulated her breathing, re-entering a state of alert. "I will release a fake emotional fluctuation when you leave, simulating anxiety and wavering. But if they know their stuff, they'll see right through it."
"It's alright." Ye Mo leaned back against the wall. "We never intended to lie for too long. As long as they make a move, even just a test, we can follow the clues."
The wind picked up outside, whipping up sand that lashed against the corrugated iron wall with a soft, rustling sound. The light bulb flickered briefly, then settled.
The four people remained seated in the same circle, their posture unchanged, but the atmosphere had shifted. It was no longer the relaxed feeling of surviving a disaster, but rather a tense tension, ready to be released at any moment.
Ye Mo looked down at his hands; the stinging pain from the Regeneration was still there, but he no longer tried to hide it. He knew that the real test had only just begun.
"It's still moving," he suddenly whispered, his eyes fixed on the ground. "The signal source is adjusting its angle, shifting three degrees this way."
All three eyes focused on him simultaneously.
Ye Mo didn't look up, but simply flexed his wrist slightly, his voice calm. "It's not a test, it's preparation. They're already on their way."
Outside the door, the wind howled even louder.