The curve on the main screen continued to climb, changing from 0.763 Hz to 0.764 Hz. The movement speed remained the same, but the rhythm became more stable. Ye Mo stared at the slowly rising line, his fingers tapping lightly on his knee, as if keeping time. He had just set the fake signal from the southeast to automatic loop when a system notification sounded in his mind, "False alarm module in operation, triggering once every thirty seconds. Abnormal fluctuations will be prioritized."
He breathed a sigh of relief, leaned back, and his hoodie rustled softly against the chair back. This old chair had long been askew from who-knows-who had been sitting on it; the left armrest was half a finger lower than the right, so every time he leaned back, he had to tilt slightly to the right to stay upright. He didn't mind; it wasn't the first time he'd stayed up all night staring at data here.
"How are things on your end?" Emma Frost's voice was a little hoarse, her eyes were still closed, but her fingers were already on her temples, her fingertips trembling slightly.
"The fake signals are getting out of control. Even I'm starting to want to send people to block them after hearing them so many times." Ye Mo glanced down at his tablet. "I also added a little Easter egg—the noise of a simulated turret overheating and restarting. It plays three times on a loop, then stops, waits ten seconds, and then starts again, making it look just like the real thing."
Emma Frost's lips twitched. "Did you used to fake being sick and skip school a lot when you were little?"
"I don't have the guts." He grinned. "I usually just skip class. If I get caught, at most I have to write a self-criticism. Unlike now, where if I make a mistake, the whole team is in an uproar."
As they were talking, Captain America pushed open the door and came in. His tactical boots made a soft sound as they stepped on the floor, but the atmosphere in the entire command area immediately tensed up. He held a folded topographical map in his hand, unfolded it, and slammed it onto the table, the magnetic pin snapping onto the edge.
"Everyone's here," he said.
Bucky and Black Widow's confirmation signals came through their earpieces almost simultaneously. Ye Mo looked up and saw two green markers pop up on the small screen in the corner of the control room, flashing on the northwest ventilation duct and the northern elevated point respectively. The two were in position, waiting for the final deployment.
Captain America pointed to the northwest corner of the map. "The enemy's main force is advancing here, slowly but steadily. They think we're being led astray by the movements in the east; now is the perfect window for an ambush."
He glanced around. "The plan remains the same, but we need to scrutinize the details. Anyone have any objections?"
No one spoke.
" Ye Mo." Captain America looked at him. "You're the key breacher. Don't make any moves in the early stages. Once they're fully within range and the first crack appears in the defense, immediately use your ability to create an opening. Can you do that?"
Ye Mo nodded. "Okay. I recently practiced a new technique: I use vibration to locate the point before Wall Phasing. This avoids steel structures, saves effort, and prevents jamming."
"Stop with the fancy stuff." Captain America frowned. "What I need is consistent damage output, not testing out new skills on the spot."
"Understood, Captain." He raised his right hand in a vow gesture. "I'll just think of myself as a walking, talking door ram; wherever the door is, I'll smash it."
Emma Frost gave a soft hum, her eyes remaining closed, but the corners of her lips twitched slightly.
" Emma Frost," Captain America turned to her, "You continue monitoring the subconscious mass, focusing on the command node. Once a target is spotted, report it immediately and try to disrupt its command transmission. Can you hold out?"
She took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. "The intermittent scanning mode is set, actively detecting once every twenty seconds, and maintaining the rest through edge perception. As long as we don't encounter a strong mental entity to resist, there shouldn't be any major problems."
Captain America nodded. "Okay. If you're struggling, call a halt immediately. We'd rather let one wave escape than risk you."
"I'm not made of glass," she replied casually, her fingers subtly clenching the seam of her trousers.
"I know," Captain America's tone remained unchanged, "But you're our only Mind Radar right now; if you break, there's no replacement."
These words sounded cold, but they were actually meant to protect her. Ye Mo understood, but didn't expose them. He simply changed the reminder interval in the system to twenty seconds and set up a linkage mechanism: if Emma Frost didn't respond for two consecutive rounds, the system would automatically pop up a red warning and vibrate his wristband.
" Bucky," Captain America connected via the comms, "You're hiding in an abandoned pipe fifty meters to the northwest, carrying high-explosive bombs and an EMP device. Once Ye Mo's defenses are breached, rush in immediately and destroy the enemy's heavy equipment and power core. Any questions?"
"Location confirmed, weapons ready." Bucky's voice was deep and steady. "I can wait until they get to our doorstep before firing."
"Don't be greedy," Captain America said. "Hit and run, don't linger. You're not here for a one-on-one kill."
"Receive."
" Black Widow," Captain America switched channels. "You're at the northern elevated observation post, with coverage of the intersection of the eastern radar zone and the central corridor. Your mission is to snipe the enemy communications officer and tactical commander, cutting off coordination. Do you have enough ammo?"
"Three armor-piercing rounds and two electromagnetic interference rounds should be enough to shut them up." Her voice was as calm as ice water. "I'll go after the noisiest one first."
"Very good." Captain America put away the map. "Does everyone understand the mission?"
Five people, five confirmation sounds.
The meeting ended swiftly and decisively, with no one asking any further questions. Everyone who needed to know had known, and everything that needed to be done was already being done. The real battle hadn't even begun, but everyone's actions were already at their lowest and most stable level.
Ye Mo stood up, stretched his shoulders and neck, and heard a slight clicking sound from his bones. He walked to the wall and checked the miniature signal receiver embedded in his hoodie; the green light was constantly on, indicating that the encrypted channel was working. He then touched the bone conduction earpiece in his left ear to confirm that he could receive Bucky and Black Widow's breathing frequencies—this was their pre-arranged code; as long as they could still hear each other's breathing, it meant they were still on duty.
Emma Frost slowly stood up, her steps slightly unsteady, and she held onto the edge of the table with one hand. Ye Mo caught a glimpse of her out of the corner of his eye and immediately pulled out a bottle of electrolyte supplements from under the table and handed it to her.
"Have something to drink," he said. "It's not medicine, just some salt and sugar."
She took it, unscrewed the cap, and took a swig without even flinching. The stuff really didn't taste good, like a sports drink soaked in rust, but it could quickly restore nerve conduction efficiency, which was more effective than coffee for someone like her who relied on her brain.
"Thanks," she said softly, placing the bottle beside her, sitting back down, and closing her eyes to enter low-power mode.
Ye Mo didn't ask any more questions. He knew she didn't need comfort, just time and space. He turned and walked towards the prepared breakthrough zone in the center of the base—a starting point he had chosen in advance. The ground had been reinforced, and there were no obstructions around it, making it suitable for a sudden burst of speed.
As he passed the main control panel, he casually recalibrated the sensor array, blocking out all false signal interference from the southeast to ensure that real data was prioritized for transmission. On the screen, the energy spot in the northwest direction was still moving slowly, its frequency rising to 0.765 Hz, and its movement speed slightly increasing.
"They're starting to pick up speed," he said in a low voice.
Captain America stood beside him, arms crossed, eyes glued to the screen. "Wait a little longer. Let them go a bit further, until they think they've won, then we'll close the door."
Ye Mo smiled and said, "I've already warmed up the door."
The two fell silent.
The low hum of the air vents sounded like the background noise of a countdown. Silence fell over the base, broken only by the faint buzzing of the equipment and the occasional system notification.
Black Widow adjusted the sniper rifle mount at the elevated point, aiming the lens at the entrance to the central passage. Her fingers lightly brushed against the trigger guard, confirming the feel was correct. She heard her own breathing through the earpiece, steady and rhythmic.
Bucky was curled up deep inside the ventilation duct, his back pressed against the cold metal wall, his right hand gripping the detonation controller, his left hand resting on the pulse device. His eyes were closed, as if he were asleep, but every nerve in his body was waiting for the command to "act."
Emma Frost sat in the monitoring seat, her face calm and her breathing even. Her consciousness was like a fine net, casting its way into the depths of the earth, capturing every faint mental fluctuation. Her fingers rested on her temples, her fingertips slightly cool, but her mind was clear.
Ye Mo stood in the central area, his feet shoulder-width apart, his arms hanging naturally at his sides. He sensed the fragments of power stored in the " Gene Spiral Tower " within his body— Wall Phasing, tremors, flames... all ready to be unleashed. He knew that the next few seconds could determine the outcome, so he couldn't rush or panic.
Captain America returned to the center of the command area, standing before the main screen like an unmoving mountain. His gaze never left the slowly rising curve, and he softly issued the final command:
"No movement is permitted without orders."
Ye Mo watched as the light dot on the screen gradually approached the edge of the firing range, his throat moved, and he responded softly:
"Wait until they come in before closing the door."