Continuing Training

At 3:47 AM, the base's ventilation system was still running at a low frequency, and the corridor lights flickered on one by one, like automatically activated electronic eyes. Ye Mo didn't go back to his dormitory but went straight into the B-zone training ground. The door opened with his ID code, and a blast of cold air hit him, carrying a mixed smell of metal and rubber. He moved his right shoulder, and there was still a lingering pulling sensation in his joint, as if someone was rubbing sandpaper back and forth inside.

He stood in front of the central control console, swiped his finger across the panel twice, and brought up the personal status monitoring interface. The screen flashed, and a few lines of small text appeared: [Muscle tissue repair completion rate 87% | Steel Bone interface stability is good | Frost residue effect not cleared | It is recommended to avoid high-intensity Wall Phasing operations].

"Ugh, here we go again," Ye Mo muttered. "System, you're even more long-winded than the head nurse."

He took off his hoodie hood, shook his hair, took a deep breath, and started the basic circuit training program. The ground vibrated, and twelve reaction stakes rose from under the floor, their red lights flashing at the top. The first round was a weighted sprint; he weaved between the stakes, the weight on his back automatically increasing by ten kilograms after each lap. By the fifth lap, his back was soaked with sweat, and his T-shirt clung to his skin like a plastic film.

Just as he entered the cones zone on the sixth lap, the third cone on the left suddenly triggered an electric shock ahead of schedule, flashing blue light. He abruptly rolled to the side, his shoulder grazing the current, and when he landed, his foot slipped, and his knee hit the rubber pad with a dull thud.

"Ouch!" He pushed himself up and sat up, rubbing his knees. "Who messed with my program?"

The roar of armored vehicles landing came from above. Tony, dressed in his MK-88 half-form, slowly landed at the edge of the training field. His helmet was lifted, revealing a face that screamed, "I knew it was you."

"Weren't you about to fall apart last night?" Tony said, his tone almost like a homeroom teacher checking up on someone.

"Even if we're scattered, we have to fight back." Ye Mo stood up, panting, and brushed the dust off his pants. "Otherwise, if a real fight breaks out next time, who will shield you from the Shockwave? Do you think everyone has spare armor like you?"

Tony circled him once, his scanning arm tracing his spine. "Your body data is more unstable than my lab's toaster. You just survived the Ultron battle, and you're already in such a hurry to become the Roll King?"

"I won't participate, but the enemy will." Ye Mo cracked his wrists. "The universe is so big, who knows when some purple sweet potato spirit in a hat will pop up and start collecting cards again? We can't always rely on mass resurrection, can we?"

Tony clicked his tongue. "Your analogy is getting more and more abstract."

Before he could finish speaking, the door on the other side of the training ground opened. Captain America walked in, carrying his shield, his tracksuit sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and an old wristband still wrapped around his wrist. He glanced in Ye Mo's direction and nodded. "It's already started?"

"Just warmed up." Ye Mo grinned. "Did you just stop by after your morning run?"

"It's not on the way." Captain America walked to the central area and planted his shield on the ground. "We won the battle, but that doesn't mean we can let our guard down. Tony's AI can hack into the global power grid, alien fleets can land tomorrow, Mutants genes can mutate in the middle of the night—these are not hypotheticals."

"Wow, Captain's talking has a tech-savvy vibe today?" Tony feigned surprise. "Did you secretly look at my technical manual last night?"

"I'm looking at the combat logs," Captain America said calmly. "Ye Mo's final attack at Ultron was close to his critical energy level, but he took three seconds to adjust his breathing before unleashing it. What does that mean? It means he knows his limits. And what we lack right now is precisely that kind of control over those limits."

As they were talking, Black Widow walked over from the fighting area, carrying a pair of short sticks, sweat dripping from her hair. "That's why I suggest group training," she said, placing her equipment aside. "Melee, ranged, and mixed simulation—take turns. Don't train alone all day like an underground boxer."

Hawkeye, carrying his bow, descended from the platform, loosening the string as he went. "Count me in for the ranged attack group. But I must warn you, I don't want to spend the whole morning practicing against a moving target. Can we do something a little more exciting? Like, maybe a fireball suddenly appears?"

"Sure." Ye Mo raised his hand and tapped his temple. "I have some in stock here—low-power Telepathy that can simulate sudden alarms. Consider it a battlefield disruption item."

Tony raised an eyebrow. "So you're using mind-reading as an alarm clock?"

"Pragmatism isn't shameful," Ye Mo shrugged. "Anyway, I didn't peek into anyone's head to hide money."

Thor then leaped down from the ceiling, stepping on the phantom of a thundercloud. His landing shook the floor for half a second, and he was still holding a half-empty bottle of electrolyte drink. "Hahaha! Perfect timing, I just finished recharging!" He took a swig, wiped his mouth, and said, "Let me test my resistance to lightning!"

"Are you charging your phone or drinking an energy drink?" Tony rolled his eyes.

"It's all energy!" Thor waved his hand triumphantly. "Mortals don't understand."

Training officially began. The close-combat team, led by Captain America and including Ye Mo, Black Widow, and Thor, conducted coordinated evasion and suppression drills. The ranged team, led by Tony and Hawkeye, was responsible for high-altitude sniping and dynamic target engagement. They rotated every hour, with a fifteen-minute break in between.

In the third round, Ye Mo volunteered to challenge the upgraded mode. He stood in front of the Wall Phasing test area, staring at the alloy wall in front of him, behind which were numerous electric shock stakes.

"You really want to try it now?" Black Widow frowned. "The nerve signals in your left shoulder haven't fully recovered yet."

"That's why I had to figure out where the boundaries were." Ye Mo closed his eyes for a few seconds and silently read the system prompt: [Wall Phasing cooldown remaining: 63% | Recommendation to wait for full recovery | Risk level: Medium].

"Did you hear that? The system has already told me to quit," Tony shouted from the monitoring console.

"The system doesn't pay rent." Ye Mo opened his eyes, took a running start, accelerated, and activated his ability the instant he touched the wall.

His body began to penetrate, but halfway through, his left side suddenly froze, as if he were frozen in a wall. The electric shock pile sensed the anomaly and immediately activated, a high-voltage current grazing his right leg, and the smell of burning instantly filled the air.

"Holy shit!" He jerked back, kneeling on one knee, his left hand still stuck in a crack in the wall, emitting white smoke.

Black Widow lunged forward and pulled him back, her movements as swift and effortless as pulling a radish. "How many times have I told you? We're preparing for war, not going to our deaths!"

"I know where the boundary is..." Ye Mo gasped for breath, shaking his numb hands, "I just want to... measure it myself to see exactly how wide it is."

"Give me a heads-up next time you take your measurements." She handed him a bottle of water. "Don't make me save you a second time."

Thor walked over and placed his hand on his back. "How about trying lightning assistance? My electricity can help you clear the blocked path."

"Are you sure this isn't just helping me cremate ahead of schedule?" Ye Mo asked with a wry smile.

"Don't worry, I've got it under control!" Thor said confidently. "Last time I only blew up the training dummy into a carbon stick."

Tony adjusted the parameters simultaneously, activating a low-frequency electromagnetic field to simulate an alien battlefield environment. The air trembled slightly, and tiny static sparks appeared on the ground. A new round of testing began. This time, Ye Mo slowed down, first using the ground sensor to confirm the wall's frequency, and then, in conjunction with the weak lightning arc released by Thor, finally Wall Phasing completely.

The sequence of landing, rolling, and punching combo is executed flawlessly in one smooth motion.

A system notification sounded in my mind: [Gene Spiral Tower 19th Layer Resonance Frequency +3% | Ability Fusion Efficiency Slightly Improved | Recommended to continue accumulating practical feedback].

"It's done." He wiped his face and smiled.

After a day of training, all six were exhausted. Captain America had to change two of his protective belts, Hawkeye's bowstring broke, Tony's armor self-check reported seven wear items, Thor drank four bottles of electrolytes, Black Widow's gauntlets were charred at the edges, and Ye Mo's hoodie had a hole in the back, as if it had been burned through by high temperature.

Everyone gathered in the supply area in the corner of the training field, some drinking water, others bandaging their wounds. Ye Mo sat against the wall, closing his eyes and regulating his breathing. The system chimed softly: [Effective training time today: 6 hours and 42 minutes | Recommended rest period: no less than 5 hours | Current physical reserves: 41%].

"Continue tomorrow." Captain America wiped his shield, his voice not loud, but everyone heard him clearly. "Increase the intensity by twenty percent. Tactical debriefing meeting at 7 PM; everyone must attend."

"Are you trying to kill me?" Tony slumped in his chair. "I'm practically traumatized from training in these armors."

"You even have PTSD in your armor?" Ye Mo smiled, his eyes wide.

"It initiated its own flight program in the middle of the night last night and almost crashed into the building," Tony said seriously. "I think it was trying to run away from home."

Thor laughed heartily, slapping the chair so hard it vibrated. "This is the life of a warrior! Tomorrow I'm going to challenge myself with double the thunderstorm conditions!"

"Is that training or clubbing?" Black Widow shook her head.

Hawkeye, disassembling his bow, casually asked, "Ye Mo, can your 'mental alarm clock' be upgraded? Next time, give me something even more extreme, like suddenly hallucinating Natasha calling me for dinner?"

"You want to experience the fear of being dominated?" Black Widow glanced at him.

"No, no, no, I'm just curious." Hawkeye quickly waved his hand.

Ye Mo looked out the window. It was already dark, and the city lights were gradually coming on, like shards of glass scattered on the ground. He slowly stood up; his legs were still a little heavy, but much better than in the morning.

"Okay," he said, "It's time to sort out the accounts."

A group of people got up one after another and walked towards the living quarters. Tony looked down at the data panel as he walked, muttering "abnormal energy consumption curve"; Captain America walked at the back, checking the power off in each room; Thor hummed an Asgard tune, the sound making the corridor lights sway slightly; Black Widow and Hawkeye walked side by side, discussing the night watch arrangements in hushed tones.

Ye Mo walked in the middle, pulling his hoodie up again to cover half his face. He didn't speak again, but his steps were much steadyer than when he came.