The plaza in New York's Central Park was bustling with noise, the air thick with the smells of sweat, cheap cologne, and a certain restlessness. Ye Mo pulled the hood of his black hoodie down, almost obscuring half his face, revealing only his eyes behind silver-rimmed glasses. He stood on the outskirts of the crowd by a lamppost, a pair of slightly dusty sneakers at his feet, looking like a college student passing by to join the fun.
Emma Frost Thaddeus Ross stood half a step to his side, her well-tailored white suit standing out conspicuously in the noisy crowd. However, she deliberately toned down her aloof demeanor, merely frowning slightly as she scanned her surroundings.
"This place is noisier than Stark Industries ' shareholders' meeting," Emma Frost whispered, her voice only audible to Ye Mo.
Ye Mo didn't reply, his fingers gently stroking the edge of his phone in his pocket. The Gene Spiral Tower in his mind was as quiet as a stone, without any notification sounds or flickering ability fragments. He simply used his eyes and the keen perception of emotional fluctuations that he had honed little by little from the system.
The platform was set up in the center of the square, the temporary iron frame gleaming coldly in the sunlight. Steve Rogers stood there, not in his Stars and Stripes uniform, but in a simple dark jacket and jeans, which made him look more like a World War II veteran than a superhero. He held a microphone in his hand, his gaze sweeping over the sea of heads below.
"Freedom is not a gift from the government!" Steve's voice boomed through the megaphone, carrying a unique and convincing power. "It is a right inherent in everyone, including those with special abilities! The Superhuman Registration Act is not protecting us, it's shackles us!"
A cheer erupted from the audience. Some waved flags, others held signs, and slogans rose and fell: "We want freedom!" "Reject control!"
Ye Mo narrowed his eyes, his gaze piercing through the layers of heads, locking onto a few key points. His mental tentacles spread out like an invisible net, extremely subtle. He didn't try to read the specific thoughts; that would be too mentally taxing and easily exposed. He simply sensed the flow of emotions. Anger, fear, hope, confusion... these emotions surged and receded like tides. He noticed that in the area where the cheers were most intense, a few people's emotional fluctuations were unusually calm, even indifferent. They were hired shills, or members of some radical organization, waiting for a signal.
"Look over there." Emma Frost followed Ye Mo's gaze, her brows furrowing even more. "That's the sign for the ' Humanity First ' organization. How did they get in here?"
"Don't stare," Ye Mo said calmly. "If you do, it means you have a guilty conscience."
Just then, a young man squeezed to the front, only two or three meters away from Ye Mo and Emma Frost. He was wearing a T-shirt with the words " Superhuman Alliance " printed on it, and his face was flushed with excitement. His eyes searched the crowd and finally settled on Ye Mo. Perhaps it was Ye Mo's refined glasses, or his unusually calm demeanor that caught his attention, but the young man quickly walked over.
"Hey! Are you the one helping out at the San Francisco lab?" The young man pointed at Ye Mo, his voice trembling with excitement. "I saw the news replay! You didn't actually do anything, but your technical support was crucial! What do you think of the Superhuman Registration Act? Do you support Mr. Tony or Captain America?"
The atmosphere froze for a moment. Several people nearby turned to look at them, their eyes filled with curiosity and anticipation. This was a trap, and also a test. No matter which side they answered in favor of, they would be immediately labeled and become targets of the opposing camp.
Ye Mo looked at the young man's idealistic face, feeling nothing. He slowly took off his silver half-rimmed glasses and wiped the fog off the lenses with his finger. The action was so slow that it raised the young man's expectations to their peak.
Then, Ye Mo put his glasses back on and looked directly into the young man's eyes. He didn't speak, but just stood there quietly.
This silence was more oppressive than any words. The young man's expression shifted from excitement to astonishment, and then from astonishment to a strange chill. He felt that the person before him was unfathomable, like a dry well into which stones would be thrown without a sound. The whispers around him grew louder; some began to point and whisper, some showed expressions of disappointment, and others became even more curious because of Ye Mo's mystery.
Ye Mo sighed inwardly. This was the effect he wanted. He didn't take sides, didn't express any opinion, and let everyone guess. Once the chain of suspicion was established, he became the variable, not the target.
The speech continued, Steve's voice growing louder as he urged everyone to unite and defend their rights. Ye Mo withdrew his gaze, looking back at the platform, a faint smile playing on his lips. He knew this charade had only just begun.
The crowd gradually dispersed, leaving only a few security personnel packing up their equipment on the platform. Ye Mo and Emma Frost turned and walked towards the shadows at the edge of the square, where an inconspicuous black sedan was waiting for them.
"Why didn't you say anything just now?" Emma Frost couldn't help but question him as soon as she got into the car. She unbuckled her seatbelt, turned to look at Ye Mo, her eyes filled with dissatisfaction and doubt. "You could have used Telepathy to tell that person, or at least given a vague answer. Your silence disappointed many people, and made those who opposed you think you were hiding something."
Ye leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. "Speaking is easy, taking it back is hard." His voice was calm as still water. "Now every word will be magnified and interpreted, becoming a weapon to attack us. I don't need to take sides now."
"But we need allies!" Emma Frost raised her voice. " Tony's support has caused a rift, and the captain's resistance has ignited anger. If we remain neutral, we'll be abandoned by both sides. Ye Mo, this is no reason to run away."
Ye Mo opened his eyes and looked at the street scene rushing past the window. The neon lights of New York began to light up, reflecting on his face, sometimes bright and sometimes dim.
"You've misjudged the timing," Ye Mo said. " Tony thought order would bring peace, and Captain America thought freedom would bring justice. But they were both wrong. The current public opinion arena is a huge whirlpool; whoever jumps in first will be submerged. I need to wait for the perfect moment—not the peak of emotion, but the last moment before the situation completely spirals out of control."
Emma Frost paused, seemingly wanting to retort, but ultimately just snorted and turned her head to look out the window. "I hope you're right. Otherwise, we'll be in big trouble."
"Don't worry, I have a feeling." Ye Mo smiled, a hint of nonchalance in his smile, but a calm calculation in his eyes. "Besides, I don't want to retire so soon."
The car drove into the underground parking garage, and the engine shut off. In the darkness, Ye Mo's fingers tapped lightly on his knees, the rhythm steady and regular. The Gene Spiral Tower in his mind remained silent, but he knew that a new storm was brewing. And he had already prepared his ticket.