Three in the morning, in an abandoned industrial area on the outskirts of Queens New York.
The wind was light, carrying the damp chill characteristic of the Hudson River, swirling up fallen leaves and dust. Ye Mo crouched atop the iron frame of a collapsed water tower, the hem of his dark gray tactical trench coat fluttering slightly in the wind. He carried no gun, nor wore a mask; only a pair of silver half-rimmed glasses gleamed coldly under the dim streetlights.
The blind spot of the surveillance cameras beneath his feet resembled a giant black web, and he was the quiet spider in the center of that web.
The encrypted communicator was pressed against his ear, the screen's dim light illuminating his expressionless face. Only the faint hiss of electricity could be heard on the channel—the calm before the storm.
"Power grid status?" Ye Mo asked, his voice so low it almost blended into the wind.
There was a two-second silence on the other end. Natasha's voice came through, calm as if she were reciting a supermarket shopping list. "External main power supply has been cut off. Backup power switching countdown: three, two, one."
The instant the numbers reached zero, the row of warning lighthouses in the distance, which had been flashing red, all went out in unison.
Darkness instantly engulfed the entire area.
"Right now," Ye Mo said into the microphone.
A few kilometers away, a modified van disguised as an ambulance slipped into the police cordon like a ghost under the cover of darkness and chaos. There was no horn, no lights, and the sound of tires crunching over gravel was deliberately muffled. It was Black Widow's vehicle, and also the bait for this operation.
Ye Mo released his grip on the railing and lightly touched the air with his fingertips.
Consciousness sinks into the " Gene Spiral Tower ".
There were no dazzling light effects, nor any notification sounds in his mind. His senses spread rapidly, like drops of ink falling into clear water. He "saw" the structure of the underground prison—thick concrete walls, intricate cables, and a quantum-encrypted firewall hidden deep within the walls.
Conventional hacking methods won't work here. Brute-force attacks will trigger alerts, and delayed responses will be tracked. Ye Mo doesn't need brute force; he needs "rhythm."
He transformed his consciousness into countless tiny tentacles, spreading along the signal base station into the prison. The security system performs a self-check cycle every thirty seconds, and in this brief delay of a fraction of a second, there are blind spots in data transmission. Like the diastolic phase of a heartbeat, it is brief but deadly.
Ye Mo seized this opportunity.
He precisely embedded the forged medical transport permit data packet into the data stream of the self-checking loop. There were no errors, no interceptions, and the system logs remained perfectly calm.
The electronic lock inside the prison clicked softly as it was released.
The red light turned green.
"The entrance is open." Ye Mo opened his eyes and leaped down from the water tower. He landed silently, his movements as light as a cat.
He slipped through the shadows of the abandoned factory, avoiding the energy detection traps on the ground, and crept into North Zone 3 along the ventilation ducts. This was a high-risk area, where several Mutants with high-energy characteristics were imprisoned. Their long-term confinement had made them extremely irritable, and forcibly awakening them could trigger an energy rampage, causing the situation to spiral out of control.
Below the ventilation duct, three Mutants were strapped to specially made metal chairs. They were breathing rapidly, their eyes were bloodshot, and the surrounding air was slightly distorted due to their emotional fluctuations.
Ye Mo did not speak, nor did he use force to suppress him.
He released a refined " Life Resonance " wave. This was not mind control, but a deep emotional soothing, a sense of tranquility akin to a mother's lullaby. The frequency of the wave was carefully calculated to calm their raging adrenaline.
The three Mutants ' gazes softened, and their tense muscles relaxed.
"Freedom is coming," Ye Mo said softly, his voice gentle yet firm. "Come with me, and don't look back."
Under his guidance, the Mutants lowered their defensive stance and stood up. They didn't question or resist; they simply followed Ye Mo blindly and trustingly along the pre-arranged route. Ye Mo remained vigilant at all times, and if anyone showed any signs of agitation, he would immediately increase the resonance frequency to ensure the group remained orderly.
At the same time, the situation in South District 1 is also not optimistic.
The area was densely populated, including some low-level ability users, making it easy for panic to cause stampedes or accidentally trigger traps. Ye Mo dispersed part of his consciousness while simultaneously connecting to the broadcasting system of the South District 1.
Instead of speaking through a loudspeaker, he used Telepathy to convey a clear and calming picture directly to all those trapped: the location of the exit, escape routes, and the necessity of remaining quiet.
Under his guidance, the crowd moved in an orderly fashion, like flowing water. There were no screams, no chaos, only the echoes of footsteps in the empty corridor. This eerie silence misled the outer patrol team into thinking everything was normal, causing them to lower their guard.
The two groups met in the underground parking lot.
Ye Mo directed Black Widow to meet them at a distant intersection, while he escorted the two groups of Mutants towards the exit. The journey involved traversing an open area, which was extremely risky.
Ye Mo took out the signal jammer he had prepared earlier, and after activating it, he completely erased everyone's presence. The thermal imager scanned the area and found that they were just a group of ordinary homeless people, without any superpowers.
Once the last person entered the hospital safe house, Ye Mo quickly severed all connections and destroyed the temporary equipment.
I glanced at my watch; it was 4:15 AM.
The operation went more smoothly than expected.
He didn't linger to celebrate, nor did he wait for thanks. The morning mist hadn't yet dissipated, and the streets were deserted. Ye Mo tightened the collar of his trench coat, turned, and blended into the still-sleeping city. His figure quickly disappeared into the crowd, as if he had never been there.
In the distance, Black Widow's SUV roared to life, driving away from Queens. She sat in the driver's seat, her gaze calmly assessing the risks of the next step. In the rearview mirror, the abandoned industrial area returned to silence, save for a few early-rising seagulls skimming the water's surface, creating ripples.
When Ye Mo returned to his apartment, it was already daylight.
Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, casting a bright band of light on the floor. He took off his trench coat, hung it on a hanger, and then went to the kitchen to pour himself a glass of warm water.
The water was cold, but he drank it very slowly.
The " Gene Spiral Tower " in his mind remained silent, with no upgrade notifications or rewards. Everything returned to calm, as if nothing had ever happened.
But Ye Mo knew that some things had changed.
He walked to the window and drew back the curtains. The New York skyline was exceptionally clear in the sunlight, the glass curtain walls reflecting a blinding glare. Cars and pedestrians began to appear on the streets, and the city returned to its usual hustle and bustle.
He picked up the coffee cup on the table; it still contained stains of last night's black coffee. The bitter taste seemed to linger on his tongue, keeping him awake.
My phone vibrated.
It was a text message from an unknown number, containing only one word:
"Good."
Ye Mo looked at the word, a slight smile playing on his lips. He didn't reply, but simply placed his phone on the table and turned to walk towards the bedroom.
The room fell silent the moment the door closed.
Outside the window, a sparrow landed on the windowsill, tilted its head to look inside, and then flapped its wings and flew away.
The sunlight was still bright, shining into the empty room, where dust particles danced in the beams of light, like some kind of silent dance.