The ice shards were still falling, like a reverse rain.
Ye Mo's left hand was still pressed against the shattered door frame, the cold air drawing back from his palm, as if his bones were filled with shards of glass. He didn't move, his eyes closed, his breathing very shallow. The explosion just now had almost frozen him, his nervous system was still twitching, and his fingers were shaking uncontrollably.
But he can't stop.
Emma Frost's signal was still there, intermittent, like a walkie-talkie running out of power. He knew it was a message she was struggling to send.
The shielding field was still interfering, and the Mental Scan couldn't capture a complete picture, only fragments. He narrowed his consciousness, no longer casting a wide net, but instead probing inch by inch, like poking an invisible point with a needle.
He remembered her usual demeanor—calm, quiet, but whenever he impulsively tried to force his way in, she would always coldly remind him, "Wait a minute." He remembered that rhythm all too clearly.
Finally, amidst the chaotic noise of his thoughts, he caught a faint echo.
"Don't... come any closer... it's dangerous."
It wasn't a cry for help; it was a warning.
He opened his eyes, a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth. This woman was still thinking about his escape route.
Okay, then he definitely has to go in.
He withdrew his hand, and the ice on the metal door frame crackled and peeled away. Pale blue lines floated beneath the skin of his left palm, as if liquid nitrogen had been injected into his veins. He shook his hand, trying to get the blood flowing, but his fingertips remained stiff.
There was movement at the end of the corridor; footsteps approached from afar.
He steadied himself against the wall, pressed his right hand to the ground, and the cold air immediately seeped out through the cracks in the cement. A few seconds later, a thin layer of frost formed on the ground in front of him, extending to the corner.
Someone has arrived.
Four figures appeared in the thermal imaging field of view, fully armed, carrying electromagnetic pulse guns and thermal detectors hanging from their waists. They walked steadily, clearly elite trainees.
Suddenly, the loudspeaker blared, a mechanical voice blaring from overhead speakers. " Mr. X, surrender, or the hostages will suffer nerve damage."
Ye Mo sneered.
He'd heard this kind of tactic too many times. Threatening hostages? Anyone who should have known he'd come wouldn't have left any survivors.
He crouched down and slammed his left hand on the ground. A burst of cold air erupted, and a semi-circular ice wall instantly formed on the ground, just enough to block the first wave of fire.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The bullets struck the ice with a crisp pop, some freezing in mid-air like tiny insects frozen in time.
The enemy was stunned for a moment.
It was in that very moment.
He lunged to the side, raised his right hand, and three ice spikes shot out in quick succession, accurately hitting the three thermal detectors. The equipment started smoking and shut down, and the alarm lights flashed one after another.
The fourth enemy reacted the fastest, raising his gun and aiming immediately.
Ye Mo spread his arms, and a fan-shaped spray of icy mist erupted, directly covering the opponent's lower body. The man's leg joints instantly froze, and he bent his knees and fell to the ground.
He stepped forward, pressing the ice blade against the other man's throat.
Which room is she in?
The prisoner, panting heavily and his voice trembling, said, "The... last one, the one with the red light on..."
Ye Mo stared into his eyes to make sure he wasn't lying.
Just as I was about to ask again, a notification sounded in my brain:
[ Ice Manipulation Ability is on cooldown, 10 minutes remaining.]
He released his grip, leaving the other person sprawled on the ground.
Ten minutes? It's as if he has a choice.
He looked up at the end of the corridor. A heavy alloy door stood there, a red light flashing at the top, and high-voltage warning strips were affixed around the door seams.
That was the room where she was being held.
He walked forward step by step, each step crunching softly on the frost. His left hand grew heavier and heavier, and the blue veins beneath his skin had spread to his forearm, like some kind of living thing crawling inside him.
He stopped five meters from the door.
The door was made of electromagnetic alloy, so you couldn't see inside from the outside. He didn't dare to force it open; the explosion had already alerted the system, and this kind of place must have a delayed detonation device. If it really exploded, Emma Frost would be the first to suffer.
He pressed himself against the wall, gently pressing his palm against the door panel, releasing a small amount of cold air. The frost seeped in through the cracks, condensing into a thin film of ice on the inner surface of the door.
He saw it through the reflection.
In the center was a metal restraint chair, and a person sat in it with long, silver-white hair cascading down his back. His wrists and ankles were locked with alloy rings. Several tubes were attached to his body and inserted into the back of his neck.
It's Emma Frost.
Her head was slightly lowered, as if she were unconscious, but her chest was rising and falling.
He closed his eyes and activated Telepathy again. This time, instead of launching a direct attack, he subtly extended his consciousness, like a thread slowly reaching out.
" Emma Frost, can you hear me? It's Ye Mo."
There was silence for a few seconds.
A fragmented response echoed in my mind, "... You... shouldn't have come... They're waiting for you..."
He smiled and said, "I know. But I promised I wouldn't let you shoulder this alone."
This time she didn't try to persuade her again.
He withdrew his hand, stared at the door, and his eyes turned cold.
Time is running out.
He felt his hoodie pocket; inside was a fragment of Vibranium, smuggled from the last battlefield. He had originally planned to keep it for emergencies, but now it seemed he would have to use it sooner rather than later.
He placed the fragment below the door crack, then covered it with his left hand. The cold air slowly enveloped the entire piece of metal. The temperature plummeted, the alloy began to shrink, and tiny cracks appeared at the joints.
Five seconds later, the crack widened to two millimeters.
That's enough.
He pulled out the shard and took half a step back.
The next second, he raised his right leg and kicked hard at the most vulnerable spot in the door crack.
Bang!
The door vibrated, but didn't open.
One more kick.
Click--
The latch snapped, and the gap in the door widened slightly.
He took a breath; the blue markings on his left arm were starting to heat up, as if something inside was about to burst out.
With a third burst of energy, he crashed into it.
The door suddenly swung open a crack, the alarm immediately went off, and the red lights flashed wildly.
He reached inside and ripped the junction box off the door, sparks flying everywhere. The alarm stopped abruptly.
The lights inside the room flickered on and off.
He stood at the door, not in a hurry to go in.
My gaze swept across the corner of the room and I spotted a miniature camera on the ceiling, pointing directly at the restraint chair. There was also a timer on the wall, displaying the time: 09:47.
A little over nine minutes.
Either get her out within this timeframe, or we'll both perish here.
He looked down at his hands. The icy patterns on his palms were pulsating, like a heartbeat.
Then he stepped over the threshold.
I had only stepped halfway in when I suddenly heard a metallic scraping sound behind me.
He turned around abruptly.
At the end of the corridor, the four fallen guards all stood up.
Something's not right.
Their movements were stiff, their eyes vacant, like puppets being remotely controlled.
One of them raised his hand and pointed the gun at him.
Ye Mo reacted extremely quickly, waving his left hand and an ice wall instantly formed at the doorway. Bullets struck it, producing a dense thud.
He glanced back at the spherical monitor.
They can see him.
Then don't blame him for taking drastic measures.
He walked to the restraint chair, knelt down to check on Emma Frost's condition. Her eyelids trembled slightly, her lips were pale, but her pulse was steady.
He reached out and touched her wrist.
In an instant, her voice echoed in my mind, "Don't touch the pipes... it will trigger an anti-intrusion system..."
He withdrew his hand and nodded. "Understood."
He took out his terminal and quickly connected it to the data interface on the chair base. The screen lit up, displaying a string of encrypted code.
Cracking it would take time, but he didn't.
He gritted his teeth and smashed the control panel with his hand. The metal casing cracked, exposing the internal wiring.
He stuffed the Vibranium fragments into the main circuit and then used cold air to forcefully cool it down, causing the current to short-circuit.
The moment the sparks exploded, the restraint chair clicked, and the wristbands automatically popped open.
Emma Frost's body went limp, and she leaned forward.
He reached out and caught her, helping her to lean against the wall.
"Hold on, I'll take you away soon."
She forced her eyes open, her gaze falling on the blue markings on his left arm. "You will... be frozen..."
"It's nothing," he grinned, "I'm thick-skinned."
After saying that, he turned and walked towards the door.
The ice wall was still stopping the bullets, but its thickness had been reduced by half.
He took a deep breath and placed his hands on the ground.
A burst of cold air instantly froze the entire corridor, spreading from the doorway all the way to the guards' feet. Their boots froze in place the moment they moved.
He charged forward, an ice spike forming in his hand, and aimed straight for the first enemy's throat.
Just as the ice blade was about to pierce its target, the notification sounded in my mind again:
[Nervous system overload, Ice Manipulation Ability enters forced hibernation countdown: 3...2...]
His arm suddenly went numb, and the icicle shattered in mid-air.
The guard seized the opportunity to break free from the ice and raised his gun to aim.
Ye Mo's pupils contracted.
He lunged at the nearby electrical box, kicked open the cover, and pulled out a bunch of wires.
The next second, he pressed the exposed wire against the spot on his left arm where the blue lines were most dense.
The moment the electric current surged into his body, he threw his head back and let out a muffled groan, his whole body convulsing violently.
But the cold air returned.
A more violent surge of cold air burst forth from the wound, rushing straight to the brain along the nerves.
He opened his eyes, and an icy blue light shone within them.
He suddenly opened his arms wide.
The air temperature in the entire corridor plummeted, water vapor condensed into frost, and the walls, ceiling, and floor were all covered with a thick layer of ice.
The four guards were instantly sealed inside the ice coffin, with only their terrified eyes visible.
He stood in the center of the ice corridor, breathing heavily. The blue markings on his left arm had turned dark blue, like some kind of ancient rune burning beneath his skin.
He turned to look at the secret room.
Emma Frost leaned against the wall, watching him.
He reached out his hand to her.
"Walk."