Ye Mo stood in the frozen corridor, his breathing labored like a broken bellows. The bluish lines on his left arm were still throbbing, as if something was crawling under his skin. He had no time to care about that, and turned to walk quickly back to the secret room.
Emma Frost sat against the wall, her face pale, her fingers twitching slightly. She looked up when she heard footsteps, her eyes a little unfocused, but she still recognized him.
"Can you walk?" Ye Mo squatted down and asked.
She tried it, and her leg wobbled as soon as she put pressure on it. She shook her head, "That tube at the back of my neck... it still has electricity."
Ye Mo didn't say anything, but took off his hoodie and draped it over her shoulders. As soon as the fabric covered her, she started to slide down. He reached out and scooped her up on his back.
The weight pressed down on his shoulder, and a gash split open in his left arm, blood mingling with frost seeping out. He gritted his teeth and walked forward, each step crunching on the icy ground.
He stopped at the doorway and pressed his right hand to the ground. A final chill surged from his palm, and the entire corridor began to collapse and freeze. Sparks flew from the electrical boxes, cameras froze into ice blocks, and a thick layer of ice rose from the ground, completely burying the ice coffins.
"Don't chase," he whispered, as if warning the air.
Carrying Emma Frost, I turned into a side path. The overhead lights flickered twice and then went out with a snap. Only the emergency red lights were flashing in the distance, illuminating the walls in a dark red glow.
They were now at the door of an abandoned control room. The door was ajar, and it was pitch black inside. Ye Mo kicked it open, slammed it shut behind him, and then pressed his left hand against the crack, quickly sealing it with a layer of ice.
There was a metallic smell in the room. He slid slowly down to the floor against the wall, gently placing Emma Frost beside him. After catching his breath, he reached up and touched his glasses—a gesture he didn't even realize he was making.
Emma Frost suddenly raised her hand, her fingertips touching his glasses frame, and gently adjusted them.
I told you... you would come.
The sound was soft, but clear.
Ye Mo paused for a moment, then smiled. "Didn't I say? I'll save my own people."
The moment I finished speaking, a "ding" sounded in my mind.
[High-purity trust and emotional resonance detected; the third layer of the Gene Spiral Tower unlocked.]
He closed his eyes, his consciousness sinking in. Another level opened in the tower, and a new space lit up, like an extra storage compartment. When he opened his eyes again, the blue light had faded, leaving only calm.
"Do you remember the first time you met me?" Emma Frost sat against the wall, her voice weak but not broken.
"I remember," Ye Mo said, leaning on her shoulder, "You were at a meeting in Hellfire, dressed all in white, your face so cold it could freeze a fly to death."
You said at the time, 'This lady doesn't look like someone to mess with.'
"Did I say that?" He laughed. "Maybe."
Actually, that day... I knew you would come to save me.
"Oh? Your precognitive abilities have activated?"
"It wasn't premonition." She paused, "It's that before each of your actions, the system would alert me that the danger level was increasing. The closer you got, the stronger the signal became. So I kept waiting."
Ye Mo remained silent.
It turned out she already knew. She knew he would come, knew he would fight desperately, and knew he wouldn't abandon her.
"Don't do that again," she said. "Don't use electricity to prolong your life. You'll die."
"Even if I die, you'll bury me yourself." He grinned, "It'll save you effort."
She raised her hand and patted his arm, the force as light as brushing off dust.
A tremor came from outside, and several pieces of ice fell from the ceiling. The base structure was collapsing, and the red light was getting farther and farther away.
"We have to go." Ye Mo pushed himself up to stand and helped her to her feet.
She was unsteady on her feet, so she put one hand on his shoulder and used the other hand to concentrating on creating a thin barrier to shield their thoughts from each other's fluctuations.
"How much longer can we hold out?" he asked.
"Ten minutes at most."
"That's enough." He pulled a terminal from his pocket and plugged it into an old-fashioned interface on the wall. The screen lit up, displaying a map of the base's interior.
The ventilation ducts are marked with three routes. Two are blocked by red dots, and the remaining one leads to the underground parking lot.
"There's a wrecked armored prototype over there," he said, pointing to the wiring. "An old model, not connected to the network; Hydra won't defend against it."
Emma Frost nodded. "You lead the way, I'll cover you."
He helped her walk to the corner. There was an access panel there, its cover rusted shut. Ye Mo kicked it open, revealing a dark passageway.
"I'll climb behind you first," he said.
"Can you carry me and still walk?"
"Even if you can't walk, you have to keep going." He turned to look at her. "Or will you carry me?"
She didn't smile, but her eyes twitched.
Ye Mo crawled in first, then turned to catch her. She grabbed his hand and used it to pull herself up. During the process, the wound on her left arm reopened a little, but he didn't let go.
The two squeezed into the pipe and crawled forward. The passage was narrow, and their knees thudded against the metal. A louder roar came from behind them, and the entire corridor collapsed, the red light disappearing completely.
After climbing for more than ten meters, a faint light source appeared ahead.
"We're almost there," Ye Mo said.
Suddenly, Emma Frost's arm twitched, and the barrier shook.
"What's wrong?"
"Someone is scanning... a remote consciousness probe."
"How far?"
"Uncertain... but not within the base."
Ye Mo frowned. Was there someone watching Hydra from outside?
He quickened his pace, his knees aching from the friction. The light source drew closer; it was a ventilation grille.
He kicked it twice, and the rusty screws loosened. The fence tilted, and outside was a corner of the parking lot, piled with abandoned cars and boxes.
He jumped down first, then turned to catch Emma Frost. As she landed, her legs gave way, and she collapsed into his arms.
They didn't separate after they regained their footing.
She looked up at him. "That last bit... did it hurt a lot?"
Which time?
"When the current continues to generate energy."
"It's alright," he said, "A little worse than failing an exam."
She finally smiled and leaned on his shoulder for a few seconds.
Then step back.
Let's go.
Ye Mo nodded and helped her walk towards the gray-green armored vehicle in the corner. The body was old and the paint was peeling, and two of the tires were flat, but the hood was intact.
He opened the driver's side door, got in, and plugged in the terminal to crack the startup code. Emma Frost sat in the passenger seat, keeping her eyes closed to maintain the barrier.
Ten seconds later, the engine coughed and actually started running.
The dashboard lights were half on, the fuel level was almost zero, but the powertrain was still running.
"Can it hold out until the base is ready?" she asked.
"Not necessarily." He gripped the steering wheel tighter. "But we have to try."
The car slowly started moving, rolling over gravel and power lines on the ground. The exit ahead was blocked by an iron gate, with a control panel next to it.
Ye Mo rolled down the car window, reached out, and the last bit of cold air condensed into an ice spike, which accurately struck the control panel. A spark flashed, and the iron door slowly rose.
Outside, the wind and snow howled, and the sky was overcast.
The car headlights came on, illuminating a snow-covered path ahead.
"Ready?" he asked.
Emma Frost opened her eyes and nodded.
He stepped on the gas, and the car sped out of the base area and into the snowstorm.
In the rearview mirror, the entire building was sinking, with smoke and dust swirling around it, mixed with snow. A surveillance camera high up turned towards the vehicle, then disappeared in a flash.
The car was quiet, with only the vibration of the engine.
Emma Frost suddenly spoke up, "Have you ever thought about... what we really are?"
Ye Mo gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white.
Before anyone could answer, a figure suddenly darted out from the snow ahead and stood motionless in the middle of the road.
He slammed on the brakes.