The soil beneath his feet still carried the acrid smell of being baked by the high temperature, mixed with the dry dust unique to the Africa continent, making his throat tight. Ye Mo did not draw his sword, nor did he assume a defensive stance, but forcibly suppressed the restless heat within his body. The "sense of being watched" just now was like a thorn stuck in his nerve endings, making him feel uncomfortable all over. If it were an ambush, he should have already pulled the trigger or released his superpower by now, but apart from the crackling sound of the embers from the distant camp and the rustling of sand and gravel in the night wind, the surroundings were eerily quiet.
This silence is not a lifeless stillness, but a vacuum brimming with tension.
"Don't be impulsive." Ye Mo shouted to himself in his heart, while also sending a silent signal to Emma Frost behind him. He slowly squatted down, the angle of his knees bent precisely so that it would neither make a sound nor be ready to explode at any time. His gaze was fixed on the seemingly ordinary bushes in front of him, his pupils slightly contracted, and he mobilized the last bit of sharpness left after using " Extreme Cold Environment Perception ".
Although the cooldown period for this ability hadn't ended, the extreme sensitivity to temperature changes still lingered in the senses. There was something amiss in the air. The wind was blowing from the southeast, carrying a faint, ozone-burning smell—the distinctive odor left by the overload of a high-frequency sonic weapon. Moreover, this smell wasn't static; it was flowing, moving towards the flanks in a rapid and chaotic rhythm.
"Left side, below the ventilation shaft," Ye Mo silently recited in his mind, while gesturing to Emma Frost with his eyes.
Emma Frost's mind instantly connected with his. As Telepathy, she didn't need to confirm through sight; she only needed to detect those subtle mental fluctuations. Her brow furrowed slightly, then relaxed. "I sensed a hint of fear," her voice echoed directly in Ye Mo's mind, clear yet tinged with seriousness, "Very faint, as if deliberately suppressed deep in the throat. It wasn't the composure of a hunter, but the panic of a fugitive. He's running towards the underground drainage system."
Ye Mo's lips curled into a cold smile. So that's how it is. That so-called "hunter's gaze" wasn't an ambush at all, but rather an illusion left by Ulysses Klaue when he looked back during his retreat, or perhaps a commotion he deliberately created to confuse his opponent and conceal his true escape route. This guy wasn't dead, nor was he trapped in the ruins; he escaped.
This discovery relieved Ye Mo of a weight, but an even heavier burden settled in. Klaue had escaped—what did that mean? It meant that this madman still had trump cards up his sleeve, and that the previous battles hadn't completely eliminated the hidden dangers.
Ye Mo stood up and dusted off his work pants. He didn't chase after them immediately, but instead walked to the spot where the two had been standing and squatted down to examine it carefully. There were some messy footprints on the muddy ground, mostly random marks left by the mercenaries in their panic, but near a puddle in the corner, there was a metal fragment half-buried in the mud.
Ye Mo picked up the fragment with his fingers. It was a remnant of a sonic transmitter, with obvious signs of melting along the edges and a blurry mark engraved on it—a twisted snake pattern, the exclusive symbol of Klaue's private armed forces. More importantly, the frequency band of this fragment was very unusual, not belonging to conventional military standards, but rather some kind of high-power communication jammer.
"He didn't intend to die with us." Ye Mo tossed the fragments into his tactical backpack, his eyes sharpening. "He wanted to live. And he wanted to use this to cut off our tracking signal, or contact his subordinates."
Emma Frost stood beside him, the Diamond Form light completely fading, revealing her original fair skin and long golden hair. Watching Ye Mo's movements, she asked, "Since the Vibranium has been frozen, and he has no hope of taking the physical object, why take such a great risk to escape? Wouldn't it be wiser to just surrender or give up resistance?"
"Because of greed and fear." Ye Mo stood up, brushing the dirt off his hands. "For someone like Klaue, losing Vibranium is just an economic loss, but if he gets caught, it's the end of his political life, or even imprisonment. The chain of interests behind him is too complicated. Once things are exposed, he won't be able to keep his money, and he won't even be able to keep his life. So he has to run, he has to spread the news, or find a new buyer to reshuffle things up."
Ye Mo raised his head and looked into the dark night sky. The camp in the distance was still burning, the firelight reflecting in the air and forming an eerie red glow. At the edge of this red glow, a hidden path leading to the edge of the city was faintly visible. That was the escape route chosen by Klaue, and also Ye Mo's target.
"He doesn't intend to spend the night here, nor does he intend to entangle himself with us," Ye Mo said coldly. "He needs to be fast, the faster the better. Every step he takes brings him closer to his safe zone and his buyer. If we stop to rest now, and he arrives and establishes a new defensive line, catching him will be as difficult as climbing to the sky."
Emma Frost nodded in understanding. Without further ado, she quickly adjusted her state. Her Mental Barrier unfolded again, this time even more tightly, almost completely blending their presence into the surrounding night. Even with satellite surveillance or remote detection equipment, it would be difficult to detect their existence.
"Let's go," Ye Mo said in a low voice, his tone no longer lighthearted and teasing, but instead filled with an undeniable resolve.
The two moved quickly along the hidden path, one after the other. The ground beneath their feet was soft and muddy, requiring them to carefully control their strength with each step to avoid making a sound. Ye Mo walked in front, relying on his control over his physical limits and his keen awareness of the environment to avoid any obstacles that might reveal their position. Emma Frost followed closely behind, her steps as light as a cat's, her breathing steady and without any unnecessary exertion.
During this journey, Ye Mo's mind raced as he analyzed the current situation. Klaue's incident was more than just a simple smuggling failure. Vibranium was Wakanda's core resource, and any unauthorized mining or trade would cause a huge upheaval. If Klaue escaped and spread news about the flow of Vibranium, the entire Africa continent could be thrown into turmoil. Various national powers, arms dealers, and even certain government agencies would all get involved.
This is no longer just a tracking mission for the two of them; it's a game involving the interests of multiple parties.
"We can't let him spread the word," Ye Mo told himself. "We also can't let him contact those potential buyers. Otherwise, the trouble will snowball."
He recalled the encrypted messages he had received at the base, the contacts from the resistance. If they knew Klaue had escaped, they would certainly take action. But now, they needed to seize the initiative. Only by taking control of Klaue could they hold the leverage in the subsequent negotiations, or at least prevent the situation from deteriorating further.
Ye Mo glanced at the tactical watch on his wrist; an hour had passed. Although his physical strength was somewhat depleted, his mental state remained highly focused. The notification sound from the Gene Spiral Tower remained silent, but he could feel the fused ability fragments within his body slowly repairing and reorganizing themselves. It was a delicate balance, neither collapsing due to overuse nor degenerating due to idleness.
"There's a fork in the road ahead," Emma Frost's voice echoed in his mind. "The left leads to the abandoned mine, the right to the main road. Klaue's trail points to the left."
Without the slightest hesitation, Ye Mo turned directly to the left. The abandoned mine had a complex terrain, was dark and damp, making it a good place to hide, but also full of unknown dangers. However, for them now, these were not problems.
The moment they entered the mine entrance, the air temperature dropped noticeably. Water droplets seeping from the walls dripped onto the ground with a crisp sound. Ye Mo turned on his flashlight, the beam cutting through the darkness and illuminating the rugged path ahead.
"Stay alert," Ye Mo whispered a reminder. "There might be a trap here, or someone else waiting for us."
Emma Frost didn't answer, but silently increased the range of her mental perception. She could sense a faint aura flowing ahead, a trace left by Klaue. Although it was very faint, it was as clear to her as a lighthouse in the dark.
The two continued deeper into the mine, their footsteps echoing in the empty cavern, sounding exceptionally lonely. The wind outside seemed to have subsided, replaced by the gurgling of underground water. This environment created a strange sense of oppression, as if the entire world consisted only of the two of them and their fleeing target.
Ye Mo clenched his fist, feeling the power emanating from his palm. He knew that this chase had only just begun. Klaue was like a wounded Beast; though injured, its fangs were still sharp. And he had to be ruthless, faster, and more precise than this Beast.
"Stay close to me," Ye Mo said, his voice unusually firm in the cave.
Emma Frost nodded and followed closely behind him. Their figures moved intermittently in the darkness, like two ghosts, silently advancing into the unknown depths. Behind them, the burning camp gradually receded into the distance, leaving only billowing smoke that obscured the starry sky.
Ye Mo's gaze remained fixed on the faint light ahead, the only clue left by Klaue. He didn't know what awaited them, but he knew there was no turning back. They either captured Klaue or were dragged into an even deeper abyss by Klaue.
The power of choice always lies in the hands of those who act.
Ye Mo took a step forward and rushed into the deeper darkness. Emma Frost followed closely behind, and their figures were instantly swallowed by the darkness, leaving only a series of footprints of varying depths on the ground to prove that they had been there.
At the end of the mine, the faint rumble of machinery could be heard, as if some large equipment was starting up. The sound was deep and powerful, causing the surrounding rocks to tremble slightly.
Ye Mo paused for a moment, then quickened his pace.
"It seems he prepared something there," Ye Mo thought to himself, his eyes growing even colder.
He didn't stop or back down, but rushed in that direction without hesitation. Emma Frost also felt the tremor; her expression became even more serious, but her steps didn't falter in the slightest.
The two sped through the darkness, the wind whistling past their ears as if cheering them on. The light ahead grew brighter, and the roaring sound grew louder.
Ye Mo took a deep breath, adjusted his breathing rhythm, and prepared to face the upcoming challenge.
He didn't know what awaited him, but he knew that whatever it was, he wouldn't run away.
Because he is Ye Mo, the one who seeks survival in Extremis.
He was also the one who vowed to eliminate all hidden dangers.