The snowstorm had stopped, and the lake outside the cabin was covered with a thick layer of ice. Tony's armor gleamed coldly in the moonlight. Ye Mo stood at the door, his fingers still slightly cold. The ice line from earlier had locked the room's temperature, allowing Emma Frost to sleep more soundly.
He turned back, brushing the snow off his clothes. "We can't wait here until dawn."
Tony leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "You have an idea?"
" Hydra wouldn't just send a few people to keep watch." Ye Mo took out a piece of Vibranium from his pocket, rubbed it between his fingers, and it stuck to his palm. "I just tested it; this thing can amplify the range of Telepathy. When I was scanning your communication logs just now, I found an encrypted signal originating from a place in the western suburbs of New York —a place called ' S.H.I.E.L.D. Logistics Support Center '."
Tony raised an eyebrow. "That place is under S.H.I.E.L.D.; it's the outsourced team's base."
"On the surface, yes," Ye Mo sneered, "But the memory fragments I read are wrong. Those people's minds are completely blank, as if they've been formatted. Only one thought keeps popping up: to obtain the core data of the MK Series."
Tony's expression changed. "They want to copy my armor?"
"Not just that." Ye Mo carefully collected the fragments. "They're going to mass-produce them. Not just control them, but create ten more Iron Man."
Tony slammed his fist against the wall, sending dust flying from the ceiling. "These parasites! They stole my designs and now they want to sell them for money?"
"If you rush over there now and expose them, you'll only alert them." Ye Mo stared at him. "We don't even know if there are problems within S.H.I.E.L.D.. What if the liaison point itself is a trap set by an insider?"
Tony gritted his teeth, "So you want to... investigate first?"
"Yes." Ye Mo opened the door, letting in a blast of cold air. "We're going to the scene. We won't go inside the building, and we won't trigger any alarms. I'll listen in from the outside using Telepathy. If I catch even one truthful statement, we can trace the entire network back to its source."
Tony looked at him for a few seconds, then suddenly laughed, "You really think you're some kind of intelligence hub."
"Otherwise?" Ye Mo laughed. "You're in charge of building the armor, and I'll be in charge of ensuring its safety. Clear division of labor."
Ten minutes later, the two got into a prototype vehicle disguised as an engineering vehicle. Tony drove, while Ye Mo sat in the passenger seat with his eyes closed, meditating. The car headed west, passing through icy suburban roads, and a gray-white building came into view in the distance.
"We're here," Tony said in a low voice. "A three-story main building, two auxiliary wings, and monitoring towers at the four corners."
Ye Mo opened his eyes and put on his silver half-rimmed glasses. " Thermal Vision activated. I can't see anyone inside right now, but there's a slight temperature fluctuation in the walls—there's someone in the conference room."
He pushed open the car door, walked to the side of the building, and placed his palm against the wall. The cold air seeped into the bricks and stones through his palm, and the ice layer spread along the cracks in the wall, forming a fine waveguide network.
"This is a good hire," Tony leaned closer, "You couldn't have sensed energy flow through walls before."
" Ice Manipulation and Telepathy combined." Ye Mo didn't open his eyes. "Ice is the medium, amplifying thought fluctuations threefold. Now... it begins."
His consciousness slipped into the ice net.
The first scene shows a man in uniform looking down at a document, muttering the code name, "Project Titan Forge, countdown to launch: 72 hours."
The second scene shows another technician operating a terminal, with the screen displaying "Nanostructure Reverse Analysis Progress: 47%".
The third scene: The leader removes his gloves, revealing a snake-shaped cufflink. A thought flashes through his mind, "As long as we obtain the simulation parameters of the energy core, the next generation of armor will be able to power itself."
Ye Mo abruptly pulled his hand away and stepped back, sweat beading on his forehead.
"How are you?" Tony asked, supporting his arm.
"Perfect." Ye Mo took a breath. "They're doing reverse engineering. They're not just copying blueprints; they're disassembling your reactor principles and creating their own version."
"A reactor?" Tony lowered his voice. "Even I only dare to modify that thing a little bit. Aren't they afraid of blowing up half of New York?"
"If we're afraid, we won't do it." Ye Mo wiped his face. "But they have a target codenamed ' Titan Forge,' and they plan to complete the first phase of testing in three days. If successful, they'll then find more Mutants for live adaptation experiments."
Tony's fists clenched so tightly they cracked. "These scumbags..."
"Wait a minute." Ye Mo suddenly raised his hand. "I discovered a problem while monitoring—their communication frequency overlaps with the residual signals from the Hellfire Club."
Tony frowned. "You mean... Hydra and Hellfire are colluding?"
"Cooperation isn't guaranteed." Ye Mo shook his head. "It's more like Hydra hacked into Hellfire's old system and is using it as a springboard. The encryption protocol they're using now is the same one they used when Emma Frost was controlled."
"So you're worried..." Tony paused, " that Emma Frost's identity will be exposed?"
"She's still unconscious." Ye Mo's eyes darkened. "Once they follow the trail and find our hiding place, she'll be the first one they make their move."
The car was silent for a few seconds.
Tony suddenly activated the vehicle's system. "I've upgraded the armored firewall to layer seven, and re-encrypted all core code. Also, remotely disconnect all unauthorized access ports."
"That's right." Ye Mo nodded, "But I still need to keep an eye on them. Since they dared to hold a meeting in public, it means they have high-level backing. This kind of thing can't be done from just one location."
"You want to continue eavesdropping?"
"Yes." Ye Mo cracked his knuckles. "This time, I'm not just going to listen, I'm also going to leave a 'little gift'."
What gift?
"I condensed a layer of ice inside their air conditioning ducts," Ye Mo grinned. "Whenever someone speaks, the sound waves vibrate, causing the ice film to record the frequency characteristics. When we get back, I can reconstruct the entire conversation."
Tony glared at him. "When did you do that?"
"Just now, while I was sticking it against the wall," Ye Mo shrugged, "It was just something I did on the spur of the moment."
Tony paused for two seconds, then suddenly burst out laughing. "Wow, you've even mastered counter-surveillance now. Who would have believed before that someone wearing a hoodie could be more ruthless than S.H.I.E.L.D.. agent?"
"Don't flatter me." Ye Mo opened the car door. "What we lack most right now isn't evidence, but what's the next step."
"Why not just wipe them out?"
"No," Ye Mo shook his head. "If we act now, we can only capture a few puppets. The real order-giver is still in the shadows. We need to wait for them to reveal the next key point themselves."
So what do you plan to do?
"Pretend you don't know." Ye Mo sat back in the passenger seat. "Let them think the plan is going smoothly. Once they contact their superiors, I can follow the signal chain all the way to their hideout."
Tony looked at him. "Are you trying to turn yourself into bait?"
"To be precise, it's fishing." Ye Mo adjusted his glasses. "They wanted the technique, so I made them think they were close to getting it. Then I reeled in the line after the fish bit."
Tony clicked his tongue. "Your brain is even more cunning JARVIS's."
" JARVIS follows the rules." Ye Mo smiled. "I don't."
The car slowly started and drove away from the building's perimeter. In the rearview mirror, the gray-white building stood quietly in the snow, looking perfectly normal. But deep inside the ventilation shaft, a thin layer of ice was quietly melting, the dripping sound completely absorbed into the metal walls.
Back in the car, Tony pulled up the map. "I've marked this location, but as you said, we won't report it for now."
"Correct." Ye Mo closed his eyes to rest. "Now we have to control every step ourselves. There are too few people we can trust on S.H.I.E.L.D..'s side."
So what are you going to do next?
"Reinforce the Mind Shielding," Ye Mo said, another ice pattern appearing in his palm. "And while we're at it, let's see if we can connect the Ice Manipulation Ability to signal tracking. If we can achieve automatic early warning, I'll know before their next meeting."
Tony nodded. "I'll go back and upgrade the armor defense protocol, adding a biometric lock. Without my DNA and heartbeat frequency, no one will be able to activate any MK armor."
"Very good." Ye Mo opened his eyes. "They want to steal technology? Fine. But they'll have to ask our system if it agrees first."
Tony stepped on the gas, and the city lights gradually illuminated the scene ahead. The night was deep, the streets were deserted, and only the sound of tires rolling over thin ice could be heard.
A brief silence fell over the car.
After a long silence, Tony finally spoke, "This time, we can't let them get any closer."
Ye Mo gazed at the fleeting street scenes outside the window, his fingers lightly tapping his knee.
He knew that the real war had only just begun.
The car turned at an intersection, and the red light came on.
Ye Mo suddenly raised his hand and scratched a line of ice on the windshield.