Ye Mo's figure crashed into the center of the hall, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Before they could even land and get a firm footing, the technicians who had been busy with their heads down suddenly erupted into chaos, like cats whose tails had been stepped on. Some reached for their sidearms, others frantically lunged at the control panel to try and cut off the power, and several mercenaries carrying heavy assault rifles reacted with absurd speed, raising their guns almost touching the ground.
"Damn, these guys have trained before?" Ye Mo cursed inwardly. Due to the aftereffects of his previous Ice Manipulation, his joints were stiff like rusty hinges, and he couldn't even dodge in time.
Just as the first bullet grazed Ye Mo's scalp, creating a wisp of hot air, a black lightning bolt cleaved through the air.
T'Challa.
It wasn't a slow, tactical maneuver, but a truly swift attack. Like an enraged Black Panther, he used the high mobility of his Vibranium Suit to pull Ye Mo into his arms before the bullets rained down, and then rolled behind a huge load-bearing pillar.
"Get down!" T'Challa growled, his voice carrying an undeniable authority.
Just as Ye Mo was about to say "Thanks, bro," he saw T'Challa already peeking out from behind the pillar. Without hesitation, the Vibranium claws in his hands flashed coldly, and he shot out like a cannonball.
This isn't a fight, this is a mopping-up operation.
T'Challa's movements were utterly concise, devoid of any unnecessary flourishes. His first step into the crowd was a sweeping left leg kick that broke a mercenary's thighbone; the man collapsed to his knees before he could even scream. Immediately after, T'Challa his knife, his claws precisely slicing into the wrist joint of another gunman with a sharp crack. The weapon fell to the ground, and T'Challa followed up with an elbow strike, shattering the man's jaw. He flew through the air like a rag doll, crashing into a nearby equipment rack.
The whole process took less than three seconds.
The agents who were originally preparing to surround them didn't even see how T'Challa made his move before three of them fell. The remaining two were so frightened that their hands, holding their guns, trembled, and they didn't dare to pull the trigger.
"Don't just stand there! Get to work!" T'Challa yelled, turning around with icy eyes.
Although Ye Mo's body was stiff, his mind was working quickly. He glanced at the corner of the hall, where two technicians were desperately pulling on a thick cable, clearly trying to activate the emergency door lock or self-destruct mechanism.
" Emma Frost! Those two on the left!" Ye Mo shouted.
Emma Frost leaned against the wall in the distance, her face as pale as a sheet. The creation of the cognitive blind spot had exhausted her mental energy, and now she didn't even have the strength to lift a finger. But she heard Ye Mo's voice, gritted her teeth, and forced herself to focus her gaze on the two technicians with her last bit of consciousness.
She didn't attack their brains, which would be too dangerous and could easily lead to brain death. She simply gently manipulated their neural reflexes, creating a minor "loss of balance."
The two technicians were pulling the cable when they suddenly felt their feet slip, as if they had stepped on a banana peel, and they fell forward. The cable slipped from their hands and, instead of cutting off the power, ended up plugging into a nearby socket.
"Sizzle--"
A burst of electric sparks shot out, and the two were instantly knocked unconscious, lying on the ground emitting blue smoke.
"Done." Ye Mo whistled, shivering from the cold, but feeling a surge of satisfaction. That teamwork was brilliant.
However, the trouble wasn't over yet.
The automatic machine gun turret at the top of the hall seemed to have been activated by the chaos just now. A red aiming laser swept across and locked onto the three people's location. A heavy metallic spinning sound rang out as the barrel began to preheat.
"There's a lump of iron on my head!" Ye Mo shouted.
T'Challa was engaged in close combat with the remaining two mercenaries when he heard this. He frowned, but instead of backing down, he used the enemy's cover to quickly approach the door of the control room.
"Leave it to me!" Ye Mo pulled a palm-sized black device from his pocket. This was a part of the Hydra prototype that he had casually taken while interrogating Klaue. After his modifications, it was now a simplified version of an electromagnetic pulse generator.
He glanced at the power supply lines of the machine gun turret and noticed an exposed copper wire connecting it to the base.
This is it.
Ye Mo took a deep breath, enduring the cold and stiffness in his body, and suddenly stood up, forcefully throwing the device in his hand towards the base of the machine gun turret.
"Got it!"
The device traced an arc in the air and struck the copper wire precisely.
"Bang!"
A muffled thud, and a miniature explosion triggered a short circuit. Blue arcs of electricity shot along the copper wires to the machine gun turret's mainboard, emitting a plume of black smoke. The machine gun turret's rotation came to an abrupt halt, the barrel tilted to one side, and it was completely disabled.
"Beautiful!" T'Challa seized the opportunity to finish off the last enemy, kicking him away before sheathing his sword.
At this point, the situation in the hall had completely reversed.
The once menacing mercenaries and technicians were either unconscious or lying on the ground, the scene a mess, with broken glass, scattered documents, and still-smoking equipment everywhere. The air was thick with the smell of burning and blood, but even more so with the tranquility of victory.
T'Challa walked to the cylindrical sample device, looked around to make sure no one had slipped through the net, and then turned to look at Ye Mo and Emma Frost.
Ye Mo was leaning against the wall, struggling to catch his breath. That throw had exhausted him, and combined with the aftereffects of his previous Ice Manipulation, he felt like his whole body was falling apart. He pushed up his silver half-rimmed glasses, the lenses covered in a layer of dust, making him look a little disheveled, but his eyes remained sharp.
"Are you alright?" T'Challa over and reached out to help him, but Ye Mo waved his hand and refused.
"I won't die, it's just a bit cold." Ye Mo grinned, revealing a set of bright white teeth. "But more than that, I'm concerned about that big guy."
He pointed to the heavy alloy door deep inside the hall. That was the entrance to the main control room.
Emma Frost had also recovered; although her face was still pale, her eyes had regained their clarity. She walked to Ye Mo's side and whispered, "My mental strength has recovered somewhat, but it's still not enough to support large-scale interference. You might need to put in a lot more effort when we go inside."
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." Ye Mo nodded, took out the miniature signal jammer from his pocket, and adjusted the frequency. "This thing can block the bioelectric signals of those two guards at the door, making them think we're just background noise. But it only lasts for thirty seconds. After thirty seconds, they'll return to normal."
"Thirty seconds is enough." T'Challa clenched his fists, his muscles tense beneath his Vibranium Suit, poised for action. "Once we're in, the rest is mine."
The three men formed a triangular formation and slowly approached the main control room door.
The enemies along the way had been completely eliminated or rendered unconscious, leaving the scene in a mess, but the situation was now entirely in the hands of the three. Ye Mo walked at the front, taking each step cautiously, afraid of disturbing the commotion inside.
Upon reaching the gate, Ye Mo stopped and gestured for T'Challa and Emma Frost to take a half-step back.
He pressed the switch on the jammer.
An invisible ripple spread out, enveloping the two guards at the entrance. The two guards stood motionless, like statues, seemingly oblivious to the three intruders standing close at hand.
"Let's go!" Ye Mo gestured.
T'Challa forward and slammed his fist into the control panel of the alloy door. The metal dented, sparks flew, and the lock cracked with a piercing sound.
Click.
The heavy door slowly opened.
A blast of cold air swept over them, carrying a faint smell of ozone. The hall was brightly lit, with a huge holographic projection platform in the center, surrounded by dozens of server racks flashing green light. And in the center of the projection platform, a data core emitting a ghostly blue light floated.
That's what they're looking for.
T'Challa stepped through the gate first, his eyes sharp as he warily scanned his surroundings. Ye Mo followed closely behind, with Emma Frost bringing up the rear.
The three quickly took up advantageous positions and assumed a defensive stance.
"This is the core." Ye Mo looked at the data core, a hint of excitement flashing in his eyes. "It seems Klaue has really gone all out this time."
T'Challa walked to the holographic projection stand and touched the interface. The screen lit up, displaying complex data streams and encryption protocols.
"Do we need to crack it?" T'Challa asked.
Ye Mo shook his head, a confident smile playing on his lips, "No need to rush. Let's see what treasures are inside first. After all, knowing yourself and your enemy is the key to victory."
He walked over to Emma Frost and whispered, "Ready? The show's just beginning."
Emma Frost took a deep breath, nodded, and her eyes were firm.
T'Challa drew his twin swords, held them horizontally in front of him, and stared intently at the doorway, ready to face any possible reinforcements.
The lobby was so quiet that the only sound was the hum of the server fans.
Ye Mo pushed up his glasses, looking at the pulsating data core, a strange sense of anticipation welling up inside him. He knew that the arrival of this moment meant that the fate of Wakanda was about to be rewritten.
And all of this is just the beginning.