The alloy door creaked and twisted with a sickening metallic sound as T'Challa pounded it with his heavy punches. The thick door panels slid open to reveal a space shrouded in a ghostly blue light.
Ye Mo was the first to step across the threshold, his sneakers making a soft rustling sound as they rubbed against the smooth, mirror-like floor. The aftereffects of the recent brawl still lingered in him, especially the damned "absolute zero" aftereffects, which made his joints feel as heavy as lead, and every movement was accompanied by a pulling, aching pain in his muscles and bones. He pushed up his slightly crooked silver half-rimmed glasses, his gaze quickly sweeping across his surroundings behind the lenses.
The control room was quieter than expected. There were no alarms, no pursuers, only the low hum of the server racks running, like the breathing of a sleeping giant. A faint smell of ozone filled the air, mixed with the burnt odor of overheated electronic components—the unique smell of high-tech equipment working at high intensity.
"Three server racks on the left, two on the right, and the main projection table in the middle." Ye Mo lowered his voice and spoke very quickly, " Emma Frost, how wide can your Mental Network cover?"
Emma Frost stood inside the doorway, leaning against the wall, her face still pale, but her eyes had regained their clarity. She took a deep breath, slightly raising her hands, a faint white halo emanating from her fingertips. "Within a hundred meters, if a physical being approaches, I can sense its heartbeat and thought fluctuations. But my current mental strength is only enough to maintain this level of scanning; it won't last long."
"That's enough." Ye Mo nodded, his body stiff but his mind exceptionally clear. " T'Challa, you guard the back door. If there's any disturbance, or if anyone tries to break in from the outside, close the door immediately. We only have ten minutes, no, five minutes."
T'Challa didn't waste any words. His muscles beneath his Vibranium Suit were taut, like a fully drawn bow. He silently retreated behind the door, pressing his back against the doorframe, his twin swords held horizontally in front of his chest, his gaze fixed on the dark corridor outside. His very presence was a deterrent; anyone attempting a sneak attack would have to ask his claws for permission first.
Ye Mo strode towards the holographic projection platform in the center of the hall. There, a data core emitting a ghostly blue light floated, surrounded by dozens of screens flashing green light, with complex code cascading down like a waterfall. This was what Klaue was willing to risk his life to protect, and it was also Wakanda's most crucial secret at this moment.
He reached out, his fingertips touching the cold metal surface of the control panel. The biting chill shot straight to his head, making him shiver. Although his previous Ice Manipulation Ability had frozen the circuitry, it had also chilled his body considerably. Now, his body was like a rusty machine, every part protesting.
"System prompt: High-privilege data interface detected. Connect?" The emotionless, mechanical voice in his mind suddenly rang out, interrupting Ye Mo's thoughts.
"Connect," Ye Mo murmured to himself.
A tiny probe emerged from under the console and precisely inserted itself into a miniature interface on his wrist—a backdoor he had previously installed to handle various unforeseen circumstances. The code stream on the screen momentarily froze, then began scrolling wildly.
"Damn it, the encryption level is too high." Ye Mo frowned, his fingers rapidly tapping on the virtual keyboard. His movements were somewhat clumsy due to stiff joints, like playing an off-key piano piece, but he had to force himself to adapt to this awkwardness. Ordinary hacking methods simply couldn't get through this firewall. This wasn't just any ordinary technical barrier; it was a double-layered security system combining Wakanda's black technology and Hydra's evil magic.
"It will take some time," Ye Mo said softly, a fine layer of sweat beading on his forehead. " Emma Frost, help me calm down. My mind is a bit muddled right now; it might be the aftereffects of the hypothermia affecting nerve conduction."
Emma Frost walked behind him and gently placed her hand on his shoulder. A warm spiritual energy slowly flowed into Ye Mo's brain, dispelling the distracting thoughts caused by the cold and tension. Her movements were very light, as if she was afraid of disturbing Ye Mo, who was completely focused on deciphering the data.
"I'm here," Emma Frost's voice was soft yet firm. "Don't rush, take your time."
With Emma Frost's help, Ye Mo's senses became much clearer. He closed his eyes and sank his consciousness into the Gene Spiral Tower. Although the barrier of the seventh level was solid, not all functions were fully activated. He mobilized the unnamed Mutants ability fragments, attempting to construct a logical deduction model. This was not a combat skill, but a pure intellectual aid, similar to Tony Stark's genius-like intuition, but more fundamental and primal.
As he worked harder, the progress bar on the screen began to move slowly. Five percent, ten percent, twenty percent...
Every second felt like an hour.
The control room was eerily quiet, with only the whirring of the server fans and Ye Mo's rapid breathing audible. T'Challa at the door, occasionally glancing back, but seeing Ye Mo's focused expression, he stopped disturbing him and continued to keep a watchful eye on any movement outside.
Fifty percent.
Blurry images began to appear on the holographic screen. They were Klaue's transaction records and a detailed attack plan blueprint. Ye Mo's pupils contracted sharply.
"I knew it, that old fox isn't as simple as he seems," Ye Mo said through gritted teeth.
The screen clearly displayed the transcript of Klaue's secret talks with Hydra, as well as a map of the infiltration route into Wakanda's defense system. Most crucially, Klaue had mastered the core technology of the sonic weapon prototype and planned to combine it with Vibranium to create a new weapon capable of penetrating the Black Panther Suit. This plan not only included technical details but also a list of elite teams participating in the operation, and even the codenames of several moles hidden within Wakanda.
"If this information gets out, the entire Mutants world will be in an uproar." Emma Frost looked at the content on the screen, a hint of shock flashing in her eyes. " Klaue is playing with fire."
"It's not just playing with fire." Ye Mo's fingers flew across the keyboard, faster and faster, his joints still stiff, but his movements becoming increasingly precise. "He's trying to reconstruct the molecular structure of Vibranium, making it brittle at specific frequencies. If he succeeds, the Black Panther suit will no longer be a symbol of invincibility, but a fragile piece of glass."
Seventy percent.
Sweat streamed down Ye Mo's face, dripping onto the keyboard with a soft "plop." His face was pale, his lips were tightly pressed together, and his eyes held a fierce glint. He knew that once he got his hands on this data, Klaue's conspiracy would be completely exposed, but this would also mean that their war with Hydra would officially escalate.
"Thirty seconds left." Ye Mo glanced at the time and silently counted down in his mind.
Just then, the lights on the main control panel flickered.
"Warning: Unauthorized access detected. Local logging has been started." The system notification sounded again, this time with a hint of urgency.
Ye Mo's heart tightened. Local logs? This meant the system had detected the intrusion and was automatically backing up the intruder's activity logs. If left unchecked, even if they obtained the data, they would still have leverage over the system.
"Damn it, I almost forgot about that." Ye Mo cursed, his fingers flying across the screen. He needed to erase all traces of the intrusion as soon as the data copying was complete. It was like changing a tire while driving; one wrong move and the car would crash and everyone would die.
He invoked a hidden module called " Mirror Override," an exploit he stumbled upon while researching Tony Stark's technology. It could simulate normal system self-test errors, disguising the intrusion as a routine hardware troubleshooting.
" Emma Frost, disrupt my mental energy output! Buy me three more seconds!" Ye Mo shouted.
Without the slightest hesitation, Emma Frost increased the intensity of her mental energy output. A powerful Mental Barrier enveloped Ye Mo's brain, shielding him from all external interference.
Ye Mo took a deep breath and pressed the Enter key.
"Perform an overwrite."
The red warning icon on the screen flashed a few times before turning green and indicating "System is normal." The intrusion was perfectly concealed, as if nothing had happened.
Meanwhile, the data copying progress bar finally reached 100%.
"Bite."
A crisp notification sound rang out, and the storage medium automatically ejected. Ye Mo reached out and caught the thumb-sized black chip; it felt heavy in his hand, containing secrets powerful enough to overturn the entire situation.
He let out a long sigh of relief, his tense shoulders relaxing slightly. The huge weight that had been pressing on his chest finally lifted, replaced by a feeling of relief after exhaustion.
"Got it." Ye Mo tucked the chip into his pocket, straightened his disheveled black hoodie, adjusted his silver half-rimmed glasses, and his carefree smile returned to his face.
T'Challa turned around, strode over, and sharply scanned Ye Mo: "How is it?"
"All in hand." Ye Mo waved the chip in his hand, a hint of smugness flashing in his eyes. " Klaue's little schemes are all out in the open now. Next, let's see how we send these guys to prison, or worse."
Emma Frost also came over, her face still tired, but a faint smile appeared on her lips, "Well done, Ye Mo. You're a genius."
"You flatter me, you flatter me." Ye Mo shrugged, feigning modesty, and said, "It's mainly because I'm lucky; I always manage to find bargains."
The three exchanged glances, needing no words, their eyes conveying a shared understanding. The mission was complete, but the danger was far from over. Behind Klaue stood Hydra, a vast and malevolent organization that would not easily let the matter rest.
Ye Mo walked to the main control panel and took one last look at the dark blue data core. He knew that this moment meant that the fate of Wakanda was about to be rewritten. And he would play a crucial role at the center of this storm.
"Let's go." Ye Mo turned and walked towards the door. "Let's get out of here before they react."
T'Challa nodded, gesturing for Emma Frost to follow. The three of them formed a triangle and carefully retreated back into the corridor.
The corridor remained deathly silent, as if the fierce battle that had just taken place had never occurred. Only the shards of glass and bloodstains scattered on the floor testified to the harrowing struggle that had taken place there.
Ye Mo walked at the front, taking each step with extreme caution. His body was still stiff, but his steps were exceptionally firm. He knew that the real challenge had only just begun.
Just as he was about to step out of the control room, a faint buzzing sound suddenly rang in his mind.
That wasn't a system notification sound, but some kind of external signal interference.
Ye Mo abruptly stopped, his brows furrowing.
"What's wrong?" T'Challa noticed his unusual behavior and stopped to ask.
Ye Mo didn't answer, but instead gripped the chip in his pocket tightly. That familiar, unsettling fluctuation struck again, stronger than ever before.
He looked up at the deep darkness at the end of the corridor.
A storm seems to be really coming.