A Frenzied Counterattack

Ye Mo had just stepped out of the heavy, airtight door of the command room; the air in the corridor still carried the residual heat from the server's cooling. He reached up and straightened the collar of his black hooded sweatshirt; the weariness from the ruins hadn't completely dissipated, yet he was already heading towards the escalator leading to the embassy area. Emma Frost followed half a step beside him, holding a cup of now-cold tea, her eyes as calm as a deep pool. Neither of them spoke; this silence felt particularly natural after the global siege they had just experienced.

As the elevator descended, a slight feeling of weightlessness tugged at his stomach. Ye Mo stared at the fluctuating floor numbers, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing the miniature listening device in his pocket. The dark figure that had flashed by in the industrial park's surveillance footage pierced his mind like a thorn. He told himself it was an illusion caused by light refraction, a hallucination caused by fatigue, but his intuition as "Mr. X" never lied.

"We're here." Emma Frost's voice interrupted his thoughts.

The elevator doors slid open, and the scene outside the Wakanda embassy instantly came into view. The once solemn and tranquil white marble plaza was now deserted, with only a few streetlights casting a pale glow. There were no security personnel patrolling as expected, nor were there any diplomatic vehicles coming or going. It was too quiet, a quietness that sent chills down one's spine.

Ye Mo stopped, his brow furrowed. He raised his hand, signaling Emma Frost to remain vigilant, then strode towards the hall entrance. Just as his boots touched the steps, the system notification in his mind didn't sound; instead, a shiver ran through his bones. Vibranium Sense —that keen ability to detect fluctuations in metallic energy—suddenly became unusually active.

This is not a normal vibration.

It is a high-frequency, energy-charging sound with a specific frequency. It's like a fully drawn bowstring, accumulating tension to tear everything apart. This sound doesn't come from the ground, but from high above, from signal blind spots blocked in all directions.

"Something's not right," Ye Mo said in a low voice, his tone cold and hard. "Retreat, back to command center!"

Before the words were even finished, a piercing alarm blared overhead like a thunderclap.

Red warning lights instantly illuminated the entire square, the swirling red light staining the white buildings crimson. Immediately afterward, a muffled, loud bang came from the outer perimeter of the embassy, the ground trembled violently, and dust billowed up.

"Boom!"

The sound of the shield generator overload was so sharp it made your teeth ache. Ye Mo turned around abruptly and saw a huge crack appear in the originally indestructible outer defensive shield. Amidst sparks flying, black smoke billowed in.

Klaue's men have arrived. And it's not just a small group causing trouble; they've come out in full force.

Ye Mo's expression changed drastically. Without the slightest hesitation, he turned and grabbed Emma Frost's arm, rushing forcefully into the embassy. "Quick! There are people inside!"

As soon as they rushed into the hall, they were met with a dense barrage of fire. Bullets grazed their scalps and struck marble pillars, sending up shards of stone. Ye Mo pulled Emma Frost behind a load-bearing pillar, his breathing rapid. Through the gaps in the cover, he saw a group of mercenaries dressed in black tactical uniforms and wielding heavy sonic weapons advancing in a fan shape. Their movements were practiced and their coordination impeccable; they were clearly a specially trained special forces unit.

Behind these mercenaries, a familiar figure stood atop an observation tower. Ulysses Klaue, dressed in an expensive custom-made suit, appeared calm and composed despite the surrounding smoke. Holding a megaphone, a sinister smile played on his lips as he broadcast loudly to the chaotic scene below.

"Listen to this! Listen to this, everyone!" Klaue's voice boomed through the megaphone, tinged with hysterical madness, "This is ' Mr. X's ' method! To cover up his crimes in East Africa, to destroy evidence, he actually colluded with terrorists to attack the Wakanda embassy! Look at these innocent diplomats and staff, they are victims too!"

As he spoke, several surviving staff members looked around in horror, their eyes filled with confusion and fear. Although the cameras on the media live broadcast van were jammed, drones from some independent journalists continued to hover in the air, recording the horrific scene before them.

"Don't believe him!" Ye Mo shouted, but he knew his voice was too soft to carry.

Klaue didn't personally engage in hand-to-hand combat; he simply stood on high ground, like an actor manipulating puppets. He waved his hand, and the mercenaries behind him immediately changed tactics. Instead of continuing their assault on the hall, they quickly dispersed and began installing explosive devices in various corners of the hall.

"They're setting a trap." Emma Frost's face was pale. She felt the immense panic rising in the crowd around her, an emotion that surged through her defenses like a tidal wave. "Ye Mo, I have to calm them down, or there will be a stampede."

"You maintain the barrier, I'll cut off their communications." Ye Mo gritted his teeth and pulled an electromagnetic pulse grenade from his waist. "Hold on, I'll be right back."

Emma Frost nodded, closed her eyes, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. A pale blue ripple of mental energy spread out from her, enveloping the entire hall. The panicked crowd gradually quieted down, their eyes becoming empty and calm, as if a pause button had been pressed.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Ye Mo got up and used the pillars in the hall as cover to sneak towards the control room. His goal was clear: find the main control console, restore external communication, and pinpoint Klaue's exact location.

The corridor was dark and narrow, filled with the smell of burning. Ye Mo held his breath, each step taken in the shadows. Suddenly, a faint metallic clanging sound came from around the corner ahead.

He stopped and listened intently. Two mercenaries were leaning against the wall, smoking, assault rifles in their hands, their eyes scanning the surroundings warily.

Ye Mo took a deep breath, his body tense like a bowstring. He didn't choose to fire, because the sound of gunfire would attract more people. He quietly approached, and when he was two steps away from the enemies, he suddenly struck. He covered one of them's mouth with his left hand, and his right elbow struck him hard on the carotid sinus. The man didn't even groan before collapsing limply to the ground.

Another mercenary noticed something was wrong and was about to turn around when Ye Mo had already pounced on him, kicking him in the back of the knee. As the mercenary fell to his knees, Ye Mo grabbed his neck with his arm and twisted it forcefully.

The entire process took less than three seconds and was completely silent.

Ye Mo released his grip and dragged the two corpses to the nearby storage room to hide them. He dusted off his hands and continued forward. However, when he pushed open the door to the control room, he found that it was not empty.

A burly elite mercenary sat with his back to the door, his fingers flying across the keyboard. Hearing the door open, he slowly turned around, a sharp dagger in his hand, his eyes fierce.

"Looks like you're more troublesome than I thought." The mercenary grinned, revealing a set of yellow teeth. "The boss said he'd spare your life so you could witness all of this crumble before your eyes."

Ye Mo remained silent, simply staring coldly at his opponent. He knew that conventional methods could no longer resolve the situation quickly. Klaue's counterattack was not merely a matter of force, but a combination of psychological and propaganda warfare. He had to restore communications as soon as possible; otherwise, if the truth were distorted, the Avengers ' reputation would be ruined.

The mercenary lunged forward, his dagger aimed straight for Ye Mo's heart. Ye Mo dodged to the side, seized the mercenary's wrist, and twisted it forcefully. The dagger fell to the ground with a crisp sound. The two began to wrestle, exchanging blows, each strike aimed at a vital point.

Ye Mo was injured, and the dull pain in his ribs slowed his movements for a moment. The mercenary seized the opportunity and punched Ye Mo in the abdomen. Ye Mo groaned, took a few steps back, and leaned against the control panel.

Just then, the control room door was pushed open again. Emma Frost appeared in the doorway, her face as pale as paper, clearly exhausted from maintaining the Mental Barrier.

"Ye Mo..." she called out weakly.

Ye Mo turned his head and saw Emma Frost swaying precariously, his heart tightening. He stopped fighting and kicked the mercenary hard in the chest, sending him flying and knocking over a chair next to him.

He rushed to the control panel and typed commands rapidly. The screen flickered a few times before finally lighting up with a green light.

"Connection established." The system notification sounded.

Ye Mo breathed a sigh of relief, but then tensed up again. He discovered that although communication had been restored, the signal was being suppressed by some powerful interference source. He could only send localized broadcasts and was unable to contact the main forces outside.

"Damn it," he cursed, turning to Emma Frost, "Can you sense Klaue's location?"

Emma Frost shook her head, clutching her forehead in anguish. "It's too chaotic... so noisy everywhere... but I can sense it... he's up high... in that observation tower..."

Ye Mo nodded, picked up the communicator, and prepared to report the situation to T'Challa. However, the moment he pressed the call button, the entire building shook violently again.

This time, it wasn't an explosion, but something far more terrifying.

Countless small drones, like a swarm of bees, poured in through the broken skylight. They carried self-destruct devices and hovered in the air, searching for every sign of life.

Ye Mo looked at the dense red dots on the screen and felt a wave of despair. Klaue was planning to create an irreversible Carnage to force the international community to intervene and completely smear the Avengers' reputation.

He had to do something.

Ye Mo rushed towards the backup power interface on the control panel, attempting to cut off the drone's remote control signal. However, his actions were interrupted by a mercenary who had just gotten up.

"Don't even think about it!" the mercenary roared, raising his pistol and pointing it at Ye Mo's back.

Ye Mo didn't turn around; he just stared intently at the screen, his fingers frantically typing on the keyboard. Sweat streamed down his face, dripping onto the keys with a soft sound.

"Emma Frost!" he shouted.

Emma Frost forced herself to her feet and, with the last of her mental strength, unleashed a powerful mental shockwave at the mercenary. The mercenary screamed, his gun fell to the ground, and he collapsed unconscious.

Ye Mo seized those precious few seconds and finally completed the code injection.

The red dots on the screen began to disappear one by one. The drones, out of control, crashed wildly against the ceiling, making a crackling and breaking sound.

However, Klaue had no intention of giving up so easily.

Ye Mo raised his head and looked out the window. At the top of the observation tower, Klaue was watching everything through the monitor screen. There was no panic on his face; instead, a more ferocious smile appeared on his face.

He picked up the communicator and spoke into the microphone, "The game has only just begun, Ye Mo. You think you've won? No, this is just the prelude."

Ye Mo clenched his fists, his nails digging deep into his palms. He knew that the real battle was only just beginning.

He turned to look at Emma Frost, their eyes met, and without a word, they both understood how difficult the road ahead would be.

"Let's go," Ye Mo said. "We'll go to the control tower. I want to tear off his mask myself."