The moment the elevator doors opened, Ye Mo's hand was still resting on the metal frame. The stinging pain in his fingertips hadn't subsided; instead, it crept up his nerves, as if an icy thread was being pulled from his bones. He didn't utter a sound, but simply moved his right leg forward half a step, his knee thumping as he landed.
Tony followed behind, the joints of his armor humming slightly. The lights on B3 automatically turned on, their cold white light reflecting off the ground. As he walked, he brought up the wrist projector, but the screen stopped after displaying only half of the data.
"Disconnect the old system first," Ye Mo said, his voice a little hoarse. "Cut off all communication channels."
Tony glanced at him but didn't ask any further questions. With a swipe of his finger, JARVIS's voice rang out. "Isolating the main control network, activating the backup line."
"Only keep the tactical channel and vital signs monitoring enabled," Ye Mo added. "Block everything else."
"Okay." Tony put away the projector. "Your paranoia attacks are pretty timely."
"It's not paranoia." Ye Mo walked to the open space in the training area, took off his hoodie and tossed it onto a nearby rack. "It's sobriety."
He crouched down, palms on the ground. Cold air immediately seeped out from between his fingers, seeping into the cracks in the floor like water seeping into sand. Frost flowers spread rapidly, and a series of cracking sounds rang out. In less than ten seconds, a half-meter-thick ice wall rose from the ground, completely transparent, with serrated protrusions on its edges.
"Your work is starting to resemble the inside of the Fridge more and more." Tony walked around the wall, pulled out a scanner, and waved it around. "Good density, low thermal conductivity, but the vibration transmission is too weak. I wouldn't even hear someone sneaking up on the wall."
"What do you want to hear?" Ye Mo gasped for breath, sweat beading on his forehead. "A heartbeat or farts?"
"Your sense of humor is still there, which means you haven't overdrawn it." Tony tapped the ice. "Add a vibration sensor, and connect it to the warning module on my armor. Anyone who dares to touch the wall, just shock their butt."
"Whatever you want." Ye Mo stood up and stretched his shoulders. "Check all four sides, seal off the outer ring."
He then pounded the ground three more times, and three more ice walls took shape in succession, forming a complete circular defense line. Narrow passages were left between each wall, and at key points, he deliberately froze several metal supports to weld the ice layer and the building structure together.
"The reinforcement is done." He wiped his face. "Now it's your turn."
Tony had already opened the console, his ten fingers flying across the holographic interface. The framework of the new alarm system was quickly set up, and the core verification mechanism used Ye Mo's Telepathy signals—the access control would only open if he actively released brainwaves of a specific frequency.
"Biometric key secured." Tony turned around. "Add another ring of miniature laser arrays around the perimeter; triggering it will lock onto the target's location. Shall we test it?"
Try it now.
Tony deliberately stepped towards the warning line. In an instant, fine cracks appeared on the surface of the nearest ice wall, followed by a new layer of ice that quickly covered it, increasing the thickness by a third. The metal plates on both sides of the passage popped open, and two rows of mechanical arms extended, simulating the trajectory of fire suppression.
"Reaction time 0.4 seconds." Tony nodded. "0.1 seconds faster than I estimated."
"You even set a trap?" Ye Mo narrowed his eyes.
"No problem," Tony laughed. "The laser array is connected to a tranquilizer dart launcher; if it hits you, you'll be asleep for two hours."
"If I really fall asleep, the base will be yours to manage?"
"If it's not mine, don't even think about getting in."
They looked at each other for a second, then smiled simultaneously.
"Let's do it again." Ye Mo took a deep breath. "This time, let's get serious."
He walked to the center of the ice wall and pressed his hands against it. His internal Ice Manipulation Ability was activated again, and the internal structure of the ice began to reorganize, with honeycomb-like patterns appearing on the surface to enhance its impact resistance. He also deliberately left a weak point in the lower left corner, making it look like a construction defect.
"The fake weakness is done," he said. "Let's go."
Tony piloted a drone into the air, with a small explosive device attached to its underside. The machine approached at low altitude, heading straight for that "weak point."
When the distance was still three meters, the ice wall suddenly trembled. Several ice spikes shot out from inside, accurately piercing the drone's rotor. Before the explosives could detonate, the entire drone was frozen in mid-air and slowly fell.
"Great!" Tony clapped. "Much better than last time."
"Don't be too happy yet." Ye Mo wiped the blood from his nose. "If it happens again, I'll have to lie in bed for three days."
"One last time." Tony took off his jacket and put on his light armor. "I'll do it myself."
He activated the thrusters and approached the ice wall with the low-temperature plasma cutter in hand. As soon as the blade touched the ice surface, a flash of blue light appeared, but the cut failed to penetrate deeply. The internal structure of the ice layer instantly changed, forming multiple buffer zones that withstood the high-temperature erosion.
"You predicted my prediction?" Tony stopped.
"I knew it the moment you raised your arm." Ye Mo leaned against the wall, his breathing becoming heavy. " Telepathy + Thermal Vision, I could feel it as soon as your muscles tensed."
"So you're a humanoid AI?" Tony took off his helmet. "And the kind with a freezing function?"
"I'm a laborer," Ye Mo grinned. "You can't afford a second person."
Tony smiled and shook his head, turning to check the defense data on the monitor. All parameters were stable, the alarm system had zero false alarms, the laser array coverage was 98.6%, and the ice wall's compressive strength met military standards.
"It's done," he said. "Now the base is truly a fortress."
As soon as he finished speaking, Ye Mo's vision went black, and his body swayed. He grabbed the wall to keep from falling, and a dull, jagged pain shot through his ribs, as if someone were grinding them with a file.
"Are you alright?" Tony grabbed his arm.
"It's nothing," Ye Mo waved his hand, "I'm just a little tired."
Just as Tony was about to help him to the lounge, a notification sound rang directly in his mind:
"Defense upgrade complete, Gene Spiral Tower unlocked fourteenth floor."
Ye Mo suddenly opened his eyes, his pupils contracting slightly.
"What's wrong?" Tony sensed something was amiss.
"The fourteenth floor is open," Ye Mo said softly. "It's not a battle, nor is it absorbing fragments... it's because we built this wall."
Tony paused for two seconds, then suddenly burst out laughing, "The system finally admits you're not just a fighter?"
"It recognizes strategy." Ye Mo struggled to his feet. "Proactive defense, advance planning. Before, it only recognized lethality; now it's starting to recognize intelligence."
"So you're going to evolve into a strategist?" Tony patted him on the shoulder. "Isn't the next step to wearing a suit and holding a press conference?"
"Treat me to a meal first, then we can talk."
Tony returned to the control panel, his finger continuing to swipe across the interface to confirm that all systems were functioning properly. The lights were dim, and the data stream on the screen moved smoothly. Outside, the city was brightly lit, but inside the base, all was silent.
"It's safe now." He leaned back in his chair, his tone relaxed. "At least no one can sneak in tonight."
Ye Mo sat on a metal chair in the corner, his right leg resting on the edge of another chair, his eyes closed as he regulated his breathing. Although his face was pale, his expression was relaxed.
"I still need to investigate the MK-9X matter tomorrow," he said.
"Cha," Tony said, staring at the screen, "But you need a break now."
"I'm not sleeping." Ye Mo opened his eyes. "I'll just sit here and listen for any new system notifications."
"You expect it to send you a red envelope?"
"What if?"
Tony shook his head, about to speak, when he suddenly noticed an abnormal reading on the surveillance screen. Near the ventilation shaft in the southeast corner, the temperature had dropped by 0.3 degrees Celsius.
Just as he was about to zoom in, Ye Mo suddenly opened his eyes wide.
His right hand twitched uncontrollably, and the piercing pain, like ice cutting into bone, returned to his fingertips.
This time, the pain shot all the way up to my temples along my nerves.