Ye Mo opened his eyes, his gaze still fixed on the unmarked coordinates at the edge of the radar. The low hum of the aircraft engine filled his ears, and the cabin lights cast a cold, grayish glow on his face. He didn't move, his fingers resting on his temples, his consciousness still exploring outwards through the newly established mental channel.
The scene I just saw was crystal clear—scorched earth, a twisted iron gate, and claw marks all over the walls. Banner had indeed been there, and left behind lingering thoughts. "Don't come near... I'll hurt people." These words were crisp and clear, not the ramblings of a confused state, but a warning he repeatedly emphasized when he was lucid.
Just as he was about to continue tracking the energy trajectory, something crashed in.
It felt like someone was rubbing his brain nerves with sandpaper.
"Interference?" he whispered, his brow furrowing. This wasn't ordinary signal noise, nor was it the kind of violent emotional surge that Hulk. It was rhythmic, every 7.3 seconds, like a heartbeat, or like some kind of machine in operation.
He immediately pulled up the structural diagram of the thirty-third layer of the Gene Spiral Tower and forcibly spliced together the two ability fragments, " Danger Sense " and " Telepathy." He activated the dual-frequency filtering mode, his consciousness sank down, and filtered out the impurities in the Shockwave bit by bit.
Three seconds later, the passage was reopened.
He seized the opportunity to scan the area again. This time he looked more closely—there was a half-empty bottle of medicine in the corner of the bunker, traces of Gamma Radiation on the ground, and... an energy mark that didn't belong to Banner. It was faint, but its presence was extremely strong, as if someone had forcibly guided his mental energy with a tool.
"Something's not right." He released his grip, his breathing a little heavy. "This isn't a natural overflow; it's being controlled."
Emma Frost walked over at that moment. She had been standing by the communications station, originally adjusting the access frequency of the drone swarm, but suddenly noticed that Ye Mo's brainwaves were fluctuating abnormally. His pupils were trembling slightly, sweat was beading on his forehead, and his right hand was unconsciously gripping the armrest of his seat.
She put down the data tablet and stood next to him.
"What are you forcibly trying to penetrate?" Her voice wasn't loud, but it was steady. "Your barrier of consciousness is about to crack."
Ye Mo glanced at her, not looking away. "It's encountering interference. It's not Hydra, nor is it a typical Mutants ability. It's mimicking mental frequencies, but the method is crude, like an experimental subject."
Can you confirm the source?
"No." He shook his head, "But it's locked onto the emotional remnants Banner left behind, constantly scanning and replaying them. It's like... someone is collecting his mental data."
Emma Frost's eyes changed. She knew what this meant. If there really was a third party researching Banner, then they not only knew the Hulk's transformation patterns, but might even have found a way to trigger or suppress them.
"What are you going to do?" she asked.
"Let's go to the site," he said decisively. "All we know for now is that he was there, but we don't know if he's still moving. The interference source hasn't stopped, which means the equipment is still running. We need to see it for ourselves."
" Tony won't agree to a mid-flight landing," Emma Frost cautioned. " The Ghost hasn't even entered South America airspace yet; moving ahead prematurely is tantamount to abandoning air support."
"I know." Ye Mo stood up and walked to the porthole. Outside was a pitch-black night sky, with clouds left behind, and a faint outline of land visible in the distance. "But we can't wait. That interference pulses every 7.3 seconds, like some kind of sealing mechanism at work. If it were Hulk in control, it should be a continuous release of high pressure. This regularity seems more like human manipulation."
Emma Frost paused for a few seconds. "You mean, someone is using him as a test subject?"
"It can't be ruled out." Ye Mo turned around, "And Banner's last words—'Don't come near me'—weren' not just about being afraid of hurting people. He was preventing others from getting close, possibly to protect someone. If we don't go now, and he completely loses control, the entire rainforest will explode."
Emma Frost stared at him for two seconds, then suddenly turned back to the control panel. "I'll send two S.H.I.E.L.D. reconnaissance aircraft over there in silent mode to perform a thermal scan. If there are any personnel stationed there, or large equipment, I'll be able to spot them."
"Okay." Ye Mo nodded. "Also, check if there are any underground structures. Experimental facilities of that level can't be operated in the open."
A few minutes later, the first batch of images came back. There were no signs of human activity around the target area, the vegetation was intact, and the ground temperature was normal. However, directly below the bunker, thermal imaging showed a constant-temperature zone about 30 meters square and about 15 meters deep.
"The underground facility," Emma Frost pointed to the screen, "Is very well insulated; there's almost no heat leakage. If I hadn't specifically increased the sensitivity, I wouldn't have been able to detect it at all."
"It really was a trap." Ye Mo sneered. "So they were using scientific research as a cover for secret experiments."
"Are you going down?" Emma Frost, looking at him.
"Of course," he said. "We can't just let Tony fall from the sky in his armor, can we? That would be too much of a commotion. We'll sneak in first to check the situation, make sure Banner is still there, and check for any hostile deployments. If we find anything wrong, we'll signal them to take over immediately."
Emma Frost didn't object. She opened the gear locker and took out a black tactical suit and lightweight goggles. "I'll go with you."
"Aren't you tired?" He raised an eyebrow.
"That connection was really exhausting, but I can manage now." She tied her hair up. "Besides, it's too dangerous for you to use Telepathy. If we encounter that kind of interference again, I can stabilize the connection for you from behind."
Ye Mo chuckled. "You really think you're a backup system?"
"Same to you." She put on her headphones. "Don't you always say that the system only provides reminders, not decisions? Now I'm your reminder and insurance."
He shrugged. "Alright, let's divide the work. You'll handle the perimeter monitoring and emergency disconnection, I'll focus on mental detection. Once inside, keep a distance of at least ten meters, don't stray too far."
"Understood." She finished checking the equipment, looked up at him, and said, "Once the Ghost is out over the open sea, we'll apply for glider deployment permission."
"Okay." Ye Mo sat back down and closed his eyes. "While there's still time, I'll try the remote scan one more time. Maybe I can find something new."
He reconnected to the mental link, this time focusing not on the range, but on capturing the details of the interference wave. A pulse every 7.3 seconds, each lasting 0.6 seconds, with increasing intensity. He tried to trace it in reverse, probing deeper along the frequency gap.
Suddenly, the passageway shook.
It's not a backlash, nor is it a blockage; rather, it's... a response.
It was as if someone on the other side had noticed his spying.
Ye Mo suddenly opened his eyes and severed the connection.
"What's wrong?" Emma Frost asked immediately.
"It detected it." He lowered his voice. "Just a moment ago, the frequency of the interference source changed. It went from passive scanning to active locking. Although it only lasted for less than a second, it was definitely aimed at me."
Emma Frost's expression changed slightly. "Is someone using mental devices to reverse-locate?"
"It's not just about location." He rubbed his temples. "It's trying to build backlinks. If I hadn't closed it quickly, I might have been dragged in by now."
"Then we absolutely cannot rush in," she said. "The people inside know Telepathy, and their equipment is advanced. Your current combination of abilities isn't fully developed yet; a direct confrontation would likely put you at a disadvantage."
"That's why we need to be quick." Ye Mo stood up. "They've just discovered me and don't yet understand my ability structure. While they're not prepared, we need to rush in, take photos as evidence, and then leave. Once we have the internal layout and experimental records, the subsequent operations will be much easier."
Emma Frost looked at him, then nodded after a few seconds. "Okay. But I have one condition—once you enter the underground facility, you must report your status every thirty seconds. If you are out of contact for more than ten seconds, I will trigger the recall protocol, whether you like it or not."
"Deal." He held out his hand.
She reached out and touched his hand.
The cabin lights flickered briefly.
The next second, a notification sound rang in Ye Mo's mind:
[WARNING: High-density area of mental pollution detected. Maintaining a safe distance is recommended.]
This is the first time the system has issued a warning.
Previously, it would only indicate whether an ability was unlocked or its cooldown was over, never interfering with decision-making. Now, it's actively discouraging users from using it, indicating the problem is more serious than initially thought.
Ye Mo turned off the notification.
"The system only provides alerts, it doesn't make decisions," he told Emma Frost. "We're not here to fight, we're here to find someone."
Emma Frost took a deep breath. "The glider is ready and expected to arrive at the drop point in forty minutes. We still have time for one last simulation."
"No need." Ye Mo picked up his hoodie and put it on. "The plan is simple—after landing, I'll focus on reconnaissance, and you'll be responsible for cover and communications. Hide when you see people, and photograph when you see equipment. No fighting, no lingering."
"Got it." She checked her earpiece. "The mental channel is on."
The aircraft continued its rapid ascent, and the outline of the land outside the porthole became increasingly clear. The canopy of the tropical rainforest merged into a dark green expanse in the night, like a giant blanket covering the ground.
Ye Mo stood in front of the hatch, his hand resting on the control panel of the glider.
He knew that when they went down, they might be facing more than just an out-of-control scientist.
It was a net that had been laid long ago.
Emma Frost walked over to him and asked softly, "Do you really think Banner still remembers us?"
Ye Mo didn't turn around.
"When he left those words, he wasn't thinking of himself," he said. "He was warning others not to come near. This kind of conscious restraint... you only act like this when someone you care about comes."
There was a moment of silence in the cabin.
Then Emma Frost pressed the launch button.
The glider detached from the mothership and silently glided into the atmosphere.
During the descent, Ye Mo closed his eyes again, attempting one last short-range sensing.
His consciousness had barely begun to emerge when it collided with a cold barrier.
It stands like a wall, fifteen meters underground.
Behind the wall, something is awakening.