Scott Lang’s leg injury was improving with each passing day.
Every morning at ten o’clock, he would arrive punctually at the basement workshop below the teahouse, open his laptop, and write code.
At noon, Old Wallace would bring his meals down—usually simple fried rice or noodles.
In the afternoon, he kept working until six in the evening.
Every other day at eight in the evening, he used the encrypted phone given to him by Zhou Mo to call Los Angeles.
“Cassie, how are you feeling today?” “I’m okay, Daddy.
Just a little tired, and I get out of breath climbing the stairs.” His daughter’s voice was soft over the line.
“The doctor said my next checkup is scheduled for the end of the month.” “The end of the month…” Scott gripped the receiver tighter.
“Listen, Cassie, Daddy’s work is almost done.
In about another week, I’ll come pick you up with my colleagues.
San Francisco has great doctors, and my boss has already arranged everything.” “Really?” “Really.
So you need to rest well, take your medicine on time, and wait for me.” Whenever the call ended, Scott would always repeat those words: “The work is almost done, and as soon as it is, my colleagues and I will come get you.” After hanging up, he would stare blankly at the screen for a moment before resuming his typing.
The beta version of the Starbridge social platform was largely complete, currently undergoing interface optimization and bug fixes.
The framework designed by Zhou Mo was exceptionally brilliant; the way many features were implemented exceeded Scott’s expectations.
*What kind of person is the boss, really?* Scott would occasionally wonder, though he quickly stopped dwelling on it.
The boss paid to treat his injuries, and he wrote the code—it was a fair trade.
*** On Wednesday afternoon, an unusual patient arrived at Renxin Hall.
When Ellie Stone walked into the clinic, she was near a complete breakdown.
At thirty-one, her business suit was rumpled and disheveled, her hair messy and unkempt, and her expression exhausted to the core.
Bloodshot eyes and heavy dark circles under her eyes made it clear she hadn’t slept well in a long time.
“Are you Doctor Zhou?” she asked, her voice raspy.
“I am.” Zhou Mo put down the medicinal herbs he was sorting.
“Please, sit.” Ellie sat down with stiff movements.
“I…
I don’t know how to explain it.
I’ve seen so many doctors—Stanford Health Care, UC San Francisco Medical Center.
They said there’s something in my brain, but surgery is extremely risky.
And…” She paused, struggling to organize her thoughts.
“And I keep seeing things.
Not real sights—hallucinations.
But they feel so real that I often can’t tell reality from fantasy.” Zhou Mo took her pulse while quietly activating Wall-Piercing Vision.
There was indeed a tumor in her brain, located in a delicate spot right adjacent to her temporal lobe.
What was even more unusual was that faint energy fluctuations hovered around the tumor.
It wasn’t a pathological reaction, but rather resembled some kind of talent being blocked.
“What line of work are you in?” Zhou Mo asked.
“I’m a lawyer,” Ellie replied softly.
“I work at a law firm in the city.
But I’m on the verge of losing it.
Last week in court, I suddenly saw an unsubmitted piece of evidence hidden inside opposing counsel’s briefcase…
Of course, it was a hallucination.
But I nearly blurted it out and got warned on the spot by the judge.” Zhou Mo withdrew his hand.
“Lie down.
I’m going to give you acupuncture.” The first treatment lasted forty minutes.
Zhou Mo applied needles to several acupoints on Ellie’s head, infusing each needle with a strand of gentle positive energy.
Rather than directly eliminating the tumor, he guided and dispersed the blocked energy to relieve her symptoms.
After the needles were removed, Ellie sat up and blinked softly.
“I feel…
clearer,” she said.
“The noise in my head has quieted down.” “Come twice a week,” Zhou Mo instructed as he wrote a prescription.
“Take your medicine on schedule and get enough sleep.
As for the tumor, we’ll take it step by step.” Ellie paid the consultation fee and walked out with a much steadier step than when she arrived.
*** On Friday afternoon, Ellie returned for her second visit.
She was in much better shape this time.
Her suit was neatly pressed, her long hair smoothly combed, and the red veins in her eyes had faded significantly.
“Doctor Zhou, your acupuncture is really working,” Ellie said softly as she lay down.
“I only had hallucinations twice this week, and they weren’t nearly as intense as before.” “That’s good.” Zhou Mo began inserting the needles.
“But you need to understand, I’m not eliminating your ‘hallucinations’—I’m helping you sort through them.” “Sorting through them?” “Some people’s brains can pick up information that ordinary people can’t.” Zhou Mo slowly rotated a silver needle.
“It’s like a radio tuning into different stations.
Your problem isn’t receiving signals, but having every station playing all at once, making it impossible to distinguish between them.” Ellie fell silent for a moment.
“Are you saying…
those hallucinations might be real?” “They might be fragmented reality,” Zhou Mo said.
“But you must learn to distinguish them, and learn to control them.
Otherwise, they’ll eventually break you.” When the session ended, Ellie stared at the ceiling, remaining silent for a long time.
“If I can control it…” she whispered softly, “…then in court, that would be a massive advantage.” “You could say that.” Zhou Mo packed away his acupuncture kit.
“Come back next Tuesday.” *** On Tuesday afternoon, her third treatment took place.
This time, Ellie brought a folder.
“These are my medical records, including all test reports.
Also…
this is a recent case I’ve been handling at the firm.
There’s a detail that has been bothering me.” Zhou Mo took the folder but didn’t open it.
“Miss Stone, let me perform the treatment first.” During the procedure, Ellie suddenly spoke up.
“Yesterday, when I met a client, I saw a line of small text engraved on the back of his watch.
It felt like a hallucination, but I checked afterward—it was the initials of his deceased wife.
The client was shocked and thought I’d investigated him, but I hadn’t.” “Your ability is awakening,” Zhou Mo said calmly.
“Or rather, you are learning to filter out what is useful information.” When the session finished, Ellie sat up.
She felt completely different now—her mind was clear, and those noisy “radio stations” had quieted down, leaving only a few distinct voices.
“Doctor Zhou, how on earth did you do this?” she asked softly.
“Those big hospitals said my condition was complicated and that surgery had less than a thirty percent success rate.
But you used only acupuncture…” “Traditional Chinese Medicine has been passed down for thousands of years.
There are things modern medicine still cannot explain.” Zhou Mo washed his hands.
“However, I’d like to discuss something else with you today.” “Please, go ahead.” Zhou Mo turned around and looked at Ellie.
“I can help you gain full control over this ability.
Not by eliminating it, but by making you its master.
You can choose when to receive information and when to block it.
You can do far more with it than just being an ordinary lawyer.” Ellie’s gaze sharpened.
“And the catch?” “Smart lady.” Zhou Mo smiled.
“The condition is simple.
I need a legal counsel to handle various special matters.
You work for me, I continue your treatments, and I give you a platform to exercise your talents without worrying about being treated like an outcast.” “What kind of special matters?” “For now, mostly corporate registration, contract drafting, and intellectual property protection,” Zhou Mo said.
“There may be more complex issues in the future, but they will all remain within legal boundaries—at least on the surface.” Ellie fell into deep thought.
Her situation at the law firm was already difficult; colleagues thought she was odd, and her boss worried she might have a sudden “episode” in court.
If Zhou Mo truly could help her master this ability…
“Are you sure you can do it?” “I am.” Zhou Mo nodded.
“But it will take time.
Furthermore, I advise against removing the tumor for now.
It may be the source of your gift.
If it’s removed, the talent might vanish along with it.” Ellie took a deep breath.
“Alright.
I agree.” “A wise choice.” Zhou Mo pulled a document from a drawer.
“Your first assignment.
A friend of mine is developing a social networking app called ‘Starbridge’.
We need to register a company, apply for patents, and handle the full set of legal procedures.
The core developer holds a five percent stake, and the company needs to be incorporated under his name as the legal representative.
Can you handle that?” Ellie took the document and scanned it quickly.
“App type?
Target market?
Funding plan?” “An instant messaging social platform currently aimed at college students and young adults, self-funded during development,” Zhou Mo said.
“You can discuss the details with the developer, Scott Lang.
He’s currently recovering at the teahouse while writing the code.” “Recovering?” “A minor accident,” Zhou Mo said offhandedly.
“But his technical skills are top-notch.
You two will work well together.” Ellie closed the folder.
“I’ll start on it tomorrow.
As for my firm…
I’ll need a week to hand off my work.” “That works.” Zhou Mo handed her a business card.
“This is Remy, my assistant.
He’ll help you handle external matters.
Anything outside the legal scope, you can reach out to him.” Ellie accepted the card, which bore only a phone number.
“One last question.” She raised her eyes to Zhou Mo.
“We’ve only met three times.
Why do you trust me?” “Because you need an opportunity, and I need a lawyer with special capabilities,” Zhou Mo smiled.
“Besides, a lawyer who can read the inscription on someone’s watch would be quite useful at the negotiating table, wouldn’t she?” Ellie smiled as well.
“I’ll prove you picked the right person.” When she left the clinic, her steps were exceptionally light.
The “hallucinations” that had plagued her for months had now transformed into a clear flow of information, its underlying patterns visible to her.
Zhou Mo walked to the window and watched Ellie head toward the subway station.
A lawyer, an electronic engineer, a card sharp, and Livewire.
His team was gradually coming together.
The phone rang; it was Remy.
“Boss, there’s movement on SHIELD’s end.
It seems they located Weyland-Yutani’s new lab down in the South Bay.” “Got it,” Zhou Mo said calmly.
“Keep watching, but don’t intervene.” He hung up the phone and returned to his desk.
Four files rested on the table: Scott Lang, Ellie Stone, Remy LeBeau, Leslie Willis.
Four individuals with extraordinary abilities, four people in urgent need of an opportunity.