Chapter 139: Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division

**** 

The surface layer of the ice tunnel Chen Mo had dug was completely restored, showing no signs of alteration whatsoever. 

The seawater beneath the ice tunnel would soon freeze again, merging with the surrounding ice layer until there was absolutely no difference from before. 

It took the drone over half an hour to completely eliminate all traces Chen Mo had left before it finally returned to hover quietly in front of Chen Mo's pilot seat. 

After tapping out one final command on the screen, Chen Mo stored the tablet in his spatial storage. 

He then adjusted his sitting posture, leaning back fully against the seat back, assuming the appearance of someone unconscious. 

The hovering drone first extended its scanning device, emitting a red grid to scan Chen Mo and the seat, then deployed its slender mechanical arm to begin spraying freezing vapor over Chen Mo's body. 

After more than ten minutes, Chen Mo's entire body - along with the seat - became encased in a thick layer of solid ice, completely blending with the surroundings as if he had been frozen there for seventy years. 

Having completed its camouflage mission, the drone retracted its mechanical arm and slowly landed on Chen Mo's forearm. The moment it made contact, the drone instantly disappeared into thin air. 

The control room returned to its original state, except now the previously empty pilot seat contained a frozen figure. 

Chen Mo lay quietly within the ice, motionless as if devoid of life, yet his consciousness remained fully alert. 

When the drone began its camouflage process, creating an ice layer over his body, Chen Mo had already started subtly adjusting his physiology. 

All his muscles relaxed, gradually reaching complete limpness as the activity levels of his organs and tissues slowly decreased. 

His breathing grew slower and fainter until it became almost imperceptible. His heart rate gradually slowed from dozens of beats per minute to just a few, with his blood circulation decelerating accordingly. 

Under Chen Mo's control, his bodily functions minimized to their lowest levels. Cellular metabolism became extremely sluggish, barely maintaining basic cellular needs as his entire body's cells entered a state of minimal activity. 

With his metabolism suppressed, his body heat production dropped dramatically. Given his glacial surroundings with temperatures dozens of degrees below zero, this had immediate effects. 

Normally, Chen Mo's enhanced physique and vigorous metabolism provided sufficient heat to ignore such extreme cold. 

But now, having voluntarily reduced his bodily activity, the freezing external environment began penetrating inward through his skin. 

Chen Mo didn't resist this process, allowing the cold to progress unimpeded. Under this chilling invasion, his already minimally active cells entered complete dormancy, with all cellular activity and energy consumption ceasing entirely. 

This process started at his skin and gradually progressed inward. Slowly, every part of Chen Mo's body except his brain entered hibernation, with even his brain activity reducing to minimal levels. To any external observer, Chen Mo would appear completely lifeless - no breathing, no heartbeat, no cellular activity - with only faint brainwave fluctuations detectable by electroencephalography. 

Chen Mo's current state was essentially identical to the cryogenic suspension used on Steve and Albert, with the sole difference being Chen Mo's brain maintained faint awareness and some environmental perception. 

This particular hibernation method could only be employed by those who had received the Super-Soldier Serum and undergone physical enhancement. 

Ordinary humans lacked sufficient cellular strength and vitality - if frozen like Chen Mo, their cells would quickly crystallize, with ice rupturing cell membranes and causing cellular death. Thus, any normal human attempting such cryogenic suspension would meet only death.

For Chen Mo and others who had undergone enhancement, the improvement in physical constitution wasn't limited to just increased muscle strength - their endurance, neural reflexes, immunity, and mental capacity all received boosts. The fundamental reason was the cellular enhancement they'd undergone. 

During cryogenic freezing, their body cells simply ceased all activity and consumption, entering a dormant state, unlike ordinary people whose cell membranes would rupture from freezing, causing massive cellular death. When thawed, their cells would reactivate, returning to their pre-freezing state. 

However, recovery speed after thawing varied greatly depending on physical constitution - specifically cellular strength and activity levels. 

For example, Dr. Zola and Colonel John, who had received modified serum enhancements with only three times normal human physical capabilities, took over ten minutes to recover from weakness after being thawed and awakened by Albert when Chen Mo returned to the Hydra base. 

Steve Rogers, who received the enhanced serum with five times normal cellular strength and activity, could fully recover within one or two minutes after thawing, ready to immediately engage in combat. 

As for Chen Mo, now possessing seven times normal human physical capabilities, his cellular strength, activity, and fine control over his body far surpassed the others. This was precisely why he could voluntarily enter hibernation while maintaining minimal brain activity. 

If needed, Chen Mo could independently awaken from hibernation in mere seconds - just enough time to reactivate his cells for movement, with full recovery to pre-freezing combat readiness in under a minute. 

This capability was why Chen Mo chose this method to return to SHIELD. He didn't need to worry about threats during hibernation. 

His brain remained active, maintaining awareness of his surroundings. Any anomaly would allow him to quickly recover from freezing to respond. Even if attacked before fully awakening, his Adamantium armor would protect him long enough to regain full combat capability. 

Not only that, but Chen Mo - who took his survival extremely seriously - had prepared a final contingency. Should someone attempt to kill him with high-yield explosives while frozen, he could instantly deploy from his spatial storage a heavy armored bunker capable of withstanding nuclear blasts - essentially a massive iron box - to protect himself. 

The bunker's design was simple: a three-meter-tall sealed capsule with walls made of 50cm-thick special alloy that could instantly encase him when deployed from storage, with automatic rapid-sealing lower hatches for complete protection. 

With this, Chen Mo's hibernation was truly foolproof. 

However, due to his unique hibernation method, he couldn't maintain it as long as Steve and others could with full cryogenic suspension. 

Normal cryogenic freezing completely halted all bodily activity, allowing indefinite preservation. But Chen Mo's maintained brain activity still consumed energy. Even at minimal levels, this meant he couldn't remain frozen longer than one month before risking irreversible brain cell death from energy depletion. 

As for entering complete hibernation like Steve? Chen Mo wasn't that reckless. While familiar with the original storyline, he knew the Marvel universe held too many variables. Numerous beings could threaten him - even if not currently active - making full unconscious suspension too risky. 

Fortunately, he wouldn't need to wait long. 

... 

Three days later, a glacier research team surveying Greenland's ice sheets made an unexpected discovery - a massive object entombed within the ice. They immediately reported their findings. 

Initial scans revealed a perfectly triangular metallic structure over 100 meters long, matching no known mechanical device. 

This anomaly was eventually classified as a special incident and handed over to the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division. 

Two agents were promptly dispatched to the site. When they descended through the access tunnel into the aircraft cabin, their eyes widened at the discovery before them. 

The iconic black round shield and massive two-handed knight's sword clearly identified the black-armored figure frozen in the pilot's seat. 

As veterans of SHIELD's predecessor - the Strategic Scientific Reserve - these clearance-level agents immediately recognized the legendary founder of the Special Operations team who had single-handedly crushed the powerful Hydra organization seventy years earlier. 

"My God!" 

"Jesus Christ!" 

The two agents gasped involuntarily at the frozen warrior's imposing form. 

"Headquarters, patch me through to the Colonel!" one agent snapped into his comm. 

"Sir, it's 3am," the operator reminded, puzzled by the emergency. 

"I don't care what time it is," the agent insisted. "He's waited long enough." 

... 

Washington D.C., SHIELD Headquarters 

In a 1940s-style recovery room, Chen Mo slowly opened his eyes. 

Sitting up, he surveyed his surroundings - white walls with pale green wainscoting, an antique bedside lamp, and the slowly rotating ceiling fan overhead all exuded strong mid-century aesthetics. 

Truth be told, Chen Mo felt a pang of nostalgia for those bygone days. It was time to reunite with his old comrades.