ark
In the Andes Mountains, the air is so thin it's like a transparent blade, each breath carrying a sharp, piercing pain. The Ghost Squad moves silently along the rugged ridgeline, like a series of silhouettes clinging to the rock face.
Keegan's face was unusually pale in the cold and low oxygen, and the wound on his arm throbbed with pain from the intense march, but his steps remained steady as he carefully and cautiously surveyed the treacherous surroundings.
During a brief rest in a sheltered spot, Elaine quietly approached him. "How does the wound feel?" she asked softly, her voice filled with barely concealed worry, her gaze involuntarily drifting to his upper arm, which was tightly wrapped in bandages.
Keegan didn't answer immediately; instead, his gaze fell on the bruises on her slender neck that had turned a deep purplish-blue—a ring of bright finger marks. The glaring mark made his deep eyes suddenly darken, a cold, fierce glint flashing within them.
Almost unconsciously, he raised his right hand and touched the side of her jaw with his fingertips, applying slight pressure to lift her face a little so that he could see the scar more clearly in the dim light.
The slightly rough touch of his calloused fingertips and his sudden closeness made Elaine stiffen. Her cheeks flushed uncontrollably, and her heart raced. She instinctively tried to look away, but was held captive by the focused, almost frozen, scrutinizing gaze in his eyes.
"Does it still hurt?" His voice was very low, with a hint of hoarseness that was almost inaudible in the howling mountain wind.
“No…it doesn’t hurt anymore,” Elaine lowered her eyes instinctively, avoiding his overly direct gaze, her voice as soft as a feather, “It just looked a little…scary…”
Keegan seemed to suddenly realize that his actions had crossed the usual line. He slowly withdrew his hand: "Sorry for dragging you into this." He looked away, gazing at the distant, snow-capped peaks. His tone returned to its usual calm, but the chill surging in his eyes was more biting than the mountain wind. "I will make him pay the price."
Elaine shook her head, lowered her eyes, and her cheeks were still burning.
The desolate observatory and the abandoned "South America" illusion stand forlornly atop the snow-capped mountain, their dilapidated domes groaning in the howling wind like ghostly whispers. The team, using their exceptional stealth skills, stealthily infiltrates the area.
Unlike its dilapidated exterior, the interior, though filled with dust, was unusually "clean," with no common animal droppings or nests, and some key areas showed subtle signs of recent cleaning.
With his almost instinctive intuition for traps, Konig repeatedly raised his hand, pointing out several miniature vibration sensors and laser emitters that were almost blending into the shadows. This place didn't resemble a forgotten ruin; it was more like a meticulously laid, deadly trap waiting for its prey to take the bait.
The atmosphere was extremely tense. In the main control room, Elaine successfully bypassed the basic firewall and accessed a physically isolated backup server array. After cracking the first layer of encryption, the data displayed on the screen made everyone gasp:
The "Night Watch" project is real. Its core is a targeted virus transmitted via aerosols, targeting individuals carrying specific genetic markers of South American indigenous people. 96 hours after its activation, the project will transmit encrypted signals through this observatory, activating the virus already lurking in a major South American port city, creating widespread panic and social paralysis to verify the weapon's effectiveness. Makarov's plot is an unprecedented bioterrorist attack targeting South America. This discovery is horrifying enough; the team immediately begins downloading this crucial evidence, preparing for a swift evacuation.
However, just as the download process was halfway through, Elaine's intrusion triggered a hidden encryption protocol in a top-secret database labeled "Ark," deeply embedded in the system's core. A silent yet fierce electronic battle unfolded at the code level. Ultimately, Elaine, with her exceptional skills and a bit of luck, successfully breached the final line of defense. When the contents of the "Ark" database appeared on the screen, she felt her blood freeze instantly, and a chilling fear gripped her heart:
The "Night Watchman" project is merely the tip of the iceberg! Its true full picture is a mad blueprint called the "Global Epigenetic Reset Project," a plan capable of destroying modern civilization. Project documents reveal that Makarov's "Purgatory" company, through global "medical aid," "genetic research collaborations," and even data theft, has secretly constructed a vast database of genetic markers covering major populations in Europe, North America, Asia, and Africa. The South American tests were only the first phase of the entire project, a "local verification." The true ultimate goal is to develop and release corresponding "targeted viruses" based on the unique genetic imprints of different regions and ethnic groups marked in the database. This aims to trigger large-scale global paralysis and population restructuring in stages and regions, thereby completely destroying the existing international order. Makarov's ultimate aim is to use this "great filter" he created to establish a "new world order" completely under his control, conforming to his distorted eugenic ideals.
“He’s not just creating terror… he’s planning a… a planned genocide against all of humanity!” Elaine tried to remain calm, but her voice still trembled with rage. This discovery completely overturned their understanding of the scale of the threat, elevating the crisis to the level of racial extinction.
Almost the instant Elaine breached the "Ark" database and triggered the abnormal data flow, Kruger, who was several kilometers away and lurking on a high point above the snow line, also keenly detected the leak of this encrypted signal with his cutting-edge detection equipment.
A calculating glint flashed behind his goggles. He didn't attempt to intercept or destroy the data, but instead cleverly mixed a carefully selected fragment of intelligence—including the coordinates, some defensive arrangements, and troop deployment of "Coke Camp," a secret military outpost Makarov had established in the Greenland no-man's-land—into the "Ark" data stream Elaine was downloading, and transmitted it along with it. He wanted to direct the Ghost Squad, this sharp and righteous "knife," towards Makarov's vitals, creating chaos for himself and providing a window to investigate the truth.
Inside the control room, Elaine, who was urgently downloading and organizing massive amounts of data, suddenly frowned and uttered a puzzled sound: "Strange... very strange! A fragmented intelligence report about a military outpost has been mixed into these data streams, marked 'Coke Camp,' with coordinates in the Siberian no-man's-land, and the style of description matches Makarov's armed forces... But this is highly classified military intelligence, so how did it end up in this top-secret database of the genetic biology project? The source is unknown, and the format is slightly different, as if... it was forcibly inserted later?"
Ghost immediately became alert, his eyes sharp as an eagle's beneath the skull mask: "The source is suspicious. It could be a trap, or someone might be trying to use us to achieve their goals. The intelligence must be rigorously verified. Once the data download is complete, evacuate immediately!"
Almost at the same time Ghost issued the order, on another continent, in a command center with walls made of huge screens and filled with sophisticated electronic equipment, a piercing alarm suddenly sounded! Several people dressed in bespoke suits, exuding a capable and composed demeanor, were staring at the red highest alert on the main screen: "Abnormal access to the Ark database and leakage of core data of the 'Night Watch' project."
One of the leaders, his face ashen, immediately dialed an encrypted number, his tone cold and resolute: "The 'Founder' has completely lost control. His 'purification' plan will destroy the existing balance, including our years of planning and investment. Request the activation of the 'Bee Catcher' protocol, highest priority."
A few seconds later, a message came from the other side, with the leader ordering: "Completely eliminate: the 'Mayan Rebirth' plan."
The instant the command was given, a hidden self-destruct sequence was remotely activated inside the observatory! A deep hum emanated from the depths of the building, foreshadowing an impending devastating explosion! However, just as the self-destruct sequence entered its final countdown, the entire observatory's power system emitted a piercing noise due to overload, and the lights flickered wildly, all the lighting and equipment abruptly and simultaneously went out for a moment! Darkness enveloped everything. Then, power was restored, and the lights came back on, but that chilling, final hum before self-destruction was eerily delayed for a few seconds, as if forcibly abruptly cut off by an invisible hand! On a distant ridge, Kruger subtly curled his lip behind his sniper scope, which was aimed at the power equipment.
"Power outage! Self-destruct program disrupted! Evacuate!" Ghost made the decision the instant the lights went out and came back on, seizing this precious, seemingly random moment of respite, and gave the order with a sharp shout. Everyone carried out the order without hesitation, desperately covering Elaine and the hard drive containing critical data and the suspicious intelligence, as they evacuated along the pre-planned treacherous route.
They encountered a small group of armed men along the way, but these guards seemed to be demoralized and out of command due to the sudden chaos in the core control system and the approaching self-destruct program. Their resistance was not resolute, and the team was able to break through relatively smoothly thanks to their superb tactical skills.
As the team successfully retreated to a moraine at a safe distance, a muffled and enormous explosion came from behind them! They turned around and saw the main building of the observatory collapsing into ruins amidst towering flames and thick smoke.
On the distant mountain ridge, Kruger's green eyes coldly swept over the figures of the successfully evacuated squad, like a chess player examining the pieces moving as expected on a chessboard. Then, he turned silently and disappeared completely into the shadows of the mountains and the snow.
Inside the makeshift ice cave that barely offered shelter from the wind and snow, the atmosphere was heavy and frozen. During the evacuation, Konig and Hesh were both injured to varying degrees, and Keegan also sustained new wounds. Elaine clutched the hard drive containing some of the Ark's core data and the mysteriously sourced intelligence about Greenland, feeling as if it weighed a ton.
Ghost contacted Price, who had returned to base camp "Eagle's Nest," via a satellite channel with the highest level of encryption. His voice was hoarse with fatigue and exhaustion as he gave a brief report on the wounded soldiers, the earth-shattering discovery of Makarov's global conspiracy, and the suddenly appearing intelligence about "Coke Camp."
On the other end of the communication, Price fell into a long silence, with only heavy breathing coming through the channel. Finally, he issued the order decisively: "Intelligence level skyrockets, threat assessment raised to the highest. Your squad has lost its ability to continue combat. Abandon the original mission line and immediately return to 'Eagle's Nest' via the backup safe passage. As for the intelligence on 'Coke Camp' in Greenland, regardless of its source and intent, it will become our next highest priority investigation. We need time to regroup and reassess the overall situation. Now, the priority is to ensure everyone's safe return. That's the order."
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