cage
The next three days were a slow, agonizing ordeal for YN. Like a bird temporarily confined, her movements were strictly restricted. Twice a day, morning and evening, accompanied by a ghost team member—usually the silent Konig or occasionally the sharp-eyed Hesh—she could get some fresh air within a hundred meters of the safe house. The cold mountain air could clear her muddled mind for a moment, but the silent figure behind her constantly reminded her of her predicament.
The old television in the restaurant was her only window to the outside world. News reports about "traitor Elsa and her hostages" were still going strong, with expert analyses and official statements relentlessly thrusting her into the public eye, albeit in a completely distorted form. Each time YN saw these reports, she felt a wave of nausea, like a spasm in her stomach.
Her phone and computer remained missing. Price explicitly told her that her personal electronic devices were highly likely to have been implanted with surveillance programs, and once connected to the internet, her pursuers would swarm like sharks smelling blood, exposing this makeshift safe house in an instant. This explanation made sense, and YN couldn't refute it, but the helplessness of being cut off from the outside world deepened her isolation.
On the morning of the fourth day, YN had just finished eating the military rations that Konig had given her—the taste of which was indescribable—when Price pushed open the door and walked in. His expression was more serious than usual. "Doctor, we need to talk." He gestured for YN to sit down.
YN's heart sank, a sense of foreboding gripping her. She silently sat down at the table. Price didn't mince words: "We used every means to search for Elsa Brunner. The result was... there was no indication that she was still alive, or rather, free to move around. They handled it very cleanly." His tone was as calm as stating a weather fact, but the content was chilling.
Elsa's chances of survival are slim. Although she was somewhat prepared, hearing Price confirm it still sent a sharp pang of sadness and guilt through YN. Even though she didn't know if she was friend or foe, the thought that a vibrant woman she had crossed paths with, who had ultimately helped her, might have vanished silently into that snowy forest filled Elaine with a profound sorrow—for her, and for herself.
Price continued, "Our technical team cracked that USB drive. The contents... were design blueprints and some data for a new type of missile."
"A missile?" YN repeated in a daze, her eyes widening in astonishment. "Elsa... how could a diplomat carry something with her?" Moreover, Elsa was at the embassy in Country C... A terrifying thought struck YN like lightning, making her blood seem to freeze instantly.
She suddenly raised her head, her voice trembling without her even realizing it: "This missile design blueprint... what country is it from?"
A complex emotion flashed in Price's eyes, a mixture of amazement at her keen insight and a hint of pity. He slowly uttered two words: "Country C."
The color drained from YN's face instantly, and her lips trembled slightly uncontrollably. "...A military research institute in Country C?" she murmured almost instinctively, voicing the worst-case scenario.
Price nodded solemnly: "Judging from the design style and some of the logos, it's highly likely."
"What have I done?!" YN's voice suddenly rose, filled with despair and self-reproach.
She jumped to her feet, her body swaying with agitation and fear. In an instant, countless thoughts raced through her swirling mind: Get the USB drive back! Destroy it! No, it's too late, they must have already backed it up… They're lying to me, it can't be! But what reason would they have to fabricate a lie about a missile? They could easily say it contained something else… Oh my god, have I become an accomplice in stealing state secrets?! I…
Seeing YN on the verge of collapse, Price didn't say anything, but poured her a glass of water and handed it to her, his voice calm and firm: "Take a deep breath, Dr. YN. Calm down. Panic won't solve anything right now."
YN stared intently at the glass of water, not taking it. Her chest heaved violently, her nails digging deep into her palms, trying to use the pain to suppress the scream and chaos that threatened to burst from her throat. A few minutes later, she finally managed to control her turbulent thoughts, but her body was still trembling slightly. She slowly sat back in her chair, picked up the glass of water, and the cold touch calmed her down a little.
She raised her head, her face as pale as paper, her voice weak and trembling as if she had just survived a catastrophe: "Mr. Price... what am I now? A traitor?" Asking this question took almost all of her courage.
Price looked at her, shook his head, and said firmly, "No. In the official narrative, you are still a victim of hostage-taking, completely unaware of everything. The missile parameters are incomplete, and I believe your government can control the losses from the leaked blueprints within a certain range." This sliver of "innocence," coupled with Price's analysis of the C country's government's crisis management capabilities, had just ignited a faint hope in YN's heart. But Price's next words were like a bucket of ice water, completely dousing her. "However," Price's gaze was sharp as a knife, cutting through all unrealistic fantasies, "it would be extremely dangerous for you personally to show yourself at this time."
“I…I can explain, it’s all just a coincidence.” YN explained urgently, “I’ve only met Elsa twice, I…my work has never involved the military…you…give me back the necklace, I can go…”
“Doctor!” Price suddenly became stern: “Don’t you understand? If you show yourself, neither the Austrian government, Makarov, nor even the people within your government who leaked the missile information will let you go! No matter what you know, you will be torn to shreds!”
YN stared blankly at Price, then slumped into a chair.
“Doctor, even if I give you the necklace, there’s nothing you can do,” Price told her in a low voice. “The moment you received the necklace, your fate was sealed. You can only ‘disappear.’ For your safety, and for your relatives and friends in Country C, you can only ‘die.’”
Death… she seemed to understand, yet also seemed not to understand the meaning of those words. Her face turned deathly pale, and the water glass in her hand fell to the ground with a clatter.
The sound of the water glass falling to the floor was crisp and jarring, the water stain spreading rapidly across the surface. YN stared blankly at the stain, her mind a complete blank. The word "death" buzzed in her ears, whether it was the demise of her body or the utter erasure of her social identity. She would no longer be YN; she would become someone who should never exist.
Price didn't urge her, but simply watched her calmly, letting the cruel reality slowly erode her will. Outside the window, the sky gradually darkened, and the atmosphere inside the safe house became suffocatingly heavy.
After an unknown amount of time, YN slowly raised her head, her face still pale, but her eyes held a resigned emptiness. "Are you going to 'deal with' me?"
“Of course not, Doctor, we’re not executioners,” Price’s voice was reassuring. “First, we need to get out of here. It’s secluded, but not absolutely safe. News that Elsa carries important information should have already spread, and all sides will be searching for clues like hounds. We must move ahead of them.”
As night fell completely, tense preparations for the safe house began. Equipment was quickly packed up, and all traces were carefully erased. YN was asked to change into an inconspicuous dark tracksuit and jacket, which were a little too big, making her look even smaller and more helpless.
In a lull between the team members' busy work, Price once again found YN sitting alone in the corner. Outside, the engine of the off-road vehicle was already humming, and Ghost and Keegan, wearing masks, were conducting their final inspection.
“Dr. YN,” Price’s voice was particularly clear in the dim light, “I would like to speak with you one more time before we leave.”
YN raised her head and looked at him silently.
“Theoretically, I can give you some money and a car right now to let you leave.” Price’s words made a glimmer of light flash in YN’s eyes, but it immediately dimmed again. She knew there would inevitably be a “but” after that.
“But,” Price continued, his gaze sharp, “you should understand that that would be tantamount to sending you to your death. You have no means of protecting yourself and know nothing about the forces hunting you. They could be national intelligence agencies, or they could be Makarov’s henchmen. Whichever side you fall into, your fate will be ten times, a hundred times worse than it is now. They will use every means to pry open your mouth, get everything they want to know, and then make you disappear without a trace. You won’t even have the chance to be ‘killed’.”
YN shuddered; the scene Price described was terrifyingly realistic. She had no doubt about the methods of these shady forces.
“Another option,” Price softened his tone, pointing to the waiting vehicles and figures outside the window, “is that we will provide you with a completely new, verifiable identity and protection until the truth comes out, or until the information in the necklace becomes worthless. By then, if you still want to leave and live a peaceful life, I assure you, no one will stop you.”
YN remained silent. She understood perfectly. Price seemed to have given her a choice, but the first option was a cliff edge—jumping off meant certain death. The second option, though seemingly distant, was the only possible path to survival. Although she was innocent, the leak of missile blueprints and parameters was a massive national crisis. Having dealt with government agencies for years, she knew no one would dare guarantee her innocence. Moreover, the leak of national security information implied that key government departments had likely been infiltrated, and this force would not tolerate her existence. She herself had indeed come into contact with the person who stole the missile data. To the uninformed Chinese public, if "NY" died, she would be an innocent victim; if she survived, she would be a traitor to her country, and public opinion alone could condemn her to eternal damnation!
The so-called "choice" has only one correct answer from beginning to end—join them, be protected by them, and at the same time, be controlled by them. Freedom? Perhaps it was already lost the moment she took the USB drive from Elsa. The choice now is not between freedom and imprisonment, but between different cages, choosing the one with the greater chance of survival.
She glanced out the window. In the darkness, Ghost stood like a statue blending into the shadows, while Keegan leaned against the car, warily surveying their surroundings. Their masked silhouettes appeared cold and professional in the dim light. These men were her only shield, protecting her from the world outside that wanted to devour her whole.
Taking a deep breath, YN met Price's gaze and tried to make her voice sound calm: "I understand, Mr. Price. I... will go with you." She didn't say "join," because at this moment, she wasn't qualified or capable of "joining" anything. She was merely a burden in need of protection, a pawn forced onto a path of exile.
Price seemed to see through her thoughts, but he didn't point it out, only nodding: "Very good. Remember, only by surviving can you have a chance to find out the truth and clear your name." Soon, everything was ready.
YN was seated in the back of a car, with Konig beside her, like a silent mountain. The vehicle silently drove out of its hiding place in the night, disappearing into the dark highway like a ghost. YN leaned against the window, watching the blurry shadows of the trees and mountains rushing past. Her past was being left behind, and ahead lay a future full of unknowns, dangers, and perhaps a glimmer of hope. She closed her eyes, burying her face in the collar of her oversized coat. The choice had been made; all that remained was to move forward.
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