Counterattack
In the command center of the "Wolf's Den" safe house in Germany's Black Forest, the air seemed to freeze, save for the low hum of the server cooling fans and the crisp clicks of Elaine's fingers rapidly tapping on the keyboard. She had been working continuously for over thirty-six hours, her eyes bloodshot as she stared intently at the intricate global fund flow chart on the screen.
Keegan stood silently a short distance behind her, like a frozen statue, his sharp gaze sweeping across the data streams and monitoring screens, guarding this silent war zone.
Suddenly, Elaine's fingers stopped typing abruptly, her body leaned forward slightly in excitement, and her pupils contracted sharply. On the screen, a previously overlooked, extremely subtle connection path was highlighted by her algorithm model, emitting a glaring red alert!
"Found it! This is it!" she exclaimed, turning around abruptly from her chair. Dizziness from sitting for so long, combined with extreme excitement, caused her to lose her footing and stumble into Keegan's arms, who was standing right behind her!
"Oh...yes, I'm sorry!" Elaine scrambled to steady herself, but her excitement made her incoherent. Ignoring her embarrassment, she grabbed Keegan's arm, pointed at the screen, and her voice trembled with excitement: "Keegan! Look! Key evidence! It's not just Thorne's son's account!"
Keegan's body instinctively paused slightly the moment she bumped into him, and his arm instinctively steadied her shoulder. His gaze, hidden behind his mask, swept over her flushed and excited face, ignoring the earlier incident, and immediately looked at the screen in the direction she was pointing, saying in a deep voice, "What is it?"
“It’s Thorne himself!” Elaine breathed heavily, pointing to a chain of funds that passed through several layers of offshore foundations and trusts, ultimately leading to an anonymous escrow account in Liechtenstein. “Look at this! Five years ago, €5 million from a shell company connected to Makarov’s inner circle, after seven transfers, finally entered this escrow account! And the sole beneficiary of this account, through multiple layers of nominee agreements, is General Thorne himself!” She switched the screen, displaying another set of data: “More importantly, starting three years ago, the funds in this escrow account began regularly paying huge ‘consulting fees’ to a private security consulting firm in Switzerland, and the actual controller of this company, upon investigation, is a former senior Mossad agent who now provides ‘security services’ to a Jewish consortium with deep ties to ‘Purgatory’!”
Elaine looked up, her eyes gleaming with the light of discovery: "This is not a simple bribe! General Thorne directly accepted huge sums of money from the Makarov camp through extremely complex financial means, and used it to pay for 'dark services' that may be related to intelligence leaks and internal purges! This is blatant treason with a complete chain of evidence!"
She finally caught her breath and realized she was still gripping Keegan's arm tightly, his hand still firmly on her shoulder. She quickly released him as if burned, her face flushing, and whispered, "Sorry, I got too excited..."
Keegan slowly withdrew his hand, refocusing his gaze on the deadly financial chain on the screen, his eyes slightly narrowed as if trying to penetrate the data and look directly at the hidden traitor behind it.
He nodded very slightly, his voice low and firm: "Well done. This is decisive evidence."
The news spread throughout the squad immediately. Hesh and Logan quickly gathered in the command room. Along with excitement came immense pressure. The evidence was irrefutable, but the biggest challenge was how to safely deliver it to the key figure who could bring down Thorne without being suppressed or silenced.
“We can’t go through the usual channels,” Hesh pointed out with his experience. “Thorne has deep-rooted influence within the organization, and regular reports are likely to be intercepted or even used against us.”
“We need a completely neutral 'referee' who is of a high enough rank and has no vested interest in Thorne,” Logan added.
Keegan paused for a moment, then pulled up a highly encrypted contact list. His gaze settled on an entry codenamed "Gendarmerie." This was a rarely used, top-secret connection Price had established years earlier, pointing to a senior official of an independent oversight body within NATO, known for his incorruptibility and powerful connections, based in Brussels, Belgium.
“I’m going to Brussels,” Keegan said firmly. “To submit the evidence in person. That’s the safest way.”
“It’s too dangerous! Thorne’s informants could be everywhere!” Elaine blurted out, her eyes filled with worry.
Keegan looked at her, calm and fearless: "This is the only way to ensure that the evidence reaches the higher-ups directly. The coordinates of 'Wolf's Cave' are absolutely confidential. You stay here, maintain the highest level of vigilance, and wait for news."
His decision was decisive and resolute, carrying an irrefutable force.
Before heading to Brussels, Keegan went alone into the communications compartment and contacted Ghost again through the most secret channel.
“Ghost, it’s me.” Keegan’s voice was low. “The evidence is confirmed, and it’s of extremely high level. I’m ready to submit it as planned.”
"Understood. The route and safe house have been arranged." Ghost's voice came through, equally deep.
After a brief silence, Keegan's tone grew more serious: "There's one more thing. Elaine… her performance has far exceeded expectations. Her ability to penetrate financial networks, her intuition and ability to correlate data… it's too outstanding. Finding the crucial evidence to bring down Thorne this time relied entirely on her discovery. I'm worried…" He paused, a barely perceptible tension in his voice: "...such abilities, once Makarov or the forces behind him become aware of her existence and value, she will become a top priority target for elimination or kidnapping. 'Wolf's Nest' may be hidden, but it's not absolutely safe. We must return to 'Eagle's Nest' as soon as possible; only there can we ensure her safety to the greatest extent possible."
Ghost on the other end of the communication was silent for a few seconds, clearly realizing the seriousness of the situation: "...You're right. Her value has indeed exceeded that of an ordinary technical expert. I will immediately arrange the most reliable support team to escort you all out of 'Wolf's Den' and back to base as soon as you return. Price has secretly investigated Thorne's internal forces, and we have discovered more clues. The situation is more complicated than we expected. We'll discuss it in detail when we meet."
"Roger that. Stay in touch." Keegan ended the call, his brow furrowed. Protecting Elaine's safety had now become an equal priority to completing the mission.
He didn't realize that just as he ended the call and pushed open the soundproof door to walk out, Elaine came out of the adjacent technical room, heading to the rest area to get some water.
His final, low, and worried words, "Make sure she's safe," clearly reached her ears.
Elaine's steps faltered instantly. Her heart skipped a beat, a surge of warmth mixed with indescribable, complex emotions welling up within her. She stood there, watching Keegan's tall, silent figure walk towards the equipment room… A sense of being still cherished and protected seemed to lessen the immense grief of losing her parents, causing her eyes to well up slightly. She quickly lowered her head, concealing her emotions, and hurried away, her heart churning.
The following evening, in a private box of a historic, prestigious gentlemen's club on the edge of the European Union in Brussels, Belgium, Keegan changed into an unassuming dark suit and sat alone in the dim light, like an ordinary businessman.
Opposite him sat an elderly man with gray hair, a serious face, and sharp, hawk-like eyes—a key NATO internal surveillance officer codenamed "Gendarmerie." The meeting was secretly arranged by Ghost through an absolutely reliable single-line communication channel.
Without any pleasantries, Keegan pushed an unmarked encrypted storage device in front of the other person. "The evidence is inside. Regarding General Marcus Thorne, treason, the chain of evidence is complete." Keegan's voice was deep and clear.
The old man picked up the memory device, but instead of checking it immediately, he looked directly at Keegan and asked, "Do you know the consequences of accusing a four-star general?"
“The evidence will speak for itself,” Keegan replied succinctly and forcefully.
The old man gave him a deep look, then put away the memory device: "I will verify. Remain silent until I contact you, and make sure your people are safe."
The meeting was brief and efficient; the old man vanished silently into the club's shadows, just as he had appeared. Before leaving the private room, Keegan destroyed any possible traces.
He did indeed retain a crucial detail: the evidence submitted only included the complete chain pointing to direct financial transactions between Thorne and Makarov, and the payments for suspicious "dark services." He made no mention of the clues Elaine discovered regarding potentially broader illicit dealings between other high-ranking NATO officials and Jewish financial groups.
He knew that alerting the enemy would only put everyone in danger; the only current goal was to eliminate Thorne.
A day later, Keegan returned safely to Wolf's Lair, and the team entered the most agonizing period of waiting. Every minute felt like an eternity. Just one more night passed, and a highly encrypted internal announcement, transmitted through fragments of information from Ghost's adventures, reached Wolf's Lair: General Marcus Thorne had passed away in his residence early this morning due to sudden heart failure.
Almost simultaneously, another official announcement was issued: after an internal review, all allegations against Colonel Price were found to be unsubstantiated, and Colonel Price was immediately reinstated to his original position and related authority.
When the news arrived, a deathly silence fell over the Wolf's Den. There were no cheers, no celebrations. Thorne's "sudden death" was too sudden and coincidental; everyone understood what it meant. This was not a judicial trial, but a clean, decisive, and irrefutable internal purge.
The "military policeman" and the forces behind him resolved the problem in the most direct and trouble-free way. Price was saved, but this victory, tinged with the rusty stench of blood and the unfathomable shadows of politics, was so heavy it was suffocating.
"We... succeeded?" Logan murmured, but there was little joy in his voice.
"The price was Thorne's death, and that we will never know who was behind this deal or what rules were used to make it happen." Hesh's voice carried a calmness born of worldly wisdom.
Elaine looked at the silent Keegan, her heart filled with mixed emotions. They had defeated a powerful enemy and rescued General Price, but the process had been so dark, and the outcome so...unreal. Even though her past experiences had given her a comprehensive and multifaceted understanding of the world, far deeper than that of ordinary people, this was the first time she had so clearly felt the overwhelming oppression from above, the kind of oppression that ordinary people had no power to resist.
Price's reinstatement meant the Ghost Squad's biggest internal threat was temporarily eliminated, and they could return to the Eagle's Nest. But before leaving the Wolf's Den, Keegan gathered the squad together. "Thorne is dead, but Makarov and his network are still here." His gaze swept over everyone, finally lingering on Elaine's face for a moment. "We obtained crucial evidence, but we also exposed our capabilities and direction. The battles to come will only be more difficult and dangerous." His words pulled everyone back to reality from their brief moment of confusion.
Yes, the victory is only a temporary one. Exposing Thorne has merely severed one of Makarov's tentacles reaching into the "Eagle's Nest." His true form and vast network of conspiracies remain hidden deep within, and may even become more vigilant and dangerous because of Thorne's exposure.
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