Snowy Night
A modified black Mercedes-Benz G-Class SUV, like a silent beast, rolled across the snow-covered roads outside Ljubljana late at night. The engine roared low, and the powerful four-wheel-drive system provided a reassuring sense of stability on the slippery surface. The heater inside was blasting, creating a world apart from the icy landscape outside. YN sat in the passenger seat, her eyes slightly weary as she watched the dark, snow-covered pine forest rushing past the window. In the driver's seat was a taciturn, robust local driver, someone Elsa had contacted through "special channels."
In the back seat, Ms. Elsa Brunner—the shrewd Austrian embassy staff member—was working on documents on her laptop, the screen's light illuminating her focused face. "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs' processes are too slow; by the time they've coordinated everything, the most important parts of the summit will probably be over."
About an hour earlier, in the noisy airport lounge, Elsa closed her phone and said to YN with a determined look in her eyes, "My friend has provided a car. If you trust me, we can travel to Vienna by land together. We should arrive before dawn."
The suggestion was somewhat risky, but YN weighed it carefully. Staying at the airport was too uncertain, while Elsa, as a diplomat, should theoretically have more reliable connections. More importantly, with this seemingly shrewd and capable companion, the risk of traveling alone through the snow at night seemed significantly reduced. YN accepted the suggestion, and the anxiety caused by the time constraint eased somewhat.
The vehicle drove into the mountains, where all was quiet except for the soft crunch of tires over the snow. The initial awkwardness dissipated in the atmosphere of shared hardship (referring to the emergency landing) and shared secrets (referring to the use of unofficial channels).
YN took off his glasses and gently massaged the bridge of his nose. "Looks like we're not too unlucky; at least the car is comfortable."
Elsa handed over a bottle of mineral water from the back seat, her tone more relaxed, unlike the formal distance she had on the plane.
“Indeed, it’s much better than I expected. Thank you so much, Ms. Brunner.” YN took the water and thanked her sincerely.
“Just call me Elsa. This isn’t a diplomatic setting.” Elsa smiled and closed her laptop. “Honestly, YN, I admire you. In that situation on the plane, most people would have panicked, but you remained so calm.”
"You flatter me. Aren't you the same? You can still remember the roller coasters from your childhood." YN smiled back, and the atmosphere became much more harmonious.
They chatted about several mutual friends in Beijing's diplomatic circles, the potentially thorny figures they might encounter at the summit, and even some less sensitive, interesting anecdotes from their respective work. Elsa's words remained cautious, but she was noticeably less wary, revealing a youthful vibrancy beyond her usual competence. YN also relaxed slightly, resting her head on the comfortable headrest. Perhaps she could make it to Vienna safely, she thought.
However, this brief tranquility was soon shattered. As the vehicle approached a narrow mountain pass along the winding mountain road, several crisp, distinct explosions—not firecrackers—suddenly rang out ahead—gunfire! This was followed by a denser barrage of shots from various weapons and shouts, breaking the deathly silence of the snowy night.
"What's going on?!" The driver slammed on the brakes, shouting in terror in the local language. YN's heart leaped into her throat. She instinctively sat up straight and looked through the windshield. She saw flickering lights at the mountain pass, and several figures running and weaving in the darkness—clearly, a small-scale armed conflict had broken out.
"Reverse! Reverse now!" Elsa reacted swiftly, her voice sharp and authoritative, all traces of her previous ease replaced by an almost instinctive ferocity that YN had never seen before. The driver frantically shifted into reverse, but it was too late. A burst of bullets thudded across the road in front of the vehicle, splashing up snow and gravel. Then, with a deafening bang, a stray bullet pierced the SUV's left-side rearview mirror, scattering shards of glass everywhere.
"Get out! Get cover! Quick!" Elsa practically yelled. She shoved open the car door, her movements swifter than those of a civilian diplomat. She grabbed the still-dazed YN's wrist and forcefully pulled her from the passenger seat. YN stumbled, almost dragged by Elsa, and tumbled behind a snow-covered embankment by the roadside.
The icy snow instantly seeped into YN's collar and shoes, the biting cold sending a shiver down her spine, but it was more of a chill brought on by fear. She could hear her heart pounding wildly in her chest, and the howling wind, the ever-increasing gunshots, and shouts filled her ears.
"Stay here and don't make a sound!" Elsa commanded in a low voice. Her breathing was a little rapid, but her eyes were unusually calm as she quickly surveyed the surrounding situation. Just then, the driver, who had been panicking, scrambled to hide behind the car.
He was breathing heavily, glancing in Elsa and YN's direction, his eyes flickering uncertainly. Suddenly, a ruthless glint flashed across his face, and he abruptly pulled a compact pistol from his waist, pointing it not at the mountain pass, but directly at Elsa!
YN's eyes widened in horror; it all happened so fast her brain could barely process it. But Elsa reacted even faster! The instant the driver raised his gun, as if she had anticipated it, she suddenly ducked to the side, her right hand flashing out like lightning, precisely grabbing the driver's wrist holding the gun, and lifting it upwards! "Bang!" The gun rang out, the bullet shooting into the air.
Almost simultaneously, Elsa's left leg delivered a swift sweeping kick, striking the driver's knee with tremendous force. The clear cracking sound of bone breaking was particularly jarring amidst the echo of the gunshot. The driver let out a piercing scream, losing his balance and collapsing to his knees. Without hesitation, Elsa snatched the pistol and smashed the butt against the back of his neck. The driver groaned, collapsing limply onto the snow, motionless.
All of this happened in the blink of an eye. YN stared blankly at the scene before him, almost unable to breathe. The skills Elsa had just displayed were far beyond what an ordinary diplomat should possess! They were the clean and efficient killing techniques of a highly trained individual!
Elsa was breathing heavily. She glanced at the unconscious driver, then looked warily toward the mountain pass. The conflict seemed to be spreading this way; someone had already noticed the SUV stopped in the middle of the road. "No time to explain!" Elsa turned around, grabbed YN's shoulder, her eyes sharp as knives. "Listen, YN, you have to live!" With that, she quickly tore a necklace off her neck.
The necklace's pendant was a small, seemingly ordinary metal piece, but YN immediately recognized it as a disguised USB drive. The instant Elsa ripped off the necklace, YN clearly saw a small, dark tattoo below her collarbone—a stylized Eye of Horus design, with a clearly defined cursive letter K next to it. The tattoo flashed by, yet it was branded into YN's mind like a brand.
"Take this!" Elsa shoved the necklace into YN's cold hand without a word, gripping it tightly. "Go find that group we saw at the airport! They're called the 'Ghost Squad'! Find them and give them this! Tell them a name—Makarov! Remember, the Ghost Squad and Makarov!"
“Elsa…you…” YN’s mind was in chaos, the information overload made it almost impossible for her to think.
"Hurry! Go down the hillside into the woods! I'll draw their attention!" Elsa shoved YN hard, her eyes resolute. She picked up the driver's gun, checked the magazine, took a deep breath, and suddenly leaned out from behind the embankment, firing two shots towards the mountain pass, immediately drawing the enemy's fire.
"Over there!" "Grab her!" Shouts and bullets rained down on Elsa.
YN knew she had no time to hesitate. The instinct for survival and Elsa's unquestionable command drove her to action. She clutched the necklace USB drive, still warm from Elsa's touch, tightly in her hand, her nails digging almost into her flesh. A chilling fear still enveloped her, but a strange calm began to grow within her.
She recalled her cousin, who had served in the special forces, jokingly teaching his younger siblings some basic battlefield survival tips during a casual chat at a family gathering: "...If you must disengage at night, remember, don't walk in a straight line. Utilize all shadows and obstacles, minimize noise, and remove reflective objects. If you're in snow, pay special attention to footprints..."
YN abruptly ripped off her glasses, which weren't very strong, and stuffed them into her pocket. She then grabbed a handful of cold snow and roughly wiped it on her light-colored coat, trying to add some camouflage. She glanced one last time in Elsa's direction; the young female diplomat (or perhaps she wasn't a diplomat at all?) was using vehicles and the terrain to outmaneuver her pursuers, gunfire echoing through the valley.
YN gritted her teeth, turned around, bent over, and sprinted down the steep, snow-covered slope, her feet sinking deep into the snow, desperately heading towards the dark, seemingly all-consuming pine forest below. Each step she took into the deep snow sent shivers down her spine, and the branches scraped against her cheeks and arms, stinging her. She dared not look back, only running as fast as she could, following the vague directions her cousin had given her, choosing routes hidden by rocks or trees, changing direction frequently.
The icy air stung her lungs like a knife, but she dared not stop. She ran for what seemed like an eternity, until the gunshots faded into the distance, until her legs felt like lead, before she dared to lean against a massive pine tree, panting. Deathly silence enveloped her, broken only by the mournful whistling of the wind through the pine branches. She was lost, utterly lost in this unfamiliar, snow-covered foreign forest.
She pulled out her phone; sure enough, there was no signal. Cold, fear, and exhaustion relentlessly assaulted her will. She clutched the necklace and USB drive tightly, Elsa's resolute gaze and the mysterious Eye of Horus and the "K" tattoo flashing repeatedly in her mind. Makarov…who is he? Who is Elsa? Those armed men…who are they?
A faint light began to appear on the horizon; dawn was approaching. The outlines of the surrounding scenery became clearer. YN was cold and hungry, her strength nearing its limit. She had to find a place to warm up or a means of communication. In the dim morning light, she spotted what appeared to be a solitary little wooden cabin not far below the hillside, at the edge of a forest clearing, like an abandoned temporary dwelling of a hunter or forest ranger.
Perhaps there's a phone inside? Or at least some shelter from the cold? Driven by the will to survive, she cautiously approached the cabin. The cabin was old, the windows were broken, and the door was ajar. She held her breath and gently pushed the door open.
However, instead of hope, she was met with two pairs of eyes that widened in shock and then turned fierce! Inside the cabin, two men dressed in rumpled winter combat gear and carrying assault rifles were huddled around a small, dying fire to keep warm. They were clearly also participants in last night's conflict and were temporarily hiding there.
YN's heart stopped for a moment, and she turned to run. But it was too late. "Stop!" a man shouted in a language YN couldn't understand, and another man pounced on her with terrifying force, grabbing her arm.
“Let me go!” YN screamed in English, struggling, but her strength was like an ant trying to shake a tree. The man who had grabbed her grinned maliciously, roughly pressing the muzzle of his gun against her temple, and said something to his companion. Another man also stood up, eyeing YN with hostility, as if assessing an unexpected trophy.
Despair overwhelmed YN in an instant.
At this critical moment! "Pfft!" A soft but strange muffled sound. The man who was holding YN suddenly had a burst of blood on his forehead, his sinister smile froze on his face, the light in his eyes instantly went out, and his grip on YN loosened weakly. He collapsed limply to the ground.
The other man's eyes widened in horror, before he could even raise his gun to locate the source of the shot. Then, "Pfft!" came another soft sound. A cloud of blood gushed from his chest, and he fell backward. Everything happened so fast, in no more than two seconds.
YN stood frozen, her body ice-cold, her mind blank, only her heart pounding wildly. A thick, pungent stench of blood instantly filled the frigid air. She stared in horror at the two corpses on the ground, then looked out at the silent, snow-covered woods outside the cabin, wondering where the mysterious force that had taken these two lives had come from, and whether that force was friend or foe.
Time seemed to freeze. YN dared not move, even holding his breath, fearing that the slightest sound would attract another bullet. A few minutes later, a figure appeared silently at the door of the cabin like a ghost. He was dressed in heavy white snow camouflage, almost blending into the snowy landscape outside. His face was covered by a skull mask that concealed the lower half of his face, and goggles and a hood completely wrapped around his head, revealing only the outline of his cold, stern chin.
He held a strangely shaped sniper rifle fitted with a silencer, the muzzle still emitting faint wisps of smoke. He cautiously scanned the interior of the cabin, his gaze lingering briefly on the two corpses to confirm their deaths.
Then, his gaze through his goggles fell on YN, who was huddled in the corner, pale with fear, her hands trembling. YN stared in terror at this figure who seemed to have emerged from the snow, trembling all over, unable to utter a word. The mysterious armed man slowly lowered his gun, but did not lower his guard. He took two steps forward, stopped a few meters away from YN, and spoke.
His voice, coming through the mask, was deep and calm, with a slight murmur that seemed to have been processed by electronic devices, but he spoke clearly in English: "Name."
YN trembled, barely able to utter a sound. "Who...who are you?"
The man didn't answer, but simply repeated it again, his tone leaving no room for argument: "Name."
“Y… YN,” she murmured.
"Why are you here?" "The car... was attacked... my friend told me... to escape..." YN stammered.
The man seemed to notice her tightly clenched right hand: "What's that in your hand?" YN instinctively hid her hand behind her back.
The man's gaze sharpened, and he took a step closer.
Overwhelmed by fear and Elsa's parting words, YN, summoning a surge of courage from who-knows-where, shouted with all her might, "Ghost Squad! Makarov! I need to find the Ghost Squad! It's about Makarov!"
The name and the codename seemed to possess a magical power. The man's movements froze instantly. Even through the goggles and mask, YN could sense the sudden change in his gaze—from a cold scrutiny to an extremely focused sharpness. He was silent for a few seconds, the air seeming to freeze. Then, instead of pressing about the USB drive, he said succinctly, "Come with me."
He turned and walked away, his steps steady, as if certain that YN would follow. YN glanced at the corpse on the ground, then at the figure walking towards the unknown world outside. The instinct for survival overwhelmed everything. She struggled to her feet, her legs weak, and followed behind him, her feet sinking deep into the snow.
Not far from the cabin, a light armored off-road vehicle painted in snow camouflage and without any markings slowly emerged from the shadows of the woods like a ghost. The man opened the back door and gestured for YN to get in.
Inside the vehicle was another team member, dressed similarly but much more muscular. He was sitting in the driver's seat and, upon seeing YN, seemed to say something via internal communication. The man who picked YN up responded with a single word, which YN didn't catch.
The car door closed, shutting out the cold and the smell of death outside. The car was simple, but warm. The man who had saved her (or rather, captured her?) took a thick military blanket from under the seat, tossed it to her, and handed her a military water bottle and a cube wrapped in silver paper.
"Blanket. Water. Food." His words were still concise, even stingy. YN took the blanket with trembling hands and wrapped herself tightly in it, her cold body gradually feeling warm. She stared at the water and food, and after a while, her mind cleared: these people could take him down with a single bullet; they wouldn't waste food poisoning her. She unscrewed the water bottle, took a sip of warm water, and her parched throat was soothed. She then carefully tore open the silver packaging; inside were high-energy compressed biscuits. She took small bites, the salty taste melting in her mouth, replenishing her almost depleted strength.
The vehicle traveled smoothly along the rugged mountain road. No one spoke, only the low hum of the engine and the howling wind outside. YN huddled in a corner, wrapped in a blanket, holding hot water, and eating biscuits. The fear of surviving the ordeal slowly subsided, but a huge mystery and uncertainty, like the thick fog outside the car, enveloped her tightly.
Elsa's fate was unknown, the mysterious USB drive pressed against her skin like a red-hot branding iron. And who were the two fully armed, enigmatic men beside her? Were they friend or foe? Where were they taking her? She furtively glanced at the man sitting diagonally in front of her, still maintaining a highly vigilant posture. His profile, in the dim light of the car interior, appeared exceptionally cold and mysterious. The journey had veered off course far faster than she had imagined.
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