Chapter 8 Chapter 4 The Martyrs

ONE Several jeeps splashed water two meters high in the dark night and galloped at high speed.The downpour reduced visibility to no more than ten meters, but neither the fleeing nor the chasing party would slow down. "Bow your head!" Lin controlled the jeep with one hand, and pressed Irina's head on his lap with the other. At the next moment, a dense barrage spread from behind. The 5-8 mm caliber multi-purpose machine gun made in China was installed on a German bulletproof jeep by the Caucasus Secret Service. With a rate of fire of up to 1,500 rounds per minute, it has become a convenient weapon for grassland battlefields and urban offense and defense.The bullet hit the road next to the wheel and sparked countless sparks, and the sound of the explosion suppressed the roar of the car engine.Lin manipulated his jeep to twist on the road in a huge S shape, otherwise their unarmored ordinary vehicle would have been smashed into a honeycomb.But they didn't have much time left. The German-made engine on the tracker car showed strong power. They were gradually approaching, and the impact point was getting closer and closer to Lin.

"Think of a way! Otherwise we're going to die here!" Irina wiped the rain from her face and shouted at Lin. The jeep was an open top, they had kilograms of bullets trailing behind them, and tons of rain were pouring overhead. "Our engine is not as good as theirs, and this jeep is not armed. But if we give up the jeep, I think that high-speed machine gun will smash us into honeycombs in an instant." Lin looked down at Irina on his lap, "But don't move, stray bullets will hurt you, we can always find a way." After sneaking out of the Bale Gaoyan Hotel, Lin and Yi Ruina successfully obtained a military jeep.It's a pity that the concentration of security personnel nearby far exceeded Lin's imagination. Just before Lin started the motor and was about to rush out of the security circle, they were spotted by snipers from a high place.Although they managed to escape the attack of the sniper rifles, the armed jeep that arrived later bit their tails.

"We can't wait!" "Don't panic!" Lin squinted his eyes and stared ahead, his eyelashes barely blocked some rain for him, he pressed the steering wheel with one hand, and took out his usual Colt pistol from the side with the other, "You can't let yourself be afraid. Generally speaking Said, there will always be some way of escape, but when we get nervous, we lose." "Where is the solution?" "Concentrate and listen with your heart!" "Listen?" Irina was stunned.She tried to forget about the deadly bullets, trying to focus on her ears, but all she heard was the roar of the engines, the devastating storm, and the deafening gunfire.

"I can not hear……" Before she could finish her words, the continuous sound of machine guns suddenly stopped.Once the sound of countless miniature bombs exploding in my ears stopped, the surrounding seemed to suddenly become silent, and the sound of the car's engine was so clear that it made people feel pleasant. "Lie down and don't move!" Lin turned the steering wheel violently. The Jeep changed direction at high speed, causing the body to spin almost out of control in the middle of the road.Irina couldn't tell the direction at all, she just grabbed the seat and lowered her center of gravity vigorously.This situation is similar to that when an airplane stalls, pilots often experience short-term dizziness, and Irina is no exception, but she quickly adapted and looked up at Lin.

Lin still controlled the steering wheel, he didn't bend over, and his sitting posture didn't change at all because of the high-speed rotation of the jeep.The torrential rain splashed on his face, he didn't show any expression, his eyes were kept open all the time.In a terrifying swirl, his gun arm was like the hands of a clock, changing direction as the jeep spun, always pointing at the armed jeep rushing toward them. The distance between the two eventually reached 40 meters, which was Colt's shooting limit.Irina saw the corners of Lin's eyes twitch slightly, his eyes became extremely sharp because of that twitch, and the bullets whizzed away from the barrel.

Lin Fu got down, hugged Irina's head, and rushed towards their armed jeep, which flew uncontrollably down the highway.The explosion brought scorching air waves, and the deafening sound made Irina briefly lose her hearing.Lin stretched out her hand, and she grabbed it tightly, like a person in a torrent grabbing the only life-saving plank. Lin and Irina stepped onto the highway by stepping on the side of the road, looking at the burning wreckage of the jeep. The scorched human body lay on the blown out door of the jeep, bright flames flickered in the steel shell. Irina turned her head away, Lin patted her on the shoulder, "Go, they will send a gunship to come."

Irina and Lin sat side by side on the steps, looking up at the raindrops falling on the protruding concrete eaves.She took off her high heels and stepped on the ground, her feet were uncomfortably icy, but she couldn't stand the five-inch high heels anymore.Lin put his coat on the ground, completely disassembled Colt's machine parts, and wiped the rainwater on them one by one. Irina looked at him working hard and smiled, "How do you know that the machine gun will stop?" "The rate of fire is too high, and the machine gunner is inexperienced, so he keeps shooting. That kind of machine gun fires 25 rounds per second, and the overheating of the bolt and barrel is its biggest problem. After a long time like this, The barrel will bend due to overheating, and when it can't shoot, that's the best time for me to fight back," Lin buried his head in work, assembling the parts into a Colt one by one, "I hit its bullet box, which exploded."

"What if you just stop shooting temporarily? Or, change the magazine or something." "No, I heard the sound of the barrel of the machine gun exploding." "The sound of the gun barrel exploding?" Irina's eyes widened in surprise. "When the opponent is shooting? How is that possible?" Lin froze for a moment, then smiled, "Actually, you can do it too, can't you? You can distinguish the engine sounds of enemy planes and wingmen in close-range air combat, although the difference is so small that it approaches the limit of human hearing."

"How do you know?" Irina was surprised.She is an expert in piloting planes, and Lin can only take off and land a plane and level it up to fly in the sky. In her memory, the two of them never talked about these things at all. Lin pulled the trigger and just smiled.His smile made people feel a little incomprehensible. Irina was not very satisfied with this answer, but she also knew that she couldn't ask this person in other ways.She was rubbing her arms, and her upper body was still in a strapless evening dress, which made her feel uncomfortably cold in such a night. "Let's go." Lin stood up.

"where are we going?" "It's not us, it's you." Lin handed over a business card, "Go to this man, Henry, he will protect you." Irina took the business card, "I have a mission and must follow you." "You can't keep an eye on me," Lin smiled. "It doesn't make any sense for you to follow me, it can only make me more dangerous. I found a safe place for you. Henry is a war correspondent for CNN. I will meet him in Slovakia." Once, he didn't know our identities, and he wouldn't ask. I saved him, and he should know how to repay it. Fortunately, he was sent to the Caucasus again, and I contacted him before leaving."

Irina flipped the business card over, "Okay, is there anything you can't say?" "No, it's just that the Caucasus doesn't seem to welcome us." Lin still smiled. When Irina raised her head, Lin had already walked into the darkness by the side of the road. The Caucasus had no longer enough power system to supply street lights. She watched Lin's back, but saw Lin who had walked one or two hundred meters turned back again.Lin picked up the backpack from the ground, which he picked up from the trunk of the jeep. He dug out a large military uniform from inside and handed it to Irina, "Put it on, or it will be cold." Irina took the military uniform, "Sometimes I feel like a machine, and sometimes I feel that you are very human." "No one is a machine," Lin said. "Also, do you know the way to this hotel?" Lin pointed to the temporary address on the business card. "You think I'm a child?" Irina shrugged.At this moment, she felt an unusual closeness between herself and Lin.But it's just closeness, not like affection. "Also," Lin added, "Henry is a playboy, and he likes all the girls in the world. He speaks nicely, but a lot of them are fake." Irina looked at Lin's clear eyes, trying to see something from them.Among Asians, Lin's eyes are quite deep, not only deep set relative to the brow bone, but also his eyes are very deep, which makes people doubt the purity of his blood.Irina didn't see anything and could only give up, and Lin hugged her farewell. "Theo," Irina ruffled his hair while embracing her, her voice trembling and puzzled, "Did we know each other before?" "Before? Before what?" Lin whispered. "When I was at the Bayangol Hotel, I heard..." Irina whispered, "a very familiar voice." But Lin has already left, and this time he really left. TWO In the early morning, Gerile opened his eyes, sat up suddenly, and then let out a scream.His forehead hit the low roof. "Scared you?" Lin sat on the chair next to his bed, holding a pistol with the safety on, looking at him. "My God! Don't you Chinese never knock on the door when you enter the house?" Gerile shouted, pressing his forehead. "Your lock is not very good. Also, here is martial law at night, I don't want to knock on the door." "Can you respect my personal life, dear customer? If I sleep with my girl, you will take advantage of me?" Gerile got up and put on his pants angrily. "I want to change a pair of underwear, so please take a look at my bare butt first!" He threw aside the underwear that hadn't been changed for a few days, and walked naked to the outside room. "Is there really a girl willing to come here?" Lin picked up his underwear, then frowned and threw it away, "I really don't know how the most famous intelligence dealer in the Caucasus lives in such a dirty place, you make money after all What is it for?" "Theo, what are you doing?" Gerile asked while getting dressed. Lin froze for a moment, then smiled, "I'm just on a mission. I need your help. Can I get weapons? Sufficient weapons." "You ran into my house early in the morning without warning just for weapons?" Gerile shrugged his shoulders, and now he was wearing a pair of big pants with patterns of red strawberries, "Of course, but enough Not enough, I don’t know. What do you want, medium-range ballistic missiles? MiG fighters? H-bomb warheads? Or stealth bombers? If you want an aircraft carrier, I can tell you no, the Caucasus Democratic Republic has no coastline, so you don’t sell it here That sort of thing." "If possible, I want a gunship, a good off-road jeep, fifty gallons of gasoline, a sniper rifle with a caliber of more than 5mm, an assault rifle with a rate of fire of more than 400 rounds per minute, tear gas grenades, Silencers, daggers, infrared night vision goggles, downhill ropes, and Beretta's 10mm large-caliber pistol." Lin also said clearly. "God!" Geryl turned pale, "Are you going to storm the Caucasus government?" "No, in that case I would have a MiG fighter." Gerile slapped hard on the forehead, "The customers are all lunatics, forcing the salesmen to become lunatics too. There are some, scraping off all the current black market weapons can help you find them all, but helicopters can't." When we brought it near Mtskheta, a group of soldiers wanted to sell an old-fashioned armed helicopter, which was very cheap, only four million dollars, in an underground hangar in the west.” "I want to use your satellite phone system." Lin directly took out the satellite phone that Gerile had hidden under the table. "It seems to be your own home." Gerile gestured helplessly. The satellite channel access interface stolen by Gerile appeared on the screen of the laptop. Twenty seconds later, the doctor appeared on the screen. "Theo, I have to warn you that the intensity of your mission is beyond control. You killed an elected member of the Democratic Republic of the Caucasus." The doctor said this, but there was no tone of reproach. "There is even worse news, the assassination order has been issued." Lin said. "I don't understand what you mean." The doctor frowned. "The assassination order for Peng Borji has been issued. I found the embossed signature on a stack of white paper in Narisong's room in the Bayangol Hotel. In addition to his signature, there are also There is a line of note: 'PS I will take full responsibility for this'. It should be the assassination order that he needs to use such a note to ensure the execution of the document." "I think your judgment is correct." Runas spoke in the channel. "So bad, how do you need the Academy to support you?" said Dr. "I already know Peng's location, and I'm going to get there as soon as possible, hopefully before it's too late. I need weapons and money." "What kind of weapon? How much?" "It's all available on the black market for two million dollars, including an old gunship." "It's four million." Gerile interjected. "Forget it, Gerile," Lin interrupted him, "that thing is only worth two million." "Theo," the doctor shook his head helplessly, "two million dollars is not a small amount, and do you think it is appropriate for us to support the black market of weapons in the Caucasus?" "Is the general worth two million?" Lin asked. "It's worth, Peng Borji is worth two million dollars at any time." This time the doctor replied without hesitation, "You can use that special account, and I will put the money on it." "A gunship, seems like another grand strategy style operation." Runas cuts into the conversation, "Better start your battle while Mercury is rising directly above the Caucasus sky, show me a splendid Fireworks." "Lunas, sometimes your personality really behaves like a war madman." "Hey, I'm just a machine." Lunas said with a smile, "My so-called personality is just a virtual personality given to me by humans." Lin cut off the call. "Tonight, prepare all your weapons and inform the soldiers with helicopters that I may trade at any time, two million." Lin sat on the only sofa and said to Gerila. "A harsh customer." Gerile replied. In an inconspicuous basement in the Kura Riverside area, Gerile patted the black off-road jeep proudly, "European products, dedicated to grasslands. The maximum speed on grasslands is 110 miles per hour, but it will overturn." "Where's gasoline?" Lin raised his eyebrows. "Fifty gallons is enough for you to drive to the hangar of the armed helicopter. The plane is on standby at any time. If you need it, give a call, and they will pick you up with the plane. The fuel is ready, and two medium-range 'holy flames' are also included. Air-to-air missiles. You can fight your way through the no-fly zone.” "Where are the weapons?" "SV? 2046 sniper rifle, modified version, suitable for the standard bullets of the Western Allied Forces. 7? 62 mm caliber, standard range of 1200 meters, muzzle velocity 4 times the speed of sound, 60 rounds of steel core bullets, with your marksmanship, you can use it to destroy at least one platoon," Gerile pointed his black sniper rifle at Miaolin, "don't worry, it hasn't been loaded yet." "AK? 2047 assault rifle, made in Russia, began to equip the army in 2047, known as the new Kalashnikov, can be used as a sniper rifle, with a range of 800 meters, a theoretical rate of fire of 1420 rounds per minute, double-row large magazines, high-speed straight Ballistic. Your favorite brand of gun, sir, use it, and you will know that a man can be so handsome when he shoots." Gerile pulled out this short and compact weapon from his travel bag. "Finally, there is Beretta's 10mm large-caliber pistol, which is used by all the ace killers in the world. It has an incredible range of 120 meters. A shot at close range can break the hardest head in the world." Lin watched Gerile show off all the weapons and smiled, "Good job, but it's best not to use these things." "Theo," Gerile put down the sniper rifle in his hand, and put away his usual hippie smile, "Can I ask a question?" "what?" "I don't understand you people, why do you want to save the general? You are not a superman, and no one can fight against the army, and you are the same. Why are you willing to take such a big risk?" Lin was slightly taken aback, "Gerile, don't ask this." "Trying not to answer, not to think?" Geril shrugged. Lim hopped on the jeep and tried to light the ignition, "Actually I can't tell. There's a reason why I have to do it. I'm an LMA fighter and I have my duties. But if the real motivation is... Geri Le, do you know why you took the risk to become an intelligence dealer? You may be able to say a thousand reasons, but do you really understand what you want to get?" Gerile was also taken aback for a moment, then shook his head, "Don't make me think about these things, I'll get a headache." "Thank you, Geril. In any case, this will be my last mission in the Caucasus." "Goodbye, Theo," Gerile waved to Lin in the jeep, "I hope you can come back alive." "It's better not to see me again, seeing me is a dangerous thing. If you have made enough money, why don't you find a woman to live a quiet life?" Lin started the car. "We will definitely meet again!" Gerile insisted, suddenly like a wayward child. Lin smiled as the Jeep rolled out of the garage into the midday sun. THREE The young man lit a cigarette, turned off the headlights and engine, and dangled his army-booted legs over the window.Surrounded by the silent grassland, its silence is different from that of the wilderness.It is already late autumn, and people can still feel a kind of vitality lurking here, as if the grass seeds under the soil are quietly sprouting. There was the sound of an engine in the distance, and he extinguished his cigarette.After the sound of the engine passed, he started the car and turned on the phone, "I saw the fox, now follow him." "There are less than 24 hours until the end of the general election. I hope the fox can find its nest. Be careful of that eye in the sky." Someone said on the phone, it was a husky voice that had been smoking cigars for many years. "It's okay, Mercury is on the other side of the earth now, and Runas can't see me." The young man whispered. He suddenly turned off the engine again. Already his ears picked up the sound of the engines of the Mobile Unit in the distance.Sure enough it was a fast-moving force, and he could make out the roar of armored personnel carriers over the sound of their engines. "Quickly," he said to himself, "the ram is coming." "Battelle? Are you sure?" the person on the phone asked. "According to this speed, it seems that they set off a little later than the foxes, but they are more powerful. The only one who can mobilize so many armed forces from Mtskhetali now is the Bureau of Secrecy, Battelle of the Bureau of Secrecy. The fox is going to be in trouble." Young whispered. Battelle got out of the jeep, and the adjutant wearing a helmet had already greeted him. "How's it going?" Battelle asked. "The sniper has arrived, and the various teams have entered the reserve point. The raid can be launched in 45 minutes." "Once the order is issued, drive Borji out of his nest and deal with him. Don't let your guard down, we haven't won all the battles yet." Battelle took the binoculars from the adjutant and looked at the lonely single-family villa on the grassland in the distance. "Yes! There is still a garrison around Borji. These people have always followed him and are loyal to him. Although the number is not large, they may also hinder us." "Their life and death is not a problem. All I care about is Peng Borji." "Understood!" The adjutant hesitated, "Colonel, have we obtained the permit?" Looking into the distance, Battelle silently took out the document sealed in the special envelope of the Bureau of Secrecy from his jacket pocket and handed it to the adjutant, "A license with a valid signature, we are authorized to use force against Borji. Tell the snipers, They have the right to know who they are killing. But they are just weapons to kill, and no matter what the final result is, it is not the weapon that will be punished but the person who made the decision, so they don’t have to worry.” The adjutant took a look at it and gave a military salute, "I see, Colonel. But..." "But what?" Battelle turned to look at him. "Becoming a weapon...is it still shameful for a soldier?" The adjutant said nothing, turned and left. "Shameful or not, you have to live first." Battelle whispered, as if talking to himself. The lonely villa stands in the middle of the grassland, like a shepherd's hut.A wealthy businessman who owned a horse farm here built this villa many years ago, and he lived there until his death.According to his will, his children donated the entire horse farm together with the villa to the Caucasus government, and then left the country.The grassland around the villa is wide, with only sparse shrubs, and there is a small forest 1000 meters away. The afternoon sun had already dimmed. The commander lowered his body in the woods, raised his binoculars to look at the villa in the distance, and turned on the communication device. "A team of hounds reported that they entered the combat position, about 1,000 meters away from the villa." "Received, ready at any time, we will have a tough battle." The person on the other side of the connection said. "Is it Colonel Battle?" "It's me." Battelle ended the communication. "Stay hidden!" The commander switched to the internal channel and sent a message to his team members, "An attack order may be issued at any time, we are waiting here." "Yes!" A uniform voice came from the walkie-talkie. "The enemy still has about 30 people. They are all guerrilla fighters following Bauerji. They are very powerful. Don't let your guard down." The commander lowered his voice, "It's up to you, the goal is to kill all the opponents, except Peng Bauer lucky." "Arrest him?" a team member asked on the channel. "No. Repeat, we can't kill that man, and we don't need to arrest him. We are just 'hounds', driving the prey out of the den, and the one who shoots is the hunting master," the commander narrowed his eyes, " Don’t always bear the responsibility of killing yourself.” "Hound" is the code name of the commando. People on the prairie have a traditional way of hunting. The hound chases the fox, and the herdsmen wait on horseback with a long gun. The smart hound will block the fox's path but not bite it - that will Break the fur, and the end of it all is a gunshot. "Understood!" The team member replied. "Keep quiet and wait for instructions." The adjutant turned around. Battelle was staring at the military map. "Have the snipers been arranged?" Battelle said. "No problem." "I'm worried about one person," Battelle said. "Hound Fox?" "His appearance now will add unnecessary variables to our chessboard." Battelle looked at his watch, "We only need 13 more hours to get the Caucasus. It is best to have something that can hold the fox for a while .” "Does he know the purpose of our operation?" the adjutant asked. "I don't know, but I'm worried that their weird computer can guess it by itself." Battelle glanced at him, "Have you heard? A computer that can predict the future." The adjutant smiled, expressing his disbelief. "Don't relax, and don't be optimistic. It's not time for optimism. People in LMA are not fools. Even if they are prey, they are the most cunning prey. We are fighting foxes. As hunters, it would be shameful to lose to foxes. Although I don't want to offend the LMA too much, but if necessary, you can kill the fox." Battelle pointed to the map, "Let the three groups of hounds move 200 meters to the west and north by fifteen degrees, and there is a gap in their firepower circle." "Is it necessary?" The adjutant questioned, "We have an absolute advantage in numbers. We have deployed 120 elite agents, and people are still coming in a steady stream." "A small gap is fatal. The LMA battles have taught us many such lessons!" Battelle raised his voice, "Call the hounds three groups!" "Three groups of hounds, three groups of hounds..." the adjutant began to call. His face suddenly became extremely strange. "Three sets of hounds! Three sets of hounds!" His voice became tense. Battelle turned around suddenly, at this time he heard the roar of the engine. "Hound Fox!" The name almost escaped from his mouth. He didn't care about concealment, and rushed out of the disguise and raised the binoculars. Just at the gap in the firepower net he pointed at, a black off-road jeep ran towards the villa at the maximum speed. "Three sets of hounds! Three sets of hounds!" the adjutant yelled into the walkie-talkie. "That group has been solved by him!" Battelle grabbed the walkie-talkie, "All firepower, call all firepower! Don't let him enter the villa!" Lin piloted the Jeep, twisting huge arcs at insane speeds. He used to play this game on the road in Mtskheta, when there was only one machine gun chasing him, but now he felt that the sky and the ground were full of guns, and a fully armed soldier rushed out of the seemingly peaceful forest, All kinds of light and heavy weapons fired together. "Sniper! Where is the sniper?" Battle shouted. "Can't keep up, his speed is too fast!" The sniper replied. Battelle was silent for a moment, "Start Metal Storm!" Lin was only 700 meters away from the villa when he heard two voices.Even in the continuous firing of hundreds of guns, he could easily distinguish the strange metal friction sound and the thick wind. He looked up and saw the huge black shadow of the armed helicopter covering his head... He was familiar with that sound, Though he had only heard it once in his life, on the last night of the general's evacuation from Mtskheta, in the Capitol, his keen hearing caught that terrible metallic sound, like the loud bang of thousands of guns being loaded at once. .Then a barrage of metal tore through the entire wing of the Capitol. The metal storm is the kind of doomsday metal flow weapon. As for the seemingly empty villa, its window glass was suddenly shattered, dozens of guns protruded from it, and the black muzzles of the guns all pointed at Lin.Lin had no chance to claim his own identity, although he had anticipated the danger before launching this risky charge. The fire dragon began to swallow its breath, and the gunfire of the helicopter was like thunder.Desperately, Lin pushed the gas pedal to the max.The off-road jeep finally couldn't bear the undulating road, and the whole body tilted. Lin jumped up at the last moment, fell hard on the grass and rolled out in a series. He felt like he was falling apart, but these were nothing compared to the approaching bullets. But the bullets were not as dense as he thought. With the roar of the helicopter's machine gun, the Metal Storm system was the first thing to go dumb.The metal storm system installed on the edge of the forest was smashed into a pile of scrap iron by the high-speed machine gun of the gunship, and then the two large-caliber machine guns that were far superior to ordinary infantry weapons sprayed huge fan-shaped strafing shots, successfully suppressing the secret agent's attack. firepower. Lin was stunned for a very short moment. The hatch of the armed helicopter was pushed open forcefully. The pilot took off his earphones and looked at Lin from tens of meters away.It was a familiar face, an intelligence dealer on Dalat Road, a cunning hare——Gerile. "Run! Theo! Run!" In the gust of wind from the helicopter, Geryl roared, "It's only 500 meters away! He's waiting for you in that house!" Lin had never seen such an expression on his face. Then he turned around and ran wildly on the grassland.His mind was blank, only his legs were moving now, like many years ago in Fernance's track and field field, Nathan Mann was riding a bicycle behind him with a stopwatch and roared: "Quick! Quick! Quick! You must run 400 meters in less than one minute! Quick! Quick! Quick! Otherwise you will die!" Hurry... hurry... hurry...or you will die! The sound of the machine gun was deafening, stray bullets passed by him again and again, he was no longer afraid of anything, as if those stinging bees were just a little pain.The black muzzle of the gun in front of him is getting closer and closer, 100 meters... 90 meters... 80 meters... 70... 60... 50... The main entrance of the villa flashed in front of him, like a tape at the end of a track and field field . 40... 30... 20... 10... He slammed into the door like a cannonball, and rolled into the villa. A few stray bullets hit the door, leaving marks like an awl. Dozens of assault rifles were pointed at his head. Lin stood up and blocked all the guns, and looked at the leader with the rank of colonel on his shoulder without any scruples, "I am not the enemy." "But you almost died at our gunpoint." The colonel held out his hand. "Welcome, Hound Fox." 500 meters away, the armed helicopter slowly landed on the grassland, and the gunfire stopped. "Why did he come?" Lin looked at the people in the helicopter, while Gerile held the joystick tightly and looked straight at the woods. "Because he is Geryl," said the colonel. "Who is Geryl?" "The First Caucasus Army, the 'Hare' of the Fourth Regiment, Major Sen Geryl." The colonel handed the walkie-talkie to Lin. Lin weighed it and turned on the call switch. "Hi, Hare," he said. "Hi, Fox." Gerile's brisk voice sounded. Lin smiled, cut off the communication, and handed the walkie-talkie back to the colonel. "We have reached a balance of power. The Secrecy Bureau will not easily launch an attack until it is ordered." Lin patted the ashes on his body. "The general is waiting for you upstairs." The colonel stepped out of the way. FOUR The villa should have been built many years ago. The wooden floor creaked when stepped on, and the armed soldiers stood on the stairs and stopped moving forward. Only Lin was left walking deeper and deeper.There was a room at the end, and Lin knocked on the door. "Come in, the door is unlocked," someone said from inside. Lin pushed open the door, and saw the familiar person sitting alone on an old-fashioned sofa, facing an old TV.Not long ago, but he looked much older, his temples were completely white, his hair was fluffy and unkempt, he was wearing an unironed white shirt, with two buttons on the neckline open, exposing the loose skin on his neck . "Hi, General," Lin said. "Hi, Theo." The general smiled. Lin sat beside him, put the gun on the small table in front of him, and rubbed his hands gently.His anxiety and uneasiness suddenly dissipated when he saw this person.The habit I developed in childhood is still there. Seeing his face and hearing his voice, I feel that I have someone I can rely on. The two were silent for a while, and the general said, "Would you like a little black tea? This is the only thing that can be used to entertain guests." "Peng, come back with me, the academy will protect you." Lin stared into his eyes. "Go back? Where do you go? Theo, this is my home." The general smiled. "Peng!" Lin pressed his shoulders hard and shook his head resolutely, "This is not your home, they are preparing to vote for a new ruling party, and they will vote to execute you!" The general was still smiling, but Lin felt sad.For the first time in years, he saw fatigue in this man.His smile was dull, like a smile carved on a puppet's face.His eyes were no longer sharp and agile, but seemed to be covered with a layer of white mist. "I don't believe it, look, there are still people who support me." The general pointed to the TV, he no longer looked at Lin, but stared blankly at the screen. On the screen is a western reporter interviewing an excited old man.That was a live broadcast by CNN. On the last night before the end of the general election, people who had been plagued by war for three years gathered in the square in front of the Capitol, waving flags for political parties that supported each other. There may not be any country in the world that still There is such a passion for politics, and for the Caucasians, if they don't elect the right party, they have no future. "The Caucasus is free! It's free! It's free! Peng Borji!" The old man shouted and waved the flag with the emblem of the Freedom and Independence Alliance. He seemed to be stuttering, and he could only say this into the microphone , but when he uttered the last name, there was no stagnation and it was sonorous and forceful. Lin turned to the general, who was still staring blankly at the screen with his mouth slightly open, his eyes suddenly brightened, and there seemed to be tears welling up in the corners of his eyes. "If the Alliance for Peace and Democracy wins this general election, who will come forward to form a cabinet?" The camera switched to an interview with the chairman of the Alliance for Peace and Democracy. "There is no if, it is inevitable. The results of the polls are definitely on our side. Peng Borji has failed. We will vote for the most representative president from the Central Presidium of the Alliance. We will bring no war and a prosperous Caucasus!" The chairman said in a sonorous tone, waving his arms vigorously at the crowd. On the square, the cyan and red flags competed to wave, as if two tides were about to swallow each other. Lin walked out of the hut, turned around and closed the door, and the colonel was waiting for him outside. "How did you get arrested? How did you become like this?" Lin looked at the colonel. "We were betrayed." "Who betrayed you?" Lin said. "Will you be our friend? Or, are you an LMA agent?" The colonel didn't answer, he looked straight into Lin's eyes. Lin went to the window, watched the helicopter in the sunset outside, and was silent for a while.He turned to the Colonel. "I call him Father. I'm your friend, maybe just this one time." The colonel nodded, "We were abandoned by the Eastern camp." "Eastern camp?" “撤离姆茨赫塔的时候我们并不担心，因为我们有很大的把握获得东方阵营进一步的支持。他们对我们开出的条件很简单，只要阻止'刚戈尔'矩阵被设置在高加索，他们将保证高加索的独立自主。只要我们能够躲避西方联军的搜索，他们会立刻派出特使斡旋，并且考虑向高加索派驻一支特别部队。”上校说，“所以在那时的我们看来，只要支撑过最艰难的岁月，便可以获得支持。” “东方阵营为什么也放弃了他？根据我们的情报，'天火'二代的轨道方程式已经被破译，东方阵营不可能允许'刚戈尔'被设置在高加索，那对于他们将是一场灾难，那是可以打破质子平衡的超级发射矩阵！” 上校摇头，“我们都忘记了一件事，既然鸽派可以和西方阵营达成某种协议，他们同样也可以和东方阵营达成某种协议。阻止导弹发射矩阵在高加索的安置，未必一定需要我们。” “你是说鸽派同时和东西方阵营打一场牌？西方阵营支持鸽派那么久，会让他们占这个便宜么？”林透过百叶窗看着窗外，面无表情。 “他们试图做的事情即便你们也未必能猜到，他们意图像当年划分东西德那样把高加索南部的少数民族地区划为自治领，那将是东方阵营的势力范围。西方也许会在北高加索安置'刚戈尔'，而东方也会在南高加索安置他们的矩阵。这个完美的发射地将被两个阵营共享。” “两部刚戈尔级的发射矩阵被安置在地下？”林猛地回头。 上校默默点头。 他深深地吸了一口气，“我们已经失败。如今将军只能期望他的人民依旧支持他，如同当初他们否决了议会的决议，把军队开进姆茨赫塔。人民曾经把他看做救世主。” “没有永远的救世主。”林举起望远镜看向远处的包围圈，“当你被看做救世主，你就必须在规定的时间里给你的追随者以拯救，你不能救他们，你就不是救世主；你若是已经救了他们，那么世界上就不再需要救世主。” “是LMA的逻辑么？” “从《罗马史》中学会的。”林说，“能给我一点个人时间么？” 上校退了下去。 林接通了通讯耳机，“鲁纳斯，能听见我的声音么？” “西奥，我一直在等待你的消息。” “高加索大选的结果，你的预测如何？” “鸽派会赢得大选，鲍尔吉几乎没有任何希望。西奥，你还有几个小时时间，劝说鲍尔吉答应和LMA站在同一战线上，能挽救他的只有LMA。”鲁纳斯的语气很绝对。 “学院能够改变大选结果么？” “无疑不能，除非操作计票计算机，否则谁能改变全民公选的结果呢？那样还会留下入侵系统的痕迹。但是在战争的时代，任何选举都可以被宣布为非法，任何结果都可以被推翻。政治意味着可以以正义之名做任何事。” “学院已经做好准备了么？” “当然，我们需要高加索作为我们棋盘上的堡垒。但是我必须提醒你，你只剩下12小时25分钟。明天早晨，在大选结果宣布的那一刻，彭·鲍尔吉随时可能被从地球上抹去。” “我明白了，通讯结束。” 林走下楼，来到上校的面前，“能再借给我步话机么？” 上校递给他，林打开通讯开关，沉默了一会儿。 “听着，森·格日勒少校，我需要你的帮助。”他轻声说。 “说吧，西奥，我来这里就是为了协助你。”格日勒的声音像是以前那样总是带着笑似的。 “将军竞选获胜的机会很小，或者说，几乎没有。而一旦他失败，暗杀行动随时可能被重新激活。我需要带着他离开这里，只有靠你的直升机，你必须冒着被击落的危险起飞。” "There is no problem." “不要睡着，随时等待我给你的信号。收到信号你就启动飞机，我接近你，大概需要一分钟，只要我们能够起飞，你就可以使用圣火导弹造成大面积的杀伤。你的机枪有足够的子弹么？” “早就对你说是值四百万美元的货色，这些准备怎么会没有？”格日勒笑。 “非常感谢，通讯结束。” “等一等，林。”格日勒说。 他沉默了一会儿，“和你成为战友令人感觉很棒，通讯结束。” “我们距离直升飞机有150米。”林把步话机交还，“上校，你的人有足够的火力能够压制他们一分钟么？” “我们只有二十七个人，”上校回答，“但是我们会竭尽全力。” “请你的人做好准备。”林转过头来，盯着他的眼睛。 “是！先生！”上校报以军礼。 林重新走进那间小屋，和将军并排坐在沙发上。将军不再招呼他，只是紧紧地盯着屏幕。林看了他许久，将军像是一尊雕塑，眼睛也不眨动。他额前的白发在透进百叶窗的夕阳里颤动，像是风里的野茅。 林觉得他老了。 他按着自己的头，要去遏制那种扑过来像是要把他吞没的回忆。 “父亲，我将保护你！如同你曾经给予我们的保护。”林抬起头，使劲按着将军的肩膀。 “我不需要你的报答，西奥，我曾经保护你们，因为我爱你们，正如我正在保护高加索，因为我爱这个国家。”将军慢慢地转头看他，抚摸他的头顶。 five 2056年11月28日，清晨。 电视里年迈的老人站在讲席上，背后是巨大的高加索国徽，他颤巍巍地打开了手里的信封。 “我谨代表高加索全民公选计票委员会宣布……” 林看见将军眼中的光辉，像是一个等待救赎的人看见了圣光。他默默地伸手到怀中握住了柯尔特的枪柄。 “……和平民主同盟获得有效选票的73?23%，正式当选为执政党。关于前军政府领袖彭·鲍尔吉的投票，64?25%的有效选票通过将其引渡海牙国际法庭受审。” 镜头切换，彻夜不休的政治分析家热线，戴着黑框眼镜的男人在屏幕里激动地大声说话。 可是林已经听不清他在说什么了。他看着那个已经变成了老人的军人，他缓缓地举起手里的遥控器，关闭了电视。他按着自己的双膝从沙发上慢慢地站了起来，走到窗前面对着草原的朝阳。 林端起茶几上的红茶喝了一口，茶已经冰凉。 他忽然起身，冲到将军的面前，用力按住他的双肩，“跟我走！” “走？去哪里？”将军的语气平静而衰老。 “去哪里是下一个问题，第一个问题是要离开这里！这里已经不再需要你了。他们把你投了下去，他们会把你送去海牙，你的后半生将在那里度过。他们不再需要救世主了！或者说，他们的救世主现在是占领军！”林几乎在咆哮。 他不能忍受面前的人用这样呆滞木然的眼睛看着自己，他需要用最强的声音让他醒过来。 老人摇摇头，他的眼泪忽然流了下来，打湿了他的衬衣。 “他们不明白么？最终他们会失去他们的国家，失去他们的草原，失去他们的语言和节日。高加索的英雄光辉会永远淹没在机械文明里了，变成毁灭世界的机器！”他低声地说出了这些，像是用尽了全力。 “走！”林不由分说把防弹衣套在将军的身上，像是拉扯一个孩子一样拉扯着这个老人。 他的通讯耳机忽然自动接通。 鲁纳斯的声音充满威严，“林，服从学院的安排，不要做无谓的尝试！无论以什么方式推断，高加索的文明都没有未来！” 林摘下耳机扔在地下，不再回顾。 上校带着全副武装的士兵已经等待在他们面前。 “准备完毕了么？”林环顾周围。 “一切就绪！” 林忽然感觉到一个巨大的力量环绕着自己的身体，有人从背后把他紧紧勒了起来。他大惊回头，面对的竟然是将军那张沉默的脸。 “把他捆起来。”将军大喝。 上校和他的士兵们犹豫了一刻，对于他们而言，那个老人的命令是不能违背的。他们扑上来压住了林，以一条粗绳把他死死地捆绑在一张椅子上。 “彭。”林说。 老人沉默地站在那里，像是一尊雕塑。 “准备接受逮捕，你们可能会有一线生存的机会，反抗不再有意义。”老人对上校说。 “是！将军！”上校不再劝说。 地板上，LMA的通讯耳机忽然发出刺耳的蜂鸣。 “西奥，能听到么？我要和彭对话！”通讯耳机的扩音功能自动开启，所有人都能听见。 老人沉默了一会儿，上前拾起了那只耳机。 “彭。是你么？”里面传出博士的声音。 “内森，”老人面无表情，“隔了那么多年，又听见你的声音，居然有种亲切的感觉。” “什么都不必说了，给我五分钟时间，听我说话。”短暂的沉默后，博士说。 "OK." “你有选择的机会，若干年前你可以选择成为我，或者返回高加索当一个前途莫测的军政府头目。但是你放弃了LMA给你的机会，现在你也依然拥有选择的机会，但是请珍惜这个机会，因为它是最后一个。”博士的声音清晰有力，屋里的每个人都能听得清清楚楚。 “我的选择是什么呢？内森。”老人轻声问。 “你可以选择，选择成为高加索的皇帝，或者选择去死。” “高加索的皇帝么？” “彭，不要犯糊涂，高加索人曾经奉你为他们的救世主，但是并非因为他们的支持而使你获得今天的地位。那全是你自己的力量，他们需要你的力量去保护。你的力量是巨大的，正如我们当初联手能够建立LMA。你最初和我一样，是规则的创造者，不是么？你不需要议会，也不需要全民公决，站起来！彭！站起来！只要我们重新握手，没有什么不可战胜！你依然是高加索军政府的绝对领袖，LMA将动用一切力量支持你。你是一个英雄，而一个英雄只有握着枪柄，才是战无不胜的。”博士的声音渐渐高亢。 “真怀念在剑桥一起喝啤酒的日子，这句话是你那个时候对我说的，我还记得。”老人说。 “彭，回到LMA，我们的理想很快就可以实现了。不要倒下！我们已经很接近凯旋门了！” 老人竟然笑了笑，“如果我成为高加索的皇帝，我将拥有很多东西，对么？可以随意使用的钱，听从我调遣的飞机，数以万计的私人军队，漂亮的女人们任意挑选，我可以把权力世袭给自己的后代。可是我是谁？我是什么？我是一个儿子，可是我的父亲死了；我是一个丈夫，可是我的妻子死了；我是一个父亲，可是我的儿子也死了。内森，你能够让我再成为一个儿子、一个父亲和一个丈夫么？” “彭……” “内森，这是我们的不同。我相信神，但我不是命运的囚徒。”老人微笑，“还有，你已经用尽了你的五分钟。” 耳机里很久没有传出声音。 “彭，真的要去死么？”博士最后说，他的声音平静而嘶哑。 “我已经决定！”将军关闭了耳机的电源。 他挺起了胸膛，这个老人已经重新变成高加索草原上的彭·鲍尔吉将军。 “父亲，一路上很多人已经离开了……你能够改变这个决定么？”林知道自己已经无力再做什么了。 “我不能，西奥，我的孩子。我也许有能力改变这个决定，但是我不能改变彭·鲍尔吉。”将军缓缓地扣上军帽。 东西伯利亚，内森·曼缓缓地走进会议室。 “我们已经获知沟通的结果。”13号位置上的数字闪烁。 “是的。”博士在椅子里坐下，低着头。 “曼，你看起来很疲惫。”13号说。 "I'm fine." “这是规则，LMA就是一个规则系统。我们已经给了鲍尔吉一个机会，接受LMA的规则，一切都会被改变，他不接受，我们也没有办法。曼，你不必自责或者遗憾，我们知道你已经尽了全力。”11号说。 会议室里沉默了一刻。 内森·曼忽然站了起来，像是那一瞬间有粒火种点燃了他，一个在他身体里沉睡了多年的影子重新苏醒，他的瞳孔不再平静如水，而是烈火般光芒熠熠，那个闪着光辉的影子就要从他身体里跳出去。 “没有任何违反规则的机会么？”他双手撑住会议桌，身体前倾，以一种颤抖的嘶哑的声音大声说：“我们是规则的制定者，我们也没有机会么？” 他的声音在会议室里回荡，所有的数字都不再闪烁，只有博士，他瞪大了眼睛，像是一只要扑食的狮子。 “想改变历史进程么？内森·曼，你没有这个特权。”13号缓缓地说。 “我……明白了。”一股气泄了，博士靠在椅背上，一切的光都渐渐黯淡下去。 将军打开了门，面对着千万道阳光，他的身影在光线中变得朦胧。 他打开步话机，“格日勒，发动飞机。” 他回头看着林，指向远处，“看见了么，孩子？那架直升机，它在距离我150米的地方。彭·鲍尔吉的心并没有死去，如果西方联军不开枪打穿我的头颅，那么彭·鲍尔吉还会回到高加索。” “他们会杀了你的……” “那样就不能一起下棋了。”将军轻松地笑笑。 他上前弯下腰，把林和椅子一起拥抱，“抱歉只能这样拥抱你。” “离开LMA，那里不是你的家园！离开！永远不要回去！我愿所有费尔南斯的孩子们，他们的灵魂宁可四散飞翔，也不要堕入地狱。”他贴着林的耳朵低声说，同时大力地拥抱着林，像是要压碎林的肋骨。 费尔南斯的孩子们……这个称呼让林战栗起来。 “父亲……”他的声音颤抖着。 “你的所为我都知道，我也知道你心里的痛苦。我从不曾恨你，因为我给你们的痛苦远大于你们的反抗，我也不曾恨内森，因为他已经为他的罪支付了太高的代价。”将军低声说。 他闭上眼睛，把手按在林的头顶，“我岂没有吩咐你吗？你当刚强壮胆，不要惧怕，也不要惊惶；因为你无论往哪里去，耶和华——你的神必与你同在。” 林感觉到千千万万的针在刺扎自己的全身，那些电闪雷鸣的雨夜回来了，此时这个老人不再是高加索共和国的军事领袖，他是很多年之前那个走到床前抚摩着林头顶的年轻人，他的声音低沉、掌心温暖，告诉林毋庸畏惧也毋庸惊惶，因为他和他所信仰的神守护着林和其他人。 可是已经犯下的罪终究还是犯下了，无法逆转，不能回头。 将军走出了别墅，远处直升机的巨大旋翼开始启动。 他的身影越来越小，就要消失在草原深处的时候，突然传来一声干净的枪响。 林的目光里，将军的头盖骨高高地跳了起来，像是荷叶上一只青蛙被水声惊起，随之而起的还有红色的鲜血和白色的脑浆，如同青蛙跃起时带着的水线。 年轻人通过瞄准镜圈住了制高点的高加索军狙击手。 远处的那支狙击步枪枪口吐出火焰，射出了一发子弹。 隐藏在伪装布下的年轻人却没有开枪，虽然此时他只要一枪就可以终结那个狙击手，但是他已经明白此时此刻他再无力去终结什么。 “攻击成功，请确认彭·鲍尔吉的尸体。”狙击手并没有意识到自己也处在枪口下，他射出了那枚子弹，松了一口气，对巴特尔完成了汇报。 年轻人闭上了眼睛，低声念着：“我岂没有吩咐你吗？你当刚强壮胆，不要惧怕，也不要惊惶；因为你无论往哪里去，耶和华——你的神必与你同在。” 他摘下鸭舌帽按在自己的胸口，在帽心默默地画了一个十字。 “父亲，安息吧。你没能拯救你的国家，也没能拯救我的灵魂。”他抓紧了毡帽，指节因为用力而透出痛苦的白色。 草原上那个高大的人影趔趄着进了一步，永远地倒下了。 “将军！”格日勒大吼着拉起了直升机。 他试图发射圣火导弹。 可是他已经没有机会，下一个瞬间，数百支自动武器一齐发射，直升飞机化成了半空中的一团火球，而后带着依旧旋转的旋翼栽向地面，变成更耀眼的熊熊烈火。 SIX 武装战士们踢破房门冲进了别墅，上校和他已经解除武装的部下们静静地站在一侧。 巴特尔走进了别墅，对着武装战士们点头。战士们开火了，游击队员们一个接着一个地倒下。他们没有反抗，也没有反抗的机会。 林安静地坐在那里，被结实地捆绑起来，桌上放着他关闭保险的手枪和黑色的通讯耳机。巴特尔比了一个眼色，战士们从两翼缓缓地包围过去，最终他们组成了一个圈子，十余枝自动步枪指着林的头。 林没有动，也没有表情。 “这是你的坟墓，猎犬狐。高加索不欢迎狐狸！”巴特尔的柯尔特手枪指在林的眉心，同时把耳机拨到地下，紧跟着一脚踩碎。 “可是你还是惧怕着LMA，不是么？你首先踩碎我的通讯器。”林抬头看着他。 “可是你的学院已经救不了你了！”巴特尔扣动扳机。 他忽然煞住了，他感觉到脖子上传来了金属的冰凉，他知道那是枪口，枪口毫不抖动，握枪的手坚定有力。 包围林的战士们刚要行动，忽然发现窗户被打碎，窗外探进了漆黑的枪口。他们还不明白到底怎么回事，但是毫无疑问，外面的那些人已经不是他们的战友，如果他们试图转动枪口或者开枪，就会瞬间被打成蜂窝。 “解开他！”指着巴特尔的是一名武装战士，蒙着黑色的头套。 “伊瑞娜？”林说。 武装战士摘下了黑色的头套，一束扎起来的、黑得如漆的马尾洒落下来。伊瑞娜·德弗罗雯可的黑眼睛明亮锋利。 “这就是我的任务，博士说要把你活着带回西伯利亚，因为他把你活着交给了我，所以他不会接收一个死人。”伊瑞娜说。 直升飞机的呼啸声从天而降，一架“山地鹰”武装直升机半悬在天空里。巴特尔知道那不是自己的飞机，他不曾呼唤过飞行部队的支援。整个保密局上百人的突击部队待在原地，不敢移动。 “你们……你们是LMA的人！”巴特尔高举着双手，但是眼神里依旧是被激怒的斗羊般的神情。 “您的猜测没有错。”伊瑞娜缓缓地退后，以防对方忽然发难，她在擒拿格斗上的能力有限，“解开他！” 林自己站了起来，捆住他的绳子纷纷落下，他手里握着一柄锋利的掷刀。 巴特尔的面颊抽搐着，“你们疯了！你们在这里有多少人？即使你们能杀了我，可是这里有几百枝枪，不会允许你们逃走，看见刚才那架直升机了么？它就是最好的例子！” “最高委员会的指令是，学院不能失去最优秀的战斗员。所以，为了你自己，不要给我们制造麻烦。”伊瑞娜的声音清澈优美，但是带着不容置疑的坚定。 “最高委员会？什么最高委员会？你们那个见不得光的组织么？可这是在高加索，这里只有高加索民主议会！”巴特尔咆哮着。 “我重复一次，这是LMA的决策，所以LMA会不惜代价保护他。西奥，过来！”伊瑞娜紧张地环顾四周，被制住的突击队员们开始转动眼神，指挥官的强硬让他们也在不断地寻找反击的机会。 “不惜代价？不惜毁灭LMA么？或者不惜内森·曼被永远囚禁在海牙？”巴特尔冷笑。 伊瑞娜沉默着，这时候她腰间的卫星电话响了。她拿起电话贴在耳边，随即打开了电话的扩音器。 “你好，巴特尔中校，你们刚才的对话我都听见了。” “内森·曼！”巴特尔瞪大了眼睛。 “你说对了，巴特尔中校，我不惜自己被永远囚禁在海牙，也要救出我的学生。”博士的声音带着十分的诚恳，且不容置疑。 “那我们没有条件可谈了？” "No." “不要小看高加索军人！” “巴特尔，放他们走。”电话对面的声音换了个人，变得低沉沙哑，“不必再说什么了，这是联军总司令给我的电话。” 巴特尔愣了一下，眼神渐渐灰暗。 他闭上了眼睛，缓缓地关闭枪机，把枪按在桌面上。伊瑞娜依旧以枪指着巴特尔，她快速地切到林的身边挽住他的胳膊。林顺从地被她拉着走下了楼，直升飞机立即抛下了悬梯。