Desperate people, accept the seed of my soul!

Border post number 17 of the Northern Plains Federation.

The outpost was built halfway up the mountain, surrounded by mountains on three sides, with only a dirt road, repeatedly buried by wind and snow, winding its way up from the foot of the mountain.

The main building, made of poured concrete, is half a meter thick. Its exterior walls are painted with gray-green camouflage, and a heavy machine gun is mounted at each of the four corners, the muzzles gleaming coldly in the snow.

Two barbed wire fences extend from both sides of the main building, covered with icicles, and each five meters at the top is equipped with a flare trigger device.

This is the most remote section of the border between the two countries.

In summer there are wolf packs, and in winter there is heavy snow. Apart from the supply truck that comes once every two weeks, even ghosts don't want to pass by.

Kovacs sat in the duty room, the monitor screen in front of him showing a vast expanse of white light outside.

His right foot was propped up on the edge of the table, and his left hand held a bottle of vodka that was already a third full, taking a sip every few minutes.

The liquor was delivered by a supply truck three days ago.

The label on the bottle was worn white, but the liquor was strong enough. One sip felt like sandpaper scraping my throat, and my whole body felt warm from my stomach to my toes.

Kovacs was stationed here for three years.

In three years, this outpost never sounded a combat alarm, never caught a crosser, and never even saw a living stranger.

His daily work consisted of staring at the monitor screen, drinking vodka, and playing cards with his subordinates.

Occasionally, when he was bored out of his mind, he would take some people to the back mountain to hunt a few wild rabbits, and then roast them on the stove and eat them.

This place is so desolate, even the gods wouldn't bother with it, but at least it's quiet.

"Platoon leader, have you seen the notice from above?"

A soldier walked in from the outer room, rubbing his hands, which were red from the cold, with a small, glistening snot hanging from the tip of his nose.

"They said there might be a dangerous individual trying to cross the border soon, and we should be on high alert."

"Dangerous elements?"

Kovacs chuckled and took another swig of vodka.

His face was flushed from drinking, his eyes were slightly narrowed, and a hint of contempt lingered at the corner of his mouth.

"What dangerous elements could possibly break through our defenses? We have minefields in front, heavy machine guns behind, and patrol planes in the air. Even if tanks come, we can blow them to scrap metal."

The soldier grinned but didn't say anything.

He also felt that the above was making a mountain out of a molehill.

There isn't even a road in this place; a normal person would never cross the border from here.

Not to mention that it's below zero outside now; spending two hours in the wild can freeze a person solid.

"It says that person can fly."

The soldier hesitated for a moment, but then read out the contents of the notice.

"Can it fly?"

Kovacs seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world. He slammed the bottle on the table and laughed so hard his shoulders shook.

"Are you fucking stupid? Those that can fly are birds! Can humans fly? Those guys in the offices up there watch too many spy movies every day, they see everyone as Superman."

He pointed to the sky outside the window.

"Look, all you see in the sky is snow and clouds. Show me how to fly one."

The soldier shrank back as he was scolded, but a hint of unease still lingered on his face.

"But the notification said that person has already killed hundreds of people overseas, and even heavy firepower can't stop him..."

"That's because the area has poor security!"

Kovac interrupted him, his voice full of impatience.

"Let me tell you, the security over there is a bunch of useless cowards. They have guns but dare not fire them, and when something happens, they just report it to their superiors, and by the time the orders come down, they've all vanished. You compare them to us?"

He patted his chest.

"Who are we? We're the regular army of the Northern Plains Federation! We've crawled out of piles of corpses! If she dares to come, I'll show her what war is all about!"

The soldier was intimidated by his imposing manner, nodded, and said nothing more.

Kovacs took another swig of wine and slammed the bottle down on the table.

He stood up, walked to the monitor screen, and swiped one of the screens with his finger.

The screen was connected to seventeen infrared detectors positioned halfway up the mountain.

Each detector has a coverage radius of 500 meters, and the seventeen detectors together completely cover the entire valley.

Even a rabbit running across the snow can leave a red dot on the screen.

"See that? This is called a net that can trap you from heaven to earth."

Kovacs pointed at the screen, his tone full of self-satisfaction.

"If she dares to come, we'll know before she even reaches the foot of the mountain. Then, once the minefield explodes, the heavy machine guns roar, and the patrol plane takes off, she won't be able to escape even if she grows wings."

The soldier chuckled in agreement, added a few pieces of charcoal to the stove, and got up to continue his post in the outer room.

Kovacs sat back down in his chair, picked up the bottle, and took another sip.

Outside the window, the snow fell heavier and heavier.

The wind blew down from the mountain ridge, swirling large snowflakes that pattered against the windowpane with a soft, rustling sound.

The duty room was very quiet.

The only sounds were the electrical hum of the monitoring equipment and the occasional soft popping of charcoal embers in the furnace.

Kovacs stared at the screen for more than ten seconds, his eyelids beginning to feel heavy.

Just as he was about to put his feet back on the edge of the table, all the surveillance screens flashed simultaneously.

Immediately afterwards, all seventeen screens turned into static.

"What's going on!"

Kovacs slammed down the bottle and sprang up from his chair.

He rushed to the monitoring console and slapped the side of the main unit twice.

The screen does not respond.

"The radar is malfunctioning! The infrared detector has also lost signal!"

The soldier sitting at the control panel screamed.

His fingers were frantically typing on the keyboard, but all systems showed that the connection was interrupted.

The red alarm lights began to flash, and a piercing buzzer sounded incessantly in the duty room.

Kovac's expression changed instantly.

He grabbed the walkie-talkie hanging on the wall, pressed the call button, and shouted to the sentries outside: "Level One Alert! Everyone to your positions!"

He threw down the walkie-talkie, grabbed an automatic rifle from the gun rack, and walked towards the door while pulling the bolt.

"Everyone, get your equipment ready and take your firing positions according to the pre-arranged plan!"

Before he could finish relaying his orders, the iron door of the duty room suddenly made a loud "bang".

The entire door flew out of the frame, carrying broken hinges and flying cement fragments, and crashed heavily into the back wall of the duty room.

The cold night wind, carrying large clumps of snowflakes, rushed in through the door, instantly lowering the indoor temperature by more than ten degrees.

Kovacs stood still, his finger on the trigger, the gun pointed at the doorway.

His pupils suddenly contracted in the cold wind.

A woman was standing outside the door.

Black trench coat, black pants, black boots.

Her hair was disheveled by the wind, with a few strands clinging to her pale face, wet and cold.

A thin layer of snow covered her shoulders, as if she had walked a long way.

She was not carrying any weapons.

But her eyes were very bright.

That kind of brightness, Kovacs had only ever seen in the eyes of wolves in the far north.

"Who are you!"