Yassen's winter this year has been surprisingly cold.

The sky was cloudy, and the snow had been falling non-stop since the morning, and now it was afternoon, and the sky was still full of snowflakes. The national cemetery, which was already dead and solemn, is even more deserted and desolate at the moment. The huge cemetery was empty and snow-white. In the snow, in front of a tombstone, there is a man alone. He had been standing here for half an hour, staring at the tombstone, motionless, almost a snowman.

He was so focused that he didn't realize that he wasn't the only visitor here. Right at the exit of the cemetery, two middle-aged men in tweed coats looked at him from afar under the porch.

One of them, with an angular hooked nose, a thin face, and a pair of sharp eyes under the slanted upward raised eyebrows, was the head of the famous Gaia Military Intelligence Service (commonly referred to simply as Gemini), and was referred to by all his subordinates as "The Boss".

The short man next to him was round and plain-looking, with a pair of small eyes sunk into a fleshy face, like raisins embedded in bread. If he doesn't wear his major general's uniform on formal occasions, it is easy for an uninformed outsider to mistake him for nothing more than the owner of a butcher's shop.

Felgo is fifty-two years old and has known Lyle for forty-six years. They joined the army together, were selected to participate in the special intelligence training course held by Amy's Interstellar Intelligence Agency, and founded Gemini together after returning. He has an excellent memory, like a living archive, he knows every subordinate well, and he knows the details of every action by heart. He had a gentle temperament, and for twenty-five years, no one had heard him shout, whether he had succeeded or failed. But to Gemini's informants, his authority was no less than that of the harsh and critical "boss". They loved him, not only in private, but also in person. But both in public and private, Felgo sincerely admits that Lyle is better than him and better suited to be a leader. He served as Lyle's deputy from the beginning and was loyal to Lyle. And Lyle trusts his friend even more than he trusts himself.

"He'll be gone in six minutes." Fergo raised his hand and looked at his watch, affirmatively.

"Every time?"

"Yes. Every year on this day, he would come to the cemetery at three o'clock in the afternoon, stay at the grave of Perseus until three thirty-six, and then leave, exactly what he had done for four years. ”

"He likes precision?"

"Yes. I also like precision. Felgo smiled.

"Is there any special significance to this time period?"

"You remember Operation Dark Night." Felgo looked at Lyle, knowing very well that this operation could not be forgotten. He also knew that Lyle liked to hear him accurately describe the facts, so he continued:

"Four years ago today, Perseus went to Kaloi with four men, the kid was a sniper and was tasked with shooting when Klein-Mebius and Esa came into contact. There was an accident - Eina, the daughter of Mebius, was studying at Kaloi and went to pick up her father. The incident happened suddenly, and he missed the best time to shoot because he didn't want his daughter to witness his father's assassination. Perseus received a clear command to shoot Mebius, so he immediately ordered the rest of the team to complete the mission. However, Essa, who was lying in ambush, preemptively killed the three operatives who were at the scene. The boy came to his senses and completed his mission, but the firing position was exposed, and Perseus was killed by Essa's snipers in order to save him. He made it back to Yassen, but suffered a major psychological blow. He always believed that it was his hesitation that led to the deaths of the other team members, especially Perseus. Ever since he entered the Intelligence Service, Perseus has been his captain and treats him like his own son. Between three and three thirty-six was his last time with Perseus. You can imagine the torture this child endured. On the other hand, the daughter still did not avoid the tragedy of seeing her father get shot, which deepened his pain. We did psychological interventions, but I don't think it had much effect. ”

"There was no one else at the scene, so he could have gone without reporting his fault, right?"

"Yes, he's honest."

"What has he done in the past four years?"

Felgo shook his head: "Not a single one. 'Dark Night' was his first and last attendance. In fact, he resigned, he is no longer Gemini. ”

"Oh?"

He went to Amy and studied ancient mythology for three years at Faustin University in Flander, which is about the kind of stories about the legendary civilization of Earth. You know, there's a market for this kind of stuff in Amy. It seems that he is passionate about the content and is an A in every course. His mentor, Professor Croane, wanted him to stay on and continue his research, but he declined, returning to Yassen last year to open a bookstore specializing in books on ancient legends. ”

"Being able to stay in Amy is a rare opportunity and honor for young people on any planet, so why doesn't he stay?"

"The reason he gave his mentor was homesickness, even though he didn't have any relatives here."

"So?"

"He had actually been inquiring about the whereabouts of Cassia, the daughter of Perseus. Perseus divorced a year before his death, and his ex-wife left Yasin with Cassia. Felgo paused, "I believe that he is still faintly looking forward to the news of his other daughter, Ena, the daughter of Mebius." ”

Lyle raised his eyebrows: "You mean, we don't need to let so many good young men, we must find a little hairy boy who has only failed one mission?" And also weak-willed. ”

Felgo understood that Lyle didn't really think so, and that his question was just a possible reaction from higher-ranking superiors. At the end of the day, Lyle had to report and answer the same questions. It's just a small rehearsal.

He calmly replied: "He is not a failed little boy, but a rare good seedling." He holds a sniper record in the division, has a high IQ, and has a bachelor's degree in mathematics before joining the army. He doesn't have bad habits such as lustful dogs and horses, pays attention to details and pursues perfection. His biggest characteristic is that he has his own independent thinking and never blindly follows. For our line of trade, this can be an advantage or a disadvantage. He used to be lively and talkative, which was probably a shortcoming, but Operation Dark Night almost completely changed him. As for his resignation, it does not indicate that he is weak-willed. Taking the initiative to admit his unknown mistakes, especially those that led to the casualties of his comrades, shows that he has a strong sense of responsibility and is extremely brave, and such a person must have a strong will. Moreover, the mission was a success in terms of results, achieving better results than expected. There were many accidents that led to the tragedy, and the main responsibility was not him, not even Perseus, but you and me, who did not take all the circumstances into account when making the plan. Of course, we also underestimated Essa's ferocity. ”

Lyle said softly, "I should have thought of it. When he was still in the special intelligence training class, Abbas always picked the most ruthless moves even when he played chess. I guess even if the little hairy kid had shot Mebius as planned, Esa would have done it. ”

"Probably. They have set up an ambush and control all the areas. 'Dark Night' is adventurous in its own right. ”

Lyle touched his hooked nose, "Abbas thinks he's won this round, so we'll see." ”s

"Thirty-six points." Felgo said. As if hearing his words, the only living man in the cemetery leaned forward, patted the corner of the tombstone gently, placed the bouquet of flowers that he had been holding in his hand in front of the tomb, and turned and walked towards the exit. He had apparently spotted the two former bosses, but he didn't show any expression. If he was a little surprised and hesitant, it hardly affected his pace. In front of the porch, Felgo stopped him: "Hey, Wiki! The boss wants to meet you. Vicky stopped and looked at the two of them: "Hello generals. ”

Lyle held out his hand to him, "Hello, Wiki. Can we talk about that? ”

Wiki hesitated for a moment, then looked left and right.

"It's a nice place, wiki. Fit for this meeting. ”

He bowed his jaw in obedience, and did not make a sound.

"Felgo told me about you." Lyle said slowly, but in a resolute tone: "We need you. ”

"I've resigned, General."

"One day Gemini, one life Gemini." Lyell cut it short, and the words hit the wiki's nerves like a hammer. At the moment when he passed the examination and officially became a rookie in Gemini, it was these words that Perseus said when he took the oath with him. His Adam's apple twitched.

Lyle keenly observed the effect and went on to say, "There is a top-secret mission that concerns not only the fate of the Federation, but even the fate of the entire galaxy. Except for the necessary federal decision-makers, only Fergo and I know. We think you're the best candidate. But unless you're willing to go on this mission, I can't tell you the specifics. ”

Vicky didn't answer right away, he looked at the snow. The snowflakes were like pictures floating in front of me. It was the cheers he had when he saw the recruitment ad for Gemini in college, the bullet casings scattered on the shooting range during his internship, the leather boots that the head kicked at his ass, the ...... The girl in the yellow dress with her face covered. When he quit his job, he thought maybe there would be such a day, no, maybe he had been waiting for this day.

"General, before I accept the mission, I must know why I am going to complete it. If I need to kill, I am killing for whom. ”

He had indeed changed, Lyle thought. When he personally attached the young man with an armband marked with mi, and announced that he had become an official member of Gemini, he saw a lively, energetic, red face with excitement, and heard a voice that was enthusiastic, cheerful, and loud. And now, the young man was no longer a child, his expression was cold, and his tone was firm, like a stone in the snowstorm, hard and unwavering.

"For Perseus, for Cassia and Ena, and for many others who might be like them. Sometimes it's for yourself, for yourself to live, wiki. ”

Felgo stood silently all the time. He always knew when it was time for Lyle to step in, and he would never steal the conversation when it was inopportune. He looked at Lyle with admiration, knowing that Lyle's answer was as precise as a sniper rifle and would do what all the psychotherapists failed to do in one sentence.

Wiki raised his hand and gave a military salute: "Report to the general, Wiki has requested to return to the team." His tone was steady, but resolute. A smile appeared in Lyle's eagle-like eyes: "Take a break." He nodded to Felgo, who patted Vicky's arm, "It's a little colder, but no one will hear it, and they—" he pouted at the cemetery, "they're going to be silent." ”

He kindly asked, "Do you care about politics?" Wiki? ”

"Yes, Daddy."

Felgo heard the overtones and smiled, "You've grown, Wiki." This is good. Let's leave politics to politicians. Even people who don't know anything about politics can see the situation in the Utonian system. Sooner or later, the Percian Empire will have a war with us, and this is almost inevitable. Danius the Great had a great appetite, and the conquest of Gaia was nothing more than a small aperitif. The United Council of the Galactic Synod met almost every month, both as a warning and as an arbitrator, but for Danius the Great, the decisions of the United Council were like a gentle fart, and he couldn't even smell it. ”

"Isn't the Republic of Amy going to intervene? They have state-of-the-art technology. ”

"That's politics, wiki. Alliances and friends are indispensable, but we can't count on others. If we want to carry the empire's vast war machine, we must have excellent strength. You know, the scientific community has been working on superenergy all these years. It's too complicated for an outdated old man like me to understand. But it is said that if you can master super energy, even the smallest planet can control the entire galaxy, and even the most powerful army is like a small piece of paper in a strong wind in the face of super energy, and this also means a new and endless energy source. And energy is everything. ”

"We can pray to Juss and ask for miracles." Vicky said lightly, a hint of mockery swept over the corners of his mouth.

"The people of Percian can also pray to the Lord God." Felgo replied without hesitation. He raised a finger and gestured in the direction of the Percian star group in the sky: "As early as four years ago, they planned a long-term operation codenamed 'Prophet', and recruited a group of cutting-edge scientists to work on superenergy behind closed doors. Recently, we have received extremely reliable information that the 'Prophets' have made a breakthrough and they have begun to recruit experts in the field of ancient mythology. “

He paused and looked meaningfully at the wiki.

Viki nodded knowingly, "I see." I should take this opportunity to break into the 'Prophet' project and gather intelligence, right? “

Lyle interjected: "You have to do more than just gather intelligence. We must prevent the Empire from gaining super energy, at all costs. "Yes, boss." "Wiki, I still have something to tell you." Felgo continued. "The task is difficult and dangerous. Essa was merciless. We already have an important source of information in the Prophet who will help you. But in order to protect him, we can't tell you who he is, you just need to know that his code name is 'Angel'. He will not contact you directly unless there is an emergency as a last resort. 'The angel spreads his holy wings and dispels the evil mist for the warriors,' that is his secret word. He gently blew out the main part of the piece.

"We will do everything possible to help you. But we can't use all the resources in the department with a lot of fanfare, and you have to do a lot of the preparation yourself. So far we know nothing but that they are looking for experts in ancient mythology who are willing to serve them. You'll have to find your own way to get in touch with Esa and join the Prophet. It is quite possible that Essa has infiltrated us. So no one will know about the plan except the boss, me, and 'Angel'. If you're unfortunate enough to be discovered by Essa, we can only protect the 'angels', you know? Do you need to think about it? “

A smile swept across Vicky's lips: "I'm proud of it, Daddy." He felt hot all over, and the bitterness of the snow and the danger of the task made the feeling of blood boiling even stronger.

"How can you help you?"

"Money and time."

"Because this mission is top secret, we can't call in too much money or it could raise suspicions. You'll have fifty thousand stadts for the event, and as for the time," Lyle frowned slightly, "It all depends on how quickly the 'Prophet' advances. It would be nerve-wracking if there was a clock that stated that there were xx days left until the Empire had obtained the secret of super-energy. But what is even more nervous is that I don't know how many days there are left! "Yes, boss."

"The operation was codenamed 'Dagger'. You will report directly to me and Fergo, and you will not mention the 'Dagger' to anyone except with our approval. You'll also need to give yourself a code name and agree on a contact information. “

"Lebra." Wiki blurted out.

"What?" Lyle asked, confused.

"Le-Bou-La. This is a symbol of the ancient civilization that has disappeared, like a regular triangle placed upside down, meaning altar. I'll use the v2358 band for holographic contact with you and Daddy. I've been using this band since I was seven years old, and it's safe with a private key. ”

Lyle nodded in satisfaction: "Welcome home, Lebra." “