Black-on-Black Trap

Lin Xiao's finger marked out the third ambush point on the screen—the second-floor window of an abandoned warehouse east of the logging yard. It offered a clear field of view over the entire central clearing. He adjusted the simulated ballistic parameters for the sniper rifle, calculating the angle and kinetic energy needed for the bullet to graze Su Ying's ribs. Outside, the sunset had completely sunk behind the mountains. The sky shifted from orange-red to deep blue, and the first star appeared in the east. There was a soft knock at the office door, followed by Nightingale's voice. "Mr. Lin, Mr. Fletcher has sent the detailed files on the Black Wolf mercenary group, including combat records from their last three operations." Lin Xiao did not turn around. His eyes remained on the ballistic simulation curve. The red dotted line precisely crossed Su Ying's 3D model, leaving a marker between her sixth and seventh ribs on the left.

"Send it to my terminal."

"Yes."

A data stream popped up in the corner of the screen, and Lin Xiao devoted half his attention to reading it.

Fletcher's intelligence was thorough. The Black Wolf mercenary group, formally known as Black Wolf International Security Contractor, was registered in Cyprus, though its actual area of operations stretched from the Balkan Peninsula to the Ukrainian border. Its leader went by Grey Wolf, with his real name unknown. A former officer of the Former Yugoslav Special Forces, he had left the military after the Kosovo War in 1999 and gathered a team of more than thirty men. Their primary business included arms smuggling, armed escorts, and the occasional assassination contract. Equipment: AK-74M assault rifles, PKM general-purpose machine guns, RPG-7 rocket launchers, and a small number of American-made M4 Carbines bought on the black market. Their last three operations: two months ago, they hijacked a shipment of medical supplies headed for Sarajevo in Bosnia—actually weapon components—and exchanged fire with local police, killing three people; six weeks ago, they fought another group of arms dealers on the Romanian border and seized two armored vehicles; four weeks ago, they attacked a small arms depot outside Budapest, Hungary, but were driven back by police who arrived ahead of schedule, losing two men.

Lin Xiao's gaze stopped on the final entry.

Driven back by police who arrived ahead of schedule.

He pulled up the police operation records from Budapest that day—there had been no large-scale deployment, no tip-off received. The officers had simply stumbled upon them during a routine patrol. Coincidence? Or was there a mole inside Black Wolf, or had a third party been monitoring the operation?

It did not matter.

What mattered was that this team was greedy enough, brutal enough, and stupid enough to risk venturing deep into unfamiliar territory over unverified intelligence about "high-tech weapon components." More importantly, they had clashed with Hydra before. Three years ago in Serbia, Black Wolf had attempted to intercept a missile guidance system Hydra was shipping to the Middle East. They had been driven back by Hydra's outer operations unit, losing five men. They also had a grudge against S.H.I.E.L.D. Last year in Croatia, S.H.I.E.L.D. agents investigating stolen Vibranium samples had exchanged fire with Black Wolf, leaving one agent seriously wounded.

The perfect "external threat."

Lin Xiao closed the file and brought up a satellite map of Continental Hotel's third backup site. It was an abandoned logging yard on the southern foothills of the Carpathian Mountains, near the Slovakia-Poland border. The nearest village was fifteen kilometers away, and the area was surrounded by dense coniferous forest and several dirt roads used for logging. The main building was a two-story concrete office structure with half its roof collapsed. Beside it stood a timber processing workshop, its machinery long since rusted away. Behind it was a row of worker dormitories, their doors and windows broken, their walls covered in climbing vines.

He selected the processing workshop.

It had enough room to set up the bait—several crates of discarded electronic equipment bearing labels that read "Stark Industries Experimental Components," stuffed with explosives and smoke grenades for remote detonation. The windows on both sides of the workshop offered good visibility, making them suitable sniper positions. The central clearing was wide open, with no cover. Anyone entering it would become a live target.

Lin Xiao began assigning personnel.

First group: four snipers, positioned respectively on the second floor of the office building, the roof of the processing workshop, the water tower in the dormitory area, and behind rocks on the southeastern slope. Mission: suppress enemy fire, create chaos, and at the designated moment "accidentally wound" Su Ying.

Second group: eight assault team members, hidden behind cover on both sides of the workshop. Mission: exchange fire with the enemy and create the illusion of fierce resistance, while controlling casualties—they could not wipe the enemy out. They needed to leave a few survivors alive to report back.

Third group: six perimeter guards, distributed around the logging yard entrance and the surrounding woods. Mission: prevent the enemy's escape route from deviating from the plan, while monitoring for intervention by any third-party forces.

Su Ying's position: the center of the workshop, near the bait crates. She needed to expose herself to enemy reconnaissance, draw fire, then, after the firefight began, move to the designated spot "to protect Lin Xiao while he commanded the operation." That position happened to fall within Grey Falcon's firing lane.

Grey Falcon was the sniper Lin Xiao had called in from an outer base. A former member of the French Foreign Legion, he was an accurate shot with a steady temperament. Lin Xiao had already spoken with him: the bullet had to graze Su Ying's ribs, causing a fracture and flesh wound without damaging any internal organs. The margin of error could not exceed two centimeters. Grey Falcon had fallen silent for several seconds before nodding. "Understood, boss. I'll use reduced-load rounds to lower the muzzle velocity. The trajectory will be flatter and easier to control."

Everything was ready.

Lin Xiao opened the communications channel and connected to Fletcher.

The screen flickered a few times before Fletcher's face appeared. He was sitting in a dim office, heavy curtains behind him, with only a desk lamp on. The light cast deep shadows over his face, making his expression appear even graver.

"Lin," Fletcher said in a low voice, "did you receive the intelligence?"

"I did," Lin Xiao said. "Black Wolf is a good fit. Greedy, hostile, and with a complicated background. What about the intelligence leak channel you arranged?"

"It's already in place," Fletcher said. "Through one of our informants in Bucharest. He pretended to get drunk and revealed the news to one of Black Wolf's minor leaders in a bar: an abandoned logging yard near the Slovakian border is hiding a batch of Stark Industries 'experimental energy weapon components.' They're goods secretly stockpiled by a Hydra faction, not yet moved because of internal conflict. There are only four or five perimeter guards, lightly equipped."

"They believed it?"

"They did." Fletcher's lips curled in a mocking arc. "Grey Wolf is leading the team himself. Twelve men, two modified off-road vehicles. They're expected to reach the logging yard area tomorrow evening. They intend to use the cover of night to launch a quick raid."

Lin Xiao nodded.

"My side is ready. Tomorrow afternoon, I'll apply to lead a team to the area for a preventative patrol and ambush on the grounds that we received intelligence that an armed group intends to attack one of our outer facilities."

"I'll approve the request," Fletcher said. "But Lin, be careful. You cannot botch this performance. Su Ying's injury must look real, but it absolutely cannot become life-threatening. I've already had Nightingale prepare a template for the medical report. Once the operation is over, upload it to the headquarters system immediately."

"Understood."

Fletcher fell silent for several seconds. The desk lamp's light flickered in his eyes.

"There's one more thing," he said. "The Headquarters Inspectorate sent another supplemental inquiry yesterday, demanding a detailed explanation of Su Ying's 'combat performance evaluation.' They seem to have doubts about how quickly she was promoted."

Lin Xiao's fingers lightly tapped the desktop.

"Then let them watch a performance of 'loyalty and sacrifice.'"

"I hope so." Fletcher sighed. "Lin, the stakes are high. If this fails..."

"It won't fail."

The communication cut off.

The office fell silent again. Night had fully descended outside, and the town's lights formed a blurred band of illumination in the distance. Lin Xiao shut down every screen, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes.

Su Ying's figure on the training field surfaced in his mind.

Over the past week, she had trained eight hours every day. Cross-country runs with weighted gear, close-range firefight simulations, emergency treatment for injuries. Lin Xiao had Doctor Anna give her a comprehensive examination: good bone density, exceptional muscle strength, and cardiopulmonary function at an athlete's level. After evaluating her, Anna had said, "The rib fracture can be kept mild. With special makeup and blood capsules, it will look like a moderate injury. The recovery period will be three to four weeks, but she'll actually be able to move normally after two."

Su Ying had merely nodded then, without saying anything else.

Her eyes had been calm, like the water of a deep pool, without a ripple.

Lin Xiao knew what she was thinking—once this act was over, she would truly become Su Ying. A loyal Hydra warrior, the Continental Hotel's "butler." The former defector agent hunted by S.H.I.E.L.D. would vanish from the files forever.

The price was a carefully calculated injury.

Was it worth it?

Lin Xiao opened his eyes and looked at the shadows on the ceiling.

It was worth it.

To survive, to find a foothold in this world of lies and violence, it was worth it.

At three the next afternoon, the convoy left the base.

Four modified off-road vehicles painted in jungle camouflage, their windows covered in blast-resistant film. Lin Xiao sat in the front passenger seat of the lead vehicle. Su Ying was in the back, checking her gear: an HK416 assault rifle fitted with a holographic sight and suppressor; a Glock 19 pistol with two spare magazines; smoke grenades, flashbangs, and a medical kit stuffed into her tactical vest. She wore a black combat uniform beneath a bulletproof vest, her face painted with camouflage grease.

The convoy drove along a mountain road, dense coniferous forest on both sides. The autumn air was cool and dry, carrying the scent of pine resin and rotting leaves. Sunlight filtered through the clouds, casting mottled shadows through the trees. The tires crunched over gravel.

Lin Xiao opened his tactical tablet and pulled up the live surveillance feed from the logging yard.

Nightingale had already placed miniature cameras around the area, hidden in treetops, rock crevices, and the corners of abandoned buildings. On-screen, the logging yard was empty. There was only the mournful howl of wind blowing through broken windows and several crows hopping across the roof.

"Twenty kilometers to the target area," the driver said. "Estimated arrival in forty minutes."

Lin Xiao nodded and opened the squad communications channel.

"Everyone, pay attention. I'll repeat the operational objectives: we received intelligence that the Black Wolf mercenary group intends to attack one of our outer facilities. Our mission is a preventative ambush, to drive off or eliminate the enemy. But remember, this is not an annihilation battle. We need to create the illusion of fierce resistance, make them believe there are indeed valuable supplies here and that the defenses are tight. Su Ying will be wounded during the firefight—this is part of the plan. No one is to interfere. Sniper group, Grey Falcon, your mission is clear: fire when Su Ying moves to the designated position. The bullet will graze the space between her sixth and seventh ribs on the left, causing a fracture and flesh wound. The deviation cannot exceed two centimeters."

A uniform response came through the channel. "Understood."

Lin Xiao turned off the communication and looked into the rearview mirror.

Su Ying was staring out the window, her profile especially clear in the shifting patches of light and shadow. Her fingers gently brushed the rifle's handguard, the movement light, as though she were caressing something precious.

"Nervous?" Lin Xiao asked.

Su Ying turned her head. Her eyes remained bright beneath the camouflage paint.

"Not nervous," she said. "It just feels... a little strange. Knowing exactly where the bullet will come from, and when, yet choosing to walk into it."

"That's acting."

"I know."

She looked out the window again and fell silent for several minutes.

Then she said, "Lin Xiao, if... if headquarters still doesn't believe us after this?"

"They will," Lin Xiao said. "An injury, a 'sacrifice for the organization,' Fletcher's endorsement, and a fabricated medical report. Hydra likes this kind of story—a loyal warrior wounded while protecting her comrades. It's the kind of drama they admire most in their culture."

"But what about S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Su Ying's voice was soft. "What if they see through this act?"

Lin Xiao tapped the edge of his tablet.

"Then let them see through it."

Su Ying turned to look at him.

Lin Xiao did not turn around. His eyes remained fixed on the winding mountain road ahead.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. is in internal chaos right now. Nick Fury is busy dealing with the aftermath of Project Insight, Coulson is building his own team, and Maria Hill is cleaning up the mess. They do not have the energy to thoroughly investigate an 'already wounded' outer Hydra member. Besides, we have falsified reports leading them astray—you should be in Greece now, or Bosnia, not on the Slovakian border."

Su Ying nodded and did not ask again.

The convoy continued onward.

Forty minutes later, the logging yard appeared at the end of their view.

It was a forgotten ruin. The concrete buildings had become gray and mottled after years of wind and rain. The roof tiles were broken and incomplete, and dark green moss crawled over the walls. The iron doors of the timber processing workshop stood half-open, its interior black as an open mouth. The surrounding woods were eerily silent. Not even birds could be heard.

The convoy stopped one kilometer from the logging yard, concealed deep in the forest.

Lin Xiao got out. His tactical tablet displayed every ambush position. The sniper group was already in place—Grey Falcon in the second floor of the office building sent a confirmation signal; Eagle Eye on the processing workshop roof reported a clear field of view; Night Owl on the dormitory water tower was adjusting his scope; Peregrine on the southeastern slope had already found the best firing position.

The assault team spread out behind cover on both sides of the workshop: behind a pile of discarded timber, at the corner of a half-collapsed brick wall, beneath the chassis of a rusted truck. The perimeter team vanished into the woods like ghosts blending into the shadows.

Su Ying stood beside Lin Xiao, checking her equipment one final time.

Her breathing was steady, her heartbeat held at sixty-five beats per minute—one of the techniques Doctor Anna had taught her for staying calm under pressure.

"Go," Lin Xiao said. "Remember the position."

Su Ying nodded and turned toward the processing workshop.

Her footsteps were soft on the gravel, like a cat's. Sunlight leaked through a gap in the clouds and shone on her, casting a long slender shadow over her black combat uniform. She reached the center of the workshop, stopped beside the bait crates, crouched down, and pretended to inspect them.

From a distance, she looked like a lone guard.

Lin Xiao went to the second floor of the office building and crouched at the window beside Grey Falcon.

Grey Falcon was a tall, thin man with heavy camouflage paint on his face, leaving only a pair of gray eyes exposed. He lay prone on the floor with a modified M24 Sniper Rifle mounted in front of him, its muzzle aimed at the center of the workshop. Correction tables for wind speed, humidity, and distance were taped to the rifle's body.

"Target distance, three hundred and twenty meters. Wind speed, three meters per second, from the southeast," Grey Falcon said quietly. "The round has been calibrated. Reduced load, muzzle velocity seven hundred meters per second, flat trajectory. I'll fire when she reaches that red marker."

Lin Xiao followed the direction he pointed.

On the workshop floor was a tiny red dot drawn in fluorescent paint, only the size of a coin and almost invisible in the dim light. That was where Su Ying needed to move—directly along the extended sniper line, and also the area most likely to be covered by enemy fire.

"She'll move there within two minutes after the firefight begins," Lin Xiao said. "Watch for her signal."

"Understood."

Lin Xiao raised his binoculars and looked toward the logging yard entrance.

Time passed second by second.

Four twenty in the afternoon.

The roar of engines came from the distance.

Two modified off-road vehicles drove down the mountain road, their bodies painted in rough camouflage and their windows covered in dark film. The vehicles stopped at the entrance to the logging yard. The doors opened, and twelve men jumped out. They wore mismatched combat uniforms. Some had Russian-style helmets, while others wore only baseball caps. Every one of them carried an AK-series rifle. Two had RPG-7 rocket launchers slung over their shoulders, and one carried a PKM general-purpose machine gun.

The leader was a burly bald man with a scar running from his forehead to his chin—Grey Wolf.

He raised a hand, and the team stopped.

Grey Wolf scanned the surroundings, his eyes sweeping across every building and patch of woods like a scanner. He made several hand signals. Two subordinates raised their weapons and cautiously approached the processing workshop.

Lin Xiao pressed his communicator.

"Everyone stay concealed. Wait until they all enter the ambush zone."

Inside the workshop, Su Ying heard footsteps.

She crouched behind the crates, her fingers resting on the trigger guard, her breathing growing even lighter. The footsteps came closer, crunching over gravel, accompanied by the rough breathing of men. Two shadows fell onto the floor at the workshop entrance, shifting and probing.

Then one man poked his head inside.

He was young, his face covered in freckles, his eyes darting nervously. The instant he saw Su Ying, he froze for a moment before shouting, "Someone's here!"

Gunfire erupted.

But Su Ying had not fired—it came from the sniper Lin Xiao had arranged on the second floor of the office building. The bullet struck the concrete floor at the workshop entrance, scattering sparks.

"Enemy attack!"

Black Wolf's men instantly scattered, searching for cover. Grey Wolf roared as he ordered the machine gunner to set up the PKM and sweep the second floor of the office building. Bullets punched rows of holes in the walls, sending concrete fragments flying.

Lin Xiao pressed the detonator.

The bait crates in the center of the workshop exploded.

It was not a real explosion, but a combination of smoke grenades and flashbangs—a deafening blast, firelight, and thick white smoke instantly filling the entire workshop. Su Ying had already rolled into the designated position before the blast. Now she lay on the ground, pretending to have been injured by the shockwave, coughing as she struggled to get up.

Grey Wolf saw the smoke, and his eyes lit up.

"They're covering something! Charge in!"

Black Wolf's members began their assault. The machine gun suppressed the office building's fire, while the rocket launcher operator fired at the side of the workshop, blowing down one wall. Following the script, the assault team began to "resist"—the gunfire was intense, but most rounds struck empty space or deliberately missed their targets.

Lin Xiao gave the order through the communications channel. "Su Ying, move."

Inside the workshop, Su Ying got up and staggered toward the red marker. Her movements were convincing, as if she were truly injured. Her left leg dragged over the ground, and her right hand clutched her chest. Smoke rolled around her while bullets shrieked over her head.

Grey Wolf saw her.

"That woman! Grab her!"

Three Black Wolf members charged toward Su Ying.

At that moment, Lin Xiao appeared on the second floor of the office building, deliberately exposing himself at the window as he fired at the charging enemies. His bullet struck one of them in the leg, and the man screamed as he fell.

Grey Wolf immediately turned his weapon.

"Second floor! Sniper!"

PKM rounds poured toward the office building like a torrential downpour. Lin Xiao ducked behind cover as concrete fragments struck his helmet with sharp crackling sounds. He glanced out from the edge of the window and saw that Su Ying had reached the red marker.

She turned and looked toward Lin Xiao.

That was the signal.

Lin Xiao pressed his communicator. "Grey Falcon, fire."

Three hundred and twenty meters away, Grey Falcon pulled the trigger.

The reduced-load bullet left the muzzle, carving an almost invisible path through the air. Time seemed to slow—Lin Xiao saw the bullet pierce through the smoke, through the drifting dust, and precisely graze Su Ying's left ribs.

Su Ying's body jolted violently.

She staggered back two steps, her left hand clamping over her ribs as blood instantly spilled through her fingers. She dropped to her knees, breathing rapidly, her face pale through the smoke.

Perfect.

Lin Xiao was about to order a retreat when his gaze suddenly froze.

Through his sniper scope, he saw an abnormal figure.

At the edge of the Black Wolf team, one man was not taking part in the charge. He crouched behind an off-road vehicle, holding a gun but not firing. His movements were steady, unlike the other frantic mercenaries. He wore a dark gray tactical vest with no insignia, but Lin Xiao recognized the model—it was standard equipment for the S.H.I.E.L.D. Special Tactical Unit, issued only last year.

And that man was watching.

His eyes were not on the battlefield. They were scanning the surroundings as if looking for something. His gaze passed over the office building, the processing workshop, and the surrounding woods before finally stopping where Su Ying had fallen.

Then he raised something—not a gun, but a small camera. He aimed the lens at Su Ying and pressed the record button.

Lin Xiao's heart sank.

He was not one of Black Wolf's men.

Who was he?

A S.H.I.E.L.D. pursuer? An "inspector" from Hydra headquarters? Or... a spy from some other force?

The gunfire continued. Explosions thundered, and smoke rolled over the logging yard. But Lin Xiao's attention was completely fixed on that unusual figure. He watched the man record for ten seconds, then put away the camera, turn, and slip into the driver's seat of the off-road vehicle.

The engine started.

Instead of joining the battle, the off-road vehicle turned around and sped down the mountain road it had come from.

Grey Wolf noticed and roared, "Fuck! Someone's running!"

But it was already too late.

Lin Xiao pressed his communicator, his voice cold as ice. "Everyone, withdraw according to plan. Take Su Ying and evacuate immediately. Outer perimeter team, track that SUV. I want to know where it went."

"Understood!"

The battle was still raging, but the script had already fallen apart.

Lin Xiao cast one last look in the direction that figure had vanished, then turned and sprinted for the stairs.

In the smoke, Su Ying was helped to her feet by two team members, blood staining her combat uniform red. Her eyes were half-open as she looked at Lin Xiao. Her lips moved, but no sound came out.

Lin Xiao ran to her side and took her hand.

Her hand was cold.

"Hang on," he said. "The doctor is waiting."

Su Ying nodded and closed her eyes.

The convoy roared away from the logging yard, leaving Black Wolf's remaining men roaring amid smoke and gunfire. Sitting in the vehicle, Lin Xiao watched the ruins recede in the rearview mirror, his fingers rapidly tapping across his tactical tablet.

"Nightingale," he said into the communicator, "analyze all electromagnetic signals from the combat zone immediately. Pull every road camera feed within twenty kilometers. Track a dark gray SUV, license plate unknown, driven by a man wearing a gray S.H.I.E.L.D. tactical vest. I want to know who he is."

"Understood."

The communication cut off.

Lin Xiao turned to look at Su Ying lying in the back seat.

Her breathing was faint. The bleeding had stopped, but her face was still pale. Anna was injecting her with a painkiller, her movements practiced and swift.

The plan had succeeded.

Su Ying had been injured, and the injury looked very real.

But that anomalous figure was like a thorn lodged in Lin Xiao's heart.

Who, exactly, had this act been put on for?