A Two-Front Game

Lin Xiao's finger paused over the corner of the floor plan marked as a surveillance blind spot, leaving a barely noticeable damp trace on the screen. Outside the window, the night was thick as ink, and the town's lights flickered in the distance like fireflies trapped in darkness. Su Ying stood beside him, her breathing steady and soft. Her gaze followed his finger without asking anything, simply waiting.

Nightingale's voice came through the communicator. "The first forged report has been uploaded through the Athens informant. The system shows it has entered the pending queue at S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Munich office."

Lin Xiao did not look up. His gaze remained fixed on the surveillance blind spot. It was the weakest point along the base's outer perimeter, as well as the only concealed exit leading into the mountains. If S.H.I.E.L.D. really sent people, it would be their preferred route of infiltration.

"Monitor the processing status of every report after it enters the queue," Lin Xiao said into the communicator. "Flag any query attempting to verify the report's authenticity."

"Understood."

The communicator fell silent.

Only the low hum of the computer fan remained in the office, along with the occasional cry of a night bird outside. Lin Xiao finally raised his head and looked at Su Ying. Under the light, the lines of her profile were clear and resolute, her lashes casting fine shadows across her eyelids.

"Get some rest," Lin Xiao said. "Starting tomorrow, keep the alert level at maximum."

Su Ying nodded, but did not leave immediately. She looked at the floor plan on the screen in silence for several seconds.

"Do you think they'll come?"

"They will," Lin Xiao said. "But not yet. The forged reports will confuse them, but they won't fool them forever. What we need is time."

"How long?"

Lin Xiao lightly tapped his fingers against the desk, calculating every variable.

"At least two weeks. If Wolf can find Marcus Lane in South America within those two weeks, we'll have a chance to solve this problem once and for all."

Su Ying drew a deep breath. The air carried the mingled scent of paper and electronic equipment, along with the damp freshness of night dew drifting in from outside.

"Two weeks," she repeated. "I'll keep everyone on alert."

She turned and left, her footsteps gradually fading down the corridor.

Lin Xiao stood alone in the office, staring into the night beyond the window. Starlight appeared and vanished behind the clouds, while the outlines of distant mountains flickered in and out of the darkness like sleeping beasts. He walked to his desk and pulled up the surveillance logs Nightingale had just sent.

Data streamed down the screen like a waterfall.

The forged reports had been uploaded through three different informant channels, labeled "Athens-7," "Budapest-3," and "Sarajevo-11." Each report contained fabricated surveillance photos, witness statements, and "evidence" showing Su Ying's blurred figure appearing in different locations. The timestamps had been deliberately staggered, and the locations stretched from Greece to Bosnia, forming a seemingly plausible escape route.

Lin Xiao examined every detail carefully.

The photo resolution had been deliberately lowered, the backgrounds blurred, but Su Ying's silhouette remained clearly recognizable—it had been composited by Nightingale using footage from the base's training sessions. The witness statements each had a different linguistic style. Some used English with Balkan accents, some mixed Greek with German, and some were simply translated versions in Serbian dialect. Every detail had been meticulously designed: real enough to pass preliminary screening, yet containing subtle flaws that would make S.H.I.E.L.D. analysts suspicious once they dug deeper.

That was the essence of an intelligence game—not creating a perfect lie, but creating a puzzle complicated enough to make the opponent waste time and resources solving it.

Lin Xiao closed the surveillance log and opened another window.

It displayed the base's communications traffic statistics. Over the past twenty-four hours, external communications had increased by 37 percent over normal, while encrypted communications had risen by 15 percent. Most of the increased traffic came from Nightingale's forged-report uploads, but part of it...

Lin Xiao narrowed his eyes.

Part of it came from Fletcher's connection.

He pulled up the detailed data. Over the past six hours, Fletcher's regional command center had tripled its communications frequency with Hydra headquarters. Each transmission had lasted more than ten minutes and used the highest encryption level.

That was not normal.

Routine supply reports, personnel transfers, and operation briefings did not require such frequent top-level encrypted communications.

Lin Xiao's fingers flew across the keyboard as he accessed Nightingale's keyword monitoring for communications content. The system had automatically flagged every communication fragment containing specific terms—"review," "loyalty," "background verification," "Inspectorate."

His heart sank slightly.

What was coming had finally arrived.

Hydra headquarters' Inspectorate—the department responsible for internal security and reviewing every member's background—had finally turned its attention to this team on the Eastern European border that had been "far too lucky."

Lin Xiao glanced at the time.

2:17 a.m.

He closed every window, rose, and walked to the window. The town streets were empty, with only streetlamps casting orange halos into the night. In the distance, the church bell tower rose from the darkness, its cross glinting faintly silver beneath the moonlight.

He needed to see Fletcher.

But not now. Going now would only make him seem too eager, too sensitive. He needed to wait—for Fletcher to contact him first, for the routine inquiry documents to officially arrive at the base.

Lin Xiao returned to the desk, opened a drawer, and took out a file.

It was Su Ying's "new identity" dossier—a contingency plan he had begun preparing months ago. It contained a complete birth certificate, educational records, employment history, and even several forged childhood photographs. Every document had been professionally handled. The texture of the paper, the oxidation of the ink, the worn edges of the seals—all matched the traits of authentic records.

But that was not enough.

Hydra headquarters' review could not be fooled by a few forged documents. They had their own intelligence network, their own verification channels, their own polygraph experts and psychological analysts.

Lin Xiao lightly ran his fingers over the dossier, feeling the rough texture of the paper against his fingertips.

He needed a more thorough, more indisputable plan.

A plan that would make Su Ying's loyalty unquestionable in the eyes of Hydra headquarters.

At six in the morning, dawn had barely begun to break.

Lin Xiao had spent the night in his office. He had slept facedown on the desk for three hours. When he woke, his neck was stiff and his shoulders sore. Birds chirped outside, crisp and dense like a small concert. Morning light streamed through the gaps in the blinds, casting long strips of light across the floor.

He got up, stretched his body, and walked to the window.

The town was beginning to wake. A few pedestrians appeared on the streets, the bakery's shutters rolled up, and the scent of fresh bread drifted through the morning mist. Far away, a garbage truck rumbled past, its engine sounding especially jarring in the quiet morning.

The communicator rang.

It was Fletcher.

Lin Xiao accepted the call.

"Lin," Fletcher said. He sounded tired, and papers rustled in the background. "Come by this morning. Ten o'clock."

"What is it?"

"Headquarters sent some documents." Fletcher paused. "I need your cooperation handling them."

"Understood."

The communication ended.

Lin Xiao lowered the communicator and watched the sky gradually brighten beyond the window. The morning mist was beginning to disperse, revealing the distant mountains more clearly. White frost from the previous night still clung to their peaks, gleaming silver-white in the morning light.

He went to the washroom and splashed cold water over his face. The man in the mirror had bloodshot eyes and dark stubble on his chin, but his gaze remained calm. He dried his face, changed into a clean combat uniform, and checked the Glock pistol and Corrosion Dagger at his waist.

At exactly eight, he left the office.

People were already moving through the corridors. Technicians hurried past carrying equipment, while the kitchen sent out the sizzling sound of frying eggs and the aroma of coffee. Su Ying came out of the training room, still carrying the dampness of sweat, her hair tied into a neat ponytail.

"Heading out?" she asked.

"To see Fletcher," Lin Xiao said. "Headquarters sent documents."

Su Ying's gaze sharpened slightly.

"What do you need me to do?"

"Stay alert," Lin Xiao said. "Wait for me to return."

He crossed the base's corridors, his footsteps echoing through the empty space. Emergency lights on the walls blinked a faint green, and the ventilation system gave off a low hum. He reached the garage and started a black SUV.

The engine's roar echoed through the garage.

Fletcher's regional command center was located beneath an abandoned factory one hundred and fifty kilometers away. Lin Xiao drove for two hours, passing barren fields and sparse woods. Autumn sunlight poured through the car windows, warm yet glaring. The roadside trees had begun to yellow, their leaves rustling in the wind.

At exactly ten, he arrived.

The factory's exterior walls were peeling and mottled, its windows shattered, its iron gates covered in rust. But the underground section had been completely rebuilt and equipped with the most advanced security systems and communications equipment. Lin Xiao parked in the designated concealed location, got out, and headed for the entrance.

Two guards checked his identification and scanned his irises and fingerprints.

The iron gate slowly opened.

Inside was a concrete passage sloping underground, with blast-resistant lamps mounted on the walls. The light was cold white and harsh. The air smelled of disinfectant and electronic equipment, with the distinctive dampness of an underground space beneath it.

Lin Xiao walked down the passage for three minutes before reaching a heavy blast door.

The door opened automatically.

Inside was Fletcher's study.

The room was not large, but it was comfortably furnished. Solid wood bookshelves were packed with files and books, while several maps and tactical charts hung on the walls. A broad desk sat in the middle of the room, piled with documents, data terminals, and communications equipment. Fletcher sat behind it with a file in hand, his brow tightly furrowed.

"Sit," Fletcher said without looking up.

Lin Xiao sat in the chair opposite the desk. It was genuine leather and creaked faintly beneath him. The room was quiet except for the low hum of the air-conditioning system and the rustle of Fletcher turning pages.

About a minute passed before Fletcher finally looked up.

He pushed the file in his hand toward Lin Xiao.

"It came from Headquarters Inspectorate," Fletcher said. "A routine inquiry document. They want 'supplementary verification' of the backgrounds of every member in your team, especially recently recruited personnel."

Lin Xiao picked up the file.

The paper was Hydra headquarters' proprietary encrypted stock, its surface covered in subtle patterns that shimmered pale blue under the light. The content was formal and the wording rigorous, but every line carried an unmistakable air of scrutiny.

The key section was on the third page.

It listed a series of specific questions:

Had the recruitment channels for recently added personnel undergone strict review?

Had any special recruitment taken place without headquarters' approval?

Were the loyalty assessments of new members complete?

Was there any evidence that new members had potential connections with hostile organizations?

Blank spaces followed each question, requiring detailed explanations and supporting materials.

Lin Xiao set down the document and looked at Fletcher.

"This is aimed at my team?"

"At every team that has performed exceptionally well recently," Fletcher said. "But yours is a priority. The report on the Eastern European base cleanup caught headquarters' attention. An outer-ring team successfully clearing a base controlled by extremists without headquarters support—either that means you are exceptionally capable, or you were suspiciously lucky."

"Or both."

Fletcher smiled, but there was little warmth in it.

"Headquarters is more inclined to suspect the latter," he said. "They don't believe in luck. They believe in control, review, and absolute loyalty. Your team has performed too well—well enough that they are starting to wonder whether you have some 'outside assistance' you shouldn't have."

Lin Xiao was silent for several seconds.

The room was quiet enough for him to hear his own heartbeat, steady and powerful. Sunlight filtered through the thick bulletproof glass outside, casting blurred patches across the floor. The air held the mixed scent of old paper and cigar smoke, along with the faint cologne on Fletcher.

"How do you need me to cooperate?" Lin Xiao asked.

"I need you to give headquarters a reasonable explanation," Fletcher said. "Why your team succeeded. Why the new members you recruited are trustworthy. Why your loyalty is beyond question."

He paused, leaned forward, and lowered his voice.

"Lin, I appreciate your abilities. You helped me clean up the Eastern European base mess and gave me some face before headquarters. I'm willing to help you stall for time, blur certain details, even 'polish' your answers on some questions. But headquarters isn't stupid. The Inspectorate people specialize in this. They can smell a problem from the smallest inconsistency."

Fletcher tapped the document with his finger.

"This inquiry is only the beginning. If they aren't satisfied with the answers, next will come face-to-face reviews, polygraphs, maybe even background investigations. By then, any flaw will be magnified."

Lin Xiao stared at the questions in the document, his mind moving rapidly.

He needed to give headquarters a "reasonable" explanation.

One that could explain the team's success while proving Su Ying's loyalty.

One that would satisfy the Inspectorate and completely shut down S.H.I.E.L.D.'s investigation.

A bold plan gradually took shape in his mind.

"I have a plan," Lin Xiao said.

Fletcher raised an eyebrow.

"Let's hear it."

"Headquarters suspects that our success came from 'outside assistance,'" Lin Xiao said slowly. "Then we'll show them an 'external threat.' A real, concrete threat that requires us to pay a price to deal with."

"What do you mean?"

"We stage a performance," Lin Xiao said. "One in which members of my team—especially the recently recruited core member—are 'wounded for the organization.' Let headquarters see how we fight, how we sacrifice, and how we prove our loyalty when facing an external threat."

Fletcher's eyes narrowed slightly.

The room became even quieter. The hum of the air conditioner seemed louder, like low-frequency background noise. Outside, the sunlight shifted slightly, the patch of light moving from the floor to the wall and illuminating the edge of a tactical map.

"How exactly?" Fletcher asked.

"Pick a suitable opponent," Lin Xiao said. "An armed gang active in Central Europe, arms dealers, terrorists—any force that has clashed with both Hydra and S.H.I.E.L.D. Use intelligence channels to deliberately leak false information to them: that we have an outer-ring stronghold with weak defenses and valuable supplies hidden inside."

"Lure them into attacking."

"Exactly," Lin Xiao said. "Then we 'happen' to receive a tip and set an ambush in advance. The battle has to be fierce, real, and someone has to get wounded—especially the new member whose loyalty needs proving. Let her be 'injured while protecting her teammates' during the fight. The injury must look serious, but it cannot endanger her life."

Fletcher remained silent for a long time.

His fingers tapped lightly against the desk in a steady rhythm. The sunlight continued shifting, now illuminating half his face and making his expression indistinct between light and shadow.

"It's risky," Fletcher finally said. "If the opponent is too strong, you may suffer real heavy losses. If they're too weak, headquarters will see through it. If anything goes wrong—the intelligence leak is exposed, the battle gets out of control, the injuries aren't handled properly—the whole plan collapses."

"I know," Lin Xiao said. "But this is the best plan we have right now. It gives headquarters a reasonable explanation and completely resolves the new member's loyalty problem. And..."

He paused.

"And what?"

"This performance can also solve another problem," Lin Xiao said. "S.H.I.E.L.D. is tracking Su Ying. If she is wounded, even 'near death,' in a battle against an 'external threat,' S.H.I.E.L.D.'s investigation will lose its focus. A target who may already be dead isn't worth continuing to spend resources on."

Fletcher's eyes lit up.

He leaned back in his chair, folded his arms over his chest, and looked at Lin Xiao. The sunlight now fully illuminated his face, and Lin Xiao could see the complicated emotion in his eyes—appreciation, vigilance, and a trace of barely perceptible wariness.

"You've thought this through very carefully," Fletcher said. "Too carefully. Carefully enough to make me a little... uneasy."

"I'm only doing what needs to be done," Lin Xiao said calmly. "Protecting my team and completing the organization's mission."

Fletcher fell silent again for several seconds.

Then he nodded.

"Fine. I'll help you. I'll find the opponent. I'll arrange the channel for the intelligence leak. You decide the time and place of the fight. But remember—this performance has to be flawless. One imperfection could get us both killed."

"Understood."

Fletcher stood and walked to the bookshelf, taking down a thick dossier.

"There are currently three groups in Central Europe that fit the criteria," he said as he flipped through the file. "The Black Wolf mercenary group. They mainly operate along the Czechia-Slovakia border. Well equipped, brutal methods. They exchanged fire with a S.H.I.E.L.D. field team last month and lost five men."

"The second group is the Steel Brotherhood, former Soviet Union special forces soldiers now working in arms smuggling. They have conducted several deals with Hydra, but their appetite has been growing lately, and they've started haggling."

"The third group..." Fletcher paused. "Blood Raven. An armed group of unknown origin specializing in attacks on Hydra and S.H.I.E.L.D. outer-ring strongholds. Professional methods, fast operations, and they never leave survivors. Headquarters suspects they are backed by some country's intelligence agency."

Lin Xiao considered the options.

Black Wolf was too high-profile and could draw unwanted attention. The Steel Brotherhood had business ties with Hydra and might know people at the base. Blood Raven... its origins were unknown, making it too dangerous.

"Choose Black Wolf," Lin Xiao said. "They have a grudge against S.H.I.E.L.D., so their motive is plausible. They're well equipped and strong enough to make the act more convincing. And their operating area isn't far from one of our backup strongholds."

Fletcher nodded.

"The location?"

"Backup Stronghold Three at the Continental Hotel," Lin Xiao said. "An abandoned logging yard near the Slovakia border. The terrain is complicated, good for an ambush and good for an 'accidental' injury."

"The time?"

"Give me one week," Lin Xiao said. "One week to prepare."

Fletcher closed the file and walked back to his desk.

"In a week, I'll leak intelligence to Black Wolf through an informant. On your end, get ready to put on a good show."

"I will."

Lin Xiao rose to his feet. The sunlight outside was fierce now, shining through the bulletproof glass and casting bright patches across the floor. The air carried a mingled scent of old paper and cigar smoke, along with the faint, oppressive cologne Fletcher wore.

"One more thing," Fletcher said. "Once this performance is over, Headquarters may request the combat records, medical reports, or even send someone to verify things on-site. Every document has to be flawless."

"I'll take care of it."

Lin Xiao turned and left.

The blast-proof door slowly closed behind him, cutting off the light and smells from the study. He walked up the concrete passageway, his footsteps echoing through the empty space. The lights overhead were cold white and harsh, while fine beads of moisture clung to the walls, glimmering faintly beneath them.

He reached the surface and pushed open the iron door.

The sunlight outside was blinding, and he narrowed his eyes. The autumn wind swept past with a chill, stirring the fallen leaves on the ground with a rustling whisper. In the distance, the fields gleamed golden beneath the sun, like a rolling sea.

He got into the car and started the engine.

On the drive back, he kept thinking through every detail of the plan.

The choice of enemy, the leak of intelligence, the ambush setup, the severity of the injuries, the follow-up paperwork... Every link had to be precise. There could be no mistakes.

More importantly, he needed to convince Su Ying.

At three in the afternoon, Lin Xiao returned to the base.

He parked in the garage and headed down the corridor toward the office. The base was quiet; most people were either taking their midday break or training. From the kitchen came the sounds of dishes being washed and running water, accompanied by the faint scent of detergent.

He pushed open the office door.

Su Ying was inside.

She sat in a chair by the window, holding a training report, though her eyes were fixed outside. Sunlight filtered through the blinds and fell over her in long bands across her black combat uniform. Hearing the door open, she turned her head.

"You're back?" she asked.

"Yeah."

Lin Xiao closed the door and walked to the desk. He took out the inquiry document Fletcher had given him from a drawer and handed it to Su Ying.

"It's from the Headquarters Inspectorate."

Su Ying accepted the document and skimmed through it quickly. Her expression remained calm, but Lin Xiao saw her fingers tighten slightly, leaving faint creases along the edge of the paper.

"Faster than expected," she said softly.

"Fletcher will help us stall, but not for long," Lin Xiao said. "Headquarters needs answers. About the team's success, and about your loyalty."

Su Ying set down the document and raised her head.

"What's your plan?"

Lin Xiao looked at her.

Sunlight fell across her from the side, illuminating half her face and making her eyes seem especially deep between light and shadow. Her breathing was steady, but Lin Xiao could see the faint rise and fall of her chest, as well as the pulse beating at her neck.

"We need to put on a show," Lin Xiao said slowly. "A show where you're 'injured for the organization.' The enemy will be the Black Wolf mercenary group. The location is an abandoned logging yard near the Slovakian border. The operation takes place in a week."

He explained the entire plan in detail.

The intelligence leak, the ambush setup, the battle script, the severity of the injuries, and the follow-up paperwork. Every detail, every risk, every point where something could go wrong.

Su Ying listened quietly.

Her expression did not change, but Lin Xiao could see the focused gleam in her eyes, like a cheetah assessing its prey. The sunlight outside continued to shift, now illuminating her entire face. Lin Xiao could see the fine down on her cheeks, gleaming gold in the light.

Once Lin Xiao finished, the room fell silent for several seconds.

There was only the low hum of the computer fan and the occasional chirp of birds outside.

Then Su Ying spoke.

"The time, the place—how badly do I need to be 'injured'?"

Her voice was calm, without hesitation or doubt, as natural as if she were asking about tomorrow's training schedule.

Looking into her resolute eyes, Lin Xiao felt complicated emotions rise within him.

There was admiration—admiration for her courage and decisiveness.

There was reluctance—reluctance to let her be hurt again, even if it was only an act.

But above all, there was determination—the determination to protect her, to resolve this crisis completely, and to ensure she would never need to hide again.

"I won't let you be seriously hurt," Lin Xiao said. "A cracked rib, or a minor fracture of the shoulder blade, plus some superficial wounds. It'll look serious, but you'll recover within a month. The medical report will exaggerate things a little, along with some falsified emergency treatment records."

Su Ying nodded.

"What about the enemy's equipment and combat capability assessment?"

"Fletcher will provide detailed intelligence," Lin Xiao said. "The Black Wolf mercenary group has twelve to fifteen men, equipped with AK-series rifles, grenades, and possibly RPGs. Their combat ability is above average, but they lack discipline and are easily provoked."

"How many people are we deploying?"

"The entire team, plus six men I'm bringing in from an outlying stronghold," Lin Xiao said. "Twenty people in total. We have the advantage in equipment, terrain, and intelligence. Our odds are high."

"When do I get injured?"

"Halfway through the battle," Lin Xiao said. "You'll be 'hit by a stray bullet while covering me.' I'll arrange for a sniper to fire from the flank. The bullet will graze your ribs, causing a fracture and flesh wounds. It'll look like a stray round, but the angle and force will both be calculated."

Su Ying nodded again.

Her fingers tapped lightly against the training report, producing a steady tapping sound. The sunlight continued to move, leaving her now and casting blurred patches across the floor. The air smelled of paper and electronics, with the faint odor of rotting autumn leaves drifting in through the window.

"Is there anything else I need to prepare?" she asked.

"This week, intensify your training," Lin Xiao said. "Especially close-quarters firefights and emergency treatment after being wounded. I'll have the Doctor give you a full physical examination to determine what level of injury you can withstand."

"Understood."

Su Ying stood up. Her movements were crisp, like a cheetah ready to strike. The sunlight now lit her entire back, casting a golden halo over her black combat uniform.

She walked to the door, placed her hand on the handle, and paused.

Then she turned back to look at Lin Xiao.

Her eyes shone especially brightly in the shadows, like two dark gems.

"After this show is over," she said softly, "I'll completely become 'Su Ying.' Right?"

Lin Xiao looked at her and nodded.

"That's right. From then on, you'll be Su Ying. A loyal warrior of Hydra, the Continental Hotel's 'butler.' No one will question your past again."

The corner of Su Ying's mouth lifted slightly, forming an almost imperceptible curve.

"That's good."

She opened the door and walked out.

Her footsteps gradually faded down the corridor.

Lin Xiao stood alone in the office, looking out the window. The sun was beginning to set, and the sky had been stained a faint orange-red. The distant mountains stood sharply outlined in the sunset, their white frost already melted away to reveal dark stone.

The pressure remained. The crisis remained.

But at least now, there was a clear plan.

A risky, complicated plan, but one that might resolve the problem completely.

He walked to the desk and pulled up the terrain map for Continental Hotel's No. 3 backup stronghold. On the screen, the layout of the abandoned logging yard unfolded, marking every building, every road, and every stretch of woods.

His fingers slid across the screen as he began positioning the ambush points.