8 p.m., the streetlights flickered on the empty street. An Tĩnh wore a long coat, concealing a minimalist yet fully armed gear underneath. Tonight's mission wasn't on the schedule. Target: Rex — an international arms dealer. She had assumed it would be an easy takedown, but ever since Hạ Vy came into her life, her thoughts were no longer as sharp or clear.
When infiltrating the secured zone, she slipped — just for a second. A single moment of doubt, and a guard's bullet grazed her knee. The skin tore, but to An Tĩnh, it was merely a scratch.
The mission took longer than expected.
Not because they were too strong, but because there were too many. She had expected just one, but there were nearly ten.
By the time she left the ambush point, it was already 3 a.m.
An Tĩnh arrived back at her apartment complex. She opened the door. Turned off the lights. Emptiness.
Hạ Vy was gone.
She froze, then bolted through the house. Bathroom, kitchen, closet. The lights hadn't been touched. The blanket and small teddy bear still lay on the couch.
Panic gripped her mind.
"No..."
She dashed into the street, running through the night. Her breath caught in her throat. The darkness felt like it was closing in on her, suffocating. Bloody memories surged back — the day she came home to find her family massacred. She screamed:
"NO!"
An Tĩnh screeched to a halt in front of the police station. She pushed open the door, snow sliding under her boots.
She gasped for breath.
Her eyes scanned the room, then locked onto a small, frail figure. Hạ Vy sat curled up on a chair. A young officer sat opposite her, frowning in confusion.
An Tĩnh's expression softened slightly.
She burst through the door. The officer spun around.
— "Are you the child's guardian?"
An Tĩnh nodded, still breathless.
— "Yes, I am."
— "You left a child wandering the streets at night? Do you know we almost launched a special ops alert? A kind girl took her to a convenience store. If it weren't for the camera footage verifying things…"
An Tĩnh bit her lip, offering no excuse.
— "I'm sorry. I had to leave for an emergency mission…"
The officer sighed.
— "Next time, we'll contact child services or the hospital."
An Tĩnh stepped forward and knelt in front of Hạ Vy. The girl looked up, her eyes misty.
— "Did you leave me behind?"
An Tĩnh placed a hand gently on her head.
— "I'm sorry. I was injured, so I came back late…"
Hạ Vy still frowned.
— "Will you leave me again?"
An Tĩnh choked back her voice.
— "I won't. Even if you're not my mission, I will protect you."
At a desk in the corner of the station, a man wearing headphones watched security footage. His eyes narrowed at An Tĩnh's face. A red outline appeared on the screen: [Match: 80% probability — "Ảnh Sát"]
— "Now this is getting interesting…"
An Tĩnh carried Hạ Vy home. The girl, though tired, was very obedient. After treating her wound, she spent a long while comforting the child until she fell asleep.
Once Hạ Vy drifted off, An Tĩnh opened a classified file.
[Encrypted Message from: The Organization]: "Keep the child safe. Await further instructions. Next target: the 'biological mother.'"
An Tĩnh hovered over the delete button, but stopped.
— "Biological mother...?"
She turned to look at Hạ Vy asleep on the couch, her large dark eyes still wet with tears.
The organization had said the biological mother must be dealt with.
But according to the decrypted file...
That mother was still alive — Lưu Thành's ex-wife — who had survived an assassination attempt and was now hiding in a private refugee camp near the border.
An Tĩnh clenched her fist, her gaze turning cold.
— "If the mother is still alive, why does the organization want her eliminated?"
Right then, another message popped up:
[Priority Code Red]: Erase all traces of Nguyễn Trúc Linh. No one must know she ever existed.
An Tĩnh shot up from her seat. Her breath quickened. She instinctively pressed her hand to her chest.
Her assassin's instinct screamed at her: Something is being buried. Something deep.
— "What is the organization trying to hide?"
She turned to look at Hạ Vy, hugging her teddy bear as she slept soundly on the sofa. A sharp chill passed through her eyes.
Something was wrong. And this time, she had to uncover the truth—before it was too late