winter in greenland

In January 2019, over the Beihai Sea, inside a transport plane.

The air current on the plane was a bit bumpy, and Dan was sitting firmly leaning against the bulkhead with his arms folded, with a camouflage green luggage bag under his feet.

Ralph leaned on the armrest of the cabin roof, walked to him and sat down, half-jokingly said: "What, are you doing psychological training?"

Dan opened his eyes and gave him a white look: "How about we switch?"

Ralph smiled and raised his hand: "Don't, don't, I'm not the type to play musical instruments."

Dan didn't answer immediately, but paused, his tone thoughtful: "The team that carried out the protection mission before us also sent someone to approach the target with a false identity?"

Ralph shook his head: "I don't know. I only know that this mission has been carried out for nearly a year and a half. Originally, according to regulations, the execution team was changed every 2-5 years until the mission ended. This time... no Knowing what happened, the previous team applied for evacuation in advance. It may also be that they have been exposed or detected by the target, so... but who knows." Ralph shrugged.

"Mia Field..." Dan opened his eyes and murmured the name.

"You've read the background information and know how important their family is in the military. Not to mention her brother, just her grandfather... tsk. So come on, Lieutenant Smithton."

An hour later, in the evening, the plane landed outside Belfast, Northern Ireland.

The team that performed the previous mission was already waiting for them at the agreed place. After getting off the plane, Ralph, as the captain of the operation team, went to contact the previous team. After talking in a low voice for a few minutes, he saluted the other party , several members of the other party also returned a salute, and boarded the transport plane one by one.

……

In southeast Greenland, near the Frere Mountains, on the endless ice sheet.

Their year of patrol was drawing to a close, and the sled dogs had slowed down.

The polar night is not over yet, and it is easy for people to lose their sense of time in such an environment. Standing on the right side of the sled, August raised his wrist to look at his watch, and greeted his companions: "It's 5 o'clock in the afternoon, find a place to camp Bar."

The companion nodded, and controlled the reins to let the sled dogs slowly turn a corner, and stopped near a snow slope.

After the tent was set up, August went to feed the dog first, and when he returned to the tent, his companion raised the radio communicator: "I just contacted the base, and they said that there is a message from the headquarters. Encrypted channel."

August nodded to show that he understood, and walked out of the tent with the radio in hand.

The content of that message was very simple. After deciphering the code word, he was told that the team protecting Mia's safety needed to evacuate early for some reason, and the team that had come to make contact had already arrived in Northern Ireland.

August's fingers holding the communicator tightened slightly. The last time he contacted Mia was a month ago.From their father's accident to the present, Mia has kept sending him an email every 1-2 months, just to let him know that she is fine, as for her life...

August took a breath, smiled wryly to himself, and turned back to the tent.

……

Two days later, the teachers' apartment of Queen's University Belfast.

Dan wore a pair of flat glasses, a light blue denim shirt, a pair of dark brown slacks on the lower body, and a cello case on his back. He knocked on the door of Room 405.

"Here we come." A female voice came to the door accompanied by footsteps from far to near. A few seconds later, the door was opened a crack, and the anti-theft chain behind the door was still hanging, and a red-haired girl appeared in the crack of the door inside.

She is a bit petite, wearing a pair of black-rimmed glasses, her pupils are a light gray-blue, and there are a few lovely freckles scattered under the bridge of her nose.After looking Dan up and down, she asked with some doubts, "You are?"

"My name is Dan Smithton. I'm a student at the University of Ulster. I'm working in Northern Ireland. I... er... the cello is my hobby. I heard about you at the flea market yesterday, and they It may be presumptuous to say that you are a cello teacher at Queen's University School of Music, and you will also take care of some adult students part-time, but I wonder if I can learn cello from you?"

Mia looked at him hesitantly for a while, and finally unlocked the anti-theft lock: "Come in and talk."

……

August and his team have already begun their return journey in the direction of Port Ferringe base in the southeast direction. Because they are close to settlements, their mobile phones have a rare chance to receive signals.

At night, at the campsite, August just saw a new email notification pop up on the screen as soon as he turned it on. He couldn't wait to open it. It was indeed Mia, and the email only had a few words——

August, Belfast winter as usual and I'm fine.A new student came today and wanted to learn cello with me. I was hesitant at first, but he can play the piano. Liszt's "Sigh" he played reminded me of you.

good luck.

……

8 months later.9 am.Helsingor.In a blue rectangular container by the pier.

Four monitoring screens are installed on one end of the container, which are respectively connected to the monitoring of four different directions of the terminal. Several technicians wearing headsets followed the monitoring screen with a serious expression.A gray-haired general stood in front of the screen with his hands behind his back, and behind him stood two rows of special forces.

"I think you are very clear about the specifics of the mission. This is a joint operation. You are all elites from various units. Today's operation has only one goal, to capture C alive. Do you understand?"

"Clear!" The voices answered in unison.

"According to our information, the ferry C took will dock at 10:10 noon, the crew will board the ship 11 minutes later, and the passengers will start checking tickets at 20:[-]. Their destination is the Helsingborg Terminal on the opposite bank. This journey is only [-] minutes. Minutes, if we can't stop the target before the ship enters the Swedish border, it means that the work of all intelligence agencies in the past half month will become a joke due to our mistakes. From now on, I need all units to concentrate Pay attention. August, you take the sniper team to get in place first."

August responded quickly, and led the three of them out of the container first.

At 9:40 in the morning, the top floor and attic of a light yellow building near the pier.

August was lying on the window with his sniper rifle firmly on the window sill, his cold eyes accurately locked the target area through the scope, quietly waiting for the target to appear.

……

At the same time, Belfast.

Dan knocked on the door of Mia's apartment at the agreed time.

"Here we come." The answer was accompanied by a rush of footsteps, and Mia hurriedly opened the door: "Come in first, wait for me for a while." cat, with a large milk stain on the front of his clothes.

Dan looked amused, put the piano case against the entrance, and took the tabby cat from her hand: "Is Rumi here to eat again?"

"I didn't close the window last night. When I got up this morning, I saw it in the living room. It must be very hungry. I just poured the milk into the bowl and planned to heat it up, and it rushed over. The milk was all overturned. Said, almost scratched my face."

Dan tapped the cat's paw symbolically: "Rumi, you're not doing it right."

Mia hastily pulled her hair back into a ponytail and rushed into the bedroom to change. Her voice came through the door: "The car is already downstairs?"

Dan comforted her: "Don't worry, I told the driver to ask him to wait a while."

……

"Attention all units, attention all units, the target ship has already docked, the sniper confirms the position, the sniper confirms the position."

……

"Go to the front seat, it will be crowded with two pianos in the back." Dan helped Mia open the front door of the business car.

"Thank you." Mia gave him a grateful look.

"Are you going to the McIlroy Disabled School on the outskirts of the city?" The driver half turned to look at Dan in the back seat.

Dan said while fastening the buckles and seat belts of the two piano cases: "Yes, please hurry up a little bit, we have a performance over there at noon."

……

"No. 1 sniper position has been confirmed, it's over."

"No. 2 sniper position has been confirmed, it's over."

"No. 3 sniper position has been confirmed, it's over."

……

"It's 11 o'clock soon, and Ms. McIlroy is probably going to call me soon." Mia looked at the road ahead and couldn't stop feeling anxious: "It's all my fault, if I closed the windows last night, there wouldn't be so much trouble gone."

"Don't worry about Mia, we'll be there soon." Dan pressed her shoulder reassuringly.

……

"Passengers have already started ticket checking, repeat, passengers have already started ticket checking. B2 Action Team, report your location, over."

"B2 has entered the ticket gate, and the target person has not been found yet, over."

"The sniper reports the situation, over."

"No. 1 sniper position has clear vision, over."

"No. 2 sniper position is abnormal. The mast of the oil tanker entering the port at 3 o'clock blocks the line of sight, over."

"No. 3 sniper position is normal, over."

……

The business car "squeaked" and stopped at the school gate. Mia jumped out of the front seat in a panic. She and Dan rushed to the small auditorium with the piano on their backs. A lady in a gray suit greeted her at the entrance of the small auditorium. them.

"I'm sorry to schedule the performance at this time, so you are in such a hurry, everything is going well on the road?" The lady stepped forward and held Mia's hand.

"Everything is going well, thank you Ms. McIlroy."

"There are still 20 minutes until the performance begins, and our teacher is already organizing the children to come over. I will take you to the backstage first."

……

"Attention all units, the B2 action team found the target, and the B2 action team found the target."

……

"Ms. McIlroy, this is the program list we prepared today. There are not many songs. Some of them are excerpts from "The Sound of Music". I want to borrow your piano."

"No problem dear, the children have already entered the arena, tell me when you are ready, I will wait for you outside." Mrs. McIlroy said as she got up and left the backstage dressing room.

"Dan, are you nervous?" Mia turned to look at her companion.

There was a gentle smile on the young man's face: "To be honest? A little bit, but with you as a teacher, I don't seem to be so flustered."

……

"Confirm the target, confirm the target."

"The target has entered the ticket gate, wearing a black windbreaker, without a hat, and carrying a dark blue travel bag, at the end of the line."

"No. 1 sniper position has been confirmed, the target has been aimed, and we are waiting for orders." August's voice was calm, he still maintained that posture, his pupils froze into a line.

……

"The song we are going to perform next is "Thelonely Goatheard". I know you have all learned this song, so let's invite children who can sing to join us~"

Dozens of pairs of bright eyes in the audience were looking at them, and some excited children had raised their hands high, shouting "yes", Dan smiled and sat in front of the old piano beside him, his slender fingers falling down. On the black and white keys, the first note was played.

……

"Ready for the No. 1 sniper position, remember our mission objective, you can shoot."

……

"Highonahill was alonely goatherd

Layeeodllalayeeodllayheehoo

Loud was the voice of the lonely goatherd

Layeeodllalayeeodl-oo

Folksina town that was quite remote mote heard

Layeeodllalayeeodllayheehoo

Lusty and clear from the goatherd's throatheard

Layeeodllalayeeodl-oo."

……

August's right eye aimed at C's upper arm through the scope, time seemed to be frozen on his fingers, his breathing was still steady and long, and with a light click, accompanied by a muffled sound, the bullets whizzed through the crowd, Hit C exactly.

"Hit the target, hit the target, B1 prepares to evacuate the crowd, the B2 action group implements the arrest, and the B2 action group implements the arrest."

……

"Okay, because you guys performed really well, now you can freely order the songs you want to sing, and then come on stage and perform with us!" Mia's voice put the cello aside, and walked to the front of the stage: "Is there any little guy who volunteered? ah?"

"I'm coming, I'm coming!"

"Miss Field, me!"

"I want to sing "Edelweiss" again!"

"I want to sing "Little Star"!"

……

"Target contained, repeat, target contained, we need an ambulance."

The general in front of the monitor screen obviously breathed a sigh of relief: "The sniper retreats, and the B2 team takes people back to the command center. The ambulance is waiting for you here." After a pause, he added: "Sniper No. 1 , well done!"

……

"How is it, how does it feel to bring up a child for the first time?" Mia's eyes were full of misery.

Dan exaggeratedly sighed: "The only feeling is - I'm starving to death!"

"I come here almost every month. It seems that they like you very much too. Do you want to come together next month?"

"Of course—together, but you'll have to teach me the song 'Silent Night' that your brother plays on the harmonica."

Mia reached out and gave him a high five: "Then it's settled."

……

"Attention all units, close the team, all snipers return to the command center, repeat, close the team..."

August disassembled the sniper rifle and put it into the weapon bag, then retreated from the attic.

Standing on the street outside again, he suddenly felt that the sun was a little glaring.Raising his right hand to block it in front of his eyes, he quickly recovered his usual expressionless face and walked towards the blue container a street away.