"We can't just leave directly—not in our current situation."
Revy spread out a map, pointing to a specific location for Misha to see."Gragul's location is too unusual… The surrounding mountains are nearly impassable. If even one regular army unit blocks the main road to the outside, this place becomes an inescapable internment camp."
"And my point of entry has most likely been exposed. Even if it hasn't, with a snowstorm this size, there's no guarantee that the internal structure hasn't collapsed. If we get trapped, our situation will become even more dangerous."
"The ice covering the northern lake is less than half a meter thick. There should be an underground river beneath, but with the current temperature, anyone going that way without proper equipment is signing their death warrant."
Misha said nothing—her expression was extremely grim.
There had almost never been any high-risk prisoner who managed to escape Siberia. Ever since her younger brother had been abducted by an unknown organization, her father had essentially abandoned the family. In his eyes, perhaps his political position was worth more than his daughter's life.
So when her mother and she were sentenced and shipped to this frozen hell—left to die with the other Infected—her father hadn't even blinked.
Three years had passed. Thanks to her mother's protection, Misha had barely clung to life. But a month ago, her mother died of illness, and not long after, Misha herself became infected.
She had long since grown numb to the endless labor and constant fear in the mines. When her mother died, she was ready to follow.But unexpectedly… someone had saved her and brought her here.
(So… am I supposed to live on? Even though I've already lost nearly everything?)
Misha couldn't answer her own question.
"To get out of this situation, we need to achieve three things," Revy said calmly. "One, weaken the garrison. Two, disrupt their tracking methods. Three, find a concrete means of escaping Gragul. And of course—number three is the most critical."
"Even without that third one," Misha replied coldly, "the first two are practically impossible. The troops stationed in Siberia are Rebepa—trained specifically for scouting and killing. They're elite and highly disciplined. They'd never abandon their posts for any reason."
"But there is one condition under which they will abandon their posts," Revy smiled subtly. "The condition… is when doing so is actually them fulfilling their duty."
Misha blinked in realization.
"…You mean—me?"
——————
One day later, the explosion that ripped through Gragul shocked every soldier and prisoner in the camp.
The smarter inmates immediately linked the explosion to the recent escape attempt. The guards—who had already assumed the fugitives had frozen to death—immediately dispatched large-scale search teams.
This time, orders from above were absolute: no matter if the fugitives surrendered or not, they were to be executed on the spot.
Such bold provocation had become a direct slap to the face of the Ursus military.
Meanwhile, under the cover of the blizzard, two figures quietly returned to Gragul's mining camp.
"They'll realize it's a trick soon," Revy murmured in a deserted corner of the compound.
"But it doesn't matter. Right now, every soldier in Gragul is scouring the wilderness for you. None of them would ever think… that we'd return to the cage."
"But we're also back to square one."
Misha's voice was filled with doubt.
Revy, however, simply smiled.
"To break out of a place like this, you can't expect it to happen all at once. You can't expect it to be painless. Without taking risks, there's no way to secure the conditions needed for escape."
Their goal had been simple: the first strike was merely a probe.
The guards wouldn't leave the facility unguarded. Most likely, they would deploy scouts toward the blast site and then expand the perimeter based on possible escape routes. After all, Gragul wasn't a big place—if even one team found a trace of the fugitives, the others could converge immediately to execute them.
So then, where was the safest place when the prison was hunting for escapees?
The prison cell.
After all, who would believe that someone who'd finally escaped… would willingly go back?
Misha recalled how Revy had explained it:
"Crisis Contract's plan was simple and brutal—use force to extract you.But unless you reach a certain power level, challenging an army with just brute force is suicidal.So our escape must come from a completely unexpected angle—create a situation where, even if the military realizes we've escaped, they can't chase us."
(…Is that kind of scenario really possible?)
Misha didn't know. But so far, every single plan Revy had made had gone perfectly.
"We've earned a brief moment of advantage. The next phase begins tonight."
Revy glanced at Misha. Her eyes were dark with fatigue—her body worn down by hope, despair, and unrelenting tension.
"Rest for a bit. I'll wake you when it's time."
——————
"Operation to infiltrate Chernobog will be led by me. Operator Ace and his E3 squad will provide support. Operator Nearl's E4 squad is in charge of extraction. Scout team will recon and coordinate."
"I, along with Operator Dobermann, will lead squads E1 and E2 for the VIP rescue. Any questions?"
It was Amiya speaking.
Due to Revy's sudden disappearance, the operation had been pushed back for three days. But time was precious for Rhodes Island—they couldn't afford delays just for one person.
"…If there are no objections, this meeting is dismissed."
As the others filtered out, Amiya's presence seemed to shrink. Even her long ears drooped slightly.
(Doctor Kelsey said… this operation might cost many lives…)
(But we have no other choice. We are all—Arknights.)