The frozen perimeter behind the facility had transformed into an absolute killbox. Ten high-intensity laser apertures remained locked onto the center of Abir's chest rig. Vladislav dropped his half-burnt cigar into the snow, crushing it beneath the heel of his tactical boot, a smug, victorious grin stretching across his scarred face.
"Checkmate, Abir Khan," Vladislav purred, his voice carrying over the sub-zero wind. "My snipers track faster than your hands can draw. Goodbye, legend of the East."
Vladislav raised his right hand, preparing to drop the firing execution cue. Arisa's fingers dug into the ballistic nylon of Abir's vest, her breath hitching. But Abir didn't flinch. Instead, his left thumb casually depressed a single detonate toggle on a localized transmitter concealed in his palm.
*Beep. Beep.*
Before the Russian snipers could depress their triggers, four heavy-payload RPG rounds screamed through the treeline, tearing the sub-zero silence to shreds. The tactical emplacements and snowmobiles behind Vladislav's firing squad erupted into massive pillars of kinetic fire. *BOOM! BOOM!*
The sudden overpressure sent severed metal and burning debris raining over the tundra. Breaking through the dense smoke, four heavy armored personnel carriers (APCs) crashed through the perimeter, their mounted M2 Browning machine guns instantly opening fire, chewing through Vladislav's outer line.
Rider slammed his cabin door open, a tactical submachine gun slung over his shoulder. "Boss! Shadow Syndicate has cleared the airspace! The perimeter is ours!"
The tactical dynamic inverted in a heartbeat. The arrogance vanished from Vladislav's eyes, replaced by absolute panic. As he attempted to retreat toward his secondary transport, Abir advanced.
Step by step, Abir closed the distance, his twin Desert Eagles raised with lethal precision. The heat from the burning wreckage cast long, dancing shadows across his cold, merciless face.
"You thought I came to Moscow to play by your rules, Vladislav?" Abir growled, his gray eyes burning brighter than the explosions around them. "When Abir Khan enters a country, he brings the entire army of hell with him, brother."
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