Standing and looking at his surroundings, Raven decided that he would never be in such a situation again – coming somewhere with offers and being in a position where you could be slapped without an obituary and then tell everyone you weren't even here. He had sort of hoped that Gora would be more vulnerable and weaker after the assassination attempt, fearing for his power and life, but in fact he had only put down stronger roots here, and would only grow stronger, clinging to everything around him.

– It was a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Prefect," Raven said and left without waiting for a response or any reaction to his movements from the guards watching him, who could easily shoot him if he did. He knew that although he could not do anything, he had to save face – his offer had been rejected, and now he would not offer anything. He would only wait for the time when the offers would come to him. And such times could well be waiting.

***

It was fresh and sunny on the surface. Raven had never thought those two factors would be so important to him. He had spent so much time in bunkers and dugouts of all kinds. He had not seen the sun or the moon for days on end, and it did not seem to him to be some kind of test, just a part of security.

But now, surrounded by his personal guard company near the main administrative building of the Deese sector, he felt like he had climbed out of the underworld, where everything around him was pressing so hard that he wanted to shoot himself just to be free of it. No, this man is definitely very dangerous. A year ago, Hora was only a hint of some role in the Slavic Column, now it looks like it's becoming a force to be reckoned with for the entire Empire.

Koshkina

to

Zhivenko

After the transition, which lasted all night, the entire newly formed Khmelnitsky's unit stopped to camp near the town of Liman, almost 30 kilometers from Severodonetsk. They had to move over quite difficult terrain, and it turned out that not for nothing – scouts sent in different directions reported about the close proximity to them fighting certain units. There was no doubt that these were Hiwis, and that they were gradually slamming the trap created in Severodonetsk.

Khmelnitsky would have done it himself in their place. And he had even said so directly to Zubkov. As much as he did not want to help him, but the detachment-14 that had been gathered for so many years and the goals for which it was gathered were much higher than the importance of the one who would lead it. And yet the calculation was wrong – Zubkov refused to believe that the situation was serious. He said it was too far from the enemy's main supply points, and with winter coming soon, it would be suicidal.

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