Ghost Of The Zero Line

The sound of rain stopped, and everything gradually became quiet.

Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows was a rainy harbor. A crane's arm slowly rose, its lights alternating between bright and dim, the massive equipment casting faint reflections on the black sea surface.

Ethan Martinez wore a black suit with sleeves rolled up to his forearms and two buttons undone at the collar.

A woman lay on her side next to Ethan, sheer fabric slipping down to her hips, her body forming graceful curves.

The room's furnishings were simple—just a bed, a lounge chair, and a world map hanging on the wall with slightly curled edges, as if it had been folded repeatedly.

Several pins were stuck in the middle of the map: one in Eastern Europe, one in North Africa, one in South America, and the last one in the Atlantic Ocean.

"Thinking about him again?"

The woman turned over, the sheer fabric sliding off. She didn't care at all about exposing her body in front of the man. Her voice was soft, as if afraid of disturbing something.

Ethan didn't turn around. He put a lighter in his pocket, his voice calm, "The people you shouldn't think about are always the ones who come back most often."

Lena Davis stood in place, pushing a cup of coffee toward Ethan. Steam rose from the cup, carrying a faint scent of mint and ginger.

"We're already back."

Lena moved closer, pressing Ethan's hand against her chest, then continued, "You've got your clearance back, your identity restored. Even headquarters' restricted areas opened for you. What are you still worried about?"

Ethan slowly turned around. The light fell on his face, his features sharp as a blade. This face had different names in different countries: Ethan, Kay, EK, Raven, Zero... but no one knew which was the real one.

"Worried?" Ethan's hand gently traced along Lena's body.

Lena trembled slightly as if shocked, her cheeks quickly flushing red, "Then who are you worried about?"

Ethan didn't answer. He quickly stood up and opened the laptop on the desk.

On the screen was a blurry video, seemingly from a parking lot, shot from a low angle, like hidden camera footage. In the footage, a man in a black trench coat walked past a commercial van.

Lena didn't bother getting dressed and rushed over, "Who is this?"

Ethan smiled faintly, "Kane Collins."

"Him? Isn't he already dead?" Lena's expression changed dramatically.

"That's right, he is dead. In fact, Kane has died three times."

Ethan zoomed in on the image, revealing a black ring with an inverted triangle symbol in the center.

"Black Triangle!" Lena immediately tensed up.

Ethan nodded, "Yes, exactly. The assassin organization's mark. People who don't know think it's a medal."

Lena fell silent for a moment, as if pushing her fear back down, then said, "You mean they're coming back for you?"

"They don't have the guts. I think their purpose is to remind me it's time to return to my position." Ethan closed the laptop, his tone turning ice cold.

Lena's breathing became rapid. She didn't care about getting dressed anymore, her chest rising and falling, "Ethan, what are you going to do?"

Ethan didn't answer. He walked straight to the map and smoothed out the curled edges.

"I just don't want to be passive. I want to make the first move for once." Ethan's tone was very calm.

"Headquarters won't let you do this. They need you to clean up messes, not walk into traps." Lena said.

Ethan's mouth twitched, "I know headquarters too well. What clean up messes—I'm just a chess piece to them."

"Ethan, it's not what you think. Tell me, what really happened during that mission back then? Why does it seem like Kane is specifically looking for you every time he appears? What's the relationship between you two?" Lena asked nervously.

"No relationship, only imitation. Sometimes, he is me, and I am him." Ethan said.

Lena wanted to ask more, but her phone suddenly rang. She looked down—the caller ID showed an unknown number.

Lena instantly felt cold all over. Ethan quickly grabbed the phone, "Zero, you think just because you're back, you can settle things from the past?"

The other person seemed to laugh, his voice hoarse, "You still understand me. Ethan, I'm giving you three hours. Come to the port warehouse. Better come alone, or else..."

Before he finished speaking, a massive explosion came from the warehouse.

The room's windows shattered. Lena was thrown onto the bed by the blast wave, her delicate body curling into a ball.

A large piece of glass flew toward Ethan. He swatted it away with one hand, grabbed his coat, and rushed out.

"Ethan, you knew someone was at the port all along! You deliberately put that pin there!" Lena shouted, clutching her body.

Ethan stopped at the door, "But I didn't know he would blow up the port. He's already started moving. I have to stop him!"

Lena grabbed a bedsheet and wrapped it around herself, "I'm coming with you!"

"No need. You stay here."

Ethan took out a slender metal case from his pocket containing an earpiece the size of a pea and a needle-like injector. He inserted the earpiece into Lena's ear.

Lena gripped Ethan's hand tightly, "This is a trap. You can't go—going means death! Headquarters won't support you."

"That's why I'm going alone. I'm the one he's looking for. Remember, don't trust anyone until I come back!"

With that, Ethan threw on his coat, pulled open the door, and rushed into the rain.

The door closed. Only the sound of rain and distant burning explosions remained in the room.

Lena wiped away a tear and quickly opened the computer. A new folder appeared on the screen, named K.

Lena took a deep breath and opened the folder.

Inside was only one video. In it were two men—one was a warehouse manager, the other a dock worker. Both were tied to chairs with their hands behind their backs, mouths wrapped with black tape.

In front of the camera was a pair of black boots. The boots slowly walked forward, stopping in front of the two men.

The person spoke slowly, voice sharp and piercing, "Lena, I know you're watching this video. If Ethan is with you, tell him—if he doesn't come in three hours, I'll throw these two into the sea. Then comes the next batch."

The man paused after speaking, as if savoring something, then continued, "And after that, it's you!"

Lena was startled and quickly tried to close the video, but no matter what she did, it kept playing smoothly.

In the video, the man turned around, patted a nearby steel beam, "This structure is very interesting—blow up one beam and a whole section of the building collapses."