The night had fallen over the western outskirts of the city.Golden streetlights quietly filtered through the tree canopies, casting shadows of a woman walking swiftly down a deserted alley—quick, silent, and precise.
An Tĩnh, codename "Shadow Kill", one of the top assassins of an international underground organization, had just completed a mission in Europe and was reassigned to her home country for a special target: Lưu Thành, a weapons trafficker and a traitor once listed under top secret protection.
"Retrieve the USB he holds. Then eliminate him." — the commander's voice echoed in her earpiece.
It sounded simple.But nothing in an assassin's life ever is.
Infiltrating Lưu Thành's mansion was easy. With instincts honed to perfection, she slipped past the guards like a shadow. She reached the office door, gun ready, heart steady—just like every other mission.
Except for one thing.
When she pushed open the door, it wasn't Lưu Thành trembling in fear.
It was… a little girl, about five years old, staring at her with wide, innocent eyes, clutching a worn-out teddy bear.
On the floor, a phone lay with an unfinished call still active. The window behind... empty. He had fled.
"Damn it." — Tĩnh muttered, instinctively lowering her weapon.
The child didn't cry. She simply asked, voice soft as the wind:
"Are you… my new mommy?"
Tĩnh froze. That single question stirred something long-buried within her steel-forged heart.
Alarm sirens blared outside. Guards stormed in from the back entrance. Gunfire tore through the silence like a storm.
Tĩnh snapped back into assassin mode. She grabbed the child, rolled behind the desk, shielding her with her body. One hand drew a hidden blade from her belt, the other held the girl close.
Three shots. Two men fell. Heavy footsteps, then silence.
Only ragged breathing and the child's terrified eyes remained.
Tĩnh set the girl down, preparing to leave. But tiny hands clutched her coat.
"Please don't leave me… I have no one else."
Her heart clenched.For a moment, the screams from her past, the explosions, the image of her real parents dying in a massacre… all came rushing back.
She gripped her gun tightly—then holstered it.
"What's your name?"
"Hạ Vy…"The girl lowered her head, voice trembling but clear. An Tĩnh blinked slowly.
She touched the communicator at her collar, her voice calm as ever:
"The target escaped. Before fleeing, he left behind his daughter. I have located the child."
The cold voice on the other end didn't hesitate:
"Bring the child in. For now, she's your responsibility. Someone will pick her up later."
Tĩnh hesitated.
For the first time in her assassin life—she felt… unsure.
"I… have no experience taking care of kids."
"That's an order."
A beat of silence. Then she nodded, though no one could see it.
"Understood."
Communication ended. Tĩnh looked down at the girl clinging to her hand—still scared, but no longer shaking.
She exhaled and muttered:
"What kind of damn mission is this..."
Silence engulfed the mansion entrance. Snow began to fall.White flakes drifting down like a cruel contrast to the bloodstains on the stone floor.
She crouched down and turned her back.
"Climb on."
Hạ Vy hesitated but obediently wrapped her small arms around An Tĩnh's neck.
Black boots pressed through the thin snow, leaving a long trail toward the city. Under dim streetlights slicing through the snowfall, their shadows stretched far across the frozen pavement.
From An Tĩnh's right arm, blood dripped steadily—staining the snow like crimson petals.A wound from shielding Hạ Vy when the guards had opened fire.
She didn't flinch.She didn't look back.She simply walked.As if pain and death were lifelong companions.
Only this time,on her back was a fragile life that needed protection.
The apartment complex came into view through the snow.She entered the code. Warm yellow light spilled from within.
An Tĩnh laid Hạ Vy down on the sofa of her neat little flat.The girl had fallen asleep, head resting on her shoulder, breathing soft.
She removed the gun from her belt, placed it on the table, and finally looked at her bloodied arm.
"Orders are orders… but the organization's playing dirty this time."
She smirked—not sure if it was amusement or exhaustion.
Snow still fell outside.And tonight… An Tĩnh was no longer alone.
She had just finished tending her wound when her smart watch buzzed.
[🔒 Encrypted Message – From: THE ORGANIZATION]"Keep the child safe. Ensure no one finds her. We'll retrieve her after dealing with her biological mother."
An Tĩnh froze.
"Biological mother...?"
She looked at the sleeping Hạ Vy.
A chill deeper than the snow spread across her eyes.
"So… what's the real mission?