It didn't take long before Mika's operation evolved into a full-scale system, one so organized, efficient, and perfectly synchronized that it felt like an orchestrated rescue mission.
Mika, who was now walking on his own, would first select a spear, test its balance with a flick of his wrist, and then hurl it downward into the snow.
Once the spear vanished beneath the white surface, he'd wait just a few seconds, his ear subtly tuned to the faint shift in vibration that would come from the rope when it was grabbed, that only he seemed able to sense, before he would shout the cue.
"Team six! Pull that spear up—now!"
Immediately, the four-man group assigned to that section would grab the rope and start heaving with every ounce of strength they had. As the spear was pulled upward, the rope stretched taut—followed by the unmistakable sight of a hand breaking through the snow, clutching desperately at life.
Each time, cheers filled the valley.
