"Exactly," Elizaveta said admonishingly. "The power has been out for a long time, the power poles felled several days ago—the upturned earth has already dried out, and the torn wires are still lying on the ground. That means the residents' cell phones should be dead by now. And if we don't let the locals send a messenger, we'll be able to live in the village in complete peace."
The idea seemed sound. I ordered the girls of the second and third six, led by Margo and Bestia, to arm themselves with machine guns and cordon off the village. The former schoolgirls were instructed to monitor not only the sky but also the surrounding area, and not to allow any locals beyond the cordon without my permission.
Kuzmich approached again, the old man quite agitated. His watchful gaze hadn't missed the
