Then, without warning, a low and threatening growl rumbled from her throat.

Andrei sensed the shift immediately. The air seemed to thicken around them, and the terminal noise faded like in a dream. The woman — a thin brunette, eyes swollen with fatigue, pale-faced — clutched the stroller handle in desperation and stammered:

— Take the dog away from my baby!

But Luna didn’t obey. For the first time in her career, she didn’t respond to her handler’s command. With astonishing speed, she lunged at the stroller, her heavy paws slamming into the plastic frame. The blue blanket slipped away, and what came into view froze everyone in place.

Under the baby blanket, there was no infant. Instead, a thermal bag lay nestled between the pillows, carefully sealed. Labels in Russian and Chinese were stuck on it, marked with biological hazard symbols. Shiny containers could