A sudden click echoed behind her. A figure stepped out of the shadows, his eyes glinting with a mix of curiosity and menace. “You’re not the only one hunting ghosts,” he rasped. “Name’s Mikhail Petrov. I’m a journalist—if you’re looking for a story, I’m your man.” Elena hesitated, then nodded. The world of secrets was never a solo venture. Back at Elena’s cramped flat, the two set up a makeshift workstation: an old Soviet Elektronika BK‑0010 , a salvaged IBM 3380 tape drive, and a cracked open Linux distro humming on a battered laptop. The magnetic tape, retrieved from the vault’s inner safe, hissed as it spun.