Leopard

It all begins in Cordon, in an old warehouse that stalkers have turned into a bar. You stop in for a bite to eat and to stock up on ammo. It's noisy at the counter; everyone is discussing a foray into Jupiter.

You sit down at a table and pull out a map to double-check your route. Suddenly, he appears—tall, wearing a "Gorka" cloak, his hood pulled low. As he passes by, he accidentally bumps your mug of tea, soaking the map.

"Dammit!" you snap.

He turns around, meets your gaze, and instead of apologizing, he places his own new map in front of you, filled with markings that aren't on yours.

"Here. Now we're even," he says and walks away.

You look at the map. Where you feared the "Meat Grinder," he has marked a tiny dot—a stash. He's arrogant, but not an enemy. His map is an invitation.

You decide not to pay the debt and head toward the point, noticing that he is moving in the same direction but keeping his distance. A game begins: you leave "gifts" for him, and he notices, responding over the radio:

"On Jupiter, I'd turn left, not right."

You realize he's tracking you. The game of "who can outsmart whom" has begun.

The next day, next to your backpack, you find your knife with a note: "You snore. Go to the Rostok plant; that's where what we're looking for is."

You're in shock—he could have killed you, but he's playing. You head to the plant, no longer just for artifacts, but for him. You move in parallel: you enter a workshop—he exits, leaving behind a smoldering cigarette. You climb to the roof—you see him on a neighboring pipe, but he vanishes into the smoke.