In a Moscow building belonging to the Center for Abnormal Phenomena, an attempt on the director’s life and the lives of his business partners is carried out during an important meeting. At the same time, a hunt begins for everyone connected to the old coup in the Zone, with the aim of seizing crystals capable of producing anomalies. It’s obvious that an unknown third force is working against them, equipped with powerful military resources.
Answers are kept on the “Vertical”—a special prison for former stalkers, where Borland conducts his own investigation using his methods. Work must be done quickly, because it becomes clear that the enemies are planning to create a Zone in Moscow, and they need to be stopped at any cost.