“Do we still have any binoculars?” Zhang Yu, back by the fire, patted a man on the back and led him aside into the corridor to ask in a low voice.
“What do you need that thing for at this hour? It’s pitch black out here.“
Zhang Yu lowered his head in thought, then lifted it and said, “You’re right. It seems something might show up later; go find a few binoculars for now, and we’ll take a look when the time comes.“
The man across from him nodded and left. Zhang Yu, standing still, still had a gut feeling that something was off.
As someone sent by the organization, in what amounted to a semi-exile, to oversee the auction of the city’s equipment as a liaison, Zhang Yu knew he was still here because of a certain innate talent and the fact that he’d put in a little effort early in the morning handling Kim·Featherman and other Kim Bei old-timers. After all, the entire organization had been set up, and the blame wasn’t his alone to shoulder.
“Since my gut tells me something’s wrong, then there must be details that have already reached my brain and been unconsciously summed up. It’s just that they haven’t caught the notice of my otherwise broad-minded nature.“
He reminded himself under his breath.
Should I go check? But the equipment is the priority, not to mention there’s still the task of keeping the fire going, and I’ve already prepared to have binoculars ready just in case. As for how well I’ve carried out my work… he gave himself a mental score: out of a hundred, a solid seventy to eighty—good enough.
In the past, his rating might have been even higher, leaving him more satisfied. But at this very moment, having been played for a fool by the spies, Zhang Yu dared not entertain such thoughts again.
The priority, he thought, was still to get the message back to the “Golden Shell Heritage Command Center. “
As for tracking, the role of protecting the equipment was far too conspicuous in a place like this.
Zhang Yu scanned the buzzing, crowd-filled classroom and laid eyes on someone by a window. He gave a slight nod and tilted his head, gesturing towards the school square. The other person quickly slipped out through another door and made their way down the stairs.
……
Beneath the vast dome of the sky, Double Shot City on the desolate plains gave off a certain air of noise and activity.
“What exactly have you released? “
Inside Double Shot City, perched on a small hill, people clad in merchant guild robes, hearts trembling, gazed furiously at the old guild master before them.
He shoves this scumbag, Celulas, face down to the ground, questioning him by pulling his hair.
Spitting a mouthful of blood, Celulas answered in a faint tone, and the old man leaned in to listen.
Amid the crowd, the light-purple-haired girl who had been peering through her scope, watched as the old guild master lunged forward, slamming Celulas’s head into the ground with a loud “Peng— “. Following a grunt, she rose to her feet, her gaze averting. The sudden movement made her shoulders tense.
“This spy is very likely from the ‘Lion Corps’ special business intelligence department. “
Geroge looked over the room at his guild members, clearly terrified by his outburst. “We’ve been here this long… and to think such a mole has been lurking within us. “
“Then, what about tonight’s job? ” a few of them asked hesitantly.
Seeing the dazed and shocked state of the few people, Old Merchant Guild Leader Qiaogen realized that he had gone a bit overboard.
Clearly, they were all people who had worked meticulously in recent years, made very few mistakes, and been selected for their qualified mental strength. He let out a sigh.
“Put the telescope back in the box, and then you all go into the room to rest for a bit. “
Hesitating for a moment, the few of them each stepped forward toward the wooden box that had been brought over, and placed the telescope from their hands back inside. Finally back in the warm room, everyone was still a bit subdued, only chattering softly about a few specifics.
The purple-haired girl returned to her bedroom with a heavy heart. After lingering inside for a while, she picked up her own ordinary telescope from the table, walked to the window with a sigh, and took out the dossier sheet from her bosom, carefully studying the portrait and text on it.
Then she raised the telescope to her eyes and looked toward the horizon.
“President Yangliner. We feel your gaze. We await your return. “
……
Stephen Fen, Southern Xinji City.
Some documents were gathered in the noisy council chamber, which had been converted from a residential building.
“Ladies and gentlemen, some documents originally meant to reach us were intercepted by a gentleman from the Old Angel Foundation. “
The moment the woman who entered with documents spoke, everyone sitting here looked up sharply at her. She said:
“Fortunately, one of our specialists received information relayed from other regions through a different channel. That’s how we discovered this portion, which should have arrived before now. “
“What is it? “
“It’s what I have in my hands. ” The woman shook the documents in her hand. “Through collating information from various sources, we’ve learned that an organization is conducting operations we currently cannot comprehend. Notably, one of the trade associations involved is called Octagon. “
She walked over to the table and began distributing a thin stack to each person. A middle-aged man chewing on a hand-rolled cigar took his share, laid it among the mountainous pile of documents, and started reading.
“There’s a lot of bluff and bluster here, ” Geruifen remarked with a puff of smoke and a snort.
The woman continued as she walked: “If it were about magic pattern etching, there would be no need for things like telescopes. As for esoteric rituals, since they don’t involve advanced science and technology capable of creating demons, I doubt any of us have found a target we can crack. “
“Let’s not jump to conclusions, ” said the cigar-smoking man, looking over the document in his hand. “The experience of the Hellfire Sect has taught us that some things are worthy of awe. Just like those anomalous zones and Miasma Pollution we can’t understand. And then there was that assassination attempt on Chairman Yang yesterday. “
“There’s the blessing of luck too, isn’t there? They have a way of doing such things to themselves. “
Ring-ring-ring.
“Hello, Archives Analysis Division, File No.10 of the Luckyun’s Unicorn Legion. “
Suddenly, the person at the table holding the phone stood up in shock.
Geruifen looked up at him.
“You mean, the organization exposed this time, according to the World Ark personnel, is connected to someone who escaped by sea last night? “
The man across the table bent down, reached out, and handed over the phone. Geruifen took it and placed it against his ear. A voice that sounded familiar and sent chills down his back came through from the other end.
— “According to our analysis, the Fogfolk might employ the method of channeling the power of the divine man, Sjölfnirs Min. “
“That’s impossible. “
— “That is just one possibility. Combined with Chairman Yang’s precognitive operation last night, there is a sixty-percent chance that we believe Chairman Yang of the World Ark once again possesses the ability to foresee the future—the emergence of such a precognitive user—and offered a hint. “
Geruifen, silent with a pipe clamped between his teeth, listened to the low buzz in the earpiece. “…Your department needs to contact the Prime Minister’s office of Hestefen and hand over this intelligence dossier. The broadcasts have to continue and must not cease. The story of the Broken Glass Lamp needs faster, broader, and uninterrupted coverage over all inhabited Human regions. “
Geruifen’s eyes shifted. “I understand. “
……
Inside the room where the Old General was.
Beside the wooden table, a Twin Lion’s officer, his uniform cinched tight by a leather belt at the waist, placed the telephone receiver down and set it back onto its base.
“They’ve accepted our suggestion. “
“That’ll do. Now carry on analyzing the rest of the intelligence. “
The aging Old General fixed his eyes upon the many books and documents gathered on the wooden table in front of him.
“Who is our enemy? Which nation does Chairman Yang belong to among the Fogfolk, and what cultural influence has he received? And the past materials the intelligence transmitter has been exposed to. These can help us narrow down the scope of our screening. “
“Yes, sir. “
A few of them straightened their backs, then took their seats and began picking up various documents from the table to read.
The elderly man’s gaze fell on the materials in front of him for a few moments. Before him lay selections extracted from the pile of collected documents—those related to their own nationality, the only ones they had been able to gather.
He reached out and picked up a thin booklet, flipping open the first page, which read, “Having a name is the beginning of all things. “
He gave it a brief glance, then continued flipping through.
Suddenly, a phone rang. The Old General looked up to see an officer beside the phone pick it up, a slight change in expression before handing the phone over.
“It’s from the Office of Prime Minister Stephen. “
“Hmm? ” The old man looked over, puzzled for a moment, then considered before reaching out sideways to take the phone and holding it to his ear.
— “Hello, this is Parris. “
The old man’s hand, still gripping the book, nearly crumpled the thin booklet.
— “I suggest temporarily granting the broadcasting rights of the World Ark to the newly declared Twin Lions Republic. Our Prime Minister Stephen has already adopted this proposal and is communicating with the organization’s head.“
“This is truly an unexpected piece of news. Our Twin Lions General Staff will immediately make preparations, looking forward to your good news with respect. “
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