As soon as the roofless off-road jeep came to a stop in the distance, a soldier of the infantry, wearing a steel helmet, leaped out.
By the dim maintenance net on the edge of the airfield, an elderly Air Force officer, about sixty years old, dressed in a dark, thin trench coat, stepped forward to meet him.
“What’s the matter? “
“Urgent situation. Please halt all pilots’ flight missions. There are new orders here. “
The old officer’s expression turned stern as he took the document delivered, glanced at the embossed seal, snapped it open with a flick of his wrist, and then his eyes shifted slightly.
“A classified mission. “
The rugged infantry soldier, his skin weathered but his spirit sharp, said with precise formality as a faint, intense aura surrounded him:
“Immediately dispatch the relevant technical personnel as requested and come with me! “
The old Air Force officer glanced once more at the content on the paper, conveyed through the primitive method of using sheets and words. What was recorded were merely some technical personnel assignments related to flight attitude and load calculations, a halt to the current flight mission, and a few new orders from the Special Defense Command. This was already the second directive within this short night.
“New broom sweeps clean, ” the old officer muttered, but then considered that perhaps it was not simply about unfamiliarity with the procedures. Clearly, something urgent had arisen that required a complete reassignment. Yet, what exactly it was remained unclear.
……
Except for the Admiral and the members of the World Ark itself.
Information concerning the five individuals who had entered the Relief Committee’s headquarters in Tarco and touched the Key had been sent to the desk of the head of the Haven Intelligence Department.
Alongside this was a stack of personnel lists urgently compiled by the department’s staff.
Although the individuals on this stack of lists had never been to the World Ark headquarters for a secret meeting with Vice President Wager, they were the ones currently aware that the command authority over the Air Strike Command had been transferred to the Special Defense Command.
This man, in his forties, bore some wrinkled creases on his face, with a faint scar on his chin below the jaw. He turned the shade of the round desk lamp to shine directly on the pile of materials before him and gestured for the three others in the room to take their seats around the table.
“Director Long, regarding the foreigners who still wish to head north of the city, we have temporarily asked them to submit more new identification documents, ” one of them said.
“Mm. Don’t display too much scrutiny on the surface. “
During the briefing, this person mainly focused his attention on the information of the five individuals who had touched the Key.
He spread apart the five thin sheets of paper on top of his desk, looking at the names and nationalities written on them, along with the more detailed intelligence gathered on these individuals in a short period.
“These five… Well, being able to identify the senior special agents from other countries hiding in our capital through tonight’s secret meeting is itself an exchange condition tacitly approved by the top brass of their own countries. “
Minister Long said while moving aside the first sheet he had carefully read, his gaze shifting to the information on the second sheet, which belonged to a woman from the Solcian nation.
“But now among these five, there is no personnel from Schtevfen. “
The middle-aged man to the right of the table snorted:
“Currently, there is no evidence to suggest that these five have had contact with our internal leakers. However, the fact that they all obtained information about what the World Ark released at the earliest opportunity… their reaction speed is just too quick. “
“Ha, they themselves probably wouldn’t believe it if they said they have no moles feeding them intelligence from among our ranks. “
A young man wearing a grey-collared shirt seated across the table pondered for a moment, then responded:
“These five are the most important special envoys of their respective countries, being one in a million in terms of both ability and other aspects. It cannot be ruled out that they independently discerned this content using covertly established intelligence-acquisition methods. “
“Indeed, the World Ark headquarters is under the watch of many factions. The place is also crowded and chaotic; any sign of trouble will show itself. For our top intelligence gatherers, just based on the General’s itinerary tonight, a lot can be deduced. “
Minister Long, without lifting his head, replied to the speaker on his left:
“You’re saying that none of the five are Stelfen spies. “
“Exactly. If the insider who obtained the handover intel for complete command of the Air Force and immediately reported it to Stelfen is also the one supplying information to someone among the five, then wouldn’t Stelfen’s actions likely expose that both the insider and that particular individual among the five are their people? “
“That wouldn’t be good news, ” laughed the young man sitting opposite at the table.
“That means our General has at least two, maybe even six rats pilfering corn from his side. “
This was spoken half-jokingly. After all, an ear of corn wasn’t something worth exposing for agents almost as deeply hidden as the Special Defense Command personnel.
“Two possibilities, maybe. “
Minister Long, who had been propping himself up on the table, shifted a second piece of paper over and looked at the third file—the information on the man from the Grand Duchy of Herzog Hölzburg—saying:
_”First: Stelfen believes that an informant capable of providing intel does indeed exist, and that this is worth the sacrifice.
After all, exchanging a map for our reaction to gauge the safety of their air force, which must be controlled by the Wraithmen, is more important. Stelfen’s territory is several times ours, and they have multiple the number of aircraft. _”
The others nodded to themselves. That was one plausible theory.
The minister’s voice carried a hint of confusion as he continued:
“The second possibility… First of all, it is highly likely that our headquarters has informants from certain countries. ” He emphasized this point before adding, “Assuming this mole belongs to… a specific person. “
Minister Long’s tone assumed a contemplative cadence, speaking slowly at first, but gradually becoming smoother towards the end:
“Furthermore, the Sommerfeld side was unprepared to receive intelligence regarding the handover of Air Force command authority. And they reacted in this manner. “
The three men by the table all leaned forward slightly.
The person on the left shifted his eyes sideways:
“You’re saying that the Sommerfeld side also doesn’t know who tipped them off, so they don’t care. “
The person on the right said, “Or perhaps Sommerfeld has guesses about who this person is but isn’t sure, so while vaguely informing us, they are using us to find the informant? “
In the room, several men pondered in silence for a few seconds.
Amidst faint sounds of breathing, a young man broke the quiet with his lowered gaze:
“It seems the Sommerfeld side doesn’t know exactly who that person is either. Hence, they stooped to hinting that our headquarters has a mole. “
“They might not have even been aware of the existence of the five before that. Nor did they intentionally use a fake flight plan map to test whether we would voluntarily disguise ourselves as their insider and prematurely leak the transfer-of-authority information. Because they could simply ignore our probe. “
Minister Long also nodded slowly, as if echoing this sentiment.
“Leave Sommerfeld aside for now and return to the informant. That their existence was exposed means they are certainly not our ultimate target. So… “
Director Long stared at the paper as he spoke:
“There’s a very high probability that, behind the hidden informant, one of the five is the source who obtained the secret meeting information. “
Having said that, he shifted his gaze from the information on the “Key Toucher ” from the Grand Duchy, nudged the paper aside with his finger, and looked toward the Key Toucher dispatched by the Kingdom of Crovia.
This man, in his fifties, was a sturdy and vigorous gentleman. The paper even included a clear photo of his face—an old picture from some newspapers—and his corresponding data was the most complete among the group.
The young man across the table fixed his eyes on the paper that Director Long had moved aside, reached out, and took the materials the Director had finished reading and memorizing.
The high-ranking officials of the Grand Duchy of Herchen Horchester had already taken refuge inside “Shadowvine Fortress. ” Amidst the unsettled public sentiment, they were fortunate to have their Marshal managing the refuge area, which was encircled by the seawater branches.
After scanning the information on this intelligence officer—who was presumably sent by the Grand Duchy’s renowned Marshal—the young man remarked, “Before the refuge began, he was a traveling merchant in the coastal cities… His resume is rich yet rather generic. “
Marshal indeed lives up to his reputation. In such a busy time, he still managed to arrange for a placement in Tarko to have an intelligence officer who could detect and appear at the World Ark headquarters at the very first moment.
Amid the crisp rustle of paper as two colleagues beside the table reached over and took the documents the Director had just finished reading, the young man perusing the materials thought of the Special Defense Command, and of Mr. Ross, who had only been a Major General just six months ago.
The General, who already held the heavy responsibilities of the Army and national defense, would likely become the new Marshal filling Hwenitzek’s decades-long vacancy after the Doomsday crisis.
……
On a noisy, open patch of ground, the small bonfire made of twigs quickly died down.
Military trucks rumbled past, and people clamored and pushed to get out of the way.
“You guys aren’t doing it right! ” shouted a warrior holding a shovel from the truck. “If this doesn’t work here, inspectors will be coming by soon. “
After the truck had driven away, the small fire, which hadn’t been burning well anyway, was completely extinguished.
The people on both sides of the road, roused from the nearby refuge areas, gathered together again, spitting against the dust.
“There’s just nothing to burn, ” someone complained.
“But the district overseer insists we must light a campfire. What are we supposed to use, our bed boards? “
“Then use the bed boards! ” a fierce roar came sharply from a man in uniform standing nearby.
“Everyone must get moving, now! This is a non-negotiable order. “
Many people in the crowd, who had been sighing, turned around and headed off bit by bit to find something combustible nearby.
Some, passing by a newly erected wall, picked up stray trash as they went. Others walked behind with empty hands, looking around busily.
Suddenly, the heavy, rapid sound of many footsteps came from the long street behind them.
Some of the refugee nationals here turned their heads to look back, and then more of them, who had no idea where to go for combustibles, were grabbed by their clothes by people behind them.
“Friends!” On the early morning street covered in a thin layer of dust, a lively, bustling crowd came squeezing down the road. They carried sofas and wooden stools, and some even hauled tung oil barrels, yet wore neat clothes and had clean skin.
“What’s this?” some refugees asked, somewhat puzzled.
“We’ve heard the announcement!“
These people, whose clothes were slightly cleaner and brighter, shouted, “If we all stick together, nothing will happen!“
“What’s the reasoning behind that?“
“Hey, are you going to burn all this furniture?” someone shouted.
“What’s the point of leaving them idle at home? Quick, lend a hand, friends!“
“Whoa!” The people on the street, who had been worrying about how to complete the task assigned by the camp manager, immediately burst into a clamor and ran towards the city folks.
“I’ll chop up the stools! Do you have an axe?“
“That’s a contraband item. Here, take this chair.“
“……“
Amid the noise and bustle of the street, the refugee camp manager finally breathed a sigh of relief as he saw the sofa being set ablaze first.
Amidst the crackling flames, the group burst into pleasurable laughter.
“Hey, that wall over there—part of it is staked with wooden planks. Can we take those down?” One man rushed over to ask this severely authoritative-looking man in uniform.
The refuge area administrator turned his head to glance at the distant wall, frowning slightly.
“If the wall is damaged. “
“Just sticking anything up there should be fine, I think. Or look, there’s some burnt charcoal over there. I’ll go collect it and dump it on the gap. Should be no problem. “
“Well… ” the administrator hesitated, nodding. “Can you find something else? That’s a big hole… “
“Then just make it into a door, ” said a passing refugee with pointed ears, breathing heavily, his voice filled with helpless urgency as he shouted to the crowd ahead:
“Hey! Can anyone spare me some planks, sirs? I’m from the neighboring district. “
……
The airship screen, which had gone dark for a moment, flickered back to life with a fluorescent glow.
Hailikoni, sitting at the edge of Fenny’s bed, heard the faint sound. She loosened her grip, stood up, turned around, and looked toward the blurry image.
“Ah, you troublesome man, ” Hailikoni murmured, a wistful smile curling at the corners of her mouth.
Her mother had already left the room. Catching a faint fragrance rising from her clothes, Hailikoni walked to the bedside and picked up the books and documents Xie Lin had left in the storage basket for her to read, then placed them back inside.
Though these were records of high-end technological data from the Golden Shell Federation, they had not turned into demons.
“The Golden Shell Federation, huh. Only those old gentlemen are still fighting for that name now. “
She sat down beside the storage basket, with no interest whatsoever in flipping through the books and materials at hand. Perhaps Mom still thought she could understand the language used in these academy documents, simply because passing the entrance exam required proficiency in several commonly used languages.
The faint broadcast sound had become somewhat hard to distinguish, as the airship had drifted to a higher altitude.
Yet, sensing her younger sister’s subtle, joyful spirit hidden within the voice, Koni still felt a growing comfort from deep within her heart. As long as Keln’s adventures were free of trouble, that would be enough.
As for the crisis that was now arising in their family, Koni had no mind left to dwell on it.
Feeling drowsiness creep in, she stacked the documents neatly, spread out the soft garment, and placed it at the bottom of the storage basket. Then, her gaze fell upon the small photo frame that stood close against the wooden wall of the basket.
She hadn’t originally intended to rummage through her sister’s belongings, but catching sight of a corner of the photo, Koni still reached out to pull it out.
On it was a photo of herself and her sister from when they were in their early teens—the final one together, to be precise. Because after that, that little girl had all but stopped appearing at the same time as her.
In the photo, two bright-eyed, white-toothed maidens wore identical pleated skirts, matching dark-colored polka-dot gauze scarves, and wide-brimmed straw hats woven from white straw, all standing under the sun.
“You little rascal, you’re this sweet, aren’t you, keeping a photo of the both of us. Hmm~ “
Koni smiled lightly, running her hand over the photo frame. She easily found the tight wooden spring button that could be opened against the wooden frame. Easily pressing it to open the photo frame like flipping through a book, her smile gradually froze stiff.
She gave a soft “Huh? ” Inside were some cutouts of famous models and handsome guys from magazines, along with artistic photos of male movie stars and handsome musicians. Besides those, there were also a few carefully designed but slightly faded print from expired performance ticket stubs.
There was nothing particularly off about that; but besides those… there was also a relatively thin gold note issued by the Blackwenite Commercial Bank.
With something like that, it could be exchanged for several hundred Silver Coins at most major banks anywhere in the world.
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