chapter 15
Chapter 3. Anyway, I don’t think it’s my fault (完)
* * * * *
The secret hideout of the Central Liberation Corps.
The printer spits out print without rest. Members of the group had a heated argument by slashing through the documents. After a long time, Hans rang a small bell.
“Okay. What the hell is this guy, did you think about it? Let’s gather wisdom together. What the hell are you doing?”
The same commotion as before continued again. Hans didn’t listen to them at all, just jotting down opinions on the blackboard one by one, as if he knew what they were saying.
The man watching her monitor didn’t like this kind of ‘brainstorming’. I sympathized with the thesis that all decision-making should be transparent and there should be nothing to hide, but most of the people who didn’t even know this kind of thing insisted, whined, and hung around to show off their knowledge.
However, Hans felt relieved inside.
‘… Operation failed.’
I lost my bag.
This is a serious mistake that cannot be forgiven. If the Liberation Headquarters knew about this, Hans himself would be purged.
I couldn’t even say, ‘Okay, let’s go in and get the bag back!’ Under the strict surveillance of the military police, there was no time to move the troops hastily.
At the same time, the bag seller who seems lost is boldly attracting the 8th Military Police and themselves. I thought he was a fool, so I regretted having listened to him.
‘I’m not an ordinary guy.’
But he didn’t just get the position of commander of the central region. In the future, when Elza Liberation Headquarters is established in a true sense, the capital defense commander will be generously received.
So I had to use this mistake as an opportunity. It would be a great help for camouflage that the other person was not an ordinary guy.
“Okay. Stop. Stop! Pay attention for a second, everyone. Good. I have something to point out first. Let’s admit it. The bag bombing plan failed. But!”
“But?”
“It wasn’t that there was a problem with our plan, it was because there was a variable that we hadn’t predicted. There were no major problems with execution. Nobody wanted this. Did you? Isn’t it? You?”
“Of course not, Hans!”
“I’m begging you, please put ‘comrade’ on it! Because it’s me, I’m putting up with it. If it was somewhere else, it would be a summary execution! It’s good to be democratic, but the hierarchy is clear! Say it again.”
“Of course not, Comrade Hans!”
“Yes!”
Hans opened his arms.
“This is because of that unknown opponent. That braggart dude asking smart questions and dumb questions at the same time! That’s why it’s so important to uncover his identity. Didn’t you see how good he was at bargaining with his bag?”
“He’s so cunning!”
For some reason, everyone even raised their fists as if shouting the chorus. Hans liked these times. Just at this moment, when you feel that he has a hold on everyone.
“Let’s see the blackboard! As you all agree, this guy is not an East Römer spy. Of course, right? What’s an eastern agent asking about virus transmission!
Of course, the eastern people are like nine-headed snakes, so they say that administrative agencies fight each other by biting and biting each other! Still, it’s not like these stupid and stupid people.
The next most important thing is information! This too can be easily refuted. Taking advantage of Hut’s disappearance and running away with the bag? Also, playing with us and the 8th Military Police at the same time? It’s too risky for a single piece of information.
Do you know what I even considered? I thought this guy might be, maybe, one of our comrades! I secretly checked to see if someone from the rest of the region had sneaked in and moved!”
“Comrade Hans, that seems a little too far-fetched. People from other regions are active in our area. You can do that! We often do too. But how does he carry Hoot’s bag? It makes no sense. There is no reason for that.”
“That’s what I mean!”
Hans pointed the finger at a comrade who complained.
“That makes no sense! It’s the same as other bureaus are suffering from a manpower shortage, taking someone else’s in a situation where their ability to perform missions is extremely low? What to do? If they do their job well, the results will come out!
You all know this! But there’s a reason I’m telling you a story I know! Listen, I read it in a certain book, and the correct answer is that it means that all the answers that are not clear among the options are left behind! No matter how strange that only one thing remains, it’s the truth!
I understand, but this guy is not a member of our organization! Not even an eastern spy! Not even information! Then what?”
“So what? Are you saying it could be a spy sent from Minsk, a western country?”
The person who spoke out in the sudden silence was rather taken aback. Hans looked at him blankly, and he clapped his hands. Match. Match. Match.
“Yeah, that’s what I mean! This is a spy from Minsk. There is no other explanation than that! It’s the same with westerners panicking over the zombie apocalypse, but unlike Roemer, who is no different from a dictatorship, and Roemer’s puppet, Elsa, regional blockades aren’t working. The West is completely shared by corporations!”
It was true. The Minsk Democratic Republic, located in the west, is famous for its pro-business policies. The problem was that the power of corporations was so strong that it was at the level of shaking the country.
“Even those corporate guys don’t even share information because they’re looking for their own profit. So what is it They also spyed on the Minsk government. To gather the information we know about Elsa and Römer!
On top of that, we’re trying to weaken our power by having us and the 8th Military Police clash and fight each other. Do you all remember Römer is now occupying it, but in fact, it was Minsk that invaded Elsa first!”
Fortunately, the members seem to be deeply concerned about what Hans said. Thanks to that, things like ‘failed bag operation’ are now an afterthought.
Crisis as opportunity. This was how Hans had lived up until now.
“… It seems a bit overdone, but yeah. Say you’re a Minsk spy. What to do?”
“I have to contact him.”
Hans pointed to the map hanging on the wall. The letters ‘Lambert Village’ were clearly embedded.
“He has nothing to eat or wear. He has no comrades he can trust and rely on. But what if we go and help him and pick up the bag for him? You can buy a crush on him and get the bag again. It’s a win-win.
Okay? We’re not going to get bags. That’s an addition Our main mission is to make contact with Western spies.
I still don’t know what we can do when we meet, but one thing is certain. That Westerners hate us, but they hate Römer even more. If we can show that we have control over the non-human zone, and bring Minsk in, we can break free from Römer’s tyranny.”
“But Minsk suffers from the virus as well.”
Someone objected. Hans nodded his head, but not in a spirit of agreement.
“Yes. By the way… If the. What will happen if Elsa and Römer fall first before Minsk collapses?”
“… What?”
Even the man watching the monitor looked at Hans in surprise.
“It’s like making bag bombs by hand. But what if, by using Minsk’s industrial power to mass-produce this, and causing terror to Elsa and Römer… Will it make things easier?”
“Sleep, hold on. Hans. You’re handing over the bag blueprints? To Minsk?”
The monitor man stood up in surprise.
“Didn’t you decide not to sacrifice more than necessary? It’s the very foundation of our movement! And you mean… “
“There is no need to hand over the blueprints. You can arrange a meeting with ‘Folkrum’. And speaking of you, do you keep forgetting comrades?”
“Comrades and Nabal, that’s not the point! Is it Folkrum? Did you say Folkrum? Knowing what she means to us, she introduces her so easily to her Minsk spy?”
Hans nodded and opened the drawer of his desk. He pulled out his pistol, unlocked his safety catch, and fired two rounds at the monitor man.
“Uh.”
“So I told you. Say ‘comrade’. Didn’t I tell you many times that I wouldn’t be angry if you confused comrade with comrade, but would be angry if I didn’t call you comrade? Let’s keep what we want to protect and live. We.”
But the man had already died. A soft complaint was heard.
“Who watches the monitor now?”
“You do it.”
Hans pointed his pistol at the person who spoke up. The designated man happily nodded her head. Hans scratched his head with the point of his pistol.
“Come on. Recruit special forces. One, two, three, the slowest four are purges. Come on, one, two, three!”
Everyone voluntarily raised their hands at the same time.
“You guys are so loyal. Good. Let me contact our prospective customers. Comrade deputy commander, select four courageous people to go to Lambert from now on. “
* * * * *
The Special Mission Commander’s Office.
Despite having entered with great energy, Leticia sat there hesitantly.
A teacup in the shape of a flower was placed on a metal desk that had been replaced with a new one. Rose tea is served in a luxurious white porcelain cup that is burdensome to even pick up for fear of staining your hands.
Eventually, Virginia winked at her and put it on her lips. The smell is good, but the taste is bitter. I used it to the point that I wanted to throw the glass away.
‘Aristocratic tastes!’ It seemed that even three sugar cubes would not be enough. If only there was a way to get sugar.
“Yes. I get it.”
At last, Virginia hung up. The leader, who elegantly sipped tea and savored the taste, was simply amazed.
“As far as I found out, there are no secret agents in Minsk, a Western country, in this area. They are idiots, but most of them are spread out in the city center because they know how to choose and focus. Then one of your hypotheses has been reduced. Do you smoke?”
“No. It’s okay.”
Virginia put a cigarette in her mouth and lit the lighter.
Leticia recognized the cigarette. It’s filthy strong, but there’s no filter, so it’s the cheap stuff her grandparents smoke. It was a cigarette called ‘hope’. It seemed like a bad taste to burn hope slowly.
“Good. Leticia. It seems that this V is not a Western spy. Not even an agent of Römer. He’s not an ordinary intelligence dealer, and he’s not an extreme terrorist from Elsa. Am I right?”
“Yes.”
“By the way, according to this report that just came up and your briefing… This person is someone who has deep affection for Elza herself.”
V is Elsa’s patriot. This was Leticia’s conclusion.
First, this man skillfully induced a military intervention in the village of Lambert. By instigating both the terrorists and the military police.
Why?
Because I know that in the village of Lambert, emergency aid supplies and medical personnel who were supposed to go to the Hamptons are detained. Plus, I knew that Roemer and Elsa’s administration had kept this news secret and had refused military orders.
In other words, this person sent a hint to drive out Lambert’s gang and rescue medical supplies and people. But he would not have been able to openly say what the government had covered up, a fact that even the gendarmerie had just discovered. Because the terrorists were watching too.
Even the bag is the same. This person must have known that the bag was used for an evil purpose. So, he must have ‘voluntarily reported’ the bag in the form of ‘sale’.
“As a rule, no one is allowed to enter the non-human protection area unless it is for the purpose of administrative permission or military operations. Humanitarian aid has therefore been denied.
But it is also clear that Elza’s citizens live here. Iza judged that he was using the bag as a hostage to urge the military police to intervene.
Then the possibilities are very narrow.
The one who cherishes and loves Elza more than anyone else, but refrains from being aggressive. He can get information from the military chiefs, but he has no power to directly move the military, neither Römer nor the Elsa administration.
However, if you are a person who opposes the methods of the radicals, and you are not even a spy for a Western country. I think it’s highly likely that the only ones left are spies belonging to the moderate wing of Elza’s liberation.
With the disappearance of the Elza Independent Government, the Elza Secret Service is split in half. The Radicals became the parent of the Liberation Movement, but the Moderates were completely cut off. I think this man must be one of those moderates.”
Virginia stood up. He looked out the window, smoked in silence, and brushed the ashes out the window. It was completely extinguished by rubbing against the window frame, and the butts were thrown out.
“An Elsa loyalist who disappeared without a trace. Working in the shadows, but still working for the country we love… Is that what it means?”
“I’m not 100% sure, but it doesn’t explain anything other than that motive.”
“In that case, I will have to catch this person.”
It was as easy as asking them to pick up the trash they just threw.
“Hey, Captain. May I ask you a question?”
“Sure.”
“If you’re a moderate from the Elza Secret Service, the level won’t be low. Of course, our special mission team… “
“I know what you mean.”
Virginia cut her off and listened.
“The military police are both a military organization and a police organization. Especially now that we are working hard to stabilize the occupied territories. Therefore, catching a spy from the intelligence service is inappropriate for the military police… Is that what you want to say?”
“If you order, of course, I will make a plan.”
“No. Your opinion is valuable.”
Virginia sat down again.
“If you are an intelligence officer, it is a question you should raise. Even to me, I don’t think it’s easy to catch someone as cunning as this.”
Leticia nodded her head in agreement. She was, in fact, rude to say it out loud. But while the police can catch a shoplifter or a deserter, it’s difficult to catch a well-trained spy. It is better to borrow the power of counterintelligence agencies for such matters.
“But my thoughts are a little different. Didn’t you say you’d burn all thatch while catching fleas? Conversely, burning down your house can also kill fleas. And if you’re serious about killing fleas, it’s more convenient to burn down the house. Isn’t it?”
Fleas? Thatched three? Something was strange. Leticia narrowed her eyes. At first, it didn’t seem like that was the case. But Virginia was infinitely serious.
“Uh, it certainly takes less effort to set the house on fire.”
“I have no intention of going after this person. We’ll have to let this guy walk in on us.”
“How do you mean?”
“I should be intimidated.”
It was a logic that Leticia could not follow at all. Maybe the leader is talking nonsense because he stayed up two nights. It must have been. Didn’t he even break a desk in the morning?
By the way, Virginia called.
“Uh. Exchange. It’s a private phone Connect with the Roemer Council… Long time no see. This is Helford. Yes. It’s worth living. I would like to ask you a favor. Please support two satellite channels for monitoring, and we need some support from the Elza Army Air Corps. I will post the notice. Yes. Thank you When I go to the capital, I will greet you. Loyalty.”
Virginia underlined the report as soon as the phone hung up.
“We have been allocated two more satellite channels for surveillance. It is written in the report that the bag signal was weak and it was difficult to track, so use these to find the location as much as possible.”
‘So easily?’
Leticia was a little dizzy. The power of the daughter of an aristocratic family was something beyond imagination.
“Oh, I see. But the air force… ?”
“Didn’t I say that I should be intimidated? I am not one to walk in barefoot. And the stronger the firepower, the better the intimidation works. I’ll call you back when I’m done talking with the Air Corps, so go out and do some work. Give this to Redecker on the way.”
Virginia wrote a memo and handed it over. ‘Purchase 20 extra single-person cages. With a sturdy one. Only two of them have to be attached.’
“Ten prisoners from the prison company should cooperate. Any person who has violated military discipline, such as disobeying orders, deserting, or refusing orders, is sufficient. Unit discipline is a mess overall, so it needs to be corrected.”
“Okay. What about the rest of the columns… “
“Fill it with zombies.”
“Okay.”
Leticia stood up without asking twice. She had no intention of entering a cage with zombies.
Once again, I was left alone in the office.
Virginia took a deep breath of hops.
“Whatever it is, it will come into my hands.”