章節 115: Spy
Translator: Cinder Translations
...
The room was quiet, with only a grandfather clock ticking away.
This was the Commander's office at the Frand Port Naval Headquarters. Unlike a certain Earl's monotonous office, this room was adorned with several meticulously cared-for potted plants. On the walls hung an oil painting, depicting a red sun rising slowly from the vast sea.
The master of the office, Admiral Austin, sat behind his desk, eyes closed in contemplation.
At this moment, Admiral Austin's mind was anything but idle; there were too many matters demanding his attention.
Firstly, there was the matter of shipbuilding.
A new batch of sloops was being diligently constructed in the shipyard's docks. It was referred to as a batch because this time, two ships were simultaneously under construction.
The newly built sloops were not mere replicas of the "Hope."
On one hand, Lord Grayman personally experienced the sea trials and proposed a fresh concept—"Human-Machine Engineering." He requested improvements in crew comfort aboard the ships without compromising their combat capabilities, such as ensuring orderly and clean deck furnishings to avoid headaches, simplifying the procedures for operating sails, and other similar aspects.
In short, the aim was to create an environment where sailors could feel at "home." Of course, small ships like the sloops had limited potential for such improvements, but Lord Grayman demanded that this design concept be extended to larger ships built in the future.
Everyone understood the rationale behind this; maintaining good spirits and physical health was relatively easier in a relatively comfortable environment.
"I'm emphasizing that this is under the premise of not compromising combat capabilities. Combat capability is fundamental to everything," emphasized Earl Grayman at the end.
On the other hand, although the sea trial of the "Hope" was generally successful, flaws were discovered during Quik and others' subsequent frequent training sessions.
These flaws, along with suggestions for improvements from naval officers and sailors, were promptly relayed back to the shipyard. This allowed Ruben, Benjamin, and others to make timely modifications and improvements on the new ships.
Both of these aspects posed significant challenges to the shipyard craftsmen.
Then there was the pirate issue.
Not only Lord Grayman, but Austin himself suspected the presence of Eel Gang spies within the navy or nearby. He had assigned Captain Walke of the Naval Patrol and Cecil's Intelligence Officer stationed at Frand Port, Durant, to investigate. It was uncertain when they would have results.
If there were indeed spies, the fact that the navy was about to take proactive action might have already leaked out.
"Knock, knock, knock!" A series of knocks interrupted Austin's thoughts.
He opened his eyes and called out, "Come in!"
After the door was pushed open, two figures entered—it was Captain Walke and Intelligence Officer Durant.
Austin gestured for them to sit down and said, "I hope the two of you bring me good news."
The two glanced at each other, and Durant gestured to Walke to proceed.
Captain Walke spoke with a serious expression, "Commander, there's both good news and bad news."
Austin immediately said, "Start with the bad news!"
At least there would be good news to follow, to console himself.
"There indeed are pirates embedded as spies within the navy."
Ah, this wasn't as bad as it could have been. He had suspected this to be almost certain before.
"So, what's the good news then?"
"We've identified who the spy is."
Captain Walke handed a stack of documents to Austin.
Austin quickly glanced through them and said with a hint of resignation, "Well, it seems Lord Grayman's been quite generous with the soldiers' pay. They had enough spare to dabble in this kind of thing."
The spy embedded among the pirates in Frand Port turned out to be the owner of the only brothel in town, named Clement.
One can imagine the means he used to gather naval intelligence.
"Is the evidence conclusive?"
"Absolutely. We've tracked down a middleman."
"How many naval personnel have visited his establishment?"
"We've confirmed a total of 48 visits so far, including 6 officers."
As Austin heard this, his face stiffened gradually. He was deeply infuriated, knowing that many of these idiots likely spilled secrets in their beds.
"Expel everyone who visited that brothel from the military! And from now on, no one in the military is allowed to seek such services."
Austin was about to shout this out, but reconsidered. Instead, he commanded, "Identify the specific individuals leaking information, and handle them according to military regulations."
"Yes, Commander," Captain Walke responded.
Intelligence Officer Durant added, "Shouldn't we just have the city hall shut down this brothel?"
Austin waved his hand, saying, "No, I've been longing for a chance to catch Eel. Perhaps this is an opportunity to use this spy to trap them."
"Anyway, let's have a good talk with this Mr. Clement first."
...
Clement was tied up and suspended in a hidden room of his own brothel.
His mouth was gagged, and he struggled to make noise, but it was futile; no one outside could hear him. After all, he had put considerable effort into soundproofing the rooms for the convenience of his clients.
Someone said, "Untie his mouth, Clement. If you dare to scream, hmm!"
The towel blocking Clement's mouth was pulled out.
Gasping greedily for air, he pleaded, "Gentlemen of the navy, I confess, I confess everything."
The man smirked cunningly, "Oh, feeling guilty so soon? What do you confess to?"
"I..." Clement suddenly couldn't speak.
Today was Clement's unluckiest day. Business had been going well, and a few groups of naval officers had even come by. He had entertained the thought of prying for some information.
The officers had reserved a room, dismissed the hostess, and confronted him.
They closed the door, overpowered him, and that was how he ended up in his current predicament.
Clement whimpered, "I... I... I admit to tax evasion."
"Smack!" A loud slap made the brothel owner's face tremble with fat.
A naval officer lowered his voice and demanded, "Whether you evade taxes or not, we're not interested. Speak! Are you a spy embedded by pirates in Frand Port? Speak softly."
"Injustice! How could I possibly deal with those ruthless bastards?"
Clement tried to argue, but the naval officers quickly produced evidence that left him speechless. With a gleaming knife menacingly close to his face, the brothel owner finally confessed to his association with the Eel Gang among the pirates.
The officer leaned in, patting his chubby cheek as if handling a pig about to be slaughtered.
With a smirk, he said, "Following Commander Austin's wishes, as soon as you confess, we'll execute you right on the spot."
Clement's face showed intense fear. He tried to beg for mercy, but his mouth was immediately covered tightly.
The officer continued, "Just listen to me. There's a chance for you to save your life right now. I wonder if you can seize it."
Upon hearing that he still had a chance to live, Clement, with his mouth muffled, nodded vigorously.
(End of the Chapter)
每周推薦票狀態
-- 推薦票
榜單 
-- 推薦票