MTL - Iron Powder and Spellcasters-Chapter 398 The game of fox and cat (Part 1)

  Chapter 398 Fox and Cat Game (Part 1)

  [Location unknown]

  [time unknown]

   "Da."

   "Da."

   "Da."

   Drops of water rhythmically land on hard surfaces and shatter.

  The world of Alfonso de Paiva was dark, his eyes were covered with three layers of thick cloth, and his limbs were also fastened with iron chains.

   He has not been given any food or drink since he was captured. He couldn't feel hunger anymore, and he didn't know how long it had passed. He could only guess from the level of thirst that it should not have exceeded forty-eight hours.

   Combined with water leaks, room temperature and smell, he concluded that he was being held in a dungeon.

   As Regional Intelligence Director reporting directly to the Imperial Security Council, Alfonso de Paiva has never used his real name in South Monta. Because he has another identity - leather merchant Kapfen.

   Kapfen, from St. Gallen, is a pure Helvetian, speaking with a little Shanbei accent.

   When he was young, his parents unfortunately died of illness, so Kapfen was raised by his uncle. Four years ago, the widower's uncle passed away, leaving the estate to Kapfen. Kapfen invested all of his estate into the Lacey Brothers firm, thereby obtaining the status of a partner.

   Later, Kapfen came to Solingen and took over the original head of the Lacey Brothers firm in Steel Castle. On weekdays, he mainly takes care of the tanning business of the firm. Occasionally act as a broker, doing small speculative transactions on a point-to-point basis.

  Because of his dull complexion, people he knows usually call him "Blackface Kapfen".

   The above is the life of the leather merchant Kapfen. It is simple and inconspicuous, but it can withstand the verification of any good person.

  The business of going out of town to buy hides from time to time gave Kapfen the freedom to act, and the image of a greedy businessman gave him the motivation to collect information.

   As a cover, the leather dealer Kapfen is flawless.

   But "Hand of the Emperor" Alfonso de Paivar knew in his heart that since he had been imprisoned in the dungeon, then a real fake identity would be meaningless.

   He can only pray that others will find this dungeon as soon as possible, rescue himself out...or kill himself.

   After all, no one knows what the "Messenger" is better than the hand of the emperor.

  …

  …

  [Location: Safehouse in the North City of Steel Castle]

  [Time: The next day after the fire in the old city]

   The owner of the house, who went out to inquire about the news, returned safely, which relieved the tense hiders.

   Right now, Steel Castle is still under martial law. Actively spying on intelligence is a dangerous move, but it is also a helpless move.

  Because the Eagle Guard in charge of execution has always been under the orders of messengers, it is isolated from the spy network of the Imperial Security Council and has no direct connection.

   In the dark secret room, one person whispered: "The fire in the city has been basically put out, and the rebels are withdrawing from the city separately."

"Out of town?"

   "To deal with the mountain fire. Also, rumors in the city... The fire storm that night was the work of the advisors."

   "How reliable is it?"

   "My subordinates think that this is the usual method of framing the rebels." The speaker hesitated for a moment: "But subordinates can't think of anyone other than His Majesty's advisors who have such... such power."

   "Why hasn't the special envoy contacted us yet?" Another questioned.

   "Maybe...it may be intentional to keep silent. The secret agent may suspect that we have been infiltrated from within because of the accident that night. It may also be injured and unable to show up. It may also be..."

   The speaker dared not say more.

   The leader was silent for a moment: "The other thing that the owner of the house was asked to inquire, what was the result?"

"Some of those caught by the rebels were executed on the spot. Those who were not executed were temporarily detained in the Bankrupt's Prison in Beicheng. It is said that all the cells there are already full of people." The speaker moved his collar uncomfortably. Report cautiously:

"Mr Mindoff also collected a piece of information that on the night of the operation, several 'prisoners' were secretly escorted back to the barracks by the rebel Colonel Bern, under the special care of the gendarmerie. Block messages."

   "Something's wrong!" Another person spoke hastily: "Mindorf is an apartment, how could it be possible to inquire about the information that the rebels are trying to keep secret?"

   "Although the fire has been put out, no scapegoat has been found for the rebellion, and the investigation results of the fire have not been announced." The speaker glanced at his superior and explained patiently:

"Rumours are spreading in the city now. Some say that the Veneta people are behind the scenes, some say that it is the black hands of the Union province. Some say that the Paratus people were provoked by the embargo and sent spies to sneak in and set the fire, taking the opportunity to loot the steel. Fort's ordnance reserves.

   There are more bizarre and sensational gossip on the market, such as 'a monster fled into Rose Lake, climbed ashore at night, and devoured scrap iron and gold and silver in the fire'. The subordinates only select information that may be useful from the rumors. "

After   , the back room fell into dead silence again. Only the dim lights flickered slightly, dragging the shadows of several people in the small room.

The man headed by    said slowly: "Since the special envoy did not inform us of the situation as originally planned, then it should be considered that they have been killed or captured."

   The others listened silently. Now that Yingwei has made a judgment, Yingwei will no longer question it.

"From now on, the priority is no longer to execute the plan, but to find the envoy! Activate the emergency plan, send people to other locations, and gather everyone who can still hold a sword. There is no need to worry about safety, let all The servants of the Steel Castle who are loyal to His Majesty have all gone to find out where the rebels secretly detain important prisoners." The man at the head, regardless of the pain of the newly sutured wounds on his waist and abdomen, stood up on the table: "The envoys and advisors must not fall into the hands of the rebels. , live to see people, die to see corpses!"

   "Follow orders!"

  …

  …

  [Location unknown]

  [time unknown]

   In addition to the dripping sound that was about to drive people crazy, Alfonso finally heard something different:

  The friction of the door shaft turning, the muffled sound of the wooden boards falling, the sound of footsteps becoming clearer... Someone came, it should be two people, they walked all the way to his side, replacing the iron ropes that bound his limbs with shackles.

  Alfonso was racked up and brought out of the dungeon.

  The air became much fresher, and the firewood was crackling and burning in the fireplace, sweeping away the cold and dampness of the dungeon.

   "That's right," thought Alfonso.

  The rebel party did not conduct an on-the-spot interrogation after capturing him, which may be explained as the more important thing about fighting the fire.

   But two days are about to pass, and he left himself in the dungeon unnoticed, obviously deliberately - is it using imprisonment as a means of interrogation?

   "It's too underestimated." Alfonso thought to himself. He silently rehearsed the next process: seduction, intimidation, torture, and when he couldn't bear it, he fed half-truth information to the rebel party, and delayed as much time as possible, waiting for the messenger to find it.

   The short journey quickly came to an end, and Alfonso was strapped to a cold, hard armchair.

   The hood was removed, and he found himself in a closet with nailed doors and windows—still not knowing what time it was.

Behind the long table in front of   , Lieutenant Colonel Thomas, the second-ranked military commander in Solingen, was waiting for him.

Beside Lieutenant Colonel Thomas, a pale and tired fake baron was playing a deck of cards.

  …

  …

  [Location: Safehouse in the North City of Steel Castle]

  [Time: The next day after the fire in the old city]

   Within a day, news from all over Steelcastle continued to flow into this temporary command hub.

   The bad news is plentiful, most of the safehouses are either empty or exposed.

   And the real storm has obviously not yet begun, once the other side frees up, there must be a more severe carpet search.

   But there is also some good news: the subordinates who can continue to fight have been successfully recovered, and even an "advisor" on standby has been found.

  Re-establishing contact with the remaining intelligence network of the Imperial Security Council was an unexpected gain—although it violated the code of conduct that the Eagle Guard and the Hand of the Emperor were isolated from each other, but the top priority was to find the messenger, and the Eagle Captain couldn’t care less.

   "The construction specifications for the permanent camp of the rebels are similar to those of His Majesty's new army."

   The speaker keeps sketching on the paper:

   "Four vertical and horizontal roads divide the camp into three areas: front, middle and rear. Prisons are usually located in the central area, next to public buildings such as the armory, officers' quarters, and legion halls. The central area can be accessed directly from the side doors, but there are two guard posts."

   "The front and rear areas are barracks and playgrounds. On weekdays, only two battalions of the rebels are stationed. If the central area is forcibly invaded, it is impossible not to disturb the soldiers in the barracks."

   "But most of the rebels are currently putting out the fire in Nanshan, and the troops that have not put out the fire are also carrying out martial law orders in the city. There are only a few auxiliary soldiers left in the barracks - the defense is weak, and it seems that there are important people detained."

   "However, considering the existence of pseudo-magic inside the rebels. The weak defense is probably just an illusion. In fact, it is loose on the outside and tight on the inside, intending to lure us into the trap."

   Captain Eagle looked at the outline of the barracks, and after a while he asked, "What's the matter with the rebel commander?"

"Max Bern, the highest military commander of the rebels in Solingen, has not appeared again, and has been commanded by his deputy John Thomas for the past two days. On the night of the fire, the 'Little Bern', who briefly commanded the North City militia, did not appear again. "

   For the collection and processing of intelligence, the Emperor's Hand is far more efficient and professional than the Eagle Guard.

"After multiple verifications, Max Bern has neither a son nor a nephew. Little Bern is undoubtedly a fake identity. Summarize the information, subordinate... I think." The deputy director of the Emperor's Hand in Steel Castle hesitated, but still said Conclusion: "The mysterious [Little Bern] should be a pseudo-magic of the rebels, and a pseudo-magic of a very high level."

  Captain Eagle suddenly remembered the knight who chopped off the advisor's head with a sword at White Eagle Manor, and the stab wound in his abdomen began to hurt again: "When will the fakes who rebel against the party be able to deal with your Majesty's advisor?"

   "Although there is generally an insurmountable gap between the pseudo-magic who defected to the party and the advisors. But as far as we know, there are individual elites in the Piedmont and Veneta who have reached the level of advisors."

   "Piedmont, Veneta, individual elites? Where did the steel castle come from?"

"It can only be deployed in advance." The deputy director replied calmly: "I think the reason why the situation has evolved into what it is now is most likely due to a leak in a certain link. The traitorous party has made sufficient preparations in advance to follow the plan. We acted headfirst into the other's trap. Otherwise, it would not be enough to explain the failure."

   "I don't care about leaks, I just want a special envoy."

"The last time the messenger appeared was the lakeside hotel in Nancheng District. There was a small-scale battle there on the night of the fire, and it was said that there were many casualties. But the exact result is unknown - the rebels blocked the place. The messenger and the people who protected the messenger The whereabouts of several consultants are unknown." The deputy director changed the subject: "But one thing can be confirmed - our important personnel have indeed been captured."

"Who?"

   "Mr. Kapfen, one of the committee's two directors at South Monta, my superior."

   Captain Eagle narrowed his eyes: "Evidence?"

   The deputy director turned to look at the corner of the secret room, where a man with an iron mask was sitting.

   Captain Ying also followed to look at the corner of the secret room: "Sir?"

  The masked man nodded slightly, his words like gold: "I saw it."

  The deputy director struck while the iron was hot: "According to reliable information, Mr. Kapfen was secretly sent to the garrison barracks for detention on the night of his arrest."

   Captain Eagle said coldly, "You want my people to rescue your boss."

   "If the messenger is unfortunately captured, then he is likely to be detained in the same place as Mr. Kapfen." The deputy director paused: "What's more, we can't bear the consequences of Mr. Kapfen."

  Eagle Captain responded flatly to the last half of the sentence, and just asked: "Have you ever thought about what would happen if the elite magicians of the rebel army were guarding that military camp?"

   The deputy director sighed in his heart, once the messenger disappeared, Steel Castle would never find a decision maker who could integrate the two systems of action and intelligence.

He picked himself up and replied calmly: "That's exactly what I'm going to say. In fact, it's not just Bern and Little Bern who are missing. The pseudo-magic within the rebel system as we know it has never been seen since the night of the fire. Yes. Rumor has it that some officers were badly wounded while fighting the fire. Also, Mayor Paul Wupper called the best doctor in Steelcastle to his house, but he was always at the City Palace. I speculate..."

   "Speak! Don't hesitate."

The deputy director licked his lips: "I speculate that on the night of the fire, the fire tornado that destroyed Elin Cathedral was actually a large-scale magic that the rebels had out of control. The pseudo-mages of the rebels must have paid for the use of spells of that scale. Not a small price.

   Bernie and Bernie Jr. haven't shown up again, not because they don't want to, but because they can't - they're probably both seriously injured. There may be an ambush in the garrison barracks, but this must also be their weakest moment. "

   Captain Eagle thought for a long time, then raised his head and asked the advisor in the corner of the secret room: "Sir, is it possible that large-scale magic will incapacitate those who use it?"

  The consultant was still succinct: "Maybe."

   "Even if it's a trap." Captain Eagle's palm swiped across the camp map drawn on the grass paper, gritted his teeth and twitched his cheeks: "It seems that we have to step on it too."

   [No. 23's nucleic acid test is negative, long live! Sore throat scares me to death]

   [Yesterday I took too much cold medicine and my mind was dizzy. I thought I could write a chapter, but I didn't finish it...]

   [Online novels have less information than other entertainment methods, and updating and stability should be the most basic quality.

   Ask yourself, a guy like me who "updates in two days and posted on the Internet in three days" really doesn't deserve so many book friends who keep reading and commenting. I am very grateful for everyone's support, Orz.

   Although we don’t know each other in the real world, for me, reading this chapter is like chatting with friends, it’s the happiest and most relaxing thing in the day (more joy than writing a novel…)]

   [Thank you for your collection, reading, subscription, recommendation ticket, monthly ticket, reward and comment, thank you all]

   (end of this chapter)