landbeastnovel Chapter 195 Fors' Despair and News of Miss Tracy
Chapter 195 Fors' Despair and News of Miss Tracy
Chapter 195 Fors' Despair and News of Miss Tracy
Evan's words made everyone present suddenly realize that if the responsibility for the failure to capture Qilingus was not placed on Captain Johnson, who was in charge of the capture mission, then if problems really arose with Qilingus in the future, Evan would be a huge scapegoat and would bring trouble upon them.
Avoiding blame is the top priority for bureaucrats, and shifting blame is their primary skill.
As soon as Evan finished speaking, all the deputy directors and other intelligence officers who had come to their senses seemed to have been switched on at the same time, and they began to criticize Captain Johnson for his poor leadership.
Deputy Director Jonas, naturally unwilling to let his prized subordinate fall into such a trap, argued vehemently.
Finally, Director Monet stepped in to smooth things over, temporarily suspending Captain Johnson from his duties and requiring him to undergo an internal review before discussing disciplinary action.
Deputy Director Jonas's face was as black as the bottom of a pot, but this was the best result he could get. Otherwise, according to the others, they would have directly stripped Captain Johnson of his position and completely sealed the matter.
Evan didn't relentlessly pursue Captain Johnson, as that would leave others with the impression that he was unforgiving.
Moreover, Evan knew exactly what Zillingus would do. The reason he didn't eliminate Captain Johnson at this moment was to leave behind a way to deal with Deputy Director Jonas later.
When Duke Negan is assassinated again, and MI9 is again the primary responsible party, then everyone will discover:
This assassination attempt could have been avoided, but it ultimately turned into a disaster because of Captain Johnson's foresight and Deputy Commissioner Jonas's cover-up.
I wonder if Deputy Director Jonas will be able to shoulder this huge burden that has fallen from the sky.
After discussing the failure of this operation, the group then discussed how to continue the pursuit of Zilingus.
Evan raised the issue of strengthening security for various important figures, which received unanimous attention.
The meeting lasted for nearly three hours, ending late at night.
After the meeting, Evan took Fors and Hugh back to the office, where the secretary on duty brought them coffee and then left.
After taking a sip of coffee, a refreshed Evan said to Fors and Hugh:
"Although this operation was unsuccessful, it will not prevent you from making contributions. Whatever you want, I can write a report and sign it for you right now."
Hugh Deercha beamed. All that hard work and accumulating merit had been for this moment, hadn't it? Otherwise, why would she risk her life for MI9? Besides, MI9 was hers, so she said without hesitation:
"I digest the 'Sheriff' potion very quickly, which is probably related to my previous experience in the East District. I know that my merits this time are not enough to get me the 'Interrogator' potion, so I hope to obtain the 'Interrogator' potion recipe to prepare for future promotions."
After Hugh Deercha joined MI9, Evan leaked the Acting Law to her before the royal family asked him to sign a contract stipulating that the Acting Law must not be disclosed, which made Hugh and Fors extremely grateful to him.
Evan frowned, sensing that Hugh Deercha's choice wasn't good. Just as he was about to speak up to persuade her, Fors, who had remained expressionless throughout, suddenly spoke up:
"I don't want anything. I'll just transfer my merits to Hugh's so she can get a bottle of 'Interrogator' potion."
Hugh Deercha was taken aback and looked at his friend beside him, saying urgently:
"How can you do that? Mr. Evan has the 'Astrologer' potion recipe; you could easily exchange it for that!"
After joining MI9, Hugh Deercha was promoted to Sequence 8 Sheriff for his meritorious service in capturing Zeryl.
Fors, naturally possessing corresponding merits, obtained the apprentice pathway sequence 8 'Master of Tricks' potion recipe from Evan.
As for where Evan got the potion recipe, it was naturally thanks to his familiarity with the original plot.
In the original work, Fors' "Master of Tricks" potion recipe originated from Klein, and Klein's potion recipe originated from the source of the "Power Key," an unlucky member of the Abraham family who rashly performed a universal ascension during a full moon.
Based on this information, Evan found the family and obtained from them the potion recipes for the apprentice path from Sequence 9 to Sequence 7.
Therefore, during this period, Fors also collected relevant materials and successfully advanced to become a 'Master of Tricks' of Sequence 8.
Facing the puzzled looks from Evan and his friend, Fors gave a bitter smile, as if resigned to his fate, and said:
"Since my ascension, the curse of the full moon has become even more severe. I have no chance of ascension again, nor do I have any desire for it. So, let all the credit go to Hugh this time!"
"Fors—."
Hugh Deer looked at his friend, who had already resigned himself to his fate, his eyes welling up with tears, and his voice becoming somewhat choked.
When she first arrived in Backlund, she knew nothing and knew nothing. If it weren't for Fors's shelter and help, she might have died in the East End long ago, and her extraordinary characteristics would have become material for others to advance.
So how could she not be heartbroken and saddened by her friend's bleak future and self-abandonment?
Evan also realized that he had been somewhat negligent, focusing on helping Fors rise and bestowing blessings upon her, but forgetting that without the protection of the "Fool," the more she rose, the greater the damage from the Full Moon Curse she would suffer.
Furthermore, due to the butterfly effect of Mr. A's assassination of Duke Negan, Backlund was somewhat on edge. Audrey, the "Justice" lady who brought Fors into the Tarot Club, was unable to go out during this period, so she had not found a suitable opportunity to reveal the name "Fool" to Fors.
Evan thought about it and felt he couldn't be so irresponsible; Fors had played a significant role in his future plans.
So he said to Fors:
"In that case, you should take a break for a while, attend more salon gatherings and book clubs. By the way, I have some books at home, and you can borrow them anytime if you want to read them."
If Miss Justice doesn't have time to recruit Laforth, Evan will have to guide her personally, which can be considered filling the hole he dug himself.
Fors and Hugh Deercha rolled their eyes at this, because Evan's words sounded like he was telling a dying person to eat as much good food as possible before they die, and not to deprive themselves.
But they didn't refuse Evan's kindness; in fact, they were quite touched.
Because of Evan's high social standing and background, he was their direct supervisor at work, but he was also considerate of Fors's situation like a friend, helping Hugh Deercha to eliminate the impact of her father's affair. This made their relationship with Evan more than just a simple working relationship; it also included friendship.
In fact, transferring merits is not allowed within MI9, but the rule only applies to those without connections and with low rank and little power. Evan has already entered the upper echelons of MI9, so this little thing is no big deal for him.
So Evan simply wrote a note and handed it to Hugh Deercha, saying that as long as she fully digested the "Sheriff" potion, she could use this note to collect a finished "Interrogator" potion at any time.
"You need to think this through. When you apply for and receive this potion, the royal family, who didn't pay much attention to you before, will definitely start to focus their attention on you again."
I investigated your father's matter for a long time, even inquiring with Archbishop Anthony, but I still couldn't find out the truth.
Whether drawing the royal family's attention back to you is a blessing or a curse is truly uncertain.
?
Hugh Deercha, with a serious expression, placed the note written by Evan on his person, and then solemnly said to Evan:
"I know, but when I decided to come to Backlund, I was determined to find out the truth and clear the Dill family's name. I am not willing to stop here."
The royal family's attention has returned to me, which might also be an opportunity for me to uncover the truth.
I will not give up.
Will this have any impact on you?
"No, just do what you think is best. You don't need to worry about that!"
Evan smiled calmly. After learning that George III was preparing to become the "Black Emperor," he had basically guessed that Mason Deer might have been in George III's way, which was why he was executed.
However, he was also unaware of the relevant details, so he remained hopeful about Hugh Deercha's investigation.
Furthermore, in George III's eyes, Evan has already been corrupted by the Level 1 sealed artifact "Bonaparte's Steadfastness," making him his mole. Therefore, Evan is not worried at all about the impact this matter will have on him.
At the same time, Evan was also curious about what George III would do if Mason Deer's daughter were very talented, developed a method of role-playing, and rose steadily in her position within MI9. Evan remained hopeful about this.
Since the Witch Cult temporarily withdrew from Backlund, George III has been using the agreement with the living seal, "Bonaparte's Steadfastness," to stir up trouble in Backlund.
But man proposes, God disposes. He chose Evan as his target, and Evan used the City of Calamity to turn the tables and take control.
The agreement between "Bonaparte's Stand" and the royal family was signed in advance. As long as Evan continues to create unrest, the royal family is perfectly free to stop contacting him.
But what if something unexpected happens? What if Mason Deer's daughter steps in? What if Mason Deer's daughter happens to be one of Evan's men?
Since Evan has decided to promote reforms within the Kingdom of Rune, he naturally needs to change his style and methods. He wants the royal family to contact him proactively so that he can truly intervene.
After Fors and Hugh Deercha left, the secretary on duty came in to clear the cups. Evan leaned back on the sofa, looked up in thought for a moment, and then gave the order:
"Go to the security office and have them send me a briefing outlining the approximate itinerary of the important person under protection for the next three days."
"Yes, I'll take care of it right away!"
The situation in Backlund has been thrown into chaos because of Evan.
Evan had just put himself in Qilingus's shoes and considered what he would do, believing that the failure of MI9's mission today was a good opportunity for Qilingus.
Just when everyone thought that Zillingus would be more cautious and careful because of MI9's arrest,
He might do the opposite, launching an operation at lightning speed and catching everyone off guard.
Not long after, the duty secretary delivered a briefing from the security department.
Evan went straight to the Duke of Negan's public schedule and discovered that the Duke was having his birthday tomorrow and would be holding a grand ball at home.
His high-profile approach was certainly not just for his birthday; he wanted to use this opportunity to ease the tension in Backlund caused by his previous assassination attempt, and he would invite all of Backlund's high-ranking figures to attend.
Seeing this, Evan was basically certain that Zillingus would take the opportunity to make a move.
Because the stand-in he chose in the original story was nearly bankrupt and had few familiar relatives and servants at home, it made it easier for him to disguise himself and lie in wait.
These nobles who moved out of Queens and had no real power could not get invitations to the Duke of Negan's private balls; they could only get invitations to grand events.
Moreover, since the assassination attempt on Duke Negan, his security has been upgraded to a new level. Even the briefing in Evan's hands only lists the general itinerary without any details.
Evan handed the briefing to the duty secretary who had been waiting nearby, and then said:
"Return this briefing to the security department, make a note of it, and then you can get some rest. I'll be leaving soon."
The duty secretary took the documents from Evan and left the office, while Evan sat upright on the sofa, waiting for someone to arrive.
Sure enough, Evan didn't have to wait long. There was a knock on the door, and Miss Trish, the secretary of Deputy Director Jonas, came in.
Since the duty secretary might return at any moment, Miss Trish didn't linger. Seeing Evan sitting on the sofa...
He said directly:
"This incident was not a premeditated plan by Deputy Director Jonas and Captain Johnson; it was Captain Johnson who was persuaded by his subordinates on the spot."
The two of them just met in the office to plot to use the scandal involving the Bahrain general to force him out of the race for the position of defense minister, in preparation for the impending purge by your brother, Lord Robert.
Because they had come to understand that Lord Robert's reforms were very detrimental to them.
Evan's expression hardened, and he once again marveled at why all sides were so wary of MI9.
MI9's position is too special, and it knows too much. In political struggles, whichever side MI9 leans slightly towards will have an absolute advantage.
"How much do you know about the scandal involving the Bahrain general?"
Evan asked the most important question, and Miss Trish did not disappoint him, pausing for a moment before replying:
"General Bahrain has a lover who has been with him for ten years and is a high-ranking spy planted by the Fusak Empire."
"During the war between the Kingdom and the Fusak Empire in their southern continent colonies, a top-secret support plan was leaked, and the source of the leak is right here!"
When Evan heard this, he was somewhat surprised. How did Deputy Director Jonas find out the source of the leak?
If he had been able to investigate the leak and make a great contribution, and with George III's support, why would he have worried about Robert's adjustment of him?
Seeing Evan's puzzled look, the perceptive Miss Trish immediately knew what Evan wanted to ask and quickly said:
"A few days ago, Deputy Director Jonas sent a telegram via radio to Fursack's 'Rat'!"
Upon hearing this, Evan understood immediately. This was Evan's signature move: using the actions of the Intis intelligence agency to deduce that the top brass of the Fussac Empire's intelligence agency were "rats," and then using the "rats" within the Fussac intelligence agency to secure the strong support from Deputy Director Jonas for him in various aspects two months ago.
Just when Evan thought he had learned the whole truth, he suddenly noticed that Miss Trish's eyes were a little evasive, as if she was holding back something. He carried the "Golden Gaze" with him and was very sensitive to the emotional changes of others.
So he said in a gentle but undeniable tone:
"Miss Trish, is there anything else you would like to say? We don't have much time."
MI9 has an internal oversight department, which is an open secret. The "duty secretary" that Evan sent to deliver the items was someone planted by this internal department.
The head of the internal review department is Jonas, a key assistant to Deputy Director Jonas as a representative of the royal family's influence in MI9. He is also a deputy director, so he absolutely cannot know about Miss Trish's meeting with Evan.
Miss Trish heard the undeniable authority in Evan's gentle tone, and finally said:
"Deputy Director Jonas exchanged this information for important intelligence. I don't know exactly what it was, but it must be very important because he sent the intelligence himself, without delegating it to anyone else."
Miss Trish said something shocking, but Evan remained calm and composed, simply saying to Miss Trish:
"I know, you should leave now. There's no one around, so it's very safe. I won't treat you badly."
Miss Trish was surprised that Evan was so calm about Deputy Director Jonas's alleged treason, but she still nimbly left Evan's office with the documents in her arms.
Miss Trish was somewhat surprised, but not at all, by the possibility that Deputy Director Jonas might be a traitor.
This wasn't because Evan didn't trust Deputy Director Jonas's character, but because what he did was actually standard procedure.
Sometimes, intelligence work is very anti-human; it requires being an enemy of angels, dancing with devils, and sometimes even playing the role of a traitor.
In his previous life, Evan had seen a document that circulated after the collapse of that red empire.
Internal strife within the KBG can sometimes be extremely fierce, with members even resorting to espionage to steal each other's trump cards and then selling them off to enemy countries in order to politically undermine their rivals and climb to higher positions.
America also trusted this kind of intelligence, and even used the clues to recruit these high-ranking intelligence officers.
But when the Red Empire collapsed and many files were lost and exposed, America realized that the KGB executives she had gone to great lengths to win over were all part of a scheme set up by others.
Many of these people nominally defected, but eventually infiltrated America's intelligence agencies and even ended up receiving high pensions.
Why does America trust these people so much?
Because these people betrayed the real high-ranking intelligence agents of the Red Empire who were actually lying in wait.
When Evan handed the "Rat" over to Jonas, he had imagined how Jonas would subdue the powerful "Rat".
Because this type of "rat" is very difficult to subdue, even if you have evidence of his collusion with the Eighth Bureau of Intis, it is still difficult, because you are not sure whether his collusion with Intis was authorized by the Fussac Empire.
Moreover, the ultimate goal of intelligence work is "intelligence," not sabotage.
If you don't get that "rat" to serve you willingly, he might even try to kill you instead.
One of the ways Evan envisioned to subdue the rat was to establish an equal partnership with it, a win-win situation.
Based on the information revealed by Miss Trish, Deputy Director Jonas used this method to cooperate with the rat.
Evan never expected that he would use the information from this rat to achieve his goal of internal power struggle.
The intelligence agent who was able to successfully infiltrate General Bahrain's inner circle was of considerable importance, which in turn proves the importance of the intelligence that Deputy Director Jonas provided to the Rat.
Of course, these are not things that Evan is concerned about right now. The most important thing right now is to inform Robert about this matter.
As mentioned before, due to a major corruption scandal in the Department of Defense, former Secretary of Defense General Merlin resigned in disgrace, and Robert, as chairman of the Military Intelligence Committee, had the authority to approve relevant personnel.
Since the beginning of the colonial era under Emperor Roselle, the importance of the navy has increased significantly. Coupled with the influence of the Church of Storms, the navy has always held an absolute advantage in the allocation of military funds, and the emergence of ironclad warships has further exacerbated this situation.
Robert understood that the rise of the navy was an inevitable trend, but he still wanted to take advantage of the navy's recent silence due to the corruption case to secure more military funding for the army and enhance his own prestige.
His earlier nomination of an army general in Bahrain to run for defense minister was intended as a lever to persuade the navy to back down on this year's defense budget allocation.
If Jonas were to reveal that the Bahrain general's mistress was a high-ranking spy for the Fussack Empire, not only would Robert's plan fail, but he would also lose face, and his base of support might even be shaken.
Because General Bahrain was Robert's former superior and the person Robert was most grateful to in his military career. It could even be said that without his guidance, Robert would not have been able to thrive in the army.
Robert's appointment as chairman of the Military and Intelligence Committee, with strong support from the Army, was largely due to General Bahrain.
So anyone could get hurt, but he couldn't. Jonas Augustus's move was both vicious and ruthless.
The location was very accurate.
If it weren't for the fact that he was a "Retribution Knight" of the "Arbitrator" path, Evan would have suspected that he was a "Reaper" of the Hunter path, possessing the ability of "Weakness Observation".
Fortunately, Evan had planted Miss Trish as a thorn in his side, and thus knew the news in advance.
Once you know the news and aren't caught off guard, this kind of thing is easy to handle.
When Evan heard the office cubicle door open and knew that the "duty secretary" who delivered the documents had returned, Evan grabbed his coat and left.
Evan wanted to inform Robert about this as soon as possible, as it would have a greater impact on Robert, and Robert had a private force at his disposal who was better suited to handle the matter.
At the same time, Evan also wanted to take this opportunity to see Robert's final plan for the reorganization of MI9.