Volume 2: Empire Chapter 131: Secret War
As night fell, the winter capital was covered with snow and wind. People who were returning home from work hurriedly walked on both sides of the road. The steam rail buses had stopped running, and only a few cars that only the rich could afford drove in the middle of the road. Because of the snow, the cars also drove very slowly.
Suddenly, a sudden brake sound echoed throughout the street, and then a car was seen sliding on the compacted snow and crashing into the rear of the car in front.
"Damn it!" the driver couldn't help but curse.
The car in front was parked in the middle of the road without turning on any of its lights, and the snow piled on the car was not cleaned off. By the time I saw it, it was too late.
The angry driver came out of the driver's seat, he first looked at the extent of the damage to his car, and then went to argue with the car in front. But he soon noticed that something was wrong, blocking the way in front of him was not one car, but a row of cars.
All the cars were buried under piles of snow, as if they had been parked there for a long time.
The driver looked around and the people on both sides of the road were also very confused. It seemed that there were no cars buried under the snow in the middle of the road just now.
A sheriff of Dongdu discovered the situation here and rushed over. When he learned that something strange had happened, he immediately drew the sword at his waist.
"Everyone stand back!"
The sheriff shouted orders to the crowd, but curiosity made the onlookers only take a small step back. The helpless sheriff could only ignore them and approach the vehicle carefully.
He reached out and wiped the snow off the car, and then he found that the car had been deformed by the heavy object. He continued to feel inside and soon felt something soft like cloth.
Experience made the sheriff realize what he had touched. He pulled hard and a limp corpse was dragged out of the snow pile.
The appearance of the body aroused the curiosity of the crowd. They did not dare to get too close, and they all stretched their heads to see who died on the street on this winter night.
The sheriff rummaged through the dead man's clothes and a metal plate rolled out.
Ice Cave Agent Badge!
The sheriff quickly grabbed the badge, but it was too late.
Someone shouted "Ice Cave Agent, the one who died is Ice Cave Agent!", and then the same words spread quickly among the crowd, and panic spread.
If these cars were from the Ice Cave, it meant they were ambushed here. I wonder how many bodies of Ice Cave agents are buried under these piles of snow, and who dared to provoke the Ice Cave in winter!
The crowd that was originally watching the excitement ran away in the blink of an eye. Even the car that was hit was running away at a very fast speed after the driver made a sharp U-turn.
The only people left at the crime scene were the sheriff, the body that had been dug out at his feet, and a row of cars covered in snow that looked like graves.
The next day, Luke went to work as usual, but without Mina to make breakfast, he could only fill his stomach at a roadside store.
In the morning, there were many more sheriffs and plainclothes Ice Cave agents in the city, patrolling at intersections and rail bus stations, and anyone who looked suspicious would be questioned by them.
Luke's work permit from Harut Heavy Industries brought him some convenience, and the sheriff and Ice Cave agents he met did not cause him any trouble. He arrived at the company smoothly, and then went to see Mrs. Yolanda to pick up the steam pipes that needed to be inspected today.
This time, Mrs. Yolanda kept him.
"Please take a seat, Engineer Luke. Due to some unexpected events, I need to ask you some necessary questions. Please don't be nervous, these are just a few simple questions."
Luke sat down across from Mrs. Yolanda's desk and the office assistant brought him a cup of hot coffee.
"I just came in from outside, and it's really nice to have a cup of hot coffee to warm my hands." Luke said easily, "Excuse me, Mrs. Yolanda."
"Harry is missing. He was supposed to report to the military camp last night, but he didn't go. The military sent people to look for him, but his home was empty. Now Harry is wanted for evading military service.
Security authorities said this morning that Norton also did not come to work, and he and his family also disappeared, including the snowman Amao.
During this period, the Norton team has been protecting your safety. Have you noticed any abnormal behavior or words from them?"
Luke shrugged. "No, I haven't worked with them for a long time. I only know that Norton is a very cautious person and Harry is a little bit bad at communication. They are all very responsible in protecting me. Without them, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to adapt to the new working environment so quickly.
Is Rebecca okay?"
Mrs. Yolanda also didn't think that a steam engineer who had just started working at the company could know any inside information. These low-level security guards would not tell secrets to unfamiliar superiors.
"Rebecca is here, but she was taken away by the agents of the Ice Cave." Yolanda didn't care about Rebecca. She reminded Luke, "Something happened in the underground mining area that made those emotionless guys very sensitive. They actually thought Norton and Harry joined the underground resistance.
There was an attack on the Ice Cave last night, and many agents died, and it seems that there was a senior commander among them. This completely annoyed them, and they are arresting people everywhere, which has seriously affected the normal operation of the company.
The company is now negotiating with the Ice Cave.
If the Ice Cave finds you, try to cooperate with them, they are now a group of mad dogs."
Luke didn't expect that Rebecca was taken away by the ice cave. It seemed that Qingkong really hurt them last night.
"Mrs. Yolanda, Norton and Harry are missing, and Rebecca has been taken away by the ice cave. How can I carry out my work?"
"Take a day off first. The company's security department has been disabled by the Ice Cave, and we can't arrange a team to protect you. Don't worry, this situation won't last long, unless the Ice Cave doesn't want the company to produce supplies for the troops on the front line."
"It seems that I can only take a day off. This is the worst news this morning." Luke complained about not being able to work, and asked, "I'm going to the underground steam city to watch the motorcycle race. Madam, the underground resistance you just mentioned...will they threaten my safety?"
Mrs. Yolanda said: "It's just a nice name given to themselves by a small group of miners. They are now running around underground like rats. I believe we can eliminate them soon.
Keep a low profile in the underground steam city and identify yourself when necessary. All parties will give Harut Heavy Industries a certain amount of respect.
Have fun.
Unfortunately, I still have a lot of work to do here.”
“You have more work because you have a high status.”
Luke's little flattery made Mrs. Yolanda smile happily: "Go quickly, before I remember to arrange a new job for you..."
Luke said goodbye to Mrs. Yolanda and left the company. He lowered the brim of his hat and followed the pedestrians, carefully observing the location of the sheriff and the Ice Cave Agents on the road. When no one was paying attention, he quickly went into a secluded alley.
He took off his glasses, took off his coat, and threw them into his private space along with the briefcase in his hand. Then he took out a black windbreaker and put it on, closing the hood of the windbreaker.
He waved his hand and a gust of wind swept away the snow on the ground, revealing a manhole cover under the snow.
Luke pulled up the manhole cover, looked around to see if there was anyone around, and jumped in. After the manhole cover was closed, the wind covered the snow again, erasing all the footprints Luke had left along the way.
The sewers of Winter City are connected to the ventilation pipes of the underground city, which is an important channel for many people and materials to enter the underground city abnormally.
Including intelligence activities that are even less visible.
Luke arrived at the underground steam city and bought a copy of today's Winter City Daily at a roadside newsstand. He turned to the center column of the last page, which was filled with recruitment advertisements. Using the Secret Service's text key, Luke quickly deciphered the information left by the Secret Service's Winter City Intelligence Station.
Throwing the newspaper into the trash can, Luke turned into a busy alley.
There are some stalls selling groceries inside, as well as snacks that smell delicious but I don't know what they are made of.
Luke walked into a machine repair shop and said to a repairman who was working on a steam engine, "Is the machine I sent in yesterday repaired?"
The greasy-faced maintenance worker raised his head to look at Luke, who was covering his face, and continued to hammer on the machine: "I don't think I've seen you before. When did you deliver the machine yesterday?"
"Three fifty-nine p.m."
The maintenance worker looked up at Luke again: "3:59 p.m., that should be afternoon. There are too many things to be repaired recently, I can't remember...
Can you tell me what it is?"
"The fourth valve of the Finseti III steam engine is leaking."
"What model ?"
"B98C76."
The maintenance worker stood up and looked outside, then said to Luke, "The problem with that machine is not the fourth valve leaking. Come with me inside to take a look. It has been disassembled and it is not convenient to take it out."
"good."
Luke agreed, stepped over the parts and tools on the floor, and followed the repairman inside.
The door closed, and the maintenance worker immediately saluted Luke: "I received a notice from headquarters that a senior agent is on a mission in Winter City. I have been placing intelligence from the Empire at designated locations according to instructions. Sir, you came here directly this time. Is there something important for us to do?"
Luke did not reveal his appearance. He simply glanced around the slightly dirty maintenance room and said, "Last night, a group of agents died in the Ice Cave. What intelligence did you gather?"
The maintenance worker immediately replied, "We have collected some. A total of 36 Ice Cave agents died last night, including a senior commander. The killer did not leave any clues. The hunting process should be to set up secret techniques on the route that this team of agents must pass, so that they are trapped in the space shield and then annihilated in one fell swoop.
Moreover, on the day of the Winter Hunting Festival, the Ice Cave lost a team of agents, and the specific situation is still being gathered.”
"Who did it?"
"It wasn't us!" The maintenance worker denied. "The Dongdu Intelligence Station doesn't have such a professional construction team. We initially suspected that it was the construction team led by you, but now it seems that it wasn't you who did it."
"Any other clues?"
"The Ice Cave agent who died last night was responsible for investigating the rebels that emerged in the underground mines. There was also a man named Mr. Bai Ye. They were the ones who caused the chaos in the underground mines. Perhaps it was Mr. Bai Ye who killed them..."
"As a spy entrusted with an important task by the Empire and placed in an important position, don't use so many 'doubts' and 'maybes'. Your mission is to obtain accurate information. Ambiguous intelligence is equivalent to no intelligence."
The maintenance worker immediately bowed and apologized: "I'm sorry, sir. The Ice Cave Agents are using all-round means to attack our intelligence network, causing a lot of intelligence to be seriously delayed. We must restore it as soon as possible."
Luke casually tapped the Imperial spy and asked, "Any intel on the Rebels?"
"Some of them are accurate! The main leaders of the rebels came from the B36 mine, and some came from the A98 mine. The A98 mine was suppressed by the Harut Heavy Industry Security Team. Many people died, and some escaped.
The source of this underground mine incident was the B36 mine, but before the Harut Heavy Industry Security Team arrived, several main planners had already fled, and it seemed that someone from the security team tipped them off.
Now the people from the two mines have gathered together to form an underground resistance army, which should be less than a hundred people. However, they are very familiar with the underground tunnels and have the sympathy of many people, so even if the ice cave is alarmed, they have not been found yet. "
The maintenance worker's tone clearly showed that he did not take the rebels, who numbered less than a hundred, seriously. In the underground steam city, this number of people was not even a small gang.
But Luke needs this rebel force to cause trouble for the Ice Cave and take the blame for killing the Ice Cave agents.
"You underestimate this underground resistance army of less than a hundred people. They will become the key to the Empire's victory in this war.
Ice Cave said that the underground resistance army was supported and funded by the Imperial Secret Service, so let this slander become a fact. "
The maintenance worker didn't know why this great man from the imperial capital valued these less than a hundred rebels so much that he even risked exposing his identity to come and give orders in person.
But questions about the mission were not something a professional imperial spy should have.
"Yes, sir. I will send people to look for them immediately...but their whereabouts are very secretive, so it may take some time to find them."
Luke said, "You don't have to look for them. I know where they are. You just need to prepare weapons and supplies to arm them and train them to be warriors, not moles that are chased around."
"I know what to do, my Lord."
"One more thing...are there any of our people inside the ice cave?"
"Yes! Please tell me what needs to be done, my lord."
Luke thought for a moment, made a decision and said, "In the security department of Harut Heavy Industries, a woman named Rebecca was taken away by the ice cave. Let our insider find out what her current situation is."
"Yes, sir..." The maintenance worker accepted the order and asked, "Sir, do you need us to get rid of her?"
"First determine the situation, and then wait for my order."
"Understood, sir!"
