Free Web NovelChapter 375: Chapter 375 "Business" Meeting_1
The autonomous prefecture’s free trade zone in Shancheng, under the cloak of night at the Prospectors’ Hotel.
A man with a Fu Manchu mustache, dressed like a wealthy merchant, stepped down from his carriage and was immediately approached by a waiter, "Do you have a reservation, sir?"
"The seventh private room on the third floor," the merchant replied with a steady voice, casually tipping the waiter before handing over his briefcase.
"Right this way, please," the waiter said respectfully, gesturing with an open hand before leading the way.
As they reached the door of the private room, the waiter knocked before pulling the door open for the guest. Seven people were already seated around the long table, with just the head seat left vacant.
The merchant retrieved his briefcase, entered the private room, and the host, who had been seated at the other end of the table, immediately stood up to greet him, "Ah, Mr. Delun, we were just waiting for you!"
"Ah, my apologies for the tardiness; negotiations took a bit longer than expected," the merchant politely explained.
"No matter, please take a seat," the host urged, patting the man’s shoulder and gesturing towards the seat, then turned to instruct the waiter once the guest had moved, "Bring up the drinks after seven and before then, no interruptions. We have matters to discuss."
"Understood."
The waiter bowed respectfully; as the hotel was situated in the free trade zone, its primary clientele comprised mostly merchants and business owners traveling between the autonomous prefecture and Gistas. They treated these private rooms as social venues and business meeting halls. Since the client had requested not to be disturbed, no one would approach the room until the appointed time or until the client rang for service.
Once the door was closed, everyone took their seats and exchanged glances; one person then stood up, walked to the door, crossed his arms, and leaned against it to prevent any unexpected intrusions.
It was then that the last to arrive, the merchant, spoke up, "I am here on behalf of the captain of the White Eagle."
Upon hearing the passphrase, all others in the room stood up in unison and saluted together.
The national flag of the Kingdom of Gistas features a blue banner with an image of a soaring white eagle. Within the ranks of the royal constabulary loyal to the monarchy, "the captain of the White Eagle" refers to the King, among many other euphemisms and aliases.
The Royal Secret Police would decide on a specific passphrase before an undercover meeting. Once the passphrase is correctly recited upon the meeting, they can confirm the identity of the contact.
The last to be seated, the "merchant"—undercover Director of the Royal Secret Police Heinz Hofman—surveyed his subordinates, confirming each face before speaking in his normal voice, "As mentioned in the previous encrypted message, I will personally take over the ’Crown’ operation. I’ve read the telegram; you lot have indeed been negligent."
The others promptly lowered their heads.
"Sit down. We can attend to the debriefing and disciplinary actions later. The priority is to complete the mission. Let us commence the operation meeting," Heinz motioned for his subordinates to sit and continued, "The target, in order to avoid assassination, sought refuge in the prison of the autonomous prefecture with a long sentence. Extradition is nearly impossible. The target is a native of Shancheng from the autonomous prefecture. Even if we managed to forge her criminal records in Gistas, we cannot bypass the foreign affair officers, which is virtually public. The opposition parties would immediately get wind of it and the extradition would be obstructed by them. More troubling, the Empire has been keeping a close eye on this matter, and should it catch even a whisper from the Empire’s side... things would get much more complicated. Hence, we have but one objective—"
Heinz paused abruptly, finding himself caught by an involuntary lump in his throat.
But after just a half-second delay, he regained composure and finished his thought, "The objective is to ensure the target dies in prison. Given the special nature of the mission location, we must carry out the task with utter discretion and leave no diplomatic complications. However... the priority remains the mission’s completion. We are authorized to use any means necessary, as per His Majesty’s wishes."
The secret police captains deployed to the autonomous precinct exchanged glances. The order indicated that the King was adamant, that even at the risk of diplomatic friction, Sara Rekhsia must be killed.
The Kingdom’s current situation maintained a delicate balance under the influence of multiple factors, yet this balance was akin to riding a unicycle on a tightrope, where even the slightest external force could break it.
And the very existence of Sara Rekhsia was such an external force.
The former King’s will did not designate an heir; before the discovery of the illegitimate child, the "solitary son" of the former King ascending the throne had been completely natural.
However, after letters connecting the former King with his mistress and illegitimate daughter were uncovered, the opposition factions that had objections to the new King immediately formed an alliance.
They argued that the absence of a clear successor in the King’s will reflected his dissatisfaction with his son—an assertion that might well be true, as it was common knowledge that the former King had often quarreled with the Prince over political disagreements and their relationship was tense. Most crucially, the new policies introduced by the new King were completely divergent from the former King’s political ideology.
Therefore, the opposition forces immediately latched onto the princess who had been cast amongst the common folk, seeing her as a standard to rival the new King. ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm
Even if she did not end up claiming the throne, at the very least, she was entitled to the title of Grand Duchess, which still held great exploitative value for the opposition.
As a standard around which to rally against the King, the opposition only needed to keep her alive and within their control.
The new King’s goal thus became quite clear.
"Director," a member of the secret police raised her hand, and Heinz turned his attention toward her, nodding slightly to signal her to speak.
"Do we need to send someone into the prison?" she proposed.
Heinz lowered his eyes to think for a moment before replying, "Let me see the prison files first."
Sending an assassin into Rose Iron Prison was an immediately obvious method; if direct contact with the target was possible, there were numerous opportunities to strike, and even if an incident occurred, measures could be taken to use the state’s power to extradite the person carrying out the task—if the target died, the dispute over succession would essentially come to an end, and the opposition would become disorganized, no longer investing resources in tripping up a secret police officer.
Even if it meant sacrificing someone for the task, it would still be worth it. Those who would be sent to perform this mission would possess sufficient loyalty.
Right... that included himself.
Heinz emphasized this to himself mentally.
But the prerequisite for executing this plan was that the infiltrating agent had to have direct contact with the target.
Heinz quickly scanned the investigative report on the prison with a serious expression.
Rose Iron Prison was a large facility capable of holding four thousand prisoners, with three ordinary blocks and a core area. Sara Rekhsia would undoubtedly be in one of the ordinary blocks. Sending someone into the prison, it would be difficult to ensure that the person would land in the same block as Sera, but if enough people were sent... maybe... ƒгeewebnovёl.com
With this thought, he flipped to the next page and saw a list of the prison’s high-level officials.
Then, he furrowed his brow, "Aiden... Galrod?"
