Chapter 15
**BACKTICK**CHAPTER_TITLE: The Bag's Owner Was Never to Blame (End)**BACKTICK**
The central Liberation Army's secret hideout. The printer kept spewing out printouts without a break. The unit members marked through documents while debating. After a long while, Hans rang a small bell. "Alright. So, what's the deal with this guy? We've all been thinking about it. Let's pool our brains. What kind of guy is this?"LT__p>The same noise as before broke out again. Hans didn't listen to a word of it. He just wrote each opinion on the board like he understood every word. The guy watching the monitors hated this "brainstorming." He agreed with the idea that all decisions had to be transparent, but most of the time it was clueless people showing off their so-called wisdom, arguing, and nitpicking endlessly. LT__p>But Hans felt secretly relieved. "The operation failed." He had lost the bag. An unforgivable serious mistake. If the Liberation Headquarters found out, Hans himself would be purged. LT__p>He couldn't just say "Everyone, come in and get the bag back!" The MP's surveillance was too tight; he couldn't move troops on a whim. During all that, the dazed bag seller had brazenly pulled both them and the 8th MP unit into it. Hans regretted letting the guy off easy just because he looked stupid and trusting. LT__p>But this wasn't a normal guy. Still, he hadn't just stolen the central command position. In the future, when the real Elza Liberation Headquarters opened, he would easily get the capital defense command. So this screw-up had to be turned into an opportunity. Since the opponent wasn't normal, the cover story would work perfectly. LT__p>"Alright. Stop. Stop! Everyone, pay attention for a second. Good. First, let's clear this up. Admit what you admit. The bag-bomb plan failed. But!" "But?" "That's because we didn't see a variable coming. Our plan wasn't wrong. Execution was flawless. No one wanted this, right? You? No? You?" "Of course not, Comrade Hans!" "Please, at least call me 'Comrade Hans'! I'm letting you get away with it because I'm nice. If it was somewhere else, I'd shoot you on the spot! Democracy is fine, but rank is clear! Say it again." "Of course not, Comrade Hans!" "Yes!" Hans spread both arms wide. "This is all because of that mysterious opponent. That arrogant friend who throws both smart questions and stupid ones at once! Finding out his identity is the most important reason. Did you watch his bag-selling skills?" "He's incredibly crafty!" For some reason, everyone pumped their fists like they were chanting the chorus. Hans loved moments like this. This was when he felt he had everyone under his thumb. LT__p> "Alright, let's look at the board! As you all agreed, this guy is not a spy for the Eastern Roemer. Of course not! Why would Eastern officials ask about virus spread! "Though Easterners are nine-headed snakes who bite and tear at each other between administrations! Still, they're not that stupid. "Next, most opinions say informant! That one is easy to disprove. Using Hoot's disappearance to snatch the bag and run? Taking our 8th MP unit at the same time? Too risky for a single informant's stunt. "I even considered this! What if this guy is one of our own comrades? I secretly checked if someone from outside the central region sneaked in and moved. "Comrade Hans, that seems a bit over the top. Outsiders can operate in our area, sure! We do it all the time. But how did that person get Hoot's bag? It doesn't make sense. No reason. "That's exactly what I said!" Hans pointed at the complaining comrade. "It doesn't make sense! Other districts are also suffering from manpower shortages, so in a situation where performance is terrible, they take someone else's? Why? Even if they do their own work well, results come through! "You all know this, right? But there's a reason I'm saying something I know! Listen. From a book I read, the answer is all the options that aren't true, eliminated. Even if the last one looks weird, that must be the truth! "Got it? This guy isn't one of our members! Not an Eastern spy either! Not an informant! So what is he?" "Then what? Does that mean a spy sent from the Western Minch Republic is fine?" The guy who suddenly spoke up looked even more surprised. Hans stared at him coldly, then clapped. Clap. Clap. Clap. "Yes, that's what I said! He's a spy sent from the Minch Republic. Nothing else explains it! The Westerners are panicking because of the zombie situation, but unlike the dictatorship of Roemer and the puppet Elza, the Western region doesn't have unit blockades. The West is completely divided up by corporations!" LT__p>That was true. The Minch Democratic Republic in the West was famous for its pro-corporate policy. The problem was that corporate power was so strong it shook the state itself. "Even the corporations don't share information to protect their own interests. So, the Minch government sent spies too. To gather information known by Elza and Roemer! "In the meantime, they want to weaken our forces by making us and the 8th MP unit fight each other. Do you remember? Right now Roemer occupies it, but actually it was Minch who first invaded Elza!" Luckily, the members looked deep in thought about Hans's words. Thanks to that, "bag operation failed" became just a passing comment. Crisis as opportunity. That was Hans's way of living through it all. LT__p> "…It seems a bit excessive, but fine. Let's say he's a spy from Minch. How do we proceed?" "We have to contact him." Hans pointed at the map on the wall. "Langbert Village" was clearly marked. "He has no food or clothes. No trustworthy ally to lean on. But if we go and help him, and he hands over the bag instead, he can gain our favor and we get the bag back. Win-win. "Got it? We're not going to retrieve the bag. That's secondary. Our main mission is to make contact with the Western spy. "We don't know what we can do after meeting, but one thing is clear. The Westerners hate us, but Roemer hates us even more. If we show we have control over the Human Non-Protected Zone and draw Minch in, we can escape Roemer's oppression." "But Minch is suffering from the virus too." Someone raised an objection. Hans nodded, but not in agreement. "That's right. But what if… before Minch collapses, Elza and Roemer collapse first? "…What?" The guy watching the monitors looked shocked at Hans. "The bag bomb is basically homemade anyway. But if we mass-produce it using Minch's industrial power and set off terror in Elza and Roemer… wouldn't things get easier?" "W-wait a second. Hans. You're saying you're going to hand over the bag design to Minch?" The monitor guy stood up in shock. "We weren't supposed to make unnecessary sacrifices, right? That's the foundation of our movement! And what you just said…" "No need to hand over the design. We just need to arrange a meeting with Fulcrum. And you keep forgetting to call me Comrade?" "Comrade or not, that's not important! Fulcrum? Did you just say Fulcrum? Knowing what she means to us, you're going to introduce her so easily to the Minch spy?" Hans nodded and opened his desk drawer. He took out a pistol, removed the safety, and fired two shots at the monitor guy. "Ah." "So I said it. Call me 'Comrade Hans.' I don't get angry when you mix comrade and comrade, but I do get angry when you don't call me Comrade. Let's protect what we can and survive. Us." But the guy was already dead. A faint complaint could be heard. "Now who is watching the monitors?" "You are." Hans pointed the pistol at the person who spoke. The pointed guy nodded happily. Hans scratched his head with the butt of the pistol. "Alright. We are recruiting the special task force. The four slowest to raise their hands when counting one, two, three are to be purged. Alright, one, two, three!" Everyone raised their hands voluntarily at the same time. "You are truly loyal. Good. I'll handle contacting our future client. The deputy commander will now select four brave men to go to Langbert. " * * * * * Special Task Force Commander Room. Though Leticia entered with momentum, she sat wobbling. On the newly replaced metal desk sat a teacup shaped like a flower. The white, high-class porcelain cup, which was so delicate it was burdensome even to pick it up, was filled with rose tea. Eventually, because Virginia gestured, Leticia brought it to her lips. The smell was good, but the taste was bitter. She wanted to throw the cup away. "Nobles' tastes!" She thought three lumps of sugar weren't enough. If only she could get sugar. "Alright. Understood." Finally Virginia hung up the phone. The commander, elegantly sipping tea and savoring the flavor, looked simply awe-inspiring. "I've investigated separately. There is no Minch Republic spy in this region. Though they're idiots, those guys are good at choosing and focusing, so most are spread around the city center. So one of your hypotheses narrows down. Do you smoke?" "No. I'm fine." Virginia put a cigarette in her mouth and lit it with a lighter. Leticia recognized the cigarette. It was damn strong with no filter, cheap stuff grandpa and grandma smoked. "Hope." It was a bit like a perverted hobby to slowly burn hope. "Good. Leticia. This V guy seems not to be a Minch Republic spy. Not a Roemer agency member either. Not a normal informant, and not an extreme Elza terrorist. Correct?" "Yes." "But looking at the report that just came up and your briefing… this guy is someone who deeply loves Elza itself." V was an Elza patriot. That was Leticia's conclusion. First, this guy cleverly lured military intervention into Langbert Village. By egging on both terrorists and the MP unit. Why? Because he knew that urgent relief supplies and medical personnel meant for Hampton were detained in Langbert Village. And he knew that the Roemer and Elza administrations had hidden that fact and rejected military orders. In short, this guy was implying to clear the Langbert gangs and rescue medical supplies and people. But he couldn't openly say that the government had hidden it, even that the MP had just realized it. The terrorists were watching too. Even the bag. This guy probably knew the bag was being used for bad purposes. So he had "voluntarily reported" the bag in the form of "sale." "Principally, entry into the Human Non-Protected Zone is not allowed without government permission or military operations. Therefore, humanitarian aid has been refused. "But the fact that Elza citizens live here is clear. This guy judged that the bag was being used as a hostage to urge military intervention from the MP. So the possibilities narrow greatly. "Someone who loves and cherishes Elza more than anyone, but refrains from radical methods. Someone who can obtain information from the military leadership but has no power to directly move Roemer or Elza administrations or armies. "And someone who opposes radical methods but is not a spy from the Western country either. The only remaining possibility is that this is an Elza Liberation Moderate faction spy. "As the Elza independent government disappeared, the Elza Intelligence Bureau split in half. The radicals became the core of the Liberation Movement, but the moderates completely lost contact. I believe this person is a member of that moderate faction." Virginia stood up. She looked out the window, silently smoking the cigarette and tapping the ash out the window. She rubbed the butt on the frame until it was completely out and threw the stub outside. "An Elza loyalist who disappeared without a trace. Working in the shadows, but still working hard for the beloved motherland… is that the meaning?" "I can't be 100% sure, but if it's not that motive, it can't be explained." "Then we have to bring this guy in." Just as easy as saying "Pick up the cigarette butt I just threw." "Chief, may I ask one question?" "Go ahead." "If you are a moderate from the Elza Intelligence Bureau, your level won't be low. Of course our special task force also…" "I understand what you mean." Virginia cut him off. "The MP is a military organization but also a police organization. Especially now when we are focusing on stabilizing occupied territory, even more so. So catching an ex-intelligence spy as a MP is unsuitable work… is that what you mean to say?" "Of course. If you order it, I will prepare the plan." "No. Your opinion is precious." Virginia sat back down. "As an information officer, you naturally have to question this. To me, it doesn't seem easy to catch such a crafty person easily." Leticia nodded in agreement. Honestly, saying it out loud would be rude. But the police could catch petty thieves or deserters, but catching a well-trained spy was hard. It was better to borrow the strength of counter-intelligence agencies. "But my thoughts are a bit different. The old saying is to catch fleas but burn down the house. Conversely, if you burn the house, you can catch the flea. And if you're good at catching fleas, it's easier to burn the house. Isn't that right?" Fleas? Burn the house? Something was strange. Leticia blinked. For now, it didn't seem useful. But Virginia was endlessly serious. "Yeah, definitely burning the house is less effort." "I'm not going to go catch this guy. This guy is going to walk into us on his own." "How exactly?" "By coercion." Leticia's logic was impossible to follow. Maybe the commander had stayed up two nights and was talking nonsense. Of course she had to. In the morning she hadn't even broken a desk. But Virginia called on the phone. "Yeah. Exchange. It's a private line. Connect to the Roemer Parliament… long time no see. Helford. Yes. I'm doing well. I need a favor from the member of parliament. Please support two surveillance satellite channels and some Elza Army Aviation support. I'll send the official document. Yes. Thank you. When I come to the capital, I'll greet you. Long live the Republic." Before the phone hung up, Virginia underlined the report. "Two more surveillance satellite channels have been allocated. The bag signal is weak and tracking is difficult, so it says so in the report. Use these to find the location as much as possible." "This easily?" Leticia felt a bit dizzy. The power of the noble daughter was something beyond imagination. "Ah, understood. But the aviation unit…" "Didn't I say coercion? He won't walk in barefoot. And coercion is more effective the stronger the firepower. When the aviation talk ends, I'll call again. So go do your work for now. On the way, tell Redeker this." Virginia scribbled a memo and handed it over. "Buy twenty more sturdy 1-person cages. Exactly two by two." "Request cooperation from ten prisoners in the detention center. Anyone who broke military discipline, desertion, refusal of orders, etc. Because the unit's overall discipline is messed up and needs to be fixed." "Understood. The remaining ten…" "Fill them with zombies." "Understood." Leticia stood up without asking twice. She didn't want to get into a cage linked with zombies. "Alone again in the office." Virginia took a deep drag from her "Hope" cigarette. "No matter what it is, it will come into my hands."