The Five Hundred and Eighty-Fifth Plan
In a dim and cramped hidden room, Gregor sat solemnly on a comfortable sofa, listening silently to Donald’s words in front of him. After a brief pause, as if he were pondering something, he continued speaking.
“So, my next task is to find a way to obtain Devenhill’s itinerary?”
“Yes, obtaining it would be ideal, but even if we can’t get it, it’s not a problem. They will create an ‘opportunity’ through other means. They will give you three days. Regardless of whether her travel information is obtained within those three days, they will take action.”
Facing Gregor, Donald continued after hearing his response. Gregor nodded silently.
“I understand. I’ll do my best to gather her intelligence. If handled properly, it should be attainable. Although she is very cautious, she still trusts me to some extent.”
Gregor said this, and Donald added his final remarks.
“Indeed, no matter what, Devenhill must d*e. After her d*ath, we will search her residence to see what she was researching. If she has any secret bases outside, please try to uncover them.”
“I’ll do my best…”
Facing Donald’s instructions, Gregor finally responded. After discussing some scattered matters with the other party, Gregor got up to leave. He went to the front desk to settle the bill after taking a red silk cloth, then left the shop.
After stepping out, Gregor leisurely walked out of the alley. He stopped a carriage by the street and got inside. Sitting in the carriage, he closed his eyes and began to pray silently.
…
During the day, on a vast sea where waves surged, aboard a gray passenger ship filled with travelers, Dorothy sat on her cabin bed, gazing at the sea outside the porthole while recalling the information she had just received through the information channel from afar. A hint of contemplation could be seen in her expression.
“I never expected that… Before I return, matters have already come knocking on my door.” Dorothy thought to herself. After learning about her older brother’s recent experience, she gained a deeper understanding and perception of the situation in Tivian.
“It seems… That knight lady wasn’t wrong. The Eight Pinnacle Nest can no longer contain their restlessness and are preparing to return to Tivian. Moreover, they plan to use their ‘hidden piece’ in Tivian to facilitate their return.”
Dorothy pondered in her heart. She did not expect that after Misha had just informed her about the Eight Pinnacle Nest’s return to Tivian, the other party would act so quickly, targeting Misha from the start. This existence, who might currently pose the greatest threat to the Eight Pinnacle Nest within the An Yin Bureau.
“Huh… It looks like the internal spy issue within the An Yin Bureau is becoming increasingly severe. They know so clearly about Misha’s situation. That so-called ‘major insider’ seems to be more audacious than before, and their influence over the An Yin Bureau appears to have grown larger.
“Due to the so-called ‘major insider,’ it feels as if the An Yin Bureau has almost no resistance against the Eight Pinnacle Nest… If not for my arrangements and people like Misha… the current state of the An Yin Bureau would be unknown. Given the current situation, if no intervention occurs, she too will be in danger.”
Fortunately, with Gregor as a multi-faceted ‘hidden piece,’ I still have considerable operational space here.
Dorothy thought to herself. As she was about to return to Tivian to oppose the Eight Pinnacle Nest, she naturally couldn’t ignore Misha. Therefore, she opened her magic box and took out “Navigation of the Literary Sea,” flipping to the communication page with Misha. After some deliberation, she picked up her pen and wrote.
…
“What…”
At dusk, in a shooting range somewhere in Tivian, gunshots echoed continuously. In the open area, many shooters were conducting live ammunition practice at their respective targets. Beside a table where shooters rested, a woman with short yellow hair, dressed in tight pants and a vest, sat at her position, staring in astonishment at the book laid out in front of her. Her surprise caused her to fumble while reloading, dropping a b*llet onto the floor.
Looking at the words written on the paper in front of her, the woman named Misha devenhill froze for a second, then silently bent down to pick up the dropped b*llet, placing it aside. She then took out her pen and began writing beneath the text on the page.
“Is your intelligence accurate? Have they really prepared to target me?”
“Absolutely, Miss Misha. Although our informant within the Eight Pinnacle Nest isn’t high-ranking, their position is crucial. They have been assigned the task of clearing obstacles for the Eight Pinnacle Nest’s return to Tivian, and the first obstacle is you.
“Huh, it seems your activities over the past six months have caught their attention. Your movements have been noticed.”
The familiar handwriting appeared one by one on the page in front of Misha. She took a deep breath upon seeing it and continued writing.
“I didn’t expect them to move against me at this moment. To some extent, this also proves that what I’m doing now is meaningful. Thank you for your warning. For the next period, I’ll be extra vigilant to prevent them from finding an opportunity.”
Misha finished writing on the page and waited quietly. Moments later, another response appeared on the page, but this time, the content surprised Misha.
“In fact, what we want to say is… If you successfully defended against their assassination attempt using our intelligence, the surface result would be acceptable. However, we believe such an approach leaves many hidden dangers…”
“Dangers… It seems you have other ideas. Tell me.”
Seeing the new information on the page, Misha paused slightly, then wrote with interest, and the response immediately appeared on the paper.
“Due to some reasons within the upper echelons of the An Yin Bureau, you have been identified by the Eight Pinnacle Nest as a key target, possibly even the next Duke Barret. Considering how much they value Duke Barret, they won’t give up on assassinating you just because they failed once. They will keep trying until they succeed. Even if you manage to fend off one round, there will be a second, third, and so on. With their continuous attempts, there’s always a chance you’ll slip up…”
Reading the words that appeared on the page, Misha slowly nodded and wrote in response.
“Now, in the eyes of the Eight Pinnacle Nest, my situation is one where they are in the dark and I am in the light. If they continue to target me, I don’t have many effective countermeasures…”
“Yes… Given their level of knowledge about you, you might only be able to evade them temporarily. And if you remain in the open, you will always be in a passive position, constantly constrained. This won’t allow you to break through.
“Another risk is that if you repeatedly defend against assassination attempts successfully, the Eight Pinnacle Nest will suspect that their intelligence has been leaked. They will begin internal investigations, checking every link in the information transmission chain. At that point, our undercover agent within the Eight Pinnacle Nest will be in danger. Even if they can barely ensure their own safety, they will be forced into silence and unable to provide us with intelligence. Without their assistance, our confrontation with the Eight Pinnacle Nest will become extremely difficult.”
The analytical statements appeared on the page in front of Misha. After carefully reading them, she nodded silently and wrote back.
“Your analysis makes sense. These are indeed significant problems. Some of them I had considered, but even if I had, finding a proper solution would be challenging. Since you’ve brought these up, I assume you have a solution.”
“Yes, we have a method that allows you to perfectly resolve your current predicament and gain an advantage in the upcoming confrontation with the Eight Pinnacle Nest… Miss Misha, are you willing to let your public identity d*e once in everyone’s eyes?”
As new words appeared in front of Misha, the supposed solution became evident. Reading the new words on the page, Misha was momentarily stunned but quickly understood the meaning behind them and immediately wrote back.
“You want me to fake my d*ath to deceive those people?”
“Correct. Under the current circumstances, only a fake d*ath can truly solve the problem. As long as you ‘d*e’ publicly, the Eight Pinnacle Nest will believe they have completed their mission and will cease further harassment. Once their mission is ‘completed,’ our undercover agent will also be safe. Finally, Miss Misha, only by ‘dying’ once can you truly go into hiding, completely disappear from their sight, and escape the constraints imposed by the internal spy within the An Yin Bureau, allowing you to fully investigate the affairs of the Eight Pinnacle Nest.
“This is not only a means to save your life but also an opportunity, Miss Misha.”
New words appeared before Misha, coming from an unknown distant location. Reading these words, Misha frowned and wrote back.
“Faking d*ath… Do you think things are too simple? My dear friend, in the eyes of the Eight Pinnacle Nest, achieving a fake d*ath is far from easy. They won’t believe I’m dead unless they personally witness my demise. Moreover, if I d*e, they need to confirm my d*ath within the organization. Even without a body, they have specific methods to verify if I’m truly dead. If my d*ath cannot be confirmed with certainty, the Eight Pinnacle Nest’s informants will report the news back, leading them to suspect a fake d*ath. At that point, they will become even more convinced that their intelligence has been leaked, making your informant even more dangerous.”
With a serious expression, Misha wrote on the page. She did not consider faking her d*ath a good idea because it would require confirmation from both the Eight Pinnacle Nest and the An Yin Bureau. Deceiving both sides simultaneously would be extremely difficult. Due to the difficulty of this plan, Misha did not think of it immediately when she realized her predicament.
“Indeed… Given the current lack of trust in the An Yin Bureau, your fake d*ath plan poses certain difficulties. But in our view, it’s not insurmountable. We have a plan that, if implemented smoothly, will ensure that your ‘d*ath’ will not raise any suspicions.”
Responding to Misha, new sentences appeared on the page. Misha was slightly taken aback and wrote back.
“What plan? Let me see.”
Misha wrote this, and new sentences continued to appear on the paper. The elegant handwriting constructed the content of the plan mentioned by Rose, gradually revealing itself to Misha. Looking at the plan’s details, Misha’s stern face gradually relaxed, and her eyes widened. When she finished reading all the content on the page, her astonished expression could not be concealed. After a moment, she picked up her pen and continued writing.
“Your plan… is indeed interesting. If executed smoothly, it might truly succeed in deceiving them under their noses, despite some risks. Given the current situation, it’s worth taking the risk.
“However… There’s a significant flaw in your plan. It requires someone from the bl**d Darkness Path to cooperate with me. Although I have two Black Earths from the bl**d Darkness Path among my subordinates, I’ve only known them for a little over half a year. They can’t be considered my trusted confidants. I’m uncertain if they will remain loyal to me after I share this critical plan with them. After all, to ordinary hunters, this plan… in a sense, also goes against the An Yin Bureau.”
Misha wrote down her concerns, and she soon received a response.
“You don’t need to worry about this aspect. On our side, we have an Extraordinary Being who can partially replicate the abilities of the bl**d Darkness Path. I will send them to assist you. You only need to bring one of your bl**d Darkness Path subordinates along and find an excuse to sideline them. Oh, and give me their profiles later so I can determine who would be more suitable.”
Reading the response, Misha pondered for a moment and then continued writing on the page, further discussing the details of the plan with her mysterious ally.
…
“Huff…”
In the passenger cabin of the ocean liner, Dorothy sighed deeply after concluding her conversation with Misha and reaching an agreement. Having settled the details of the plan, she temporarily ended the letter exchange and turned to look out the porthole at the surging sea in the night.
“People haven’t even arrived yet, and they’re already worrying about matters there. This is quite an experience…” Dorothy thought to herself as she gazed out the porthole. She then mentally reviewed her itinerary, calculating the ship’s current position, realizing everything was still within reach, and she could make it in time for the drama.
“Just returning to Tivian, and there are already such events awaiting me. This Society of Prillert is certainly enthusiastic…”
Dorothy muttered to herself. After finishing her complaint, she silently closed her eyes and began praying in her mind.
“Great Akka, the Recorder of All Things, I pray to you. I request real-time communication with Mr. Meyshos, the Hunter. Miss Devenhill’s itinerary is now available…”
…
Hmm… As the update time approaches my originally stable sleep schedule, chaos seems to be starting again. It’s somewhat uncomfortable to write while feeling sleepy. Also, thank you to the generous contributors.
