Cannon Fire Arc

Chapter 793: Chapter 36 Assassination

Colonel Belger paced back and forth in his office, chain-smoking.

His orderly entered the room, glanced around the office, and asked, “Shall I empty the ashtray for you?”

“Huh?” Colonel Belger was momentarily startled, then looked down at his desk and realized the ashtray was overflowing, “Yes, dump it, thank you.”

The orderly approached the desk, deftly emptied the ashtray without spilling any ash.

Having done so, he looked at Colonel Belger with concern.

The colonel noticed his gaze: “What is it? Did I forget to shave again?”

“No, it’s just that you call me ‘you’ when something’s on your mind,” the orderly replied.

“Isn’t it obvious to everyone that I’m preoccupied?” Colonel Belger chuckled bitterly.

The orderly said, “But the Reserve Affairs Office isn’t hectic at all, especially now that there’s no reserve.”

Since total mobilization began, all of Prosen Empire’s reserves had been called to active duty, and all Youth Corps and labor camps previously managed by the Reserve Office were incorporated into the Empire’s logistics system.

Thus, the already tranquil Reserve Affairs Office became even more so.

No wonder the orderly had this question.

Colonel Belger said, “I am worried about the future of the Prosen Empire. As a Prosen soldier, no matter where I am, I will always be concerned about the future of our Empire.”

He wasn’t lying; at that moment, he indeed worried about this issue, though it was also mixed with a bit of concern for his personal fate.

The Reserve Affairs Office, traditionally a quiet office, still retained the responsibilities of the reserve system.

For instance, it could issue officer IDs and temporary passes, etc., one of many small loopholes in the intricate war machine of the Prosen Empire, because it wasn’t fatal, no one really cared about it.

Not long ago, Colonel Belger had exploited this loophole by issuing a temporary pass that allowed the person holding it to enter the logistical routes of the Eagle’s Nest via the cargo elevator there.

The elevator normally transported only the goods listed on the manifest and each shift before departure would be inspected by three separate groups of mutual strangers checking the transport contents.

Further, after loading the goods into the elevator, the handlers would not ride up, the elevator being controlled remotely to reach inside the Eagle’s Nest where another group took over.

The system was flawless, except there was one issue; if someone was inside the elevator and it started moving upward, they wouldn’t need to go through any body search.

Of course, normally anyone inside the elevator wouldn’t be able to operate it; it needed an insider at the control room to start it manually.

And the control room was always manned by officers from the Imperial Ministry.

However, the meticulous and intelligent Prosen engineers had prepared for all eventualities, so there was an emergency control panel inside the elevator that could be accessed without any special tools.

The engineers had not notified the officers planning the security measures about this control panel but had mentioned it in the Maintenance Manual.

Clearly, they assumed these same meticulous Prosen officers would read all maintenance manuals before crafting any plans.

Thus, another loophole appeared on the intricate war chariot of Prosen.

Colonel Belger, equally meticulous and smart, discovered this loophole—today was the day this loophole would come into play.

The assassin was carrying the pass issued by Colonel Belger, and if the plot was uncovered, he would surely face death.

Colonel Belger had already prepared cyanide.

He was supposed to wear a specially made false tooth with the cyanide capsule inside it; biting hard would break the tooth and release the cyanide.

But he was scared—scared the capsule might leak, scared he might bite the tooth by accident, scared of various mishaps.

So, he kept the specially made tooth in his pocket, and in his mouth, he still wore the false tooth he had had for many years.

Of course, apart from poisoning himself, Colonel Belger also had a plan B, having placed a loaded and unlocked Luger pistol in the top drawer of his desk.

However, if the assassination succeeded, none of these backup plans would be needed.

By then, he might also be counted as one of the heroes who saved Prosen.

Colonel Belger continued pacing in his office, forgetting that his orderly was still in the room, and didn’t notice the change in the orderly’s expression.

————

The orderly quietly left the office, left the door ajar, and swiftly walked to the corner by a vase.

Making sure no one was around, he turned the vase slightly.

An eye carved into the wall suddenly opened, revealing a hidden “cat’s eye.”

The orderly reported, “Colonel Belger seems off today; they might be moving forward with their plan. The colonel is very cautious, always keeping me from touching his documents. I don’t know what he’s done; please hurry.”

The carved eye closed.

The orderly let out a long breath.

Just then, two female clerks, chatting and holding documents, walked past the vase.

The women cast curious glances at the orderly.

The orderly pretended he was sneaking a smoke.

One of the clerks said, “Don’t throw cigarette butts in the vase, sir, there’s a trash can fifteen meters ahead.”

“Ah? Oh, okay.” After extinguishing his cigarette and placing it in the vase, the orderly then realized, “Oh no! Wait, I’ll get it right out!”