Chapter 888 - This Game Is Too Realistic

Chapter 888: The Abundance of Big Fish in Yongye Harbor Things progressed just as Taran had anticipated, and at a pace much faster than he had expected. The garrison team at Yongye Harbor conducted an intense interrogation of him for 48 hours. They questioned him about "where he got the information regarding the Enlightenment Society," as well as their creeds, purposes, ideologies, organizational structure, and a host of related topics. Who knew? These Wilantans were testing him. Having prepared in advance, Taran didn't panic; he had memorized all the information from their official website and responded fluently during the interrogation. Even when the Wilantans rephrased the same questions, Taran didn't show any flaws. It seemed his sincerity touched them, and each of the interrogators who questioned him in shifts believed him. Especially the last interrogator, who was so moved that he couldn't help but stand up and shake Taran's hand. "Mr. Taran, thank you for... I mean, thank you for coming into the light! A great cause has gained another righteous ally, and the Enlightenment Society welcomes you!" "For the great cause!" Seeing that he had finally passed the test, Taran also stood up in excitement, only to awkwardly sit back down since his hands were still cuffed to the table. "Let me get that for you!" Seeing his predicament, the interrogator hastily moved forward, unlocked his handcuffs with a key, and warmly grasped his hands. "We apologize for the inconvenience over the past few days! I hope you understand, we have our reasons... Reliable information shows that the Alliance has their eyes on us, so we have to be extremely cautious." "Compared to the grievances I've endured within the Alliance, this is nothing. I understand your caution... after all, what we’re about to undertake is no trivial matter." Taran looked at him with a similar warmth, as though he had found his people and comrades, and continued speaking with enthusiasm. "So, am I one of you now?" The interrogator firmly shook his hand, smiling as he nodded. "Absolutely! You've passed the evaluation. A colleague from the Human Resources Department will come to discuss your enrollment details tomorrow." Taran: "Human Resources?" The interrogator replied with a smile. "That's the department in charge of personnel management... after all, we’re a tightly-knit organization, and special tasks are handled by specialists." Taran suddenly understood, nodding and giving him a knowing look. "Got it!" "I'm glad you understand!" Returning to his desk, the interrogator gathered the documents on the table, quickly slipped them into an envelope, and then turned back to Taran with a smile. "I'll submit the materials as soon as possible, but I’m afraid you'll have to endure one more day here." "You’re too kind. I’ve already said it's not a bother... Please, go ahead." With a smile, Taran nodded before politely seeing the interrogator to the door. Only then did he return to his cell with a guard eyeing him curiously. As usual, he pretended to be tired, lay down and slept, returning to the offline world. Removing his helmet and rushing to his keyboard, he began typing furiously. "Guys! I’ve infiltrated the inner circles of the Enlightenment Society!" Maybe because it was still early morning in reality, most players were in-game, and the cloud players were asleep, so the response wasn't overwhelming. However, after seeing the title of his post, many people still came rushing in. Miracle of Medicine: "No way? For real?!" Sour Fish: "The captain's amazing!!" Angry Fatty Liver: "Wow, that's something." Most of the responders were members of the Desert Corps. Surprised that their captain was finally making progress, everyone lavished him with genuine compliments. Especially the newbies who were confused and detained upon arrival; they began to clamour. "Bro! I've been jailed for three days!" "I've never spent this long in a cell in my life!" "Help a brother out!" "Should we just confess to get better treatment?" Basking in the praise, Taran felt buoyant, and cheerfully typed another message. "Don't worry, brothers. I've just infiltrated the organization. You'll need to stealthily wait a while longer!" "But rest assured, I’ve asked the interrogator, and they won’t keep you for too long. You’ll likely be released in a few days. Just hold on a bit longer!" The interrogator had indeed shared this with him. Moreover, they had expressed hope that he could develop alliances among other travelers from the Alliance into the Enlightenment Society, so they could continue gathering intelligence even after returning to the Alliance. Upon hearing such promising prospects, Taran agreed enthusiastically, promising to get it done. Not only that, he assured the big-nosed inquisitors that these tourists, like himself, were tired of the lies from the "Survivor Daily" and wanted to see if the army in reality was truly as deplorable as the newspapers claimed, prompting their visit to Yongye Harbor. Suspecting the content of the "Survivor Daily" for an Alliance member was akin to the Wilantans doubting the "Southern Legion Victory Report," indicating they had betrayed their souls and were no longer loyal. It wouldn't be difficult to turn these traitors into subordinates. While Taran was vividly narrating his clever schemes on the official forum, the interrogator who had questioned him took a seat in a black sedan parked outside the prison’s entrance. As the interrogator entered the car, the commander of the garrison team, Willoughby, who sat in the back seat, quickly leaned forward to inquire. "How did it go?" The interrogator respectfully handed the file folder to his superior. "He confessed everything. The information about the Enlightenment Society is all in this file, and most of the clues match those provided by Triumph City, with a few details even we weren't aware of!" After two days of probing, they'd pieced together almost all the details of the Enlightenment Society. Basic members were called followers, mid-level members were known as guides, and above them were the elders. As for the chairman, the highest-level member, they were codenamed "The Abyss." With this intelligence, they could fabricate a cocoon called the Enlightenment Society from scratch, lure this "undercover in the Enlightenment Society" Alliance spy into it, and extract more clues about both the Society and the Alliance. This was the idea behind "Operation Wasp"! When there’s no bait, create one; they weren’t afraid of the enemy not taking the bait! Opening the document for a quick glance, Willoughby was overjoyed and immediately handed it to the Intelligence Department’s chief in the front passenger seat. "The target has taken the bait! Organize according to the document’s instructions immediately!" The Intelligence chief promptly responded. "Yes, sir!" Watching his subordinates busily scurrying around like ants, Commander Willoughby leaned back comfortably in his seat, leisurely sipping hot tea from his thermos. At this moment, the Alliance spy was still unaware that he had fallen into their trap. By the time the spy realized that this so-called "Enlightenment Society" was a setup by Yongye Harbor’s garrison team, it would be too late. By then, through this masterfully orchestrated operation, they would have discovered all the clues regarding "Vault 0" and the "Torch Project," becoming the true owners of the secret weapon capable of restarting the world! Truly, he was a genius! With the command issued, "Operation Wasp" kicked off officially. According to Commander Willoughby’s intelligence, over a hundred Intelligence Department staff sprang into action, establishing an Enlightenment Society headquarters near Blackwater Alley within a single day. The base was craftily designed, even disguised as a hotel, with its office located on the secretive mezzanine between the 4th and 5th floors — the '4.5th floor'. Moreover, the thirty staff members stationed on the '4.5th floor' were all Intelligence Department operatives, thoroughly trained for their roles. They would act as his colleagues and mentors, undertaking missions with him and diligently extracting intelligence from him. Everything was prepared within a day. Thus, an additional headquarters for the Enlightenment Society was unknowingly established in Yongye Harbor. To gain more trust from this Alliance spy, the garrison team’s Intelligence Department even arranged a unique induction ceremony for him. Every layer of mysterious arrangements was designed to make the fabricated Enlightenment Society appear as authentic as possible. A day passed, and Taran was once again summoned to the interrogation room. This time, Taran encountered the older guard who had initially interrogated him. Unlike their first meeting, the old man greeted Taran with a warm handshake and no handcuffs in sight. "Mr. Taran, we meet again. It seems you've passed my colleague's assessment," the guard said with a smile. Taran chuckled inwardly but feigned a complaint, "I told you from the start that I sincerely wanted to join you, but you just didn’t believe me." "Trust is something that needs time to establish, and you've already earned it through your sincerity," the guard replied warmly, clearing his throat. "Allow me to reintroduce myself. I'm Daniel, the head of the Enlightenment Society's Yongye Harbor branch and also your 'Guide.'" Guide! A big fish has taken the bait, Taran thought excitedly while maintaining an expression of awe. "A pleasure to meet you!" Taran exclaimed, stopping himself just before recalling a crucial detail. The Enlightenment Society only admitted residents from the Vaults, yet this man was clearly a Wilantan. "How did he become a Guide?" Taran wondered, alarmed. Sensing his wariness, Daniel patted Taran’s shoulder and explained, "To be honest, I joined the Vault ten years ago, but it wasn't until eight years ago that I found this organization. Only then did I discover the true meaning of life, no longer living just for the sake of it." Daniel's earnest voice made Taran half-believe him, and when Daniel showed Taran his "Vital Monitoring Device (VM)" as proof of identity, all doubts vanished. "This is my identification from Vault 68. I passed their assessment, and the administrator awarded me this VM personally... He also became my Guide." Seeing Taran stunned into silence, Daniel put away his VM and smiled amiably. "This isn't the best place to talk. Let me take you to our headquarters." Taran perked up. "Right now? But I'm still in a detention period, don't I need to—" Daniel interrupted with a wave of his hand. "Don't be a stranger, my friend. You’ve joined our noble and great cause; we wouldn't let a slight misunderstanding leave you confined. Your release papers were processed yesterday. You’re free." Leaning in, he added in a hushed voice, "Our cooperation with local official forces started long ago. Not just here, but in Avante and even Triumph City—we have people everywhere." Taran nodded, seemingly impressed, his excitement barely contained. "Impressive!" Who would've guessed the Southern Legion's collaboration with the Enlightenment Society ran so deep? "Keep it low-key," Daniel smiled inwardly, marveling at how easily deceived Taran was. He turned to a prison guard and presented the clearance documents. "I’m taking him now." The prison warden examined the papers, meticulously checking the signatures before returning them to Daniel. "Alright, he’s all yours." Though the warden of Cartnode Prison wasn’t involved in the garrison's mission, he was aware of the massive operation they were executing. Typically, the garrison would capture someone, dump them in the cells, and ignore them. It was unusual to see them conduct a probe through rounds of questioning. He hoped no major problems would arise from their current activities. Daniel nodded and began escorting the Alliance spy away, noticing the guard standing beside the warden staring intently at him. He raised an eyebrow, studying the man briefly. "Is there something wrong?" Daniel asked. The guard, Andrew, snapped out of his daze and forced a sheepish grin. "No... nothing wrong." Seeing Andrew's awkward smile, Daniel frowned but let it go as the warden chuckled, covering for the guard. "Don’t mind him. Andrew’s always been like this—clumsy, spacey, always lost in thought. That’s why he’s been under me for decades." Andrew had been at the prison since before the warden’s tenure, a reclusive man, keeping to himself and barely communicating with others. Daniel dismissed his suspicions. People had varied reasons for solitude, and Andrew’s rigid demeanor was probably just his imagination. After all, anyone who could last decades at Cartnode Prison wasn’t normal; most wouldn’t endure more than a couple of years before either transferring or quitting. The priority was to secure this "big fish." Without further delay, Daniel led Taran out quickly. Once they were gone, Andrew, his head still hung low, felt his heart pounding fiercely. That was close! Barely avoided exposure! The unfolding situation was beyond comprehension; if not for duties keeping him here, he’d have followed them to see what was happening. When did Yongye Harbor acquire an Enlightenment Society outpost without even informing him, a member? The unaware warden just shook his head at the sneaky Andrew. Cartnode Prison was infamous for housing the scum unwanted by Yongye Harbor. Typically, the garrison dumped prisoners here and didn’t care afterward. A big case was evident due to the repeated interrogations this time. The warden hoped for his seasoned staff to seize the chance, impress higher-ups, and perhaps get transferred to the garrison or another better department. Sadly, they were giving him no face, wasting his efforts. "Hopeless," he sighed, shaking his head as he walked away. ... Meanwhile, the two "big fish," now mutually ensnared, boarded a black sedan parked at the prison entrance. Sitting inside, Daniel lit a cigarette, offering one to Taran as well. "Smoke?" Taran smiled bashfully and waved it off, "I’m alright, not used to the smell." Refraining from pushing it, Daniel stubbed his cigarette in the ashtray and tuck his pack away. The unexpected kindness from his "new boss" moved Taran deeply. Of course, a few minor favors wouldn't sway his loyalty or mission. The drive was silent. About ten minutes later, the car stopped next to a nondescript hotel. Taran noted the peculiar name on the sign—translating to "The Marshal's Arsenal." Anyone unfamiliar might mistake it for a weapons shop. Perhaps owing to its unique name, the hotel was quiet with few guests; only an elderly man with white hair dozed behind the reception desk. As they entered, the old man raised an eyelid, acknowledging their presence. "Ah, you've arrived—cough! Welcome. Would you like a room or a meal?" Daniel shot him a knowing look, tapping a silver room card twice on the desk. The old man nodded subtly before resuming his nap. "Follow me." Guiding a bewildered Taran, Daniel led him through to the kitchen, where they climbed a hidden staircase to its very top. When Daniel opened the door, Taran's eyes widened in astonishment. A secret base hidden in plain sight! An unreachable floor by ordinary means! The decor, with its mystic aura and technological flair, perfectly matched his vision of the Enlightenment Society! Even if, for a brief moment on the stairs, he thought he was being led somewhere he shouldn’t be. Daniel, observing Taran's awe-struck expression, chuckled lightly and continued, "Welcome to the Marshal's 4.5th floor. This is our Yongye Harbor base." Surveying all the faces around him, Taran gulped, managing to voice a single word after a pause. "Incredible..." Daniel shifted his gaze from Taran’s face to the bustling office space nearby. "Most of the in-house followers work here, while others are assigned tasks outside," Daniel explained. "Though we have some collaboration with the Southern Legion, our information isn’t for public disclosure, hence, the need for such secrecy. By the way, I’d appreciate it if you refrain from mentioning your affiliation when outside." "Understood!" Taran nodded eagerly, barely containing his excitement. "You mentioned tasks earlier... Is there anything I can assist with?" Realizing he might have seemed too eager, Taran quickly added, "Please forgive my impatience. I simply wish to contribute to the organization as soon as possible." Seeing how eager Taran was to take the bait, Daniel smiled mysteriously. "I understand your eagerness; most who join us feel similarly. However, you must understand that before assigning you any 'significant tasks,' we need to test your abilities." Ah, so he’d start with the grunt work, Taran thought, feeling a bit disgruntled but undeterred. "No problem. I'll prove my capabilities." "Excellent. That’s what I wanted to hear," Daniel nodded approvingly and took a document from a nearby staff member, handing it to Taran. As Taran began skimming through it, Daniel summarized concisely. "Recently, a hallucinogen named 'Snake Oil' has surfaced on the black market in Yongye Harbor. Despite its name, it isn’t derived from snakes but from a plant called snakeweed." "The investigation into Snake Oil's origins was originally Intelligence Division’s task. However, clues suggest a deeper conspiracy, potentially involving the Alliance’s 'toxic strategy dumping' as a countermeasure against our chemical weaponry." Taran was baffled. Since when did the Enlightenment Society dabble in anti-narcotics work? And what on earth was 'toxic strategy dumping'? That wasn’t something they'd ever condone. "Does this... relate to our great plan?" Taran asked, looking up from the document, perplexed. Daniel smiled. "It doesn't relate directly, but the Southern Legion is our ally. Occasionally, they need us to leverage our grassroots, clandestine nature to handle and investigate tricky matters. In return, they support our plans. Do you understand what I’m saying?" The popularity of "Snake Oil" on the black market had caught the authorities' attention. Whether it was part of the Alliance's strategy required more investigation. Given it originated in Snake State, under Polaris's actual control, such a scenario wasn’t far-fetched—perhaps even highly probable. Polaris's army required denars to import Legion-standard ammunition, and with smuggled weapons priced significantly above market rates, only equally lucrative addictive goods could fill the gap. The Intelligence Division was currently probing the case. Since it needed solving, they might as well test this Alliance spy's skills on it. Shouldn't the Alliance be willing to expend more 'resources' to infiltrate the Enlightenment Society further? Daniel, with a cunning smile, patted Taran's shoulder. "This task is yours, and I’ll assign you an assistant." Though taken aback by the sudden responsibility, Taran reluctantly nodded, accepting the complicated assignment. "You can... count on me." To be continued...