CHAPTER 328: REVISED: CHAPTER 328 CHEMICAL WARFARE

In the officer’s club, Lucia turned off the incandescent lights used for illumination, leaving only a few low-watt colored bulbs, and the light instantly became dim and ambiguous.

Soon, officers came in one after another, ordered their drinks, and discussed topics of interest.

In the languid sound of the piano, Lucia mechanically waved the cocktail shaker, then poured the mixed drink into a glass and clipped half a lemon to the edge before pushing it to the officer at the bar.

The officer looked at the glass with a stunned expression and raised his head to look at Lucia, "But I ordered a ’Bloody Mary,’ Lucia?"

Lucia immediately realized her mistake and quickly answered, "I’m terribly sorry, Major, I’ll mix it again for you."

The Major hesitated, then sympathetically replied, "No, it’s okay, I suddenly want to try a ’Margarita,’ this glass will do."

Lucia was Shire’s girlfriend, and all the officers knew this, which made them treat her courteously.

Even those who previously liked to joke inappropriately with Lucia had restrained themselves a lot, especially after being beaten black and blue by a group of officers who admired Shire.

"What’s wrong, Lucia?" Garell asked, "Do you need to go back and rest for a bit?"

"No, it’s nothing." Lucia shook her head troubled, "Just didn’t sleep well."

But Lucia was still feeling restless, glancing at the club’s entrance from time to time as if waiting for someone.

Finally, a familiar figure caught Lucia’s eye.

Lucia first felt joy, but her expression quickly darkened. She furrowed her brows and pretended not to see while continuing to mix her drinks.

"A cup of coffee." Shire shouted towards the bar, then found a secluded corner and sat down.

Seeing Lucia remain indifferent, Garell smiled wryly and took the cocktail shaker from her hand, "Go ahead, you’ve been waiting for him, haven’t you?"

"No, Garell." Lucia hurriedly denied, "I haven’t!"

"Alright then!" Garell laughed, "But are you really going to leave him waiting over there?"

Lucia helplessly glanced in Shire’s direction. He was not only her "boyfriend" but also a guest of the club and even her superior, what else could she do?

...

It wasn’t until Lucia heavily placed the coffee in front of Shire with a crisp sound that Shire noticed something seemed wrong with Lucia’s expression.

"What’s happened?" Shire asked.

Shire’s innocent expression made Lucia even more furious. He didn’t even realize his mistake!

"Do you need me to remind you, Colonel?" Lucia sat down in front of Shire unceremoniously, her eyes burning with anger, "If a certain lady is your girlfriend, shouldn’t you bid her farewell before heading to the battlefield?"

"That’s military secrecy, Lucia." Shire answered, "I can’t tell anyone."

It was an excuse. When the 105th Infantry Regiment departed, there were actually reporters taking photos at the port, but he couldn’t refute it.

"Alright then." Lucia continued to ask, "When you return from the battlefield, shouldn’t you immediately seek her out?"

Shire calmly nodded, "I’ll pay attention to this in the future."

Lucia felt very disappointed. She originally thought Shire would coax her or offer a small gift as an apology, but there was nothing.

In his heart, this might purely be about work, about the mission, nothing else, Lucia thought, feeling a tinge of bitterness inside.

At this moment, Lucia suddenly realized the problem was with herself. She had uncontrollably invested personal feelings.

Thinking, Lucia tried to calm herself down and her tone returned to calm, "Sorry, Colonel, I was overstepping with my words."

"No, you were right." Shire answered, "Indeed, I need to make some effort in the future, pretending a bit better."

These words were like a steel needle, deeply piercing Lucia’s heart, causing pain that rendered her speechless.

Yet Shire asked expressionlessly, "Has Grevy been up to anything during this time?"

"No, Colonel." Lucia’s tone carried a hint of bitterness, "Grevy seems to have sensed something; he hasn’t done anything during this period."

Shire frowned, sensed something?

Perhaps it was Layom who slipped up, under Steed’s strict surveillance while interacting with the Pito Armory, there must have been something odd, which might fool both the Pito Armory and Schneider, but not Grevy.

That sly fox, Shire cursed quietly.

"We have some intelligence regarding Ypres. However..." Lucia hesitated.

"However, what?" Shire asked.

"We are not very sure, Colonel." Lucia hesitated in her tone, "The Germans seem to be up to something in the direction of Ypres. In a place called Brute Village, they locked down and massacred dozens of households, but we couldn’t find any corpses."

"If there are no corpses, how do you determine it was a ’massacre’?" Shire looked puzzled.

"Because we discovered many animals poisoned to death." Lucia explained, "Plants also withered, but we don’t know what it is."

Shire looked at Lucia in shock, it was poison gas!

The poison gas warfare in World War I started in Ypres, causing over ten thousand casualties among the Allies during its first use.

Shire had actually forgotten about this!

"Do you know what that is?" Lucia looked at Shire’s expression with some doubt.

Shire hesitated, he couldn’t directly tell Lucia what it was, it was Germany’s top secret, globally, including the British Military Intelligence, had no idea.

If Shire knew, he would have to explain the intelligence source, otherwise, he would be a German spy.

After contemplating for a while, Shire answered in an uncertain tone:

"I don’t know either."

"But if nearby animals and plants are poisoned to death, could we speculate it to be a gas lethal to humans?"

"We think so too." Lucia nodded, "Its range does appear to be some sort of toxic gas. But is there really such a thing? If there is, why would the Germans use it in Brute Village?"

"Their target might not be Brute Village, Lucia." Shire’s expression became cautious, "If I’m not mistaken, they might use it on the battlefield."

Lucia’s eyes widened instantly, "On the battlefield, you mean..."

Shire nodded, "Think about it, the Germans aren’t faring well on the frontline, they’re blockaded at sea, Gelibolu is about to fall, and with both eastern and western fronts stretching them thin, they can only hope to find some unconventional means."

With Shire’s analysis, Lucia felt increasingly convinced, "And Brute Village may merely be an experiment by the Germans?"

"Yes." Shire answered, "They were uncertain if the gas would be suitable for Ypres’ climate, so they took this action. And its success means..."

Lucia looked at Shire in horror, "It means the Germans might soon use poison gas on the Ypres frontline!"