CHAPTER 346: REVISED: CHAPTER 346 SHE IS A SPY

This time, Shire kept his promise and went to the officers’ club that night to meet his "girlfriend."

After all, it’s spy work. If he forgets about it repeatedly, it would seem very unprofessional.

Lucia looked very happy. She handed Shire a coffee, with a delicate heart shape drawn in cream on the surface.

Shire praised inwardly. Lucia was well-suited to the spy work, playing the role of "girlfriend" to perfection.

"What’s the good news?" Shire asked.

"Of course." Lucia replied with a smile, "There’s nothing to be dissatisfied with."

Shire raised his eyebrows, thinking Lucia was referring to the victory at Ypres.

Lucia was Belgian, and the "Lady in White" was a Belgian intelligence agency. Ypres was a Belgian city, and its victory symbolized that Belgium had not been conquered, which was indeed worth celebrating.

"You deserve a share of the credit," Shire affirmed the work of the "Lady in White." "Thanks to your intelligence, I learned about the Germans’ plan to use gas!"

Saying this, Shire handed over a check for ten thousand francs.

Lucia’s face instantly changed.

"Are you mocking us, Colonel?" Lucia glanced at the check, not looking at the amount. "Is this our reward?"

We don’t need a reward.

It was you who helped us, saving Belgium and rescuing many Belgians’ lives once again.

"No." Shire replied, "This is the living expense for your ’girlfriend,’ remember?"

Lucia was momentarily stunned, remembering Shire had mentioned he would provide funds to the "Lady in White" through her, his girlfriend.

"You should act like a ’girlfriend,’ Lucia," Shire reminded.

Lucia gave a bitter smile. This was Shire’s gift, the first gift?

But Lucia said nothing. She leaned over, her lips gently touching Shire’s cheek like a dragonfly skimming water, smiling as she put away the check, saying, "Thank you, dear!"

Perhaps to divert the awkwardness of receiving money, Lucia picked up a coffee spoon and stirred her cup, lightly asking, "So, what they’re saying is true, you shot Hari?"

"Yes." Shire’s voice was rough.

This matter had spread across France as quickly as Shire’s victorious news; people couldn’t believe it was true:

"That was Hari. Not only was Shire not infatuated with her, but he also shot her?"

"Do you think Shire has no interest in women?"

"Maybe because he has a girlfriend!"

...

"Was it because of me?" Lucia glanced at Shire out of the corner of her eye, her mouth involuntarily showing a slight smile.

Shire looked confused, not understanding what Lucia meant. Then he realized Lucia had misunderstood.

"No," Shire lowered his voice, "She was a spy, Lucia, a German spy."

Lucia stared at Shire in shock, her hand stirring the coffee stopped unconsciously. "A spy?"

Shire nodded, explaining, "I had met her a few times before, noticing she always tried to get information from officers, and she was the mistress of the Minister of the Navy..."

Lucia was half-believing, "Are you sure? This is not a trivial matter."

Although Hari herself had a low status, she was "well-connected" and had "ties" with many dignitaries. Even when she was arrested with solid evidence, many high-ranking officials pleaded for her, both domestically and abroad.

"I’m sure." Shire nodded firmly. "I intentionally leaked some information to the Minister of the Navy, and it was all passed to the Germans without exception."

Lucia instantly understood, realizing Shire had been using Hari to send false information to the Germans all along.

Then, Lucia looked at Shire with some curiosity.

Perhaps the one truly suited for spy work was Shire? Such a deeply hidden spy was played with by Shire, and even though he sent false information, it was never exposed. How did he do this?

What Lucia didn’t know was that Shire had his own reasons for telling her all this.

Hari would eventually be found out, and by that time, the Second Bureau might find Shire: "How did you know Hari was a spy and use her?"

Shire couldn’t explain.

But if the "Lady in White" also knew this, Shire could easily answer: "I have my own intelligence source; they told me all this."

This formed a perfect closed loop.

As for who knew first, Shire or the "Lady in White," with time, no one could find out.

Sometimes, Shire thought, all those things he shouldn’t have known but "mysteriously" knew could be attributed to the "Lady in White."

The Second Bureau investigates the "Lady in White"?

Sorry, if the list is handed over to the Second Bureau for public investigation, the secret intelligence organization "Lady in White" would be exposed.

Lucia wasn’t thinking about this; she glanced at Shire with a bored expression, inwardly sighing: That’s what they call unrequited love. He shot Hari because of it, how could it be because of me!

...

Shire never left the military to go home, even though Davaz Town wasn’t far from Paris. Soldiers and even the French people could understand, but Shire still didn’t do so.

The French "Military Discipline" explicitly stated that soldiers must obey orders and not act without permission or disobey military orders.

Shire believed that as an officer, he should lead by example, or how could he criticize or punish those soldiers who broke the rules?

However, Shire did make a phone call home to report his safety, but this act frightened Camille:

"Are you injured? Is it because of the gas?"

"Why else wouldn’t you come back?"

"You were not like this before!"

...

"I’m fine, Mom," Shire replied. "Really fine. It’s just that the army hasn’t given leave, and my unit is undergoing new training courses. I have to be with them."

This was the truth.

Under the threat of German gas, the demand for gas masks skyrocketed explosively. Both the military and civilians urgently needed them.

But currently, they could only be supplied to the military, prioritizing front-line units and then medical and logistics teams heading to the front lines.

Since the 105th Infantry Regiment had experience using them, it was arranged at the police training base to teach these units how to use gas masks, as well as the issues to be aware of in combat with them.

Camille found Shire’s explanation reasonable and was a bit relieved.

In the end, Shire added: "Steed will send a few sets of gas masks to you."

This wasn’t really necessary, as the German gas was almost impossible to reach Paris, but better safe than sorry.

Precisely because of this mindset, Shire’s gas masks sold like hotcakes. They were in great demand even at the high price of 50 francs a set!