CHAPTER 247: CHAPTER 247: THE LIST

Shire leaned in closer and asked in a low voice, "What’s the name of your organization?"

He wanted to confirm further.

Lucia hesitated, "You wouldn’t know it, it was just established recently, with only about thirty members!"

Shire said nothing, just quietly looked at Lucia.

"Alright!" Lucia answered helplessly, "We were previously called ’Mishlin Station,’ but later unanimously decided to change it to ’Lady in White.’

Shire let out an "hmm," his suspicion gone, and he then put away his revolver.

A flicker of a strange color flashed in Lucia’s eyes, "Have you heard that name before?"

Shire then realized he had shown a flaw, he shouldn’t have let his guard down just because of the name change to "Lady in White."

This codename might have just appeared a few days ago, known only to the members within.

"No, I haven’t heard of it!" Shire put his hand on the table, searching for an excuse to explain, "I just recalled the Anloule Artillery Position incident, the British had shared this intelligence with us, so..."

"So you believe us now, right?" Lucia grasped Shire’s hand excitedly, "That’s great, Colonel, we can be of help to you!"

Lucia’s hand was a bit cold and trembling, not sure if it was from the earlier fright or the current excitement.

Realizing her loss of composure, Lucia quickly withdrew her hand, "Sorry, Colonel, I’m glad we could clear up the misunderstanding, I hope..."

No need to say more, she hoped Shire could lead the "Lady in White."

But Shire didn’t reply, he just sipped his champagne leisurely.

Lucia’s mind was in turmoil.

Was she overestimating herself?

An unknown organization with only thirty-or-so amateur members!

With Shire’s current status and position, organizing such an intelligence agency would be a piece of cake.

Why would he waste his precious time on the "Lady in White"?

Thinking this, the intensity in Lucia’s eyes gradually dimmed, she wished she had never mentioned this, it was too embarrassing!

She even felt a bit regretful, from the beginning, she shouldn’t have had this unrealistic idea, hoping Shire would lead them!

Shire, however, had different thoughts.

He did indeed need a reliable intelligence agency now, whether it was for military, business, or dealing with political enemies.

Although the "Lady in White" was a civilian organization without formal training, history had proven it to be reliable and capable, fitting Shire’s current needs.

But...

"Tell me your purpose," Shire asked, "For Belgium, or for something else?"

If the "Lady in White’s" purpose was limited to restoring the nation, then they wouldn’t have much interest in struggles beyond Belgium, and their cooperation would end with Belgium’s restoration.

Lucia was very clever and immediately understood Shire’s meaning, her eyes lit up, did this mean there was hope?

"You don’t need to worry about that, Colonel!" Lucia answered excitedly, "We hope for you to lead us out of gratitude and trust, including myself, many members are inspired by you. It’s no exaggeration to say you are our spiritual leader! Of course, restoring the nation is a factor, but we don’t see it as a conflict!"

Shire believed what Lucia said.

Otherwise, they would have turned to Albert I rather than him, Shire.

After thinking for a moment, Shire nodded, "Alright, I have no more questions."

Lucia was stunned, staring at Shire with wide eyes, seemingly not believing what she heard.

After a while, she suddenly woke up and almost exclaimed, "Really? Colonel, you, you really agreed to lead us? That’s great, I can hardly believe it..."

Shire was somewhat puzzled, this wasn’t good news, they would gain nothing and it could even be life-threatening, what was there to be happy about?

Then again, historically, they sought nothing more.

They were a group of people fighting for their beliefs!

Suddenly, Lucia leaned in and gave Shire a light kiss on the cheek.

The softness of her lips seemed to contain a magical electricity, leaving the touched area slightly numb.

The lingering scent of perfume made Shire a bit dazed, he subconsciously wanted to keep his distance, but found himself unconsciously leaning closer.

"Sorry, Colonel!" Lucia whispered in Shire’s ear, her tone carrying a bit of fear and a hint of hope, "I suggest we pretend to be a couple, it would make our contact more convenient and wouldn’t arouse suspicion, what do you think?"

Shire hesitated for a moment, "A good idea, I have no objections!"

No one would refuse such a suggestion, Shire thought.

"Thank you very much, Colonel!" Lucia’s voice carried a hint of delight.

She was very satisfied, tonight’s progress had far exceeded her expectations!

...

The celebration continued until nine-thirty in the evening.

Gallieni’s lounge was still lit, Shire approached with a cup of hot coffee and softly knocked on the door.

"Come in!" Gallieni’s voice came from inside.

Shire pushed the door open and saw Gallieni draped in a coat, sitting at the desk, flipping through documents.

"Here’s some coffee for you, General!" Shire placed the coffee at Gallieni’s right hand.

Gallieni hummed a response, lifted the coffee, and took a small sip. It was his preferred taste, with two sugars added.

"And this!" Shire handed over a list.

Gallieni glanced at the list and asked in confusion, "What is this?"

Shire calmly replied, "The first row are the people Xia Fei placed in the headquarters, the second row are suspected of providing intelligence to capitalists, and the third row are very likely to have been bought by the capitalists."

Gallieni was stunned, his eyes returning to the list, the more he looked the more alarmed he became, "Where did you get this information? Are you certain?"

"I’m not certain, General!" Shire replied, "But we can track and observe them specifically."

Shire avoided the question of the intelligence source, and Gallieni cooperatively did not press further.

The list was analyzed by Lucia.

The suspect officers boldly met at the officers’ club, some even discussed the prices of intelligence sold to capitalists while drunk.

Lucia kept a calm facade, but had secretly recorded them all.

Gallieni nodded, this list was very important to the City Defense Headquarters.

All along, the headquarters had no secrets from the outside world, even from the Germans, making it so every decision and plan could only be revealed at the last minute and hastily arranged.

This had seriously affected the command efficiency.

Now, it was time to properly rectify this!

Meanwhile, Shire was thinking if he could use his own funds to establish a private armed force based on the "Lady in White," would the parliament be able to interfere?