After the water bandits attacked that afternoon, nothing else happened for over an hour. Under Sean and the others' protection, the Transport Fleet safely reached the temporary camp. Logistics officers and soldiers had already been waiting at the temporary dock, and the moment they saw the fleet return safely, they immediately came forward to meet it.
Sean and Senior Anderson briefly handed things over to them, then led the soldiers off the ships and back to camp to rest. The task of guarding the Grain Ships was subsequently taken over by soldiers from the other two Independent Squadrons.
By now, the entire temporary camp had changed drastically from when Sean and the others had left. The once-empty center of the camp was now filled with densely packed soldiers' tents.
At the very center stood Lieutenant Colonel Merkel's massive command meeting tent, surrounded by the single-person tents of other officers and the large tents belonging to the soldiers of the directly attached companies.
Sean's tent was located behind and to the side of the Command Tent. He immediately ordered Sergeant Donnie to take the soldiers and escort the water bandit prisoners back to the tent to wait. He himself led Thor and Phil, along with the water bandit leader Vinson, toward Lieutenant Colonel Merkel's command tent. Since he had obtained intelligence on the Gil River Bandit Group, there was no reason not to report it to Lieutenant Colonel Merkel.
"Mr. Vinson, I hope you'll tell the truth in a moment..." Sean said sternly as he led them onward. Afterward, he looked at Vinson, who was visibly restrained and somewhat panicked as he watched the soldiers passing around them. Sean continued with an odd smile, "After all... whether you get to keep living will depend on whether you're useful..."
"Y-Yes... yes, sir, I understand... I'll tell the truth. I'll tell you everything I know..." Sean's strange smile made Vinson even more nervous, and he answered in a trembling voice. Of course, he understood the meaning behind Sean's words. He was already considering how to turn all the "useless" information into something "useful"...
"I appreciate your sincerity right now. However, I have a personal suggestion..." Sean nodded in satisfaction and smiled at Vinson. As he finished speaking, he looked at him with a somewhat teasing gaze.
"N-No... sir, please give your orders. I'll do whatever you say..." Seeing Sean's teasing expression, Vinson immediately understood and spoke up. His tone was extremely sincere, though his nervousness made his words somewhat disjointed.
"If... and I mean if, you weren't the one who abducted the Noble Cadet..." Sean looked coldly at Vinson. Only after Vinson's face gradually turned pale did he suddenly smile and say gently, "Of course, still if... if that Chief Gil of yours, who has such 'deep affection' for you, was the one who abducted the Noble Cadet... do you think he'll have a chance to come here and confront you face-to-face?"
"Ah... sir, this... y-yes, it was Chief Gil..." Vinson answered incoherently. At that moment, a tremendous sense of joy surged through him, making him tremble as he spoke.
As the big boss of the Water Bandit Group, Chief Gil naturally had to bear all the consequences. In the end, whether Gil had abducted the noble or not, the only outcome after his arrest would be death. There could be no other possibility. He might not even have the chance to be "arrested" at all before simply...
"Mhm." Sean nodded in satisfaction, then said nothing more. The group silently headed toward the central tent.
Sean had not said this to Vinson because he had taken a liking to him or any such bullshit. He was afraid Vinson would think there was no hope left, give up on himself, and cause his plan to go wrong through human error. Besides, as long as they safely rescued the hostage and destroyed Gil and the Water Bandit Group, the Garrison's mission would be considered a complete success.
Who would bother arguing over which idiot had abducted the noble and made every officer on the expedition, including Lieutenant Colonel Merkel, unhappy? Of course, if it was later exposed that Vinson was the true culprit, they could simply execute him.
But before the Water Bandit Group was completely eliminated and the trapped noble rescued, Vinson was clearly still useful. Naturally, he had to be given hope of survival so that he would wholeheartedly do his best.
Soon, the group arrived outside Lieutenant Colonel Merkel's command tent. After Sean reported their arrival to the soldiers guarding the entrance, Lieutenant Colonel Merkel summoned them shortly afterward. Sean straightened his uniform and led the others into the tent.
Besides Lieutenant Colonel Merkel, only Jason and another Major Officer were present in the tent. Lieutenant Colonel Merkel smiled as he watched Sean enter and praised him. "Sean, I've heard all about what happened with the fleet. Well done..."
"Sir." Sean and the others saluted solemnly. They then saluted the other Major Officer as well.
"This is Major Sunny of the 3rd Battalion," Lieutenant Colonel Merkel introduced warmly.
"Major Sunny, I've long heard of your reputation," Sean greeted him politely. He had heard of Major Sunny, commander of the Garrison's 3rd Battalion. Not only was he Lieutenant Colonel Merkel's direct subordinate, but the two had also been friends for many years.
"Hello, Second Lieutenant Winchester. I often hear my old friend mention you. Your name has certainly reached my ears..." Major Sunny said to Sean with a smile. There was a natural warmth in his tone that immediately made him likable.
"Major Sunny, you flatter me. You can just call me Sean. It's a pleasure to meet you..." Sean said to Major Sunny with a smile. At the same time, he immediately realized that he and Major Sunny both belonged to Lieutenant Colonel Merkel's faction, giving them a natural advantage in building a relationship.
"Hello. It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Sean," Major Sunny said with a smile.
Lieutenant Colonel Merkel was very satisfied to see the two greet each other politely yet with a hint of familiarity. One was his old friend and his greatest supporter within the Garrison, while the other was a young man he thought exceptionally highly of. He had even mentioned the youth's talent and his evaluation of him to his backers in the Imperial Capital, from which orders had returned to watch him closely and recruit him with all possible effort.
"Haha, you two can stop being so mushy," Lieutenant Colonel Merkel joked with a laugh.
Major Sunny laughed naturally, while Sean smiled somewhat bashfully. After the three exchanged pleasantries for a while longer, Lieutenant Colonel Merkel asked Sean, "Sean, what is it?" He looked somewhat puzzled at the people behind him.
"Sir, this is Vinson, a water bandit leader I captured today. I believe he is very willing to give us a detailed introduction to the target of this expedition..." Sean said with a smile, pointing at Vinson beside him. At the same time, he made clear the purpose of his visit.
"Oh, is that so? Then we really must thank him for his enthusiasm..." Lieutenant Colonel Merkel was slightly surprised, then spoke in the same joking tone.
Sean then briefly explained the details of today's battle to Lieutenant Colonel Merkel and Major Sunny. Finally, he emphasized that Vinson belonged to the Gil River Bandit Group responsible for the noble abduction and had a detailed understanding of the Water Bandit Group's situation.
"So, Vinson, was it? Please give us an introduction," Lieutenant Colonel Merkel said to Vinson with a smile after listening to Sean.
Vinson then gave them a thorough and unreserved account of the Gil River Bandit Group's situation, including the purpose behind his assignment to attack the Grain Ship. The only thing he concealed was that he was the unlucky water bandit who had abducted the noble.
After hearing Vinson's detailed intelligence about the Water Bandit Group, Lieutenant Colonel Merkel fell silent in thought. Then he caught sight of the unusual look in Sean's eyes. After a moment's consideration, he said, "Vinson, thank you for your detailed introduction. It has made me very pleased. If everything goes smoothly this time, I can promise to spare you from execution..."
After Vinson showered him with fawning words of thanks, Lieutenant Colonel Merkel waved a hand indifferently. He said to Sean, "Sean, have your men take Vinson away. Don't make things difficult for him... Mm... you stay behind for now..."
Thor and Phil soon led the delighted Vinson out of Lieutenant Colonel Merkel's command tent, leaving only the four of them behind. Only then did Lieutenant Colonel Merkel smile and ask Sean, "From your expression just now, it was clear you had something to say. Now you may speak..." As he finished, he raised a hand with a smile and gestured for him to continue.
"Sir, your insight is as sharp as ever..." Sean said with a flattering smile. But before he could finish, Lieutenant Colonel Merkel waved his hand impatiently, so Sean went straight to the point. "Sir, how can we both rescue the abducted Noble Cadet and wipe out the Water Bandit Group completely?"
"Now that we know the location of the Water Bandit Group's base and have a guide familiar with the details to lead us, we can simply advance with the army and crush the Water Bandit Group like dead leaves... but..." Sean continued without waiting for Lieutenant Colonel Merkel and the others to answer.
Sean's words made everyone present, including Lieutenant Colonel Merkel, frown involuntarily. Then the group fell silent.
"If we do that directly, we cannot rule out the possibility that they might do something desperate," Sean continued his calm analysis. He did not directly say that they might immediately kill the abducted noble, as that would have made him seem somewhat cold-blooded.
Lieutenant Colonel Merkel and Major Sunny nodded after hearing Sean's words. At the same time, both turned their eyes toward him. Since he had raised this possibility, he surely had considered how to prevent it. At that moment, both of them were somewhat impatient to hear him continue.
"Gentlemen, why don't we think from the water bandit leader's perspective?" Sean indeed continued, but his words left Lieutenant Colonel Merkel and Major Sunny puzzled, unsure what exactly he meant.
"Suppose I were the leader of the Water Bandit Group. Faced with the Garrison's army coming to suppress us, what kind of outcome would I want most?" Sean looked at the confused Lieutenant Colonel Merkel and Major Sunny and asked directly.
"Then the best outcome would be for the Garrison to return empty-handed while the Water Bandit Group avoided suffering too much damage. Otherwise, the other bandits would likely..." Without waiting for them to think it over, Sean directly gave his answer. After a pause, he added, "Clearly, the Water Bandit Group's leader has already tried..."
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