Spy

Brendan listed several key issues. "For example, when the sentry asked him, 'What is the name of the largest stream east of Black Forest Castle? Can you wade across it in the summer?'—a question that any local should know the answer to—he hesitated for a long time before saying it was called ' Blackwater Creek,' but in reality, the stream was called ' Whitestone Creek.'"

"Then he asked, 'What is the emblem of your Lord? How many stories does the main tower of your castle have?' The emblem and number of stories he gave were also inconsistent with the facts. Most obviously, the sentry noticed that although his accent was deliberately imitated Northern Territory accent, the endings of certain words had a distinct Sauron heartland accent."

"Based on these suspicious points, the sentry acted decisively, detaining the man under the pretext of needing further identity verification, and immediately reported the incident. After Captain Richter took over, he conducted an initial isolation and interrogation, applying a certain amount of psychological pressure. The man's psychological defenses collapsed, and he confessed that he was sent by the Sauron to disguise himself as a refugee, attempting to infiltrate Carnford to gather intelligence and create chaos."

As Karl listened, he thought quickly, feeling both lingering fear and relief.

What's frightening is that the Sauron ' reach has extended so far and their methods so insidious; what's fortunate is that the checkpoints were thorough, and the potential danger was discovered and eliminated in time.

He especially praised the sentry who discovered the problem, "This sentry is extremely alert! He's observant and decisive! Who is he?"

Brendan smiled with pride and replied, "Sir, you should remember him. He's the veteran Franz that Tommy strongly recommended. He's currently on duty at the checkpoint, and he's done a great job on his first independent inspection mission!"

"Franz? It's him again!" A look of surprise and admiration flashed in Karl's eyes.

He remembered the name; Tommy had previously praised this person's reconnaissance and individual combat skills, and now he was demonstrating exceptional acumen in counter-espionage.

It seems I've stumbled upon a rare gem! Such talent must be nurtured and utilized.

Karl and Brendan soon arrived at the dungeon located deep underground.

The dungeon is still the original Carnford dungeon; it hasn't been modified in any way, but it's already eerie and terrifying enough without any modifications.

Two soldiers stood guard at the entrance to the dungeon. Pushing open the heavy iron door, a chilling wind, mixed with the smells of mildew, blood, and despair, rushed out.

The flickering torchlight on both sides of the corridor cast long shadows onto the mottled stone walls, creating an eerie atmosphere.

They went straight to the innermost interrogation room, pushed open the door, and the scene inside surprised Karl slightly.

Contrary to his expectations of a bloody and gruesome torture scene, the captured spy was firmly bound to an iron chair with sturdy ropes. He had no obvious external injuries and his clothes were still intact.

However, upon closer inspection, an anomaly can be observed.

The spy's face was ashen, cold sweat soaked his hair and collar, his body trembled slightly uncontrollably, and his eyes were filled with extreme fear and exhaustion as he stared intently at Richter, who stood before him, expressionless.

When Karl's gaze fell upon the spy's hands, he understood immediately. The tips of his ten fingers were now a bloody mess, covered with countless needle marks and bruises, clearly indicating that he had endured some kind of extremely painful punishment without leaving any obvious external wounds.

Richter's methods were indeed precise and efficient.

Upon seeing Karl and Brendan enter, Richter immediately turned around and gave a crisp military salute. "My Lord! Commander Brendan!"

Karl returned the greeting, his gaze sweeping over the dejected spy, and asked directly, "How's the interrogation going? What did they confess?"

Richter reported calmly, his voice exceptionally clear in the dungeon. "My lord, we've basically gotten him to talk. He is indeed from the Northern Territory, a former hunter from Black Forest Castle. After Black Forest Castle was breached by the Sauron, he and his family were captured."

He paused, then continued, "The Sauron took his wife and two children hostage, forcing him to work for them. About half a month ago, he received direct orders to disguise himself as a displaced person whose home had been destroyed and to infiltrate Carnford. His mission was to gather intelligence on our troop deployment, fortifications, and food reserves."

"Where did the instructions come from?" Karl pressed.

"According to his confession, the person who gave him the orders directly was a Plantagenet general Leon Broomflower," Richter replied.

The text further elaborates on Leon's background. "This Leon was originally the garrison commander of Old Osric Fortress. During a large-scale Sauron raid in the third year of Heinrich XI's reign, Osric Fort was besieged. He ran out of ammunition and food, and the reinforcements he had been waiting for were slow to arrive. In despair, in order to save the lives of his remaining troops, he was forced to surrender to the Sauron vanguard."

Richter's voice carried a hint of barely perceptible disdain, but was more of a statement of fact. "Unlike most of the other surrendered generals who were either executed or sidelined after their surrender, Harald, who had just inherited the position of Great Chieftain and was in dire need of talent, valued Leon's military abilities and his familiarity with the Broomflower's Northern Territory defense system, and adopted a conciliatory strategy towards him."

"Not only was his life spared, but he was also given a considerable position and trust, allowing him to serve in the Sauron Army. Now, he holds a high position within Sauron, especially in the planning of military operations against the Broomflower, and is highly valued by Harald."

"Did he also reveal his accomplices?" Brendan asked in a low voice from the side.

Richter nodded. "According to him, there were seven people in total, including himself, who were assigned by Leon to carry out the same infiltration mission. They all attempted to infiltrate in batches and along different routes."

"But he only knew his own mission; he was unaware of the other six's specific identities, disguises, and infiltration routes. Leon's instructions to them were to maintain single-line contact, have no fixed base, and after infiltrating, each find their own opportunity to gather intelligence and then escape on their own."

"He has three months to return. If he fails to return by then or the mission fails... his entire family in the hands of the Sauron will be executed."

A brief silence fell over the dungeon, the air seemingly frozen by the cold, ruthless threat.

Exploiting human weaknesses and using the lives of family members to coerce others into working for you is both insidious and pathetic.

Karl's gaze fell once again on the spy's desperate and fearful face. He felt little sense of victory, but rather a complex emotion rose within him.

This is both a microcosm of the brutality of war and a foreshadowing of the many challenges that Carnford's future defense will face from the shadows.

He must immediately adjust his strategy and strengthen internal investigations and counter-espionage efforts.