Poisonous Scheme II

The two men in the room immediately turned serious after hearing this.

Tsuru, who had been organizing documents, also looked up and turned her gaze toward Sakazuki.

Facing their eyes, Sakazuki did not beat around the bush and straightforwardly recounted what had happened in his office earlier.

"...That was what happened. I believe he wants to stir up internal conflict within the Navy. Is there any way to resolve this?" Sakazuki asked directly.

The sooner something like this was resolved, the smaller its impact would be.

If they waited until the rumors had spread throughout the entire force and unsettled everyone before coming up with a solution, it would be far too little, too late.

Sengoku and Tsuru both wore grave expressions.

Neither of them had previously encountered one of Demiurge's phantom duplicates coming to persuade them to surrender, but after hearing Sakazuki's account, they understood the sinister scheme their enemy was plotting.

Sengoku in particular had also received a recruitment letter from the other party not long ago.

After pondering for a moment, he said, "What they are using is an open scheme. Even if we know their intentions, we will inevitably become suspicious of those within our ranks, especially those who rose directly to high positions in the Navy through the World Military Draft."

"I suspect there may indeed be people within the Navy who have been turned, but those who still uphold the Navy's ideals certainly make up the overwhelming majority. What matters most now is that we proactively inform all senior officers of this matter and make it clear that you absolutely trust everyone."

As he spoke, Sengoku stood up with a solemn expression and said in a low voice, "At a time like this, the Navy must maintain internal unity. Likewise, even if we truly