Chapter 258

Sasebo Naval Base, the banquet hall of the First Combined Fleet Headquarters.

The banquet's atmosphere was gradually building to a climax. The band played a lively march, and the officers' chatter and clinking glasses rose and fell.

General Oukuchi Dennana raised his wine glass, enjoying the flattery and praise of the Imperial Navy's great strength, his smile broadening.

Just then, the banquet hall's thick oak doors were suddenly flung open with a loud "Bang!", instantly drawing everyone's attention. A young communications staff officer, his cap askew, face pallid, rushed in looking extremely flustered, completely disregarding the navy's strict etiquette.

His ragged breathing and the tension out of place with the surroundings immediately quieted the noisy banquet hall somewhat.

Some officers near the door frowned, their faces showing displeasure. In such an important occasion, such a breach of etiquette was simply throwing away the face of the Imperial Navy. Someone even prepared to scold him.

However, the communications staff officer had no time to notice others' gazes; he strode straight through the crowd, staggering to the front of General Oukuchi Dennana. Under everyone's astonished stare, he bent down, leaned to the general's ear, and whispered urgently in a trembling voice that only the two could barely hear:

"General…… emergency report! We… we have completely lost all contact with the Southern Expeditionary Force under Commander Yamaguchi, the 'Nagato' Special Mixed Detached Squadron! Since an hour ago, the headquarters communications office has been calling at the scheduled times, but whether using long-wave radio, short-wave radio, or signal lamps, there has been…… no response at all! We have tried all frequencies and backup plans…… still…… it's like sinking into the sea!"

The communications officer's voice, barely concealing his fear, delivered the report like an icy snake that instantly slipped into the commander's ears.

Oukuchi Dennana's smile froze on his face.

At first, a flicker of doubt and displeasure crossed his eyes, as if he thought it was a communications equipment malfunction or some silly joke. But when he saw the communications officer's face twisted by extreme fear and heard the words 'completely lost contact' and 'all attempts yielded no response,' a chill shot up his spine!

"Crack!"

A sharp sound suddenly broke the banquet hall's silence.

The crystal champagne glass in Oukuchi Dennana's hand slipped from his suddenly limp fingers, falling onto the polished marble floor and shattering. The golden champagne liquid mixed with glass shards splashed outward.

Everyone was stunned; the music stopped abruptly, the whole hall fell silent enough to hear a pin drop, and all eyes turned to the commander-in-chief.

Only Oukuchi Dennana's complexion, within a few short seconds, shifted from a healthy flush to a deathly pallor! He widened his eyes, staring in disbelief at the communications officer before him, his lips trembling slightly as if trying to speak, yet no sound came out.

Shock! Absolute shock!

Next, incredulous emotion surged over his face like a tide. Lost contact? How could that be?! That was the empire's mightiest warship, the Nagato! That was the experienced Admiral Yamaguchi Taho! That was an invincible fleet of fifteen capital ships! How could contact be lost in the trivial waters near Shina?

Immediately, immense anger and strong unease replaced disbelief. His face turned from white to blue, veins bulging on his forehead, his eyes becoming razor-sharp and ferocious, as if he wanted to devour the communications officer before him alive.

"What did you say?!" he finally found his voice, but it was hoarse and low, filled with repressed rage and a hint of panic he himself refused to acknowledge.

As the gunfire in the East Sea gradually subsided and the revelry in Sasebo was interrupted by shock, another silent war was unfolding on the land around Shen City, spreading out with Thunderous Might:

Yanzhou, the environs of Shen City, Kunshan County Town, Dongchi Town, Yunxu urban area…… same time late at night.

The night was as dark as ink, all sounds hushed. While ordinary folk had already sunk into dreams, one after another efficient squads of the Intelligence Bureau, under the unified command of Commander Qi Ming Yuan, struck like leopards in the darkness, silently swooping onto their targets—the long-hidden Oriental intelligence outposts disguised as rice shop owners, clinic doctors, and cloth shop proprietors.

Kunshan County Town, the rear courtyard of a shop named 'Fu Yuan Rice Shop'.

"Action!"

With a low shout from the team leader agent, several members in black combat uniforms slammed open the ajar rear door! Almost as the door panel shattered, two team members had already rushed inside like lightning! Inside, a Oriental agent in pajamas, just awakened, instinctively reached for the pistol under his pillow, but a cold gun barrel was already pressed against his temple! Another team member swiftly pinned the resisting agent to the bed, twisted his arms behind his back, and tightly bound him with rope.

The remaining team members quickly dispersed, one taking charge of the perimeter while two rushed to the corner where a radio room was disguised as an ordinary cabinet. In the weak flashlight beam, they swiftly cut power, dismantled key components, and cleared the desk of the undestroyed codebook, contact list, and drafts of received or to-be-sent telegrams, stuffing them into their personal file bags. The whole process was clean and efficient, silent as a ghost, taking no more than two minutes.

Dongchi Town, a clinic named 'Renxin Clinic'.

The operation encountered a slight setback. The person in charge here, an East Asian major‑rank agent disguised as an old Chinese doctor, seemed to have sensed something; when the assault team broke in, he had already drawn his pistol and put up a desperate resistance. But the trained Intelligence Bureau agents reacted faster, and crossfire instantly swept the whole room. After a few muffled "pfft" sounds from silenced guns, the resisting agent was hit by several bullets and fell in a pool of blood. The assault team quickly confirmed his death and immediately began an orderly search of the clinic's hidden room, seizing a large amount of intelligence material, funds, and a high‑powered radio.

Yunxu City District, a tailoring shop on a certain quiet back‑alley.

The capture here went most smoothly. The assault team, using the terrain they had scouted in advance, slipped in from the roof, and without the two agents responsible for outer perimeter guard noticing anything, they went straight into the bedroom. When the cold muzzle was pressed against their foreheads, these two East Asian agents, who had only recently been dreaming of the empire's "holy war" victory, could only let out a short cry before being swiftly subdued, gagged, and bound. The radio, documents, and even the gold hidden in the wall's interlayer were all found one by one.

Similar scenes played out simultaneously in multiple counties and cities surrounding Shen City. Qi Ming Yuan's Intelligence Bureau, relying on the prior meticulous infiltration and surveillance, was like an experienced surgeon, precisely locating each "lesion" and then removing it with thunderous force.

Overnight, the moon was dark and the wind high.

Those secret strongholds entrenched in the Yanzhou region, which, like venomous snakes, continually supplied the East Asian military with Shen City and surrounding military‑political intelligence—and possibly even plotted sabotage—were uprooted! From the heads down to ordinary informants, from radios to codebooks, from funds to weapons, they were almost completely wiped out!

The East Asian intelligence network, painstakingly built over many years and spread across the Yanzhou region, suffered a devastating blow in this meticulously planned sweep‑operation, which was carried out in tandem with the naval battle! Their eyes and ears were utterly eradicated, their henchmen all cut down. This not only cleared internal threats for Lin Yu, but also cleared obstacles for the forthcoming strategic operation. The Intelligence Bureau's iron fist and efficiency were displayed in full measure on the silent battlefield.