Chapter 369: Ace Agent

Because things had been resolved so smoothly, it was not yet 10:30 when Xia De walked out of Squirrel Alley. The mission to capture the mysterious person could only be carried out at noon, and the other task was too far away, on the other side of the city.

So, after some consideration, Xia De first went to the *Steam Bird Daily* to pay the advertising fees for the next month, then took a carriage to the gas company to inquire about pipeline installation. Only then did he go to the MI6 stronghold to collect his salary.

Wandering around the city like this was also a way to relax.

"Stop laughing; I just suddenly thought of Mia."

Walking down the street, the laughter still echoed in his ears. Xia De said with some dissatisfaction in his heart, but she did not respond to Xia De's request at all.

The MI6 stronghold that Xia De was connecting with was at the "City Waste Management Center" in the West District of Tobesk.

The last time he came was over half a month ago. That grey building, located between a snuff shop and a shoemaker's shop specializing in rain boots, was just as it had been last time, hidden within the bustling steam metropolis.

Because he had been here once before, after entering the building and explaining to the receptionist at the door that he was looking for Mr. Giles Johnson, he soon found the middle-aged man reading a newspaper in the "Equipment Management Office."

Hearing the sound of the door opening, the middle-aged man, who looked very bored, looked up and sized Xia De up. After Xia De closed the door behind him, a smile appeared on his face:

"Oh, look who's here. Isn't this Knight Hamilton of Lei Jiede?"

He stood up while speaking and shook hands with Xia De very enthusiastically.

"Mr. Johnson, there's no need to be so exaggerated."

"Of course there is."

The middle-aged man motioned for Xia De to sit on the iron chair across from the desk, with rows of filing cabinets behind them:

"You saved the Empress, which not only spared our loyal Director Anluosi from having to manage the Royal Cemetery but also saved us poor low-level clerical staff from the risk of being liquidated."

He even poured a cup of tea specifically for Xia De. One had to know that when Xia De came last time, he hadn't even gotten plain water.

"So, are you here to collect your salary this time? Do you have the reimbursement receipts? Do you need extra ammunition?"

"Of course, I brought all the reimbursement receipts."

Xia De took out an envelope and took out the vouchers he had received from Priest Ao Gu Si on the day of the Saint Prayer Festival. Because they were all genuine, Mr. Johnson just checked them briefly and then put them away.

He took a bunch of keys and walked toward the filing cabinets standing behind him, taking a long time before returning with a stack of money:

"MI6 agents don't have payment receipts to prevent people with ulterior motives from finding out their identities, so count it. If there's no problem, this month's salary will be settled with you."

"Okay... why is there so much?"

In Xia De's hand were eight five-pound notes, totaling 40 pounds. But his weekly salary was only 1 pound. Logically speaking, adding the 30 pounds of reimbursement expenses, it should only be 34 pounds or so.

"Oh, I almost forgot to mention, you've been promoted,"

Mr. Johnson waved his hand to let him know he didn't need to be surprised:

"Because of your last contribution, Mr. Anluosi adjusted your rank. There is no complex ranking system within MI6; we are directly affiliated with the Royal Army. According to this calculation, you are now a Major."

"Major?"

Xia De was very surprised. One had to know that his friend Captain Luo Nade had spent decades on the front line without making any mistakes before just reaching the rank of Captain. Xia De had caught up in one step.

"Yes, Major. There's nothing to be surprised about. You are our ace agent, and the promotion system of MI6 is different from that of the Royal Army. Isn't it normal for field agents to have good treatment?"

"Me, an ace?"

"Oh, sir, don't be so surprised. This is your officer's ID card, please keep it safe. The last one hadn't been made in time, and I didn't expect it to be changed to a Major's all at once."

Mr. Johnson gave Xia De a new ID card again. Unlike the MI6 ID card that didn't have his full name, the Delarion Royal Army officer's ID card not only had a photo but also Xia De Su Lun Hamilton's full name. And that photo looked like the one Xia De took with the King.

"Your current salary has been adjusted to 5 pounds per week, and the reimbursement expenses will temporarily remain the same to prevent people from talking nonsense. But when the limelight on you passes next year, Mr. Anluosi will give you a surprise."

Mr. Johnson said, and Xia De didn't know what to say. But no matter what, the bad mood brought to him by the previous mission had completely disappeared.

"Oh, and about the ammunition. I want to apply for reimbursement for ammunition, but the usage report for the old ammunition..."

"It doesn't matter, I'll fill that in for you. It's just some boring boilerplate anyway."

The middle-aged man said very enthusiastically. Xia De wanted to thank him, but the other party just shook his head:

"With your relationship with Mr. Anluosi and Miss Jia Lin Na, the fact that you allow me to help you is actually a help to me."

"Sorry, me and Miss Jia Lin Na?"

Xia De looked at him suspiciously.

"There are some rumors about that Duchess inviting you to spend the night at her manor... Rest assured, it's just a rumor."

Mr. Johnson made that "I don't know anything" expression.

Because Xia De had nothing else to do before noon, he chatted with Mr. Johnson for a while before leaving.

Recently, not only had the city's public security improved, but even the MI6 department responsible for the Tobesk area didn't have much to do. The descent of the Evil God had caused all the restless factors in the city to disappear temporarily, but outside of Tobesk, many things were still happening.

"The Grey Gloves have been very active in the southern cities recently. Mr. Anluosi left Tobesk three days ago, seemingly to organize some secret operation."

But since Mr. Johnson could say it so easily, Xia De really wasn't sure if Mr. Anluosi had gone to the south.

"Now that it's barely a time of peace, are the Grey Gloves of Kasonrike still so active?"

Because there was still one month left before that letter sent from an unknown location to 6 Saint Deran Square would arrive, Xia De was also very concerned about the spies from the neighboring country.

"Of course, it's very clear that peace won't last forever. Planting spies in government departments, developing subordinates among the young people in the academies, going to factories to investigate the usage of special steel, or just sending people to mingle in high society to pry into the privacy of the great nobles... Although these seem useless now, they actually have their own value. Otherwise, what is the value of the existence of the Grey Gloves and MI6?"

Mr. Johnson yawned, and Xia De thought he had hit the nail on the head regarding the original work of Detective Schluch Lake.

"Have you also been a field agent? I find you are very familiar with these jobs."

Xia De asked with a smile and picked up his teacup to take a sip. The quality of the tea leaves was not as good as those left behind by Detective Schluch Lake.

"Yeah, I did it when I was young. Later, I took a bullet in the ankle and became a clerical logistics staff member."

Mr. Johnson shrugged, his enthusiastic tone becoming lazy, returning to the tone of being tired from work that Xia De heard when he came last time:

"The Grey Gloves of Kasonrike are doing these jobs, and we are doing them too. Even the ambitious people of those small principalities have their own intelligence departments. Mr. Hamilton, politics between countries is a very complex matter. We should be glad that we are in Tobesk and don't have to do the work of double agents."

"How many people do the Grey Gloves have in this city, roughly?"

Xia De asked again, and Mr. Johnson shook his head with a smile:

"I can't answer this question. Even the Grey Gloves themselves can't answer it. But MI6 has made an estimate, it's probably in the three-digit or four-digit range."

"Even if Tobesk has a large population, counting the diplomatic personnel of the United Kingdom embassy, there shouldn't be that many people, right?"

Xia De asked hesitantly.

"Some people don't even know they are working for the Grey Gloves. This number includes that part of the people, so it sounds very scary."

"Then are there any famous spies locally?"

This was Xia De's curiosity.

"Famous spies are failed spies; unknown spies are successful spies."

The middle-aged man thought for a while and added:

"However, it is certain that there must be Grey Gloves among those in the embassy, and some brokers who walk between the political circles of the two countries must also be. Besides that, two years ago we received news that Kasonrike had secretly dispatched two ace agents from the Grey Gloves organization to lurk in Tobesk. We caught one half a year ago, but the other party committed suicide. From his letters, we learned that the other one is the famous 'Grey-Headed Hawk' (Chapter 74)."

Mr. Johnson shook his head with emotion:

"But we only know the name. The last time our agent fought him was three years ago in the Steel Capital of Gondor in the east of the Kingdom. At that time, we knew he was a man who was extremely good at makeup. In that operation, the Grey-Headed Hawk stole a batch of smelting records for special alloys for casting steam cannons. The damage caused to us is still affecting the special metal smelting industry of Delarion to this day. His Majesty was furious, and Director Anluosi was almost demoted... and the gold robbery ten years ago, as well as the accident at the Coldwater Port shipyard eight years ago..."

This kind of agent was the real "ace." An "ace" like Xia De couldn't compare to him at all.

Mr. Johnson's few words made Xia De imagine the complex and interesting story of this secret agent who was active in the steam age and walked on the edge of light and shadow. If Duo Luo Qian used such a person as the protagonist, she would definitely be able to write a good story.

"Then do we know the other party's age and appearance?"

"It's not that we are incompetent, it's that the other party is too cunning."

Mr. Johnson said regretfully again. Seeing that Xia De was very interested, he added another sentence:

"If anyone could catch him, as long as their background wasn't too poor, I think it would be possible to get a Viscount title directly. Unfortunately, for two years, there has been no news of the 'Grey-Headed Hawk' lurking in Tobesk. I even doubt if he really came."

The middle-aged man sighed helplessly again:

"Where could he be?"

"Tobesk is so big, it's really hard to say."

Xia De was also quite emotional and hoped that the "ace agent" would never disturb his life.

After chatting with Mr. Johnson for a while longer, Xia De left with the money and three books tucked under his arm.

The time had reached 11:30 in the morning. He got on a carriage at the street corner, passed through the streets and alleys, and brushed past countless strangers. Following the clues provided by Yi Lu Na, Xia De hurried to Liu Yisi Street, which was also in the western part of the city.

This was a rare pedestrian street in the city center where carriages were not allowed. The street didn't have this name twenty years ago; it was only after General Liu Yisi of the Kingdom passed away here that the street got its current name.

According to intelligence, Miss Swan, a 26-year-old divorcee who sought help from the Black Stone Security Company, had discovered that since two weeks ago, except for Sundays, every time she passed this street at noon, she could find a man in black clothes peeking at her at the exit of Black Horn Alley on Liu Yisi Street.

Liu Yisi Street was the only way for her to go home, and it would be quite troublesome to take a detour.

This was a task entrusted to the Black Stone Security Company by an ordinary person, so the security company only conducted a preliminary investigation, confirmed that there was no major problem, and then temporarily postponed the task, signing a contract with the client to execute it starting next week.

Yi Lu Na specifically chose this task because the client described the peeper as "even in summer, he wraps himself tightly every time he appears, and even wears gloves. I didn't dare to approach him, but from afar I saw the face hidden in the shadows of the alley and under the brim of his hat, oh, God, I simply can't describe what I saw."

This kind of description easily made Ringed Shushi think of some bad things, while Xia De thought of those ugly fish-men in Coldwater Port.

He arrived relatively early. Miss Swan was a typist at the Southern Cotton and Linen Trading Company not far from here, and she would only leave work and pass by here around 12:10 noon.

Before she appeared, Xia De circled around the nearby alleys, determined the nearby roads, and tried to find the peeper, but the other party didn't seem to have come that early.

He hadn't eaten lunch yet and was working on an empty stomach. To appear more natural, Xia De even specifically bought an expired morning newspaper from a passing newspaper boy and stood under a lamppost by the side of the road, pretending to be waiting for someone.

Fortunately, Tobesk today was still shrouded in a thin mist; otherwise, standing on the street on a summer noon on an empty stomach, even Xia De wouldn't be able to stand it.

At 12:08, Miss Swan, who looked exactly like the lady in the photo provided by Yi Lu Na, finally appeared at the street corner in the eastern part of Liu Yisi Street. She was a tall woman with quite a bit of charm, but her expression looked a bit terrified. There were still other pedestrians on the street now, so although she was grabbing her handbag and looking at both sides of the street with great worry, she still walked forward bravely.

Xia De, who was "reading a newspaper" by the side of the road in the middle of the street, became alert. The bustling pedestrians walked past him, and the noisy sounds made the atmosphere of city life very strong.

His attention was focused on the alley entrance across the street. Sure enough, with the appearance of Miss Swan, a person wearing a black top, black pants, black shoes, and a black hat leaned against the wall and poked his head out from the large shadow of the alley wall. ===== CHAPTER 370 =====