Chapter 14
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Chapter 14: The Flaw
Atop the distant Watchtower, Shandela Allen was reviewing the City Guard’s summary report for the past week.
This was the highest point in the city, even taller than the great lighthouse outside the harbor by over ten meters.Because of its height, however, the environment here was naturally less than ideal—the top of the tower could only accommodate a small circular r and after fitting it with a long table, two bookshelves, and a few chairs, there was hardly any room left to spare. Most of the time, the doors and windows had to be tightly shut to prevent the howling sea wind from rushing in and turning everything upside down. Even with the fireplace constantly litthe temperature remained chilly due to the massive hollow walls that siphoned away much of the heat. To ensure people wouldn’t freeze sitting by the table, a basin of burning coal was placed beside it.
In short, this place was small, cold, and rather damp.
As the supreme commander of the City Guard, Shandela could have chosen to work anywhere in the Glorious Fortress, even next to the Governor’s mansion would have been no problem. But she chose the top of the distant Watchtower. Not out of fondness, but because here, she could always see the white mist lingering outside the city’s perimeter—that ever-present fog reminded her of her duty: just because this city had stood for nearly a hundred years did not mean it was invincible. So long as the fog lingered, it could consume the Fortress at any moment, just like the former citadel once was.
Fortunately, today’s fog remained unchanged, still keeping about fifty miles away from the city.
As she flipped through the last few pages of the report, a frown creased her brow and she let out a soft hummed out of surprise.
“What is it, did some unit forget to log their activities?” Lieutenant Wudi rubbed his hands together as he asked.
The City Guard’s summary reports were mostly trivial matters, such as the handling of interrogated prisoners and patrol deployment arrangements. Ever since large companies began funding the establishment of police departments, the City Guard had taken on fewer tasks, so reviewing these reports had become more of a routine procedure than anything else.
The entire force was divided into fifteen groups, and those with the lower numbers were less valued. missing entries were among the most common mistakes made.
“It’s not that they missed something, but rather that there seems to be something strange.” Shandra turned the notebook around and placed it on the table. “Here, in the 14th group, there’s a commendation.”
Wudi stepped forward and looked at where his superior was pointing.
Above it read: For successfully intercepting pirates, Shi Dong has been promoted from platoon leader to captain and awarded ten gold kri.
“My lady… there’s nothing wrong with this, is there? The patrol areas of the last five groups are all on the outskirts of the city. Protecting residents outside the city from pirate harassment is one of their main duties.”
“That’s true, but if I remember correctly, the 14th group is responsible for the southern area of the city,” Shandra stood up and walked to the wall map. “Even if our patrol boats were negligent, don’t you remember what happened last week?”
“Uh…” The deputy thought for a moment, then suddenly realized, “Last Tuesday, the Prince’s inspection team visited Glorious Fortress!”
This was a major event known by everyone in Glorious Fortress.
But only a very few people knew the route of the inspection team.
Since the next stop was Saint Trelian to the southwest, the Prince’s fleet sailed along the southern connection route. And the fleet escorting the inspection team was stationed offshore, which would certainly clear all obstacles on the route during this period. Pirates might bully merchant ships and unarmed civilians, but there was absolutely no way they would dare to fight a proper navy!
“That’s right,” Shandela nodded, “There shouldn’t have been any roaming pirates in that direction, unless the Royal Fleet was blind.”
“So…this is an instance of someone claiming credit for another’s work.”
“It seems so, and not a very clever one at that.”
“My lady, let me handle this small matter,” Wudi volunteered.
“Alright, but make sure to understand the cause and effect before dealing with it,” Shandela walked back to the table. “Who is Shi Dong? Why did the 14th group’s officers choose him? If corruption is involved, we must also find out how many people are implicated.” She paused momentarily, “If it’s a case of killing innocent people outside the city to falsely claim merit…”
A gust of cold wind seemed to blow through the room.
Wudi’s expression hardened. “This subordinate understands!”
After the deputy left, Shandela let out a soft sigh.
She wasn’t afraid of external enemies; rather, she feared threats from within the city itself. Although she had only served as commander here for three years, she gradually realized that this fortress city was far from being as impregnable as it appeared.
Once the construction of the new outpost city, Durain, was completed, the pressure on Glorious Fortress would be greatly reduced. By then, she might be able to free up some time to make a difference. But before that, she had to maintain the integrity of the troops and keep the City Guard’s combat effectiveness at its peak.
Therefore, corruption was absolutely intolerable behavior.
Unfortunately, many in the military didn’t recognize this point, including her second-in-command. . Fortunately, he was also a military academy graduate with decent basic training, especially when it came to obeying orders.
Half an hour later, Wudi returned to the office.
“So quick?” Shandra was a bit surprised.
“My lady, the situation… is a bit complicated,” the deputy wore a troubled expression. “Neither the 14th group officer Dai Lemu nor Shi Dong himself admits to any false reporting.”
“Then they need to produce evidence,” Shandela raised an eyebrow.
“The most unbelievable part is right there.” Wudi lowered his head, seemingly pondering how best to respond. “They did claim to have the severed heads and loot as proof, but when it came time to produce them, everything disappeared.”
“Disappeared?” Wouldn’t that be blatant fraud? Shandela was slightly taken aback. She had originally thought there might be some unexpected twist, but the answer turned out to be so simple. However, upon second thought, if it were just fraud, her deputy should have been able to handle it. “You mean the storekeeper in charge of guarding the evidence also agrees with their story?”
“Not just that. I questioned many people, and their accounts all match—there were indeed pirates who landed that day, and Stone did turn in four heads,” Wudi’s face showed the same puzzlement. “So I immediately sent people to the village they mentioned, and the news of the pirate raid was confirmed.”
Now it was Shandela’s turn to be speechless.
It couldn’t be that the 14th group officer had such far-reaching influence that he could control all thirty or so people in the group plus the suburban village, could it? However, another question arose: although it wasn’t clear how these few pirates had passed through the Royal Fleet’s blockade to reach the shores of Glorious Fortress, if it were true, how could all the evidence have disappeared?
“Have you brought the people here?” she asked after a moment of silence.
“They’re all waiting outside,” the deputy replied.
“Let them in.”
Soon, the promoted Shi Dong, officer in charge Dai Lemu, and two soldiers who had been with Shi Dong that day were brought into the office. The small room suddenly became crowded.
Shandela swept her gaze over everyone, her eyes landing on Shi Dong, “Describe in detail the patrol that day and the encounter with the pirates, don’t leave out any details. You start first.”
