Beast Taming Star Journey

Chapter 357 The First Signs of an Intelligence Crisis

The dim candlelight flickered in the room, illuminating my furrowed brow. A mountain of intelligence reports from various locations piled up, and I carefully perused each document, growing increasingly alarmed with each reading. The figures on the Dark Lord's army reported by different sides were wildly inconsistent. The eastern front reported approximately 50,000 enemy troops, while the western front claimed a staggering 100,000. The intelligence from the northern and southern fronts also differed significantly. This was no simple error; a chill ran down my spine—someone was tampering with the intelligence!

"What's wrong? You don't look well." Su Yao's voice rang in my ears. She had appeared beside me at some point and was looking at me with concern.

I pointed to the contradictory data in the intelligence report and said in a deep voice, "There's something wrong with this intelligence; someone is sabotaging us in the shadows."

Su Yao also leaned over to examine it closely. Her delicate brows furrowed slightly as she also noticed something amiss. "Indeed, such a huge difference could not possibly be a normal false alarm."

I placed several intelligence reports side by side, tapping lightly on the key data with my finger. "Look, the data in these places has clearly been manipulated. In the intelligence on the eastern front, the number of enemy cavalry has been deliberately reduced, while the number of infantry on the western front has been exaggerated. Although there are no obvious signs of alteration in the intelligence on the northern and southern fronts, the data trends are unusually consistent, as if they were written by the same person."

A hint of surprise flashed in Su Yao's eyes. She looked at me, her tone filled with admiration: "You actually found the problem so quickly, that's really impressive."

I shook my head, feeling no pride, only a heavier heart. "The problem now isn't what I've discovered, but that we must find the mastermind behind this as soon as possible, or the consequences will be unimaginable."

I immediately focused my attention on several intelligence reports from the western front, all written by the same person—the Beastmaster of Jinlun. According to the records, he had access to core intelligence on multiple occasions and had the opportunity to tamper with it.

"Could it be him?" Su Yao followed my gaze and saw the name of the Beast Tamer of Jinlun, and asked in a low voice.

I pondered for a moment, then shook my head. "It's not certain yet. Although he's a suspect, we need more evidence."

Just then, a rapid knocking on the door interrupted my thoughts. "Come in."

The door was pushed open, and Envoy Mo, the head of the intelligence department, rushed in, looking flustered. "Lord Nong Yu, something's happened! We just discovered that the secret room where important intelligence is stored has been broken into!"

My heart sank. It seemed my guess was right; someone really was manipulating intelligence in the shadows! "When did this happen? Have you found any clues?"

Envoy Mo wiped the sweat from his brow and said anxiously, "Just now, the guards discovered that the lock on the secret chamber door had been pried open, and some of the intelligence inside had also been tampered with. We haven't found any clues yet, but we suspect it was..." His gaze fell on the intelligence in my hand, "...it was the work of the Beastmaster Lun."

I looked at Envoy Mo, but a feeling crept into my heart that things weren't so simple. Was Beastmaster Lun really the mastermind? My gaze fell on another intelligence report from the western front, signed by an unfamiliar name—Strategist Brother Jin… “Go and fetch Strategist Brother Jin,” I said.

Envoy Mo paused for a moment, seemingly not expecting me to mention that name. "Strategist Brother Jin? He's just an ordinary strategist; he doesn't have access to core intelligence."

I handed him the intelligence report. "This intelligence report on the Western Front was written by him. Although there are no obvious signs of tampering, the data trends are unusually similar to several other tampered intelligence reports. I suspect that he is the real mastermind, and the Beastmaster of Jinlun is likely just a scapegoat."

Envoy Jinmo took the intelligence report and examined it carefully. His brows furrowed, and his expression grew increasingly grave. "This...this is indeed somewhat strange. But, Strategist Jin didn't have access to core intelligence, so how did he manage to do this?"

Su Yao gently stroked my face and said softly, "I trust your judgment. Let's find out the truth together." Feeling her tenderness, a warm feeling welled up inside me, and my initial anxiety gradually subsided. Her trust was my greatest motivation.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. "Envoy Mo, immediately send people to closely monitor the strategist's every move, but don't alert him. At the same time, secretly protect the beast tamer Lun and ensure his safety."

"Yes!" Envoy Mo accepted the order and left.

Only Su Yao and I remained in the room. I walked to the window, gazing at the dark night sky, my mind racing. Could Brother Jin, an ordinary strategist, truly be capable of orchestrating such a complex conspiracy? Was there an even greater force behind him manipulating everything?

"What are you thinking about?" Su Yao walked to my side and asked softly.

“I think this matter is probably more complicated than we imagined.” I turned to look at her. “We must find more clues as soon as possible in order to uncover the truth.”

Suddenly, a name I'd seen in intelligence reports from the Western Front came to mind—"Boy Jinfu." He was a messenger responsible for delivering intelligence; though young, he was incredibly clever. I remembered his reports mentioning some unusual situations; perhaps he knew something.

"Su Yao, let's go to the western front to find someone."

……

On the western front, inside the camp, Su Yao and I sat facing each other. A slightly nervous-looking young man sat in front of us; he was the young man we were looking for.

“Young man, don’t be afraid. We just want to ask you some questions,” I said, trying to be as gentle as possible.

He looked up, his eyes flickering. "Sir, what do you want to ask?"

I handed him the intelligence he had submitted earlier. "Do you remember this intelligence? You mentioned that you discovered someone was secretly following you. Who was that person?"

The young man took the intelligence report, examined it carefully, and his face grew even paler. "I...I don't remember."

“Young man,” Su Yao’s voice also became serious, “this matter is of great importance, and you must tell the truth. If you conceal it, the consequences will be severe.”

He bit his lip, hesitated for a moment, and finally shook his head. "I really don't remember. It was very dark at the time, and I couldn't see what he looked like."

Su Yao and I exchanged a glance; we both sensed his concealment. He clearly knew something, yet dared not speak it. What was he afraid of?

“Young man, think carefully before you speak. We guarantee your safety,” I emphasized again.

He took a deep breath, as if making a decision, and was about to speak when he suddenly stopped, his gaze fixed on the tent entrance… “He…he’s here…”