Chapter 257: 257, Within three days, find the spy!

The soldiers of the Qing family were elated by their recent defeat of the legendary Li Shen Ji Camp, yet Qing Zhen, in the wake of this ambush, immediately realized that the Nano Warriors were not as weak as they seemed. Had the news not arrived in time, Li Shi might have caused them immense trouble.

Qing Zhen did not underestimate the Nano Warriors of the Shen Ji Camp; instead, he regarded them with unusual gravity.

Beside him, a trusted military officer asked curiously, "Do you mean the Nano Warriors should not be used this way?"

Qing Zhen replied, "If these Nano Warriors were mine, I would dismantle them and use each battle group separately to infiltrate the mountains and wilderness. With Li Shi's intelligence officers fully cooperating, a decapitation strike would be effortless."

The officer nodded and said, "I see. As always, your strategy is brilliant..."

Qing Zhen gazed at him calmly, "I tell you this not to hear your flattery, but to have you assign more men to protect me..."

"Ah?" The officer froze, failing to grasp why Qing Zhen spoke thus.

Qing Zhen sighed, "The Yang Consortium's Nano Warriors may arrive soon. They are far more cunning than Li Shi. We must strengthen our defenses immediately."

At that moment, Qing Zhen stared at the distant snowfields where artillery had just raked through, and suddenly wondered aloud, "Why does he appear everywhere?"

The soldiers beside him were puzzled. Who was the commander referring to?

...

The atmosphere in Li Shi's command center had grown utterly oppressive. A middle-aged general sat at the far end of the long table, his face grim and shadowed. Around the table, men filled the seats, yet none dared speak.

"The Shen Ji Camp has suffered heavy losses," the general said. "I only wish to know why Qing Shi anticipated our movements so precisely."

Still, no one answered.

In truth, many shared his confusion. Each day, the Shen Ji Camp was required to report their operational status and positions. Until now, everything had proceeded smoothly, yet at the moment they neared Qing territory, disaster struck.

According to the Shen Ji Camp officers, Qing Shi had clearly foreknowledge of their route and had laid an ambush in advance. Otherwise, the catastrophic casualties would not have occurred.

These years, Li Shi had remained hidden and bided their time. Now, with the sudden outbreak of war, all had awaited the Shen Ji Camp's performance. Yet before the battle even began, the Shen Ji Camp was nearly annihilated!

Why? What went wrong?

The middle-aged general turned to Hu Shuo on his left, "There must be a spy leaking information. As head of the Special Reconnaissance Division, you failed to uncover the traitor. You bear primary responsibility. But now is not the time for punishment. Your division must reorganize and make amends."

Hu Shuo remained silent, his gaze fixed on the table before him. Honestly, he too was perplexed...

Though he suspected Li Shi's ulterior motives, his work at the Special Reconnaissance Division had always operated normally. During wartime, espionage was paramount; intelligence could sway the outcome of battles.

These days, Hu Shuo had purged many spies, yet left others to pave the way for future plans.

Their retention did not signify negligence. These spies remained under his surveillance, reserved for greater purposes.

But none of them had access to the Shen Ji Camp's secrets.

Suddenly, someone spoke, "The private troops who swapped uniforms and vehicles with the Shen Ji Camp have not reached their strategic position. I suspect something went awry."

The general frowned, "Why was this not reported sooner?"

"An officer from the Shen Ji Camp had accompanied them and reported daily, but contact was severed yesterday," the officer replied.

"Find this private force immediately. Their whereabouts must be confirmed within three days," the general ordered.

"Yes!" the officer responded.

The middle-aged general said, "Dismissed. Strategic deployments must be finalized swiftly. The news of the Shen Ji Camp's losses will soon reach Yang Shi. We must prepare for Qing and Yang's counterattack. General Hu, remain."

Others dispersed, but Hu Shuo remained seated, unmoving. The general said, "The Shen Ji Camp's leak is grave. The spy may hold a high position. You have three days to uncover their identity!"

Hu Shuo lifted his eyes and said, "Understood."

The general had not mentioned his suspicion that the spy was among those present. His reason for sparing Hu Shuo was twofold: as head of the Special Reconnaissance Division, Hu Shuo had served Li Shi for decades with few errors, bearing both merit and hardship. Second, this war could not proceed without Hu Shuo. Replacing him now would invite chaos.

Yet the general did not realize—the chaos itself stemmed from Hu Shuo...

...

Two days later, the instigator Ren Xiaosu lay in wait in the snow, beside a dirt path hastily carved by Li Shi before the war.

After repelling the Shen Ji Camp, Qing Zhen had not only relayed the intelligence to Tang Zhou but also informed him of the retreat route.

Ren Xiaosu, relying on this information, deduced that the Shen Ji Camp would likely traverse the road ahead.

With their devastating losses, the Shen Ji Camp would surely retreat to their forward base for repairs—and this was Ren Xiaosu's opportunity.

He had not summoned Tang Zhou to act, partly because their numbers were too great and would expose their objective, partly because he wished to conceal his methods and the true purpose behind leaving the Shen Ji Camp survivors.

Ren Xiaosu mused, the Shen Ji Camp was now in dire straits; his remaining trump card should suffice against the remaining remnants, should it not?

Suddenly, he heard footsteps crunching through the snow. Ren Xiaosu's heart lurched—here they came!

He crouched in the thick snow by the roadside, barely daring to breathe.

He had left a small opening in the snow to observe the outside world, but the next moment, when he saw the Shen Ji Camp warriors approaching, he was stunned!

Two Shen Ji Camp warriors, limping and staggering, made their way toward his ambush position. At that instant, Ren Xiaosu felt ill. He had asked Qing Zhen to spare a few Shen Ji Camp soldiers, yet Qing Zhen had left only two?

He failed to comprehend it then—why not leave just one? Was this deliberate cruelty?

Hmm?

These past two days, Ren Xiaosu had lain in the snow for entire days. Few possessed such resolve in this world.

Yet now he realized, his two days in the snow had been in vain?

No, no—Ren Xiaosu sensed something new had gone amiss. Qing Zhen could not have left only two Shen Ji Camp warriors.