Chapter 382 Army Is About to Move
"You know what... I don't think I can win this time, so I'm going to get out of here. Let's meet again next time, Mr. Agent," Jack declared as he swiftly ascended the building and disappeared from Nerdwolf's sight.
Nerdwolf watches in silence as Jack swiftly climbs up the building.
He stood there for a moment, catching his breath and letting the adrenaline slowly ebb away.
Only after Jack had disappeared, did Nerdwolf finally speak to himself. "What a crazy guy..." n/-O)/V).e/)l/-b//I)-n
"Team leader! Are you alright?" He was then abruptly interrupted by the voice of one of his subordinates who was calling him out in concern.
Turning towards the voice, Nerdwolf found multiple agents who worked under his command rushing to his position.
"I'm fine," Nerdwolf waved his hand, dismissing their worries. "How did you know that I'm here?"
"Some of our targets got out of control and made a run for himself. It's one of those do-or-die decision. By pure coincidence, we caught a glance of you while chasing him."
"You didn't actually give up on your pursuit just for my sake, did you?" Nerdwolf narrowed his eyes as he asked that question.
He doesn't want to be indirectly held responsible for the fish slipping out of the net.
His subordinate immediately denies it, "Ohh no, team leader! You don't have to worry about it. Just how hard is it to capture an overweight man?" he sneered.
The agents promptly spread out to secure their perimeter. They fanned out cautiously, scanning for any signs of Jack, ensuring he wasn't lurking nearby.
Some of them even began discussing the possibility of chasing Jack.
However, Nerdwolf swiftly and sternly intervened, "Don't be stupid. The person you're trying to chase is Jack. Every one of you should know well enough about him."
Upon hearing that name, all the agents present understood why their team leader was in such a state.
If Jack had managed to reduce someone a [Assassin] ranked agent like Nerdwolf to this, they stood no chance against him.
"Then, we should just let him go?" asked the subordinate. The idea of letting Jack escape did not sit well with him.
Nerdwolf nodded, firm in his decision. "Yes, just let him go. Just like yourself, I also wish to capture him but we must stay cool-headed. Without a well-prepared plan, we will only be his next victims."
He then changed the subject, avoiding further discussion on Jack. "Anyway, how's the mission going?"
One of the agents reported, "Everything is proceeding smoothly as intended. The only one left is the grain producers."
"Is that so?" Nerdwolf seemed unsurprised.
Why would he be when there are multiple [Assassin] rank agents involved in this matter?
In fact, he does feel it's kind of overkill. "Let's go and meet Agent Wheatman."
....
As the battle between Nerdwolf and Jack is concluded, an order from the capital arrives in the hand of Wilmot Aymer.
He broke the royal seal, revealing the contents of the letter, and began to read.
A look of intrigue and excitement flashed across his face as he waded through the orders outlined in the message.
"After so long..." he said to himself, a grin forming, "I finally get some action."
Not that he whining about the order, not really. It's just that he had been drowning in a sea of boredom. His body felt sluggish as a snail's crawl, thanks to the lack of military activities.
Back when they'd pinned that medal on him, he'd thought he could kick back and enjoy a nice, smooth ride as one of the bigwigs in the capital.
Imagine his surprise.
Right after he'd hopped off that stage, he had been invited to meet Minister William, the head of the Ministry of War and Defense.
But his hopes had crumbled like a house of cards.
Before he could even bask in the light of glory, Minister William dropped the bombshell on him by explaining the real reason behind their meeting.
"We've got some rearranging to do," William had said, his face all serious-like. "You, my friend, are heading to Balkes in a couple of weeks."
It turns out, there was some major internal rearrangement happening in the army.
Following the conclusion of the Second North-South War, the Ministry of Defense and War realised just how inefficient and slow their current organization and mobilization were, even though they had military bases scattered across the kingdom.
It had been a close call during that last conflict, with the enemy army getting frighteningly close to the capital.
They might have dodged a bullet this time, but luck alone couldn't guarantee safety in the long run.
With the kingdom's substantial expansion in territory, they couldn't afford such lapses anymore.
And so, the ministry had decided on a significant reorganization.
They were to effectively split the kingdom into four distinct military regions, consisting of multiple provinces under their watch.
Each with its own headquarters; East HQ, North HQ, Central HQ, and South HQ.
This division was meant to improve both the efficiency of the military and the security of the kingdom, enabling faster response times and a better-coordinated defence system.
Also, each HQ will be led by a designated military general. They were to guide operations and make critical decisions.
The ministry was particularly cautious about not entrusting this responsibility to governors, as they didn't want to overly empower them.
This also aligns with the king's wish who preferred that governors focus solely on their administrative tasks.
For the East HQ, based in Balkes, the ministry had selected Wilmot Aymer to lead the military efforts.
Given his significant contributions to the kingdom, it was easy to understand why they had chosen him for this crucial role.
But still, Balkes is a newly acquired territory, there's not much development here and the city bordering the Cerdeauxia.
It essentially served as a frontline post.
He can't even relax and needs to stay alert all the time which really annoys him.
With a heavy sigh, he stood up from his desk. "Let's get the army ready."