But unlike others who wanted to use this chance to curry favor or pull strings, Takeyama always felt that something was off about this adjutant.
Exactly what was wrong, he couldn't quite put into words for now.
Tonight, the warship was carrying him and the other "suicide squad" commanders eastward, executing the first phase of the feint plan: to provoke and lure the Abyssal Ryuujou away from the Okinawa base and drive her westward.
By all rights, even if Takeyama didn't spend the time reviewing the plan, he should at least have been resting and adjusting his condition.
But the unease in his heart kept him awake, poring over the adjutant's file until he practically had every line memorized.
London understood her commander's worries and didn't press him further. Instead, she drew out part of the dossier from his hands and flipped through it herself.
She had read it before, but from an analytical, professional angle, finding nothing unusual. Now, glancing through casually, she noticed something else.
Not something suspicious—rather, something admirable.
"This young man truly clawed his way up from being a poor farm boy with nothing to his name. By rights, his previous post should've been his glass ceiling, but he somehow struck gold, caught the Fleet Admiral's eye, and leapt straight into the heavens. His future will be limitless!"
Takeyama's expression changed sharply. "Wait. What did you just say?"
"I said he's inspiring. Why, what did you realize?"
"No… no, something doesn't add up." Takeyama frantically flipped through the file again. After fifteen minutes, he set it down and clenched his fist. "So that's it!"
London leaned in close. "You found what you were looking for? What's strange about him?"
"It was that phrase you used—'nothing to his name.' That's the biggest red flag. He's not attached to any faction. That in itself is what's odd. And you don't quite understand… even that lowly post he once held, running errands in the Signals Office, was already far beyond his reach. That was inside the theater command headquarters—do you know how many aristocrats' sons would kill for such a slot? So why him?"
Takeyama sighed heavily.
Admirals were one thing—their shipgirls couldn't be inherited like an ancestral heirloom—but in every other corner of power, those who had it thought only of passing it down and preserving it.
Reluctant as he was to admit it, the Fleet Admiral's new adjutant could not possibly have risen to his previous position without someone giving him a push.
It saddened Takeyama a little, though in truth, as a man born into billions and who himself inherited a family empire, he had no real standing to weep such crocodile tears.
London turned his words over twice. "You mean… if someone pulled strings to get him that post, then he must secretly belong to them. That's hiding it awfully deep."
Her own feelings soured. She had thought that young man was a model of inspiration.
But Takeyama shook his head. "No. So many have investigated him, and none found a thing. Maybe there really wasn't anyone helping him at all. And that's what terrifies me."
He stressed the word "no one."
If no person had helped the adjutant, then only a power beyond human hands could have done so—very possibly the Abyssals. Perhaps they had tilted his fortune, perhaps even bent the path of destiny.
The thought made London's face pale. She clutched Takeyama's arm tightly. "If that's true, then this whole operation could already be compromised. You going out to bait Ryuujou is no different than a lamb walking into a tiger's den!"
"I'd rather it really were a lamb in a tiger's den. If the feint succeeds without a hitch… then the problem might be far greater."
If the enemy only swallowed him as bait, then Japan would lose just one man, a commander in his prime.
But if Ryuujou was playing along, then her true target might be the entire Eastern Sea Fleet's living strength.
"No, we have to report this immediately. The operation must be called off!"
"That's impossible. It's all still only conjecture, and we have no solid evidence." Takeyama shook his head. "Besides, the plan is already in motion. Every unit is already en route to its assigned position. With radio silence in effect, we can't reach anyone outside."
[End of Chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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