Chapter 21: Line Up and Eat Fruit

"Stop! Who goes there?"

As Logan and his team approached the area near the barbed wire, the sentry finally spotted these "uninvited guests" in the limited light.

"I am Sergeant Pyle Cliff, the captain of the Sandon Local Patrol! We have important matters to discuss with your commander!" the British sergeant replied cooperatively at Logan's instruction.

The sentry, seeing these individuals in military uniforms, shouted, "Stay where you are and don't move. I'll inform the major right away!"

Logan and his paratroopers naturally halted their steps—if they were to attack rashly at this moment, there was a high probability the sentry would open fire as a warning.

"After the matter is resolved, I will report today's events truthfully to your superior!" Logan whispered to Cliff. "You can imagine, no commander would let go of such a capable subordinate like you!"

"Hehe! I'm just a retired sergeant, and this is all I can do!" the patrol commander humbly replied.

"The key is not the scale of the matter, but the courage and wisdom a person shows when faced with sudden situations!" Logan's words seemed commendatory, but were actually a sneer. Just as they were quietly chatting, an officer emerged from the castle, buttoning his uniform as he walked.

"Men, get ready!" Logan said, intentionally raising his chest proudly; after all, military policemen were usually quite proud.

The officer stopped near the sentry post, then halted his steps. Speaking across the nearly twenty meters, he said, "Are you guys from the Sandon Local Patrol? What are you doing here at this hour?"

"We have important matters to report to you!" Cliff replied energetically, buoyed by the recent praise.

"Important matters? Send one person over here!" The British officer seemed cautious.

With no other choice, Logan strode forward. Only when his bright red cap appeared under the lamplight did the officer and the soldier opposite him show expressions of surprise.

Logan glanced at the officer's rank insignia, which was not the "major" the sentry mentioned, but rather a British Army lieutenant.

"Lieutenant, I want to speak directly to your commanding officer!" he arrogantly declared.

"You... um, you're not from the Sandon Local Patrol?" The lieutenant officer seemed to recognize Logan's identity from his uniform and insignia: a Captain of the Military Police!

"No, after arriving in Sandon, we specifically asked Sergeant Cliff to lead us here! Well, the situation is urgent, so please call your commander immediately. I'll only explain the specifics to him!" Logan remained arrogant but not overly insolent in his speech.

"Um... please wait! I'll go report this!" The lieutenant walked into the sentry post and picked up the phone, evidently reporting the situation to the people inside the castle. After a moment, he poked his head out and said to Logan, "Sir, please wait a moment. Major Parson will be here soon!"

Parson? Logan thought for a moment, but the name didn't ring a bell—perhaps if the German spies stationed in England were a bit more competent, he wouldn't be so clueless!

After a while, two people emerged from the castle—one was buttoning his buttons, the other was adjusting his belt, both looking like they had just been woken up.

Logan remained calm and composed, standing still until they approached. He then respectfully saluted and handed over the forged documents and papers from the German intelligence department—due to the large number of British documents captured during the Western Front campaign, forging these items was a piece of cake.

"Captain Billy Rold, belonging to the 33rd Military Police Battalion, ordered to apprehend a long-term German spy!" 

Major Parson, a seemingly fifty-year-old veteran officer, was difficult to judge whether his ability to resist deception was strong or weak—often, individuals like him had already formed relatively fixed thinking patterns and were less likely to question situations that seemed reasonable. Yet, their experience could be beneficial in critical moments.

"Oh, Captain Rold, 33rd Military Police Battalion, and this... hmm? A long-term embedded German spy? Is such a thing possible?" The major looked at the contents of the documents under the lamplight, wearing an incredulous expression. "Do you know his name?"

"We don't know. Our intelligence officer saw him while tracking another German spy. They met, and our intelligence officer followed him here. Two days ago, we officially captured the other German spy, but he refused to divulge his accomplice's name and identity." Logan recounted the situation calmly, using the phrases he had prepared before the operation. Then, he deliberately lowered his voice and said, "Major, the German spies lurking in England have been unusually active recently. We fear they will intensify efforts to steal our intelligence and sabotage vital facilities. That's why we hurried here! If our vehicle hadn't broken down on the way, we would have arrived before midnight!"

"But..." The major hesitated. "Since you don't know his identity, how can I cooperate?"

"It's simple. I brought the intelligence officer with me. As long as you have all your subordinates come out and line up for identification, we will definitely be able to find that spy. And... this way, we won't have to touch any of your sensitive equipment! It's convenient for everyone!" Logan glanced intentionally at the castle behind the major. From this position, he finally saw the antennas, resembling a large web.

"Well..." The major thought for a moment. "I need to report this to headquarters first!"

Logan had already anticipated this situation, so he cut off all communication lines along the way. If this unit could still contact headquarters through hidden lines buried underground, it would be a testament to his bad luck.

The major walked into the sentry post, but the outcome was predictable. In such a situation, even if they had wireless communication equipment, using telegraphs to communicate was time-consuming and risked interception by the enemy. After some internal struggle, he decided to accept the suggestion of this "military police officer," who was younger and of lower rank.

"Lieutenant, assemble the troops and line them up outside the trench!" 

Upon hearing this, Logan couldn't help but feel elated. As long as these fools came out and lined up, the machine guns lurking behind would mow them down like harvesting wheat—although the gunfire would reveal their operation, as long as they acted swiftly, they could move the vital equipment from the castle several miles away to the pocket port of Burnbridge. According to the plan, two small German submarines should have already been lurking in the nearby waters, waiting for the signal. They would then directly enter this tiny harbor, where only small boats could dock, and extract the operation personnel and equipment.

Despite the numerous hiccups along the way, with things developing to this point, Logan remained optimistic about the prospects of the operation.