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Inside the conference room of the Commissioner's Office in Sula, senior officials of the Misula colony arrived one after another. It was already past closing time, and most of them had received calls from the Commissioner's Office on their way there, while others were notified directly from their homes or entertainment venues to come here.
Seated at the head of the long table, Lord Wayne Anderson took a sip of coffee, frowning as he watched his subordinates arrive and take their seats on either side of the long table. He glanced at his watch again, roughly estimated the number of people, and then instructed his assistant, "Let's begin. The rest of you can wait."
"Gentlemen, I know this is a wonderful evening for you all, but reality forces us to sit down and confront some thorny issues..." Wayne Anderson glanced at the officials sitting upright below: "There is a briefing on your desks; you can read it as you listen to me."
"According to the latest information received, a large area of Bangalah District in the southern part of the island and three surrounding villages has lost communication and network signals. You can see a map on the second page of the document. The red area marks the current signal loss area."
Amidst the sound of pages turning, Lord Wayne Anderson continued, "Meanwhile, the area with the signal outage is also experiencing dense fog. A temporary fog warning has been issued on the island, and sections of the southern highway have been closed. Due to the communication disruption, we are currently unaware of the situation inside the fog."
"In addition, Royal Telecom maintenance personnel and military exploration teams have set out, but they have also lost contact, and so far no useful information has been sent back."
Volume Two: The Truth Hidden Behind History Books: Chapter 957 An Abnormal Event?
"What's even more serious is that an unusual tropical cyclone is rapidly forming off the coast of Misula Island. According to information from Dr. Saxix of the Observatory, this tropical cyclone is forming very quickly. Given its current development trend, it may reach Misula Island in the next two to three hours. In other words, we are about to face a strong storm."
Looking at the officials below who were discussing amongst themselves, Lord Wayne Anderson picked up his coffee, took a sip, and paused his speech, giving his subordinates time to think.
“Sir, I have a question.” A middle-aged man with gray hair coughed lightly and raised his hand.
“Mr. Charlotte, please speak.” Lord Anderson nodded. The one who asked the question was Andor Charlotte, the Chief of the Political Affairs Department of Misura Island, one of the highest-ranking officials present.
"As far as I know, it shouldn't be the monsoon season right now, right? Of course, I've noticed that the wind outside is indeed quite strong. What I'm trying to say is that this isn't normal..."
“Mr. Charlotte, I know what you mean, and I also hope it’s a misjudgment. However, I regret to inform you that we have received confirmation from the Royal Meteorological Society that a storm is indeed approaching. It can only be said that this is a joke played on us by the sea god…” Lord Anderson casually made a not-so-funny joke.
“Sir, as far as I know, there shouldn’t be dense fog when a storm is coming. You should know that these two weather conditions don’t usually occur together…” The one who spoke was the deputy director of the Colonial Civil Affairs Bureau. The director was currently undergoing artificial heart surgery in the hospital, so he was acting as the deputy director. The Civil Affairs Bureau would also be a key department in the upcoming disaster response.
“On this matter, Dr. Saxix, you are the expert.” Lord Wayne Anderson turned to Dr. Edmund Saxix, who was also in the meeting.
"Your question is correct. In fact, from a professional perspective, there are three conditions for fog formation: cooling, humidification, and the presence of condensation nuclei. For example, fog is likely to form on clear nights and early mornings when there is a light breeze, abundant and stable water vapor near the ground, or when there is a temperature inversion. We call this radiation fog in meteorology. Another type is fog formed when warm and humid air moves horizontally, passes over cold ground or water surfaces, and gradually cools down. This type of fog is called advection fog in meteorology. Sometimes, fog is formed by a combination of two factors, which is called mixed fog."
“However, regardless of the type of fog, it generally requires abundant water vapor, a large temperature difference, and slow air movement, which is what you just mentioned, and that is indeed the case under normal circumstances.” Dr. Edmund Sussex frowned, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke again: “To be honest, this foggy weather covering the entire southern part of the island is, in our view, very unusual… very unusual…”
To emphasize this point, Dr. Edmund Sussex used the phrase "very unusual" twice.
"You mean, this is yet another unusual event?" Lord Anderson asked, frowning as he looked at Dr. Sussex.
“Yes…” Dr. Saxix seemed somewhat ashamed, after all, this was within his area of expertise, and such an answer made him feel very “unprofessional.” However, he still braced himself and met the eyes of the commissioner and the other officials: “Whether it’s a storm at this time of year, or a storm occurring at the same time with dense fog, it’s a very rare occurrence. Perhaps there are some reasons that we don’t yet fully understand…”
Dr. Sussex's answer left many dissatisfied, but that was the reality, and there was no other way. After a moment of silence, Lord Wayne Anderson broke the silence: "Gentlemen, that's how it is. Time is very tight. Let's discuss how to arrange the work ahead. I imagine this will be a sleepless night..."
He then looked at Chief Inspector John Salmer of the Police Department: "Mr. Salmer, the police are going to send your men out, especially your undercover agents, to ensure no social incidents occur, especially those Indigenous rights organizations. Keep an eye on them... don't let them use this as an excuse to cause trouble. You understand what I mean..."
"Sir, I will make the arrangements immediately..."
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As tasks were assigned one by one, the atmosphere in the meeting room became increasingly tense and somber.
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“Sir, this is an emergency. I wonder if it's possible to list it separately from regular fiscal expenditures under the name of a special disaster emergency fund? I think we can try to deduct this portion when we pay taxes to the domestic government at the end of the year,” said Beverly Beatrice, the Financial Secretary, a rather elegant blonde middle-aged woman.
“Lady Beatrice, that’s a very good suggestion. Let’s do it this way first.” Lord Wayne Anderson finally smiled. Just as he was about to say something more, the conference room door opened, and Sir Anderson saw his assistant standing in the doorway giving him a subtle gesture.
He stood up without changing his expression and looked at the Chief Secretary for Administration, Andor Charlotte: "The matter has been explained to the relevant departments. I need to leave temporarily. Time is of the essence. Mr. Charlotte, please chair the meeting in my place. After that, all departments will begin to implement the plan immediately."
After saying that, he hurriedly walked out...
"Nivel, what's the matter?" Stepping out of the meeting room, Wu He immediately looked at the assistant standing at the door of the meeting room.
"Sir, a gentleman needs to see you immediately," the assistant said urgently in a low voice. "He says he's from the Colonial Political Department of the Security Bureau. I've checked his credentials; he's a special agent. He's also accompanied by a subordinate, and I've arranged for them to meet in the reception room on the third floor..."
Lord Wayne Anderson's expression immediately turned serious upon hearing this. The Rune Security Service was originally reorganized from the Rune Military Intelligence Service. Due to the excessive size and complexity of the original Military Intelligence Service, it was split in 1965 into the National Security Service, responsible for protecting British citizens and their interests both inside and outside the UK and preventing any threats to national security, and the Secret Service, responsible for collecting intelligence abroad to support the government's security, defense, foreign, and economic policies. In fact, since they originated from the same organization, the division of responsibilities between the two was not so clear-cut, but rather involved considerable cooperation and overlap.
Volume Two: The Truth Hidden Behind History Books: Chapter 958 Colonial Political Department
The Colonial Political Department is the department within the Rune National Security Bureau responsible for the security and intelligence affairs of the vast colonies, especially for monitoring the political stability of each colony. This department has a vast network of informants and spies in the various colonies under Rune and reports directly to the headquarters in Redfield. Unless there is a major event, it does not usually contact the local administrative departments.
When Lord Wayne Anderson arrived at a reception room on the third floor, two men rose to greet him; they had been waiting there for some time.
After Lord Wayne Anderson entered the room, his assistant Neville quietly withdrew and closed the door behind him.
“Sir, it is an honor to meet you. I am from the Colonial Political Department of the Security Bureau. You may call me Alfred.”
Lord Wayne Anderson shook hands with the man, who called himself Alfred. The man was a short, stocky, and gloomy middle-aged man with typical rune features. The man beside him was of mixed race. Wayne Anderson only glanced at him and did not observe him further.
The group then sat down around a low table on several chairs in the reception room.
“Agent Alfred, I suppose you have something important to discuss with me?” Wayne Anderson began. According to information from his assistant Neville, the man before him was a special agent. Although Wayne Anderson wasn’t part of the intelligence system, as a local official, he was familiar with the basic situation of the colonial political department. As an important department of the Security Bureau, it followed the Security Bureau’s internal hierarchical system. A special agent was a mid-to-high-level officer within the Security Bureau, with positions such as trainee investigator, junior investigator, intermediate investigator, and senior investigator below them. Generally speaking, in a colony like Misura Island, a special agent was usually the highest-ranking officer in charge of intelligence affairs for the entire colony.
Of course, based on the system of the Rune intelligence system, intelligence officers will not interact with administrative officials unless there are special circumstances. This is because, in addition to monitoring the political stability of the colonies, the intelligence system also has some unspeakable responsibilities, namely, to conduct certain assessments of the governance of local administrative officials. This is also a means for the kingdom to ensure that there is no huge centrifugal force in the colonies.
Of course, from the perspective of local leaders, no one would like to have such a department under their jurisdiction. Of course, whether they like it or not, under normal circumstances, they can only pretend not to know.
Agent Alfred then took a map from his briefcase and spread it out in front of Wayne Anderson. Wayne Anderson recognized it at a glance as a high-resolution map of Misura Island, with a section in the southern part of the island highlighted in striking red.
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