Chapter 332: Gas Warfare
Inside the officers' club, Lucia turned off the incandescent lights used for illumination, leaving only a few low-wattage colored lights. The room's lighting instantly became dim and flickering.
Soon, the officers began trickling in, ordering drinks and discussing their topics of interest.
To the sound of a lethargic piano tune, Lucia mechanically shook the cocktail shaker, then poured the prepared drink into a glass, placing half a lemon on the rim and sliding it across the bar to the officer in front.
The officer stared at the glass in bewilderment and looked up at Lucia. "But I ordered a Bloody Mary, Lucia?"
Lucia quickly realized her mistake and hurriedly replied, "My apologies, Major. I'll prepare it for you right away."
The major hesitated for a moment, then, with understanding, said, "No, it's fine. I suddenly feel like trying a Margarita. Just this one will do."
Lucia was Charles's girlfriend, and all the officers knew this, so they were polite toward her.
Even the ones who used to make inappropriate jokes at her expense had since toned down considerably, of course, after being beaten senseless by a group of officers who admired Charles.
"What's wrong, Lucia?" Garrel asked. "Do you need to go rest for a while?"
"No, it's nothing." Lucia shook her head in frustration. "I just didn't sleep well."
But Lucia was still restless, her gaze occasionally darting toward the club's entrance, as if waiting for someone.
Finally, a familiar figure entered Lucia's line of sight.
She first felt a surge of joy, but then her face darkened. She furrowed her brows and stiffened her expression, pretending she hadn’t seen him, and busied herself with mixing the drink in her hand.
"A coffee," Charles called toward the bar, then walked to an empty corner to sit by himself.
Seeing Lucia remain unmoved, Garrel gave a wry smile and took the cocktail shaker from her hand. "Go ahead, you’ve been waiting for him, haven’t you?"
"No, Garrel!" Lucia hurriedly denied it. "I haven’t!"
"Alright then!" Garrel chuckled. "Well, you're not going to let him wait there forever, are you?"
Lucia helplessly glanced in Charles's direction. He was not only her "boyfriend," but also a guest at the club, and even her superior. What else could she do?
...
It wasn't until Lucia set the coffee down in front of Charles with a sharp clink that Charles noticed something seemed off with her expression.
"What's happened?" Charles asked.
His innocent look only made Lucia angrier. He hadn’t even realized he had made a mistake!
"Should I remind you, Colonel?" Lucia sat down in front of Charles, her eyes burning with anger. "If a certain lady is your girlfriend, shouldn't you say goodbye to her before going to the battlefield?"
"That's a military secret, Lucia," Charles replied. "I can't tell anyone."
That was an excuse. When the 105th Infantry Division left, there had been reporters taking photos at the port, but it couldn’t be refuted.
"Fine." Lucia then asked, "Well, when you returned from the battlefield, shouldn’t you have sought her out first?"
Charles nodded calmly. "I'll pay more attention in the future."
Lucia felt deeply disappointed. She had hoped Charles would comfort her or offer a small gift as an apology, but nothing came. To him, it was likely just work, just a mission, nothing more, Lucia thought, a bitter pang rising in her chest.
At that moment, Lucia suddenly realized that the problem was actually with her. She had let personal emotions get the better of her.
Taking a deep breath, Lucia made an effort to calm herself, her tone regaining composure. "Sorry, Colonel. I overreacted."
"No, you're right," Charles replied. "I really should make more of an effort to act more appropriately."
Those words felt like a steel needle, deeply piercing Lucia’s heart, leaving her speechless.
Charles, however, expressionless, asked, "Has Grevy made any moves recently?"
"No, Colonel," Lucia replied with a hint of bitterness in her voice. "It seems like Grevy has caught onto something. He hasn't done anything during this period."
Charles frowned. Caught onto something?
Perhaps it was Rayom who slipped up. Under Steed’s strict surveillance, he had been in contact with the Piteau Armaments Factory, which must have seemed suspicious. This might fool the Piteau factory and Schneider, but it wouldn’t fool Grevy.
That sly fox, Charles cursed inwardly.
"We have some intelligence about Ypres. However..." Lucia trailed off.
"However, what?" Charles asked.
"We're not quite sure, Colonel." Lucia hesitated. "It seems the Germans have been moving around the Ypres area. In a place called Bruet Village, they sealed off and massacred dozens of households, but we can't find any bodies."
"If there are no bodies, how can you be certain it was a 'massacre'?" Charles asked, confused.
"Because we found that many animals were poisoned," Lucia explained. "Plants also withered, but we don't know what caused it."
Charles stared at Lucia in shock. It was gas!
The first use of gas warfare in World War I had begun at Ypres, and it had caused over ten thousand casualties among the Allied forces in its initial deployment.
How could Charles have forgotten this?
"Do you know what it is?" Lucia asked, a bit puzzled by Charles's sudden realization.
Charles hesitated. He couldn’t tell Lucia directly what it was. That was Germany's top-secret weapon, and no one in the world, including British intelligence, knew about it.
If Charles knew, he would have to explain the source of the intelligence, otherwise, he would be labeled a German spy.
After a moment of thought, Charles answered in an uncertain tone:
"I don’t know."
"But if nearby animals and plants have been poisoned, can't we speculate that it's some kind of lethal gas?"
"That's what we think too," Lucia nodded. "The range does seem like some kind of toxic gas. But does such a thing exist? If it does, why would the Germans use it in Bruet Village?"
"Their target might not have been Bruet Village, Lucia," Charles said seriously. "If I’m right, they’re likely testing it for use on the battlefield."
Lucia's eyes widened in an instant. "You mean, on the battlefield?"
Charles nodded. "Think about it. The Germans are struggling on the frontlines. They're blocked at sea, the Gallipoli campaign is about to fail, and their eastern and western lines are stretched thin. They have no choice but to rely on unconventional means."
Lucia increasingly saw the logic in his analysis. "And Bruet Village was probably just a test for the Germans?"
"Yes," Charles said. "They weren't sure if the gas would work in Ypres’s climate, so they conducted this test. And if it succeeds..."
Lucia stared at Charles, horrified. "That means the Germans might soon use gas on the Ypres front!"