Please support the translation by reading the translation and commenting on otakutl official site.
Thank you.
Everyone from Otaku Translation
Chapter 19: Online Chess
At 4 p.m., Shi Rang finally brought an end to his day of unproductive sitting.
He’d come up with a rough creative idea, spent half the day mentally drafting an “investigation plan,” yet his document remained nearly blank.
Unaware of the storm he’d unwittingly sparked hundreds of kilometers away, Shi Rang’s focus remained fixed on his investigation.
The biggest obstacle before him wasn’t lack of determination—it was methodology.
Blue Signal was the largest criminal organization in District Ten, vast and brazen. Shi Rang needed to find one member among them: “Greyhound.” Courage he had, but no strategy.
No informants, no leads. As an immigrant from District Two now living in District Ten, infiltrating local gangs was out of the question.
It was like setting sail alone into the open sea to retrieve a needle.
Suddenly, a surge of impulse overtook him.
Like a student walking into an exam hall and seeing all green lights, taking it as a sign of success, Shi Rang—clinging to a similarly naive hope—logged back into The Management Bureau’s main site and pressed the virtual keyboard.
[Search: “Blue Signal”]
---
[Account “Mud Truck” recent file access: District Three Port Black Market Recent Intelligence Report, District Ten Criminal Organization Assessment Report...]
[Prolonged focus on section: “After investigation, the ‘Blue Signal’ organization transported anomalous items or organisms with anomalous properties between 1650 and 1662... This led to multiple severe accidents within the organization, after which they reduced such ‘special operations.’ Their focus shifted to human trafficking and addiction-based trade. The organization reportedly has secret ports in several harbor cities across District Ten, with recent activity possibly centered around Pingyuan City... For detailed reconnaissance reports, see here (internal link attached).”]
The Director of Information Technology at The Management Bureau fell into deep thought as he reviewed the newly submitted access records.
Ever since the scare a few days ago, the director had changed assistants and personally taken charge of handling everything related to “Mud Truck.”
If this high-profile individual’s earlier visits had been driven by curiosity, what were they doing now?
Why were they digging into these seemingly random pieces of information?
It was impossible not to be suspicious. The account’s behavior was highly irregular. Despite possessing the highest level of clearance within The Management Bureau, granting unrestricted access across the entire main site, it hadn’t concealed all operational traces. The director was well aware of the tension between the Field Department and the Intelligence Department. If the user behind this account really was who he suspected, such odd and juvenile actions actually made sense.
...After all, this wasn’t the first time something like this had happened.
It was just that this time, the scale was larger.
But now, his doubts were mounting.
If aiding that young agent Kyle had been a show of defiance toward the Intelligence Department, then using temporary staff and recruiting containment objects to handle Facility 031’s containment breach was overstepping boundaries. And now, they were sifting through information unrelated to any current operational plans—without so much as a whisper of explanation.
For someone at this level, rules and regulations were more like guidelines, but this was still unreasonable...
Still, the director wasn’t reckless enough to immediately raise his concerns upward.
Reaching a position just below The Management Bureau Board, overseeing thousands, required not only exceptional ability and good interpersonal skills but also a unique advantage—he could always accurately guess his superiors’ intentions.
If he guessed correctly about “Mud Truck,” it would be a significant achievement.
But if he guessed wrong...
The wrath of board members was not something he could withstand, especially if he angered one of the more short-tempered ones...
The terrifying scenarios flashing through his mind made the director shiver. At his age, he couldn’t bear this kind of pressure. Clutching at the few remaining strands of hair on his head, he trembled anxiously for a moment before finally dialing a trusted contact—the director of the Field Department.
“It’s me. I need you to look into something for me. Keep it quiet...”
“Is this your way of signaling you’re bringing your department over to my side?”
“It’s personal. Consider it a favor I owe you.”
“Ah, just joking. What is it? What’s got you being so mysterious?”
“Has the Bureau or any other organization recently launched operations in Pingyuan City, District Ten? Possibly involving a criminal group called ‘Blue Signal.’”
“Hold on—get out for a moment. Private conversation.”
The Field Department director dismissed his assistant and began furiously typing on his personal computer.
A few seconds later, the answer came.
“No.”
“Are you sure?”
“If there were any operations even I didn’t know about, there are only two possibilities—you know which ones. Either it’s those few board members, or it’s that MTF. As for our usual rivals, while they’ve been planning to increase their presence in District Ten, so far they’ve been relatively quiet.”
Just as expected.
The IT Department director steadied himself. The scales in his mind tipped decisively toward the conclusion that “Mud Truck” was an imposter.
This meant an impostor had infiltrated The Management Bureau’s internal network!
And they seemed to have a way to bypass the special entry defense mechanisms!
The information they accessed was likely tied to their real identity. By following the trail, he could uncover this person!
Realizing the gravity of the situation, the director eagerly opened his mouth to share this secret with his ally within the Bureau:
“I’ve just discovered something extremely serious. Don’t panic when I tell you.”
“What is it?”
“That ‘Mud Truck’ causing chaos throughout the Bureau is a—”
“Ding-ding!”
The familiar notification sound struck the director like a hammer.
An overwhelming sense of foreboding stopped the word “impostor” just as it reached his lips.
“Oh? Hold on a second... There’s unusual movement from The Coalition. They’ve mobilized quite a few people from District Nine, including several combat teams. Their destination is likely Pingyuan City, District Ten. Huh? They’re after that ‘Blue Signal’ you mentioned. The Coalition is tracking a ship carrying cargo for them, possibly containing an anomalous item. You should come work for the Field Department; your intel is faster than our undercover agents!” The Field Department director’s excitement and curiosity were palpable. “By the way, what were you saying earlier? What about that ‘Mud Truck’?”
“I... I was saying... ‘Mud Truck’ has also noticed this matter.”
“So what? Big figures care about the bigger picture, haha—or maybe there’s more to it. Who knows what The Coalition is planning. Too bad, under the agreement, they have priority handling rights. Sigh, such a pity. We’ll just have to wait and see if the diplomatic department makes any progress later.”
The IT Department director’s mind felt like mush. Mumbling vague responses he couldn’t even remember, he hastily ended the conversation.
By the time he hung up, his body was drenched in sweat.
Trembling, the director removed his glasses and clutched his chest, feeling as though he’d narrowly escaped with his life.
Thank goodness he’d gone to the Field Department director instead of reporting directly upward.
Thank goodness he spoke slowly.
It was sheer luck that saved him.
From now on, no matter what, he must never suspect this “Mud Truck” again.
...Perhaps the other party had already seen through his offense but simply chose to ignore it.
Thank the merciful board member for their generosity!
The director paused for a moment, enabled "Restricted Access" to shield the account from prying eyes, and prayed his actions hadn’t offended the other party. With relief washing over him, he returned to his tasks, pretending nothing had happened.
Please vote for this novel at
If you would like to support this translation, you may choose any one of the options below.
How to find a list of chapters
Please find the chapter label next to your favorite translator's name, and click the label.
