togophonebook Chapter 33 Counter-surveillance
Chapter 33 Counter-surveillance
Silent Garden, Quiet Room.
Lin Mo sat cross-legged, his aura restrained, like a deep ancient well.
He could clearly feel that the dark true energy originating from the "Nine Nether Devouring Life Technique" within his body and the mysterious power hidden in the meridians of this body had merged at a deeper level, forming a new internal force that was more condensed, more bizarre and more powerful.
His senses became exceptionally sharp, not only in terms of the flow of energy and killing intent, but also in the ability to clearly discern any discordant or unnatural movement in his surroundings, as if they were ripples on the surface of water.
"Master of the Manor".
A deep and respectful voice came from outside the quiet room; it belonged to Han Li, who was in charge of the daily guarding of the manor and intelligence gathering.
He was originally a scout squad leader in the border army. He was discharged due to injury and ended up here. After being taken in by Lin Mo, he was entrusted with important tasks because of his caution, meticulousness and rich experience in reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance.
"Go in." Lin Mo opened his eyes, a glint of light flashing in them before he regained his composure.
Han Li pushed open the door and entered, his figure tall and straight, his face bearing the composure and sternness unique to soldiers. He bowed and said in a low voice, "Master, based on your warning last night and the reports from our brothers today, there are indeed quite a few more 'eyes' around the manor."
"Tell me in detail," Lin Mo said calmly, as if he had expected it. It would be strange if such an unusual phenomenon last night hadn't attracted attention.
"We discovered a hidden observation point on an old locust tree three miles to the east. The view was excellent, overlooking the gate of the manor and part of the outer wall. The method was very professional, utilizing the natural canopy for concealment. If the manor owner hadn't reminded us to pay special attention to high places and distances, it would have been extremely difficult to spot. The observer was quite agile; when our people tried to approach, the observer immediately became alert and withdrew without leaving any trace."
"Recently, a few 'fishermen' have appeared downstream of the small river to the west. Their net-casting techniques are clumsy, but their eyes keep glancing at the back wall and corner tower of the mountain village. Our men disguised themselves as woodcutters and struck up a conversation with them. Although they spoke with a local accent, they seemed to know very little about fishing. Their knuckles were large, making them seem more like martial arts practitioners."
"On the path leading to the black market to the south, several new 'traveling merchants' stalls have appeared in the past two days. They sell ordinary mountain products, but the stall owners are too vigilant. They observe passersby very carefully, especially those coming from the direction of our mountain village. We arranged for our brothers to pretend to be customers to test them. Although their responses were flawless, their breathing was deep and steady, indicating that they were not weak."
"Yesterday afternoon, a group of hunters were active in the mountains to the north. They were tracking the tracks of their prey very deliberately, circling most of the area around our village. One of them deliberately showed off his skills when he got close to our patrol team. His steps were steady and his breath was hot, as if he was deliberately provoking or testing us."
Han Li reported point by point, his tone grave: "Judging from their style of action and the traces they left behind, they are definitely not a single group. The observation point in the tree was discreet, like the style of the Zhao family's 'Dark Feather'; the 'fishermen' by the river were disguised and infiltrated, consistent with the Qian family's 'Shadow Rat' tactics; the merchants to the south were cautiously observing, possibly from the Sun family; and the group of 'hunters' who took the initiative to show their skills acted directly, with a probing intent, and are very likely elites sent by the Li family."
Lin Mo listened quietly, her fingers unconsciously tapping lightly on her knees.
The four great families, as expected, could no longer sit still.
Their reaction time was even faster than he had anticipated.
"Master, should we... remove these nails?" A cold glint flashed in Han Li's eyes. Mo Garden was their home, their place of refuge; how could they allow others to covet it like this?
Lin Mo shook his head, a cold smile curving his lips: "Clean up? Why clean up? These 'guests' have gone to so much trouble to send us here; how can we not give them a proper 'welcome'?"
He stood up and walked to the map of Moyuan and its surrounding area hanging on the wall of the quiet room, his gaze sweeping over the locations Han Li had just mentioned.
"If they want to see, let them see. But what they see is up to us." Lin Mo's voice carried a calm, all-encompassing control. "Pass down the order..."
His instructions were conveyed clearly and swiftly:
"Ignore the observation point under the old locust tree on the east side. But starting tomorrow, at a fixed time each day, send a team dressed as ordinary refugees to enter and exit through the side gate of the manor, carrying empty wooden boxes and sacks to create the illusion of frequent supply transport. Occasionally, have one or two skilled brothers 'inadvertently' show off their rudimentary martial arts skills within the observation range, making it appear as if they have just learned and their steps are unsteady and their power inaccurate."
"Let the 'fishermen' on the west bank of the river watch. Arrange for a few brothers to practice the most basic 'Raging Bull Fist' every day near the back wall of the river, the more clumsy the better. Also, find a few loud-voiced people to gather together during breaks and boast that the manor owner is kind and took us in, and even taught us farming skills to strengthen our bodies, hoping that we can have enough to eat in the future."
"Keep a close eye on the 'traveling merchants' on the southern path. Don't they like to observe? Have the stalls we control at the black market release some information starting tomorrow. For example, that the manor lord has encountered a problem in his cultivation and needs to purchase a large quantity of a certain common healing medicine; or that the manor lord has suffered excessive losses due to the strange phenomena a few days ago and is currently in seclusion to recuperate; or that the manor has recently taken in too many refugees and is experiencing a food shortage... Let them guess what's true and what's false."
"As for that group of 'hunters' to the north who like to probe..."
A cold glint flashed in Lin Mo's eyes. "They want to test our strength, don't they? Let the patrols continue as usual, but if they dare to approach and provoke us again, have Wang Ben lead a team. Don't kill them, but don't hold back either. Give them a good beating, break a few bones, and throw them out of the mountains. Let the Li family know that Mo Garden is not a place they can run wild in. If they want to test us, they'll pay the price!"
Wang Ben was another skilled fighter among the refugees he took in. He possessed superhuman strength and practiced external martial arts. He had a fiery and straightforward personality, making him perfect for dealing with the reckless probing of the Li family.
Han Li carefully noted down each instruction, his heart filled with dread.
The lord of the manor is setting up a huge maze, using false information and deliberate performances to confuse the judgment of the four great families.
By feigning weakness to instill arrogance in the enemy, and simultaneously sending a warning signal, the bottom line for Moyuan was established.
"in addition,"
Lin Mo added, "Have our people secretly track them in reverse. Find out where these spies are, how they contact each other, and how often they report back to the family. Don't take action, just get a feel for their network. Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated."
"Yes, Master! I understand!"
Han Li bowed and accepted the order, his eyes gleaming with excitement. This silent confrontation tested wisdom and patience even more than a real battle.
As Lin Mo gave the order, the entire Mo Garden began to operate quietly, like a sophisticated machine.
On the old locust tree to the east, Zhao's "Dark Feather" still lurked daily, observing the Silent Garden through the gaps in the branches and leaves. He saw the "refugees" busily carrying "supplies," saw several men clumsily practicing rudimentary boxing techniques in the open space, and heard their gratitude to the manor lord Lin Mo and their longing for a full meal during their rest periods. He carefully recorded and transmitted this "intelligence" back.
Beside the stream to the west, the Qian family's "shadow rats," playing the roles of fishermen, had meager "harvests" each day, but their attention was always fixed on the area near the back wall. What they saw was the guards of Mo Garden practicing their seemingly ridiculous "Raging Bull Fist," and what they heard was the idle chatter of the refugees about the manor owner teaching them "farming skills." They pieced together these details, trying to reconstruct the internal situation of Mo Garden.
The Sun family's "trading merchants" on the south-facing path heard even more "insider" news from the black market. They heard about Lin Mo's cultivation going awry and needing medicinal herbs, about his seclusion due to losses caused by unusual phenomena, and about the manor's food shortage… These pieces of information seemed plausible and subtly aligned with their observations of the generally low quality of the "refugees" and the seemingly lax defenses of the manor. This led them to assess Mo Garden as having "limited potential and not currently a cause for concern."
Meanwhile, in the northern mountains, when the Li family's elite "hunters" once again attempted to approach and provoke them, Wang Ben, who had already received orders, led a team of fierce guards and suddenly charged out.
Wang Ben, like a human-shaped raging bear, gave the other party no chance to speak. His fist, as big as a casserole dish and accompanied by a fierce wind, smashed directly at the leader.
The skilled fighter from the Li family, confident in his martial arts prowess, swung his arm to block, but with a "crack," his arm bone broke, and he was sent flying, coughing up blood as he collapsed to the ground.
The others were also quickly taken down by the well-coordinated guards of Moyuan. Each of them suffered broken bones and was dragged out of the forest like dead dogs, leaving them by the roadside while howling in pain.
This was like stirring up a hornet's nest, but it quickly subsided.
The Li family was furious, but upon learning that the other party had not actually killed anyone and that it was their own people who had provoked them first, they had no choice but to temporarily back down, inform the other three families of the situation, and reassess the strength of Moyuan—at least, that leader named Wang Ben was not someone to be trifled with.
The rewards received by the four great families began to conflict.
The Zhao family felt that Moyuan was loosely organized but seemed to be accumulating strength; the Qian family believed that its lower-level personnel were of average quality and its core was unclear; the Sun family tended to think that Lin Mo himself might be in poor condition and that his power was in the development stage; the Li family warned that Moyuan had tough opponents and that its military strength should not be underestimated.
The spies they sent out thought they had infiltrated cleverly and observed meticulously, but little did they know that what they saw was mostly what Lin Mo wanted them to see.
Their movements and communication methods are being gradually uncovered and recorded by the counter-surveillance team led by Han Li.
Inside the Silent Garden, Lin Mo stood on the newly renovated corner tower, gazing at the faint outline of Qinghe Town in the distance.
As night fell, lights were lit inside and outside the villa, and the "eyes" hidden in the shadows seemed to become even more active in the darkness.
"Look, look all you want."
Lin Mo murmured to himself, his eyes as deep and unfathomable as a pool, "When you think you've seen things clearly, that's when you've truly begun to fall into the fog."
In this first silent contest, he has already taken the initiative.
Next, it's just a matter of waiting—waiting for this misleading intelligence to ferment within the four great families, waiting for them to make potentially wrong judgments and actions.
And he will continue to gather strength beyond this fog...