I Became a Tycoon During World War I: Saving France from the Start

Chapter 275: The Second Bureau

Dusk settled over Paris, ushering in a dark, biting winter chill. Just before nightfall, the faint warmth and light were abruptly swallowed, leaving only the cold and darkness.

The French Defense Intelligence Bureau, also known as the General Staff's Second Bureau, was often simply called "the Second Bureau" or "Bureau Two."

In the anti-espionage division, Captain Gabriel sat under the glow of a desk lamp, staring at a telegram with a look of intense concentration.

The message was from Captain Watson of British MI6, who served as the MI6 liaison in France. Coincidentally, Gabriel and Watson had trained together in England, which had fostered a close relationship between them, leading to regular exchanges of counterintelligence techniques and intelligence sharing.

In his telegram, Captain Watson complained, "This battle is a total, humiliating failure. It's unbelievable that the British Royal Navy has wasted the opportunity that Charles created for us with such incompetence!"

This was no breaking news—Gabriel was already aware of the Allied defeat in the Dardanelles. But the phrase that caught his attention was, "the opportunity Charles created for us."

What opportunity? And how exactly had Charles "created" it?

Could Charles, a French officer, be cooperating with British MI6? Gabriel's pride was stung at the idea. Charles was French, and if his actions had benefited the British, the Second Bureau should have known. It felt like a stain on Bureau Two's reputation.

Gabriel's mind raced. Could this have been an operation involving espionage?

Gabriel had been puzzled as to why it took Germany nearly 28 days to send reinforcements to the Ottomans despite the ongoing siege at the Dardanelles. The Germans were efficient, especially in protecting and influencing the Ottoman Empire, so the delay seemed out of character.

Could Charles have orchestrated this delay, somehow misleading the Germans?

Gabriel felt he was onto something big—a breakthrough that could expose a high-stakes operation.

Jumping up from his chair, he turned to his assistant, Lieutenant Benoit. "Prepare to go to the Defense Command at once!"

"The Defense Command?" Benoit echoed, trailing behind nervously. "Captain, if we're looking into someone, shouldn't we submit a formal request or consult Major Durand first?"

"No need," Gabriel replied, putting on his hat. "This is more of a personal visit than official business."

Gabriel suspected this could be his chance to catch a significant spy.

Somewhat reassured, Benoit followed his superior, though he remained uneasy. Bureau Two was not exactly welcome in the Defense Command, especially if this "personal" visit led to questioning Charles.

But his unease only grew as they arrived at the Command and Gabriel strode directly up to Charles, who was preparing to leave for the day.

Gabriel snapped to attention, then extended his hand. "Good evening, Colonel. I'm Captain Gabriel from Bureau Two's Counterintelligence Division."

Benoit felt his heart race as the color drained from his face. Gabriel had gone straight to Charles. Was he out of his mind?

Sure enough, officers around them froze. Lieutenant Colonel Fernand, who had already started descending the stairs, was called back. Gradually, a ring of officers formed around Gabriel and Benoit, all with stern, hostile expressions.

Gallieni had already returned to his quarters and was waiting for his dinner, but a signalman burst in, breathlessly reporting, "General! Bureau Two has come to see Colonel Charles!"

Gallieni shot up, striding out of the room without even grabbing his hat.

He wasn't hurrying to protect Charles—he was concerned about Bureau Two's indiscretion. If they tried to arrest Charles as a spy in the Defense Command, they'd likely be beaten by his fellow officers and thrown out. The people of Paris, if they heard about it, might just join in.

As Gallieni reached the operations room, Lieutenant Colonel Fernand was already gripping Gabriel's collar, growling, "This isn't a place for you, Captain. There's too much classified intelligence here. I have every reason to believe you're here to spy yourself…"

"Stand down!" Gallieni barked, striding up as the officers cleared a path for him.

"Apologies, General," Gabriel quickly explained, "I only came to ask Colonel Charles a few questions…"

Gallieni cut him off. "You know the protocol."

"No, General. This isn't official business," Gabriel insisted, "I…"

Just then, Major Durand burst into the room, calling out, "General! This is all a misunderstanding. Captain Gabriel here is merely a great admirer of Colonel Charles. He just wanted to ask him a few personal questions!"

Gallieni raised an eyebrow, recognizing Major Durand from Bureau Two. Durand's presence here meant there was more to this than just "personal questions."

Throughout the exchange, Charles had remained silent, a bemused smile on his face. He found the situation surreal—had it really taken Bureau Two this long to catch on?

On the ride back to the intelligence bureau, Major Durand sat beside Gabriel, his face dark with anger. He stayed silent until Gabriel finally broke the silence.

"Major, I'm convinced Charles knows something…"

"You idiot!" Durand snapped. "You guessed that Charles lured the Germans into a trap, yet you didn't realize what your interference could mean? What if the operation was still underway? Do you have any idea what you might have ruined?"

Gabriel paled, suddenly realizing the gravity of his actions. If this was a classified military operation with potential ramifications for the Dardanelles campaign, his impulsive visit could not only have wrecked the operation but also exposed the trap Charles had set for the Germans.

Beads of sweat appeared on Gabriel's forehead. This went far beyond a ruined career. His reckless move could have endangered the entire Bureau Two.

Durand clenched his teeth in frustration. He felt a powerful urge to pull his revolver and shoot the overeager captain beside him.

"Charles is not someone a junior officer like you can question!" Durand scolded.

Durand had long suspected Charles was orchestrating some covert operation, but he dared not act without certainty. He couldn't believe that this foolhardy captain had marched straight into the Defense Command.

Yes, Charles was "just" a colonel. But the scale of the Dardanelles campaign suggested he might be the mastermind behind the strategy. And Gabriel thought he could waltz in and interrogate him?

If Durand hadn't intercepted that telegram and realized Gabriel was heading to the Defense Command, there might have been even more serious consequences.

In fact, it might already be too late.

If any German spies had been near the Defense Command today, Gabriel's actions could easily arouse their suspicions.

All they could hope for now was that the operation was already concluded.

Otherwise, Bureau Two itself might be disbanded.

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