Port Belen The night is getting darker.
Several dark-colored figures walked through the crowded crowd, and finally merged into a relatively secluded alleyway and turned into an ordinary residential house.
When they arrived at their destination and confirmed that they were not being followed, the group finally relaxed.
"Philip, how many times have I said this, this is Port Belen, not Royal Capital's training ground." The speaker was a man with a tall posture and a serious face. Wearing the same dark uniform as his fellow travelers, "You must remain vigilant when acting. Don't always be so rash and panicked. We are the law enforcers of the kingdom and the guardians of order, not murderers running rampant on the streets. Do you understand?"
The young man named Philip's face turned red and his head was lowered. "Yes, Master Anles, I understand."
"Captain, that person just now..." The adjutant in the team, Helena, ignored the two old and new members who were exchanging feelings. She turned to look at the person on the other side of the window who was checking for signs of intrusion. "The breath was very calm, not like ordinary people, and he seemed to have noticed us."
The man was tall and tall, and his face was mostly obscured by the shadow cast by a wide-brimmed hat. Only his clean jaw and tight thin lips were exposed. He wore a long dark gray windbreaker with a pressed dark uniform underneath, and the collar was buttoned to the top button meticulously.
"Yes." Captain Edgar responded noncommittally, his eyes still scanning the window warily, "Port Belen is a mixed bag of dragons and snakes, and it's not surprising that there are some special characters. Our mission is above all else, so don't create extraneous matters."
They are Special Operations Team, who is directly under the jurisdiction of the kingdom General Bureau of Investigation. Their original mission target is Black Dragon Territory far in the north. They were ordered to investigate the corruption of Ake Town Candle Sun Church pastor Mog and trace the possible clues of the "Dark Dawn" association behind it. However, just as they were getting ready to go, a secret order with the highest level of encryption issued directly from the top of General Bureau of Investigation urgently transferred them to the port city "Port Belen" on the eastern coast.
The content of the secret order was so simple that it was heart-stopping—to abandon the investigation of Black Dragon Territory, the entire team secretly sneaked into Port Belen, and at all costs, completed a "special mission" that must not be announced aloud.
Regarding the specific content of this "special mission", Edgar still feels a heavy pressure. The goal of the mission makes even a picket officer like him who is used to seeing darkness and blood feel a chill. When he thinks of the cold words on the secret order, his temples begin to ache.
"Captain, regarding the case of Mog..." Lina, another relatively taciturn female member of the team, spoke softly. Her voice was subtle, but with a hint of worry, "Are we just going to give up completely? Over there Black Dragon Territory..."
"We can only execute the orders from the headquarters." Edgar interrupted her, her tone unquestionable, "For the case of Mog, the headquarters will naturally send another person, or the Leicester branch will take over. Our first priority now is Port Belen."
He paused and glanced at the faces of each team member, confirming the expressions on each person's face, "Remember, our actions here must be absolutely secretive and must not attract any unnecessary attention. In particular, our true purpose must not be exposed."
"The real purpose?" Philip repeated subconsciously, with confusion on his face. The official mission briefing they received was to investigate Eternal Life Blessing Cult's illegal activities and possible threats in Port Belen. It was such a simple task of course, even if it was exposed, there would be no problem.
Anles glared at him. "Don't ask if you shouldn't ask. Follow the orders honestly."
While several people were communicating, Adjutant Helena had completed inspection of all aspects of the house. The layout and intelligence here were consistent. It was one of several backup strongholds reserved by the bureau in the early years, and it should not have been exposed yet.
"Okay, let's exchange information now," the captain ordered.
Helena took out a hand-drawn simple map of Port Belen and spread it on the table.
"The mission target... well, that is, 'Eternal Life Blessing Cult' is as active as expected." Helena said, taking out a pen and circling key points on the map. "They have a church in the port area and also occupy a shipyard. They have many believers and are extremely penetrating. They even have a certain influence in the local business district and some low-level officials. They openly preach 'immortality' and 'resurrection' with strange methods, and they have a certain degree of extraordinary power or items."
"Resurrection? Player?" Anles looked cold, "Humph, these disgusting flies are indispensable everywhere."
"The conclusion cannot be drawn yet." Female team member Lina added in a low voice, "Port Belen has profound historical issues. The so-called 'immortality' and 'resurrection' may be related to necromancy."
Hearing this, Edgar frowned.
"Issues left over from history? Are you saying that the reason why the target came to Port Belen may be related to 'that incident'?"
"Probably?" Lina said uncertainly.
On the other side, newcomer Philip didn't understand what his teammates were discussing at all. "Captain, what does 'that thing' mean?"
As soon as these words came out, everyone in the room fell into silence. They looked at each other, and finally Helena sighed and explained, "More than a hundred years ago, before Port Belen was built, Sunday Secret College's Archmage'Seal Master'Aiswell Lord once killed an extremely powerful Path of the Death Soul transcendent in a certain sea area outside Port Belen. Although it has been a long time since his death, due to the special nature of Decay Lineage, the power and influence of death may still remain and poison this area."
"Hey, hey, hey, Philip, aren't you a graduate of the Arcane Academy? I thought every Arcane Academy student knew about this amazing deed." Anles couldn't help but say at this time, and at the same time rubbed Philip's short brown hair with his big hands.
In response to this, Philip could only smile awkwardly, "Yes, that's it..."
Edgar did not participate in the discussion among his teammates anymore. He looked out the window at the deep night and thought about the details of this mission. What echoed in his mind was the first words of Anles.
A murderer? Who isn't?
He took a deep breath and suppressed all distracting thoughts. No matter what, the order must be carried out. This is the fate of a picket officer and a responsibility that he cannot escape.
"By the way, Captain!" Philip suddenly became excited at this time, "The code name for this operation hasn't been decided yet. Has Captain decided what to call it?"
"Just call it..." Edgar rubbed his eyebrows, "'Who Killed the Canary'. The short name is Operation Canary."