"Boss, the fish has taken the bait."
The team member's voice brought Kona back to his senses. The man in his early forties put down the pocket watch in his hand, closed the cover bearing his daughter's photograph, then carefully tucked it into his chest.
He wore a black Combat Suit, and a badge was pinned to his shoulder. It depicted an eagle with a poisonous snake clutched in each of its talons.
That was the insignia of the Snake-Catching Eagles.
The Snake-Catching Eagles belonged to Freedom Wings' ground forces, but this unit did not participate in any ground combat. Their mission was to protect secret bases such as the granary, Saint Mary Base; the Back Garden, Saint George Base; and the factory, Saint Martin Base.
Their duty was not merely to ensure that these bases were not invaded or sabotaged.
They also had a special mission.
That was to eliminate anyone who leaked information about the bases, even if those people had once been their comrades.
Not long ago, Kona had received some information.
A retired member of the granary, Saint Mary Base, had recently been meeting strangers frequently and had mentioned keywords such as "the granary" and "the base" during their conversations.
The personnel who served at these secret bases did not know that even after retirement, they would still be monitored by the Snake-Catching Eagles.
Whenever they mentioned certain sensitive terms in their daily lives, they would draw the attention of the Snake-Catching Eagles.
That retired member, Shi Gaiwen, had been targeted by the Snake-Catching Eagles because he had mentioned sensitive terms.
Kona had also investigated the man's family background and discovered that his wife and children had been sent to Freedom City not long ago, where they had been used as "believers."
After that, his family