Lost Call

"Buru buru... buru buru..."

The Den Den Mushi's ringing broke Shamrock's brief silence.

His gaze sharpened slightly as his fingers slowly moved to his waist and took out the Den Den Mushi.

The tiny Den Den Mushi looked especially insignificant in his hand, yet it carried countless matters of life, death, and conspiracy.

Shamrock pressed the answer button and said softly:

"This is Shamrock."

A stretch of silence came from the other end of the Den Den Mushi, followed by a low voice:

"Shamrock, it's us."

Shamrock's expression changed slightly. His brows furrowed, as if he had already anticipated it.

"You failed over there?"

The voice on the other end carried suppressed anxiety:

"...Yes.

Quite a few of the spies we planted have already been eliminated.

The Neo Marines anticipated all of our operations. Almost every step was under surveillance."

Before the speaker had finished, Shamrock's fingers unconsciously tightened. A faint trace of displeasure appeared on his face as he spoke coldly:

"A great many of the personnel we planted have been removed?"

"That's right..."

The voice over the call grew even heavier.

"Nearly all the spies who played a role in this operation were discovered. Even those low-level moles were exposed...

The Neo Marines' intelligence network is growing stronger and stronger. We have almost no advantage left for our next operations."

A cold gleam flashed through Shamrock's eyes. He clenched the Den Den Mushi tightly, his palm trembling faintly.

After a brief silence, he replied in a low voice:

"Understood. Continue following up on your end.

Avoid exposure as much as possible. Preserve those who are still in position."

He paused, as though considering something, then added:

"If there is truly no way to continue, retreat is the only choice."

There was no immediate reply from the other end.