On the other hand, Kai and the others went toward the restaurant, enjoying their first win in the group battle. Kai completely butchered Ayaka with all his words on the way there, only leaving her alone after they reached the place.
The place was more like a family restaurant, giving a more warm atmosphere around. Michelle ordered a private room along with food and drink, especially for Sanae.
They gulped down all the food and drink in an instant, tasting very delicious delicacies. After a while, Kai found out that the restaurant was Graham's family restaurant, and she even asked a personal chef to cook for them, leaving Kai speechless. Luckily, no one noticed that fact yet, or else, she would get bombarded with questions.
It was just a friendly party and ended in two hours or so. Kai was startled upon seeing Sanae's state. Even after drinking a few bottles, there was no trace of drunkenness in her face, not even a tinge red.
If Kai and Tasha actually saw the figures in the bill, they would be shaken. Fortunately, it was a private restaurant, and Michelle covered the cost.
After the ending, Kai only told them to do their own thing. They could hang out inside the room, research their magic, or whatever they wanted until the cooldown period for taking the mission ended.
…
Monday next week,
"Ya." Michelle and Kai came inside their group room, greeting them with a cheerful smile. This was the day where they would get the next mission, and they wanted to get over with it so that they could get more free days.
"Well, we are going to search for a mission today. With our pace, we can get into the top 100 ranks in two or three missions, so I want to get a mission with big points." Michelle explained.
"I don't have any problem." Tasha shrugged, glancing at Evan.
"I am fine with it. We will get more free time if we finish soon anyway, which is a plus for me. Besides, I usually have my own helicopter provided by the military, so I can go anywhere to heal. Now that I have joined you guys and the military takes back the helicopter. I personally prefer such leisure." He nodded.
Ayaka looked very troubled, glancing at everyone back and forth.
"Ayaka? Is there a problem?" Kai asked.
"Ehm… No." She smiled awkwardly. "I don't have any problem…"
Kai stared at her for a few seconds, thinking it would be best to talk to her when they were alone.
Sanae also had the same thought but waited for Kai to move first. No one talked for a minute, so she broke the silence, saying, "I don't have any problem since you are the one who fights in the front line, not me. I will just give you advice for the mission and be done with it."
Michelle nodded to her before looking at Evan.
"Alright." He nodded, walking toward the computer and projecting a few missions on the table. Just when they were about to read the missions, Michelle received a message in her communication device.
She read the message and furrowed her eyebrows.
"What happens?" Kai noticed the change of expression and asked.
The answer came in the form of disgust, throwing the communication device to Kai. Kai was confused about why she was like that and read it himself, but soon he heard her saying, "We are not government dogs."
He found out why she was annoyed in the first place. The message was like this:
'Kai's achievement in Prince Rupert brought the attention from the higher up. And now you have even destroyed the Eagle Group completely, it becomes a hot topic in the bureau, forcing the student council to assign another mission.
'You shall go to Port Military Base in Cuba and assist their fight against the sea creatures. This time, Kai Carter shall act as a deputy commander, controlling the army to fight against fifteen thousand sea creatures and five thousand flying beasts that are predicted to come in two days from pacific ocean direction.
'We have informed the general over there about this which he has accepted. You shall take command for our three thousand soldiers, five hundred elites, and five hundred special military academy students and bring us victory. The teacher will also go with you this time.'
Kai's expression darkened upon this point, but he kept reading it.
'PS: This request comes from Michelle's Grandfather, Mr. Nathan Graham. For any further complaint, you can direct it to him.'
"..." Kai was stupefied, wondering whether Michelle had read this or not. In the end, he opened the contact and searched for his name, calling her directly. Others were confused,
"Oh, my lovely granddaughter, have you seen the request?" He picked the call and asked with a happy tone.
"It's me," Kai said with a poker face, shocking him.
"Oi oi, you brat. Isn't the normal one where you call your girlfriend and get picked up by her old man or something, not the other way around?" Nathan complained.
"Can you please act like your age just once?" Kai sighed.
"Isn't it fine? An easy-going grandfather is more preferred than those strict old men. Besides, I prefer this way as to enjoy the world more. Haha…"
"Kai, why are you calling my grandfather?" Michelle recognized the familiar voice and asked.
"You must not read the message completely. The mission is coming from-" Before he finished, Nathan continued, "-from me. Gahaha…"
She immediately took the device from Kai and shouted, "Are you going to kill him in this mission?"
"Gahaha… Just listen to me first. There are a few reasons for this, so let me explain this first before you complain," He said nonchalantly, not feeling any guilt with this mission. "First reason is to make others recognize Kai. Although we don't really need a cheap thing like that, Kai still needs some recognition.
"I believe Kai wants to lead a normal life, right? Just think about this, if the famous Michelle Graham marries an unknown guy, what will others think about this? They would surely not accept.
"However, what if Michelle Graham marries the 'Kai Carter'? This will immediately quell any unrest from it. We might not be afraid of problems, but if you want to lead a peaceful life, I believe we need this recognition to suppress the media or normal families to make trouble.
"That's why this is necessary, so to fasten the process, I issue this mission with my best friend. His son is the general there, so I believe you can learn many things and ride this wave to make him famous. After all, your achievement in Prince Rupert and Lion Group is not enough."
Michelle paused, pondering the matter. After a minute of silence, she asked, "A few reasons… What is the second reason?"
"You want to get into the top 100th, right? I just use a bit of my connection in the military to fulfill your wish. And the last reason… Nah, never mind. Accept the mission and get over with it. As soon as he gains enough recognition, we will hold a grand wedding. I don't care if you will drop out or not, but I request a great-grandson or granddaughter. Anyway, I want to talk to Kai."
She let out a long sigh, handing the device to Kai.
"What is the mission?" Everyone was curious.
Before handing the device to Kai, she connected the device to the computer, asking Evan to projected it on the screen.
"Wha-! I also need to join?" Sanae looked at this mission with disgust.
When Nathan heard it, he quickly told Kai to convey his message. "Teacher, if you join the mission, there will be a separate monetary compensation to you. Also, you will get a ten percent discount if you buy wines in the previous restaurant."
"!!!" Sanae blinked her eyes and laughed. "Haha… You should tell that first. The wines there are pretty delicious. I am in."
"..." Nathan bought over Sanae in an instant. Kai stared at her with a poker face, thinking, 'Money is scary.'
"Anyway, your hearing ability and brain are good. Rather than going without ambition like you, it's better to follow my plan. From what I know, if you go like this, you can only retire around twenty years later.
"However, by making more achievements inside the school, you can 'retire' or work inside the base after only five years. Besides, I doubt the situation in United Asia will die soon, so if I were you, I will join the army and rise through the ranks just to save my little sweetheart over there, if you know what I mean."
Kai looked down for a minute, sighing, "Alright."
They were too occupied by this mission as they did not see Ayaka reading something in her communication device. If only they saw her grim expression, they would stop her from what she would say next. Unfortunately, she had gathered enough resolve as she walked toward Kai.
"Ehm? What is it?"
"I… I can't participate in this mission."
"Why? Is there any problem with your family?" Kai asked with pure concern.
"Yeah. I need to do something." She nodded.
'She is lying.' The thought flashed in his mind as soon as he heard that. He did not know why she lied but decided to trust her. "Alright. Since you have something to do, we will complete this mission with just five of us."
"Ehm." She nodded. On the other side, Nathan also smiled mysteriously.
"Because this is a special mission, a military helicopter will carry you there tonight. I will send you the complete mission," Nathan said.
Mission: Defend the base.
Description: Take command of the soldiers and kill those creatures.
Reward: $500,000 and 15,000 Points
After checking the mission, Kai looked at them and said, "We will meet again tonight."