Chapter 346: The First Mission

Chapter 346: The First Mission



Emir leaned on his right hand, watching as the once-stunned Quinn left the floor.

They seemed to have forgotten that their professor had access to cameras, giving him a front- row seat to their well-acted drama.

'Things are going well-.'

Snickering, his face slowly turned serious as he closed his eyes and said:

[It's almost time for the mission. I'll be cutting off communication now.]

[...]

Unlike usual, Lyra took her time to respond, and eventually, she materialized before him, her hologram seated on his desk.

[...Are you sure?]

Her question echoed in his mind a couple of times, as if insisting on its weight. [Yeah...]

He conveyed his confidence with a casual nod.

[I'll be in an open channel with them, if they have high-ranking NetWeaver connected, they can scan my neural network and find you. If they find you, they can attack your database, and if they succeed, they'll know everything about us. We're better off not risking it.]

Lyra listened to his words, nearly nodding along in agreement, but her emotions overpowered her logic.

Disconnecting from him on purpose was happening for the second time, and she dreaded the day it would become a regular occurrence.

[I know... But still, you have to see where I'm coming from, right?]

He understood her woes, but he saw no other way. It had to be done.

[I'm sorry.]

So there was nothing else he could do but apologize.

She gave a sad smile at that word. Although she felt the struggle he was going through, it didn't stop her from feeling so... No.

To escape those thoughts, she immediately disappeared, cutting off her connection with him and returning to her work.

If she had to do it, at least she would busy herself with matters of life and death.

"Man..."

Emir sighed and leaned back in his chair, his right hand massaging his forehead. "...She's becoming human."

...

...

Professor's Meeting Room, Fourth Floor

"Even though it's your first mission, try not to let us down too much. Amon must have had some reason for picking you... despite the filth."

Judas's stern voice resounded as he stood before three professors, each seated at a different side of a long oval table.

"Whatever you say, inbred Sir."

That was Ragnar, sitting to the left nearest to the door, rolling his eyes as he put his feet up on the table.

Tsk!

Judal, who stood next to his twin, puffed his cigarette while flicking his finger, creating a tendril of darkness that sliced through the air, narrowly missing Ragnar's shoulder.

"Show some respect, ya pubes infested bastard! Try it again, I--"

"BUAHHAHAHAHAHA!"

Emir, sitting in the middle, let out a loud laugh, stopping Judal's roasting session from spiraling out of control.

"Hehe..."

Morgiana, who noticed that, gave a few giggles herself, not interfering too much, mostly keeping quiet and listening.

One hundred Valora.

Such an inflated number wasn't unusual.

It commonly occurred when hunters repeatedly failed to hunt a high-core monster that

blocked many kilometers of space.

That was because it would lead to massive losses for the corporations that depended on the pre-established routes that weaved through those various spaces.

To combat this scenario, those corporations group together and increase the bounty price, skyrocketing the hunters' interest in exterminating it.

After all, what else would hunters chase? And who would say no to a hundred billion UC?

If they managed to do it, they could live like kings for the rest of their lives, as could their

children, their grandchildren, their grandchildren's children, and so on.

But that wouldn't happen. Their dues wouldn't be paid.

The corporations wouldn't allow it. It would hurt their margins.

And so...

Emir's unnamed group was tasked with preventing such scenarios.

They were called just as a squad of hunters whittled down the ants enough that this dream

became feasible.

So tonight, they would swoop in, steal their kill, crush the dream, and leave like they were

never there.

Unfortunately, the bounty wouldn't be given to them, but at least Amon promised a good

reward for those who worked hard.

Now all of this information wasn't necessary. Sure, it was to those who led the operation, but

Emir and the other two were foot soldiers, they only had to do as they were told.

[It's like garnish on a well-cooked dish.]

Ragnar understood that, but he still liked to know, even though he didn't act like it.

[I like that analogy.]

Emir commented, chuckling as he, along with the others, drove towards their destination,

their vehicles splattering mud all around them.

[Cause it's about food?] Unlike the rest, Emir and Ragnar drove motorbikes, Blaze Runners, as they enjoyed the feeling

of freedom it gave them.

[Yeah, I think anyone would if they starved like I had.]

The others weren't so into that, preferring less bumpy rides, so they opted for cruisers,

similar in design to the one Lyra always drove.

It was a better version called Blade Runner Z5.

[Oh, your embodiment thingy still affects you?]

Emir shook his head and returned his attention to the path before him, his eyes scanning a

lone building in the distance.

[Not really, it just gave me a new perspective on things...]

He chuckled, pausing his words for a moment then said: [Now enough about that. Focus, we're meeting them here.]