Chapter 177 : New Misson
The morning after Rivan's unsettling visit, the air in their apartment still felt charged with unspoken questions. The mysterious replication jelly was safely stored, but its presence was a constant, nagging weight in their minds. As they prepared to leave, the usual routine felt different, layered with a new sense of apprehension.
Moon swung his leg over the sleek, black hover-bike, its engine humming to life with a low, resonant thrum. Kai climbed on behind him, his grip on the passenger handles automatic, his mind elsewhere. They didn't speak. There was no need. Both were trapped in the same loop of thought: What mission?
The journey to the Mountbatten Bank was a blur of light and sound that failed to penetrate their focus. Moon navigated the shimmering traffic lanes of Elora City with an almost subconscious skill, weaving between slower transports and descending through designated aerial corridors. The wind whipped past them, but it did little to clear the static in their heads. The towering spires of the city, usually a testament to bustling life, today felt like the walls of a maze—a maze whose exit was controlled by Rivan. Every kilometer covered was a step closer to an answer they both dreaded and needed.
They pulled into the bank's exclusive subterranean parking level, the bike's tires settling with a soft hiss on the polished floor. The silence that enveloped them as the engine cut out was heavy. They dismounted in unison, their movements synchronized from years of partnership, and walked towards the private elevator that led to the executive offices. The sterile, air-conditioned atmosphere of the bank was a stark contrast to the chaotic freedom of the city outside.
The elevator doors slid open directly into Ms. Shale's outer office. And there, as if she had been planted there for hours, was Lisa Mingrui. She was pacing slightly but stopped the moment she saw them, a wide, predatory smile instantly stretching across her lips. Her eyes, as always, locked onto Kai with unnerving intensity.
She glided forward, ignoring Moon completely. "Oh, Kai," she cooed, her voice dripping with a saccharine sweetness that set his teeth on edge. "There they are. Your eyes... they're just like the ocean. So deep, so blue." She leaned in conspiratorially. "You know, I want our children to have your eyes."
Kai didn't even blink. He was so far beyond being fazed by her advances that he simply stared through her, his expression a flat, unimpressed slate. He was fed up, and it showed in his utter lack of reaction.
But Moon, standing slightly behind, saw an opportunity. His face remained deadpan, but a glint of mischief sparked in his eyes.
"But," Moon interjected, his tone flat and logical, "Kai needs his eyes. To see with."
Lisa's smile faltered for a fraction of a second, thrown by the literal-minded response. "No, I mean—" she stammered, trying to backtrack, "I didn't mean literally—"
Moon cut her off again, maintaining the same utterly serious delivery. "They can't have Kai's eyes. That's not how biology works. And it would be very painful for him."
From her desk, Ms. Shale, who had been pretending to review a data-slate, couldn't suppress a sharp, unexpected laugh. She quickly covered her mouth, clearing her throat and trying to reassume her professional demeanor, her shoulders still shaking slightly.
The absurdity of the moment broke the tension, but only on the surface. After a few more awkward pleasantries and a stiff "hello" from Ms. Shale, the real business of the day—and the mystery of Rivan's "big job"—loomed before them, more pressing than ever.
Ms. Shale's expression was unreadable, a mask of polished professionalism, but the intensity in her eyes was unmistakable. She fixed her gaze on Lisa, the weight of the moment settling in the plush, silent office.
"Lisa," Shale began, her voice low and deliberate, each word chosen with care. "You understand fully what you have to do. There are no second chances on this."
Lisa, for once, shed her flippant demeanor. She stood a little straighter, her own expression sobering into one of focused determination. "Yes, ma'am," she replied, her voice firm and clear. "I understand completely."
With a curt nod from Shale, Lisa turned on her heel and strode out of the office. Moon and Kai fell into step behind her, their presence a pair of silent, formidable shadows. The moment the office door hissed shut, leaving them in the sterile hallway, Kai broke the silence. His voice was low, cutting straight to the point.
"What are the details?"
Lisa didn't slow her pace, but she glanced back, her eyes alight with a mix of anxiety and excitement. "This mission," she said, emphasizing each word, "is very, very, very important. And big. We're not collecting credits or repossessing a speeder." She took a sharp breath. "We have to collect an artifact. A Red Diamond Crown."
The name itself carried a legendary weight. Kai and Moon exchanged a swift, knowing glance. Artifacts of that caliber weren't lost property; they were relics of immense power, often tied to beings of cosmic significance.
Lisa continued, confirming their unspoken thoughts. "The crown is linked to a Saint-level Essence Creature from the Shifting Expanse."
She didn't need to explain the Shifting Expanse to them. Every warrior, every ascendant being knew of it—the volatile, layered dimension where hunters ventured to test their limits against Essence Creatures to grow stronger. For an artifact to be connected to a Saint-level creature from that place meant it was no mere trinket. It was a vessel of concentrated, potentially volatile, power.
"It's probably the creature's dropping or his ornaments," Lisa added, her voice dropping almost to a whisper. "And the power it holds… it's at a level we can barely comprehend, let alone fully utilize. But the client wants it."
Kai processed this, his mind racing through the implications. A direct retrieval from a Saint-level entity? That sounded like a suicide mission. His brow furrowed.
"So, we are to receive it from… whom, exactly?" he asked, his tone cautious. "Are we meeting a contact? An intermediary?" The idea that they were simply going to be handed such a priceless and dangerous item seemed far too simple.
Lisa's answer was a tight, nervous smile that didn't reach her eyes. "That's the complicated part."
Lisa nodded, a flicker of pride in her eyes at being privy to such information. "Yes," she confirmed. "Actually, the bank has already purchased it. That's why you're needed."
She leaned in slightly, her voice dropping as if the very walls in the executive hallway might have ears. "You see, the Mountbatten Bank has certain... diversified holdings. Among them is a hidden auction house in the underworld. That's where treasures like this are bought and sold."
Auction house. Hidden underworld. The pieces began to click into place in Kai's mind with an almost audible snap. This wasn't just a simple bodyguard assignment anymore. They were being pulled into the shadow economy of the multiverse, where banks like Mountbatten operated on both sides of the law. He remained silent, his face an impassive mask, but internally, he was cataloging every word, connecting this new information to Rivan's mysterious motives.
Lisa continued, oblivious to the storm of deduction raging behind Kai's calm eyes. "And yes, we have to receive it from a scientist who was conducting research on it. But he's given up. Admitted defeat."
"Oho," Kai murmured, a non-committal sound that masked his intense interest. A failed research project on a Saint-level artifact? That explained why the bank could acquire it, but it also raised a dozen new questions about the artifact's stability.
"You know, I've noticed something," Lisa mused, more to herself than to them as they walked towards the bank's private hangar bay. "Why do these reclusive scientists always set up their labs on some private, backwater planet? It's so cliché."
Kai kept his response deliberately bland, feeding her the most obvious, harmless answers. "Maybe for the space. The privacy. I don't know," he shrugged. "Or perhaps they just... love nature."
Soon, they reached their transport—a sleek, unmarked corporate shuttle, its pilot already waiting. Without further discussion, the three of them boarded. Lisa took a seat and immediately began checking her appearance in a compact mirror, while Moon and Kai sat opposite her, their postures relaxed but their senses on high alert.
The shuttle's engines whined to life, lifting them smoothly out of the hangar and into the traffic lanes of Elora City's sky. Within minutes, they broke through the atmosphere, the blue marble of the city shrinking behind them as the shuttle shot into the inky blackness of space, its navigation system locked onto the coordinates of a reclusive scientist's private planet. The mission was now in motion, hurtling them toward an artifact of untold power and a mystery that was only deepening with every passing light-year.
To Be Continued….