Love At First Crime (Kafka X Fem Reader)

Chapter 2: Mission For A Cause

[Y/n's PoV]

With the phone call now over, I put away my phone and started walking to the destination where the Heads are waiting for me.

The walk is a fairly quiet one as I think about the possible reasons why they would want to talk to me. It could be anything, really, and I am pretty much going in blind without knowing too much about the situation beforehand. But I will find out what it's all about soon enough anyways.

_____

When I got to the destination, I saw Topaz waiting for me there. She is in a similar state as she was on the phone, with a stern and serious look on her face. She does not waste any time and immediately walks me into the room where the Heads of each Department currently are.

The room where the Heads are is a small and private one, one that is normally reserved for official business only. The Heads are waiting for me at the table, sitting in their chairs and looking directly at me as I walked in.

Their faces are blank and serious, indicating that this is not a friendly chat but rather a formal one. There is a sense of tension in the air, as if something important is about to be discussed here.

"...Forgive me for asking, but why exactly am I called here for..?"

The Heads seem to stay silent for a little bit after I asked the question, as if they are wondering how to explain this to me in the best way possible. They then showed me three wanted posters, which shows faces that are familiar to me.

"The Stellaron Hunters?" I questioned them.

One of the Heads nods his head slowly, which seems to confirm my suspicions about who they are. The Stellaron Hunters have been the Heads' biggest concern recently.

"Yes. The Stellaron Hunters. And you likely know why we need you to deal with them." He explained.

"What? I thought we already talk about-"

"Yes, we already did talk about them. But obviously nothing has changed. They are still causing havoc and we need you to take proper care of them." Another one of the Heads cuts me off before I can finish, clearly not satisfied with my answer.

"But we had already posted a wanted poster for them all over the galaxies to bring them to us, dead or alive." I replied back.

The Heads look at each other again, as if they are trying to gauge my reaction to what they are going to say next. They seem to have come to a decision together, and they all nod at me at once.

"The wanted bounty has worked to an extent, yes. But it's obvious that the Stellaron Hunters are still able to cause chaos and destruction whenever they want to. We need you to take care of this problem once and for all." He explained.

"...But they are strong individuals. Moreover, they traveled one planet to another, how can we capture them if we don't know their exact location?" I asked them.

"We don't know their exact locations, but thanks to the IPC's intelligence, we do have leads on where they might be."

Perhaps the Heads seem to be expecting me to ask this question, as two of them take out the data pads from their pockets and show them to me.

"We need you to follow these leads and track down where they are hiding. We have faith in your skill and abilities. Do not disappoint us."

"...And where do you think one of them will be?" I questioned them again.

"The Xianzhou Luofu." They answered.

I only raise my eyebrows a little at the mention of the Xianzhou Luofu, as that is a place where I would have expected the Stellaron Hunters to be. Yet somehow, that is where they seem to be hiding.

"Complete this mission and you will be promoted to P47. It doesn't matter if you only capture one of them as long you bring one of them to us. Of course we will pay you with their bounty reward as well."

"...."

The Heads are now waiting for my answer, as a sense of eagerness hangs in the air in anticipation of what I am going to say next. All of their heads are pointed towards me, awaiting my decision with utmost anticipation.

I gaze back at the three wanted posters and looked at the individual's name.

Silver Wolf, Blade... And Kafka.

My eyes seem to linger on Kafka's profile for a little bit longer, as if there was something about her that caught my attention more than the other two.

"...."

The atmosphere in the room seems to get more and more tense as everyone waits for my decision, as if they have a gut feeling as to what it is going to be. Finally, one of the Heads asks me the question that has been on everyone's mind.

"So, will you take on this mission?"

I looked at the Heads again, realizing that they are still waiting for me to give them an answer.

"...If I failed this mission, I am going to be demoted right?"

After hearing me say that, the Heads immediately all nodded their heads in unison at my question, indicating that failure would indeed result in a demotion.

While they seem to have some amount of trust in my abilities, they are also not willing for me to take too much time on it as the threat from the Stellaron Hunters is very much real.

"...."

There I realized that this is indeed a risk to take. I am putting up my rank in the IPC as the bet here. If I win, I get promoted. But if I lose, I get demoted. I'm essentially putting my reputation on the line here and a gamble is the right word for it.

I took a deep breath, knowing that failing this mission would result in dire consequences for myself. But at the same time, the promise of being promoted was a very tempting incentive as well. It seemed like I was in a bit of a predicament, but I knew that I had to make a decision sooner or later.

"...Alright. I accept this mission."

With my response, there is a sudden relief in the atmosphere as one of the Heads nods their head in approval.

"Good. This mission will be classified as a Class S mission, so you will be working on your own for this one."

I only nodded my head before asking them another question.

"...When do I start this mission?"

Judging from their expression, they seem to be expecting this question as they are already prepared with the answer. They look at each other again, as if they were all working in unison.

"You can start right now. You are to immediately go to the place indicated in the IPC's intelligence data pad. We have put together everything you need for this mission there. It will be up to you to prepare yourself accordingly."

With that, the Heads let me go, and they do not try to stop me as I walk out of the room. I am now free to leave and start this mission on my own.

I have been given the data pad that contains the crucial information that I needed to know before beginning this mission. The clock has officially started ticking, and it's my job to make sure that I can complete it in time.