"What happened after?" Missio inquired.
Henry adjusted his glasses and responded in an even tone:
"Well, you can probably guess… He started his dealing, made a name for himself, eventually became the leader of the syndicate and made it reach greater heights. He's only been at this for a year and a half but even then, he's a sneaky bastard. One way or another, he finds a way to slip out of the Black Ops grasp. The government was so fed up that they just issued a bounty for him!"
Missio raised a brow.
"A bounty? How much?"
Henry held his chin.
"Right now… it's at 700 thousand Aescs after the whole Dick incident."
Missio's eyes widened.
"700k? The government must be really desperate… wait, how much is that in Aureus?"
Henry shrugged.
"I don't know."
The Bereft leaned back, rolling his eyes.
"Whatever… did you make the plan?"
Henry nodded and opened his mouth, his voice suddenly becoming a bit tense.
"I did. However, due to the insight of my dear fiancé, I came to a critical realization."
"And that is?" Missio straightened, meeting his friend's gaze.
Henry raised his hand, pointing his index finger at his captain and spoke:
"It was that why isn't the AEOC Black Ops assisting us in this mission? Huh, Missio? Why are they sitting back and letting us do their dirty work? Aren't we meant to coordinate a joint-operation to capture a high-value target such as Sun Daishen?"
Missio paused for a moment, contemplating Henry's word. The realization struck him like lightning, causing his eyes to fly open. However, they soon relaxed as he locked eyes with Henry once again.
"You're right, Henry… but, ah, what can we do now? They outright rejected the General. I'm sure he would've proposed a joint-operation and if they declined that too, then that is a matter to behold. However, I'm more than fine working alone. If they've lost the will to fight, then so be it. We'll take the job after them and we'll… hopefully succeed."
Listening to Missio's answer, Henry's brows furrowed in discontent. His mouth flew wide open, wanting to retort to his captain's words.
However, before he could even utter a single phrase, he suddenly stopped… and the surrounding Chaos seemed to convulse at the same time.
A faint trace of confusion appeared in his face. However, he quickly composed himself and responded to Missio in an even tone:
"That's fine… I've already made a plan anyways. You're right. If they've lost the will to fight, then we should just leave them be."
Not noticing his teammate's strange behavior, Missio nodded.
"Very well then. What's the plan?"
Henry tucked his left hand into his pocket and raised his right. Opening his mouth he began explaining his plan to the Lieutenant General who was listening to him intently.
"Since, we can't travel by air and getting to Kharagen from Romulus will take more than a day, We'll be going in waves."
Missio's brows flared up.
"In waves?" He repeated.
Henry nodded in response, a subtle smile tugging at his lips.
"Yes, one team will head to Kharagen and once they make it, they'll set up a base of operations and begin investigating until the second team arrives."
Henry moved his hand in the air, trying to better communicate his plan to Missio.
"Once the second team arrives, they'll assist the first and so on and so forth. Then, when we finally arrive, we'll ambush him near midnight of the day of our arrival after we get filled in from the others."
Missio curled his lips, nodding in satisfaction.
"Sounds like a solid plan. But are you sure we'll be able to perform as well in Ashland's weather?"
Henry shrugged.
"I mean… if we can't, do we really deserve this job?"
Missio let out a small laugh, amused by Henry's words but seemingly affected by them as well. The Lieutenant General stood up, rounding table.
"Ah, yes... That... That is true."
He locked eyes with Henry, adjusting the cap resting awkwardly on his head.
"Now... shall we get going to our 'Team Building Exercises.'?"
His coworker nodded while turning towards the exit.
"Ah, yes. The Good old 'Team Building Exercises'. Sure, the others are waiting for us. Eira should've already begun training with her own team by now."
Missio smiled slightly as he headed towards the exit. Henry trailed behind his captain as they stepped out of his office.
***
The Duo strolled through the hallway and eventually arrived in the main lobby. The granite glistened under feet as the sun struck the floor bare. Passing through the lobby, they headed outside into the blazing sun through the back door.
Covering their eyes in unison, Missio and Henry slowly made his way through the grass.
"The heat is definitely picking up…" Henry commented.
"Is it?" Missio inquired.
"Yes." Henry groaned as they arrived at the Black Ops training grounds.
As they arrived though, they heard whistle coming from the distance and turned their heads in that direction simultaneously.
"Look who has finally arrived!"
There – standing in the heat – were two individuals, a man and a woman of the same age as them whose faces seemed to light up as they approached.
Krishna's plush brown skin glistened in the radiant sun, his lean muscles rolling under the layer of skin. He was wearing a simple white T-shirt and light cream trousers that were fastened to his waist.
The blades of grass brushed against his sneakers, the wind flowing past his figure as it made his dark hair dance.
"Missio! Henry! What took you so long? The heat's been killing us." The woman exclaimed.
Missio waved his hand, halting before his teammates. Henry mimicked his actions as the he spoke in an even tone:
"We were just discussing the plan, Mary. Nothing much."
Mary – a young woman with amber eyes that seemed to be made of pure gold, sparling hair that seemed no different than her beautiful pupils, and radiant white skin that made her seem... angelic.
She wore a black T-shirt and trousers which contrasted starkly with her radiant figure.
"So, are you two ready to get to work?"
Henry chuckled.
"Of course, what's the hold up? Let's get to it. I've got my hands full today."
Krishna raised his chin.
"I vote for the room clearing! Then, the pool!"
Missio took off his cap and tapped his Music Box which seemed absolutely dark even in the sun.
"Agreed. Let's get some shade."
Mary snapped around, instantly heading in the opposite direction with a wide grin. The Others followed right after, passing by the other teams within the Black Ops first unit and eventually began their training.