Genesis Code: The Genetic Awakening-Chapter 140: Bounty Hunters (1)

A few days later.

Caleb had shared everything he discussed with the king with Jess, going over the documents and suspect lists. There were a few high-ranking nobles at the top of the list that made Jess think twice.

After all, despite how strong she had gotten, she couldn’t take on several high-ranking Commanders on her own like Caleb could; she still had ways to go.

The catwoman had argued this would be a dangerous mission given the large bounty on their heads. Moreover, recent word going around was that some of the nobles had set up special forces made of powerful adventurers all over the kingdom to hunt them down.

Whether they liked it or not, they were severely restricted in their movements. But Caleb had something else to say about that. "We can use this to our advantage, no? And I know exactly what to do..."

On the other hand, Priestess Celistra had no interest in the politics of the nobles. She was only interested in carrying out her duties as the priestess of the Goddess and spreading the grace of her light.

Of course, she also had to deal with Caleb’s persistent attempt at courting her. She would always decline. But somewhere along the line, she began to enjoy their little banter.

Celistra had never dealt with someone so persistent as Caleb before. It felt different from the creepy officials’ and nobles’ attempts, managing to bring a smile to her face.

Regardless, she wasn’t ready to give herself to a man, not until the Goddess gave her a sign. As a man, Caleb respected that, but he was not giving up; he was putting things on hold.

After picking his first target on the list of suspects, he and Jess silently disappeared from the capital, heading to one of the many duchies of the Luntheria Kingdom.

....

Crusher, the tigerkin, has been left a bit confused as of late.

Since the incident in the capital, many things have been strange. No one seemed to care about the demon general who escaped from the dungeon.

Sure, reinforcements deployed confirmed that the demon general was defeated, and that Caleb, the Black Ranked adventurer, had something to do with it.

This was good and all, but people barely talked about the demon that almost made it to the capital. They only seemed to care about blaming the Royal family for things they couldn’t control.

He may not be the smartest of the bunch, but he wasn’t stupid either. Things were going on with the nobles of the kingdom and the Royal family. And regardless of what he heard, he believed the Royals were innocent.

But that wasn’t the end. Crusher was left surprised when he heard of Jess, the catwoman who helped in the demon subjugation mission, declared a noble killer and wanted for murder.

When the connection was made between her and the man known as Caleb, Crusher was determined to find answers to his question.

Jess was a comrade, even if it was only for a short time. There was no way a beastfolk like her would do something like that. And the word on the street couldn’t be trusted if he wanted to know the truth.

So, he did the next best thing he could; he joined the newly formed bounty hunting forces the nobles created in order to search and arrest the two.

It’s been a few days since Crusher joined the bounty hunters after proving his identity, a requirement for everyone who wished to partake in the mission.

This was a dangerous group made of high-ranking adventurers in the Gold and Platinum Rank, those in the Platinum rank rivalling some Knight Commanders. However, only one member of that party was at said rank – the leader.

This group had spent the last couple of days investigating anything that might be related to the two fugitives. They visited the Therindor Duchy, but weren’t welcomed as expected.

The Knights were very hostile to their actions, denying them the freedom to carry out their investigations. Since this was the home duchy of Jess, it was the obvious choice for the first search.

The adventurers there weren’t as convinced as the bounty hunters had thought. They knew Jess and the kind of person she was. Regardless of the word around, they wouldn’t give up their own.

Of course, there were a few who wanted to see the catwoman’s downfall, but they were inconsequential, as most were simply smaller groups who had a beef with Jess.

The unwelcome air in the duchy raised the brows of the leaders of the bounty hunters, however, that was something best left for the nobles to handle.

A bit more investigation into the duchy and the concerned nobles learnt of the connection the Duchess had with Caleb. Naturally, it would have raised waves; however, for whatever reason, it wasn’t disclosed to the public.

The bounty hunters soon left the duchy and continued their search for the fugitives, following whatever lead they got their hands on, leading them to the Frosthelm Duchy.

This duchy was to the North of the kingdom, a land prone to cold temperatures. Fortunately, it was not that time of the year yet. Still, the air was colder in the region.

"Sir, we’ve found them!"

An adventurer rushed inside the guild that the bounty hunters were using as their base. Those words got everyone’s attention as the adventurers got their feet.

"Where?!" Without hesitation, the boss disappeared from his seat in a flash and appeared before the adventurer, grabbing him by the shoulders. "Where did you see them?!"

The adventurer was breathing heavily, a clear sign of his long run to get here. Even after being shaken by the man before him, the adventurer couldn’t reply immediately.

"M-my party members encountered them in the Frost Forest!" The adventurer managed to say through heavy pants. "They’re currently engaged in combat!"

The boss furrowed his brows in doubt. ’With how strong those two are, I doubt those adventurers can hold them off. Regardless...’

The boss let go of the man and turned to his party. "Alright, folks. You’ve heard the man. This may be the very first sighting of those two fugitives since they were called out. We don’t know the true details of the situation..."

The boss looked over his shoulder, casting a cold eye on the adventurer breathing heavily on the ground. "... but we can’t ignore it." He turned back to his members. "I only have one word for you all: be careful and watch your backs." freēwēbηovel.c૦m

"Yes!"

The boss turned around, grabbed the adventurer and placed him over his shoulder. "You’ll be leading the way..."

The adventurer had no choice but to nod his head, gulping from the sheer coldness of the tone. Without hesitation, he bolted out of the guild, his party members right behind him.

’Finally...’ Crusher, who was in their midst, thought. ’I can get some answers...’