Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Hotel Victoria was a 43-floor-tall luxurious hotel, and it had branches in every major city of the Six Nations. It was owned by the Dark Net Organization, and it only permitted members of the organization to stay. The hotel would use the excuse of ‘no available rooms’ to deny normal people from staying in the place. While it acted as a safehouse for the members, it was also the transaction hall for people from different camps. No fighting was allowed in this place, and anyone who broke the rule would receive endless assassinations.
After obtaining the pass, Han Xiao went to Hotel Victoria. It had a classic interior, with various types of aged dark-brown wooden furniture, which had a beautiful luster. A sense of serenity was overflowing in every corner of the hotel.
Han Xiao came forward to the front desk before revealing his Blood Pact Society coin. Then he was brought to the 23rd floor by a servant.
23rd to 25th floors belonged to the Blood Pact Society. The 23rd floor was the resting and transaction areas for all the assassins—they would get employed or paid here. The floor also had numerous entertainment facilities such as a bar, café, and restaurants.
After he handed his dark golden coin to the receptionist on the 23rd floor, another server wearing a white glove came to receive Han Xiao. They sat down at a semi-private table in the corner. The server took out a notebook with black leather covers and started recording the personal information of this new member.
“What will your code name be?”
Han Xiao thought for a moment, and he decided to use an enchanting name, which might help his Universal Reputation in some ways.
“Apostle-level Observer No. 9527 from the Crimson Dynasty stationed in Couton Group.”
The server was stupefied.
Assassins usually had minimalist names like ‘Silver Fox’, ‘Devil Snake’, or ‘Ghost’, the kind that was more appreciated in the age when reduced attention spans were the norm. Such a ‘unique’ name would really intrigue employers, but it way too long.
The server coughed. “Can you shorten the name?”
What? I’ve only ever heard of others complaining about short names. I didn’t know people would dislike name for being too long.
Han Xiao pondered for a while before he came up with another name. “Black.”
The server was briefly rendered speechless.
“Your name is too short now. A single-world code name is permissible, but code names that are just colors have long been taken by other assassins. All the names like ‘Red’, ‘Blue’, ‘Orange’, and so on were mostly names of the honored assassins of the previous generation who have passed away. The organization will not allow someone else to reuse their code names.”
Han Xiao smacked his lips in irritation. It seemed him to him that naming was a troublesome affair anywhere he went. He then came up with the final name. “Mr. Black.”
“Mr. Black… Alright.”
This name was much more ordinary. The server quickly recorded it.
“You are now a Reserve-level assassin with a blank resume. You can only rise to Scorpion-level upon the completion of your first assignment. Employers will usually pick from our whole list of assassins. If someone chooses you, we will contact you. Until then, you can take up assignments that are open to everybody on the market or assassinate wanted personnel.
“Of course, you can also accept private jobs. We do not have any hard requirements for our assassins, but we will take five percent of the reward as our commission. If you have any questions in the future, you can always call up our reception at Hotel Victoria.
“Sounds reasonable.” Han Xiao nodded his head.
There were two reasons for him joining the Blood Pact Society. First, he wanted to take on all the wanted personnel that warranted high bounties, and these missions would trigger high-reward quests. Secondly, he could earn some Universal Reputation by becoming one of the top ten ranked assassins on the Dark Net.
There were only three months till the open beta. He needed to accumulate a large base of resources using the remaining time he had.
“All of these are ‘wanted’ assignments.”
The servant took out a tablet and opened a page on the Dark Net before passing it to Han Xiao.
Han Xiao instantly saw the most popular personnel on the list—himself.
“Zero. Five Million Dollars Reward. Dead or Alive. Location: West Capital, Stardragon. All the best.”
If he had returned to the West Capital, his movements would have been heavily restrained. Fortunately, he had escaped early. Han Xiao sniggered. It would take a long time for the Germinal Organization to realize their efforts were all in vain.
He was the most popular target on the wanted list as the Germinal Organization had spent a lot of effort in chasing him down and hunting him recently, but he was not the most wanted. Some of the accumulated prices had even reached tens of millions—they were mostly impossible assignments such as stealing top-secret intelligence from a certain country. Based on the security and defense around Division 13’s underground database, this mission’s success rate could go as low as 0.001%, with the probability of death being 99.999%. This assignment only looked good on the list; no one would really attempt to do it.
Han Xiao scanned further down the list. He soon settled on a wanted assignment.
“Take down the Rose Militant, a group of mercenaries active in the Somar Desert, in the Southern Land.”
The Southern Land was where Hesla was located, and it was also called the South Continent. It had a vast land area and tropical climate. The other continents were the North Continent, West Continent, and the Andrea Continent, which located in the middle of the other three.
Han Xiao picked this mission due its close proximity. Just as he was about to accept the assignment, the server suddenly jolted and said, “Mr. Black, you have a new personal assignment.”
Han Xiao was pleasantly surprised. He received an assignment within five minutes of uploading his particulars onto the net.
“This organization’s business is really thriving,” Han Xiao remarked sincerely.
The server was puzzled himself. “Such happenings are actually quite rare.”
“The employer hopes to speak with you personally.” The server looked at the screen and continued. “Take a seat first. He will arrive in about ten minutes.”
Han Xiao complied.
Ten minutes later, a middle-aged man walked in hastily. He had a head full of white hair, which made him look much older than his real age, and his expression was one of exasperation. He walked into the hall and looked left and right before he came forward to Han Xiao. “I am Cheng Shan Shui.”
Before an assignment was officially accepted, the employer would not divulge the target’s real name. Assassins could only ask for other basic information. “What will the bounty for this assignment be? And tell me more about the target’s protection and location.”
“12 to 20 body guards. The location is right in this city. The remuneration will be $10,000.”
“Only $10,000?” Han Xiao frowned slightly.
That price was insufficient to employ an assassin.
Cheng Shan Shui nodded anxiously. He had immediately been turned down by other assassins when they heard the price. He lacked enough money to pay for the usual price, so he had decided to try his luck on new assassins like Han Xiao.
“I will take it,” Han Xiao agreed.
Cheng Shan Shui cheered inwardly. He took out a stack of documents and passed them to Han Xiao. “Yue You Zu, located right in Morning Wing City.”
Yue You Zu was a mafioso in Hesla who was always accompanied by 12 to 16 bodyguards that were made up of retired army reconnaissance soldiers. Recently, he had expanded his influence into the territory of Morning Wind City, which belonged to the local mafia head, Cheng Shan Shui. He could not guard against Yue You Zu’s invasion, and so his mafia gang had disbanded. He was now left all alone and wanted to hire assassin to avenge him.
Han Xiao signed the contract after he finished reading the information.
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You have triggered an E-level Quest [Assassination Assignment (Cheng Shan Shui).
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Han Xiao already knew the quest requirement. He went on to look at the reward of the quest, and it was not much, only 5,000 EXP.
“I’m leaving.” Han Xiao stood up and prepared to leave.
Cheng Shan Shui quickly stopped Han Xiao from going and asked, “How long will you need to finish this job?”
Han Xiao paused. He looked out the window and saw that it just reached noon. “I’m guessing you haven’t had lunch, right?”
Cheng Shan Shui was startled, not understanding what Han Xiao was trying to say.
Han Xiao turned his head and gave him an aloof look. “He will be gone by the time you finish your lunch.”
Cheng Shan Shui’s heart skipped a beat.
Based on his impression, assassins would normally do some pre-assignment preparations, such as reconnaissance and escape route planning.
Was this Mr. Black really that powerful, or was he just being arrogant?
