Shortly after, Mr. X's deep voice came from the speaker: "Sir."
"X, you and Nobu must go to Los Angeles immediately to rescue two people. I will send you there through the portal," Lance said as he stood up, grabbing the black robe hanging on the side of the sofa.
"Yes, sir." Mr. X suddenly added, "Sir, I have something to report to you."
"What's wrong?" Lance asked, his eyes narrowed, staring at the magic circle that had just begun to form on the floor.
"Three minutes ago, I killed Cross," Mr. X said.
Mr. X's words startled Lance. Lance stopped his hand movements. "You killed Cross?"
"Yes, sir," Mr. X replied calmly, his voice not wavering in the slightest. "After the man shot me in the head, I covered my tracks. Cross was no longer wary of me, so I quickly tracked him down and shot him in the head."
As two of the top assassins in the Fraternity, Cross and Mr. X were living legends—equally powerful, equally dangerous. In a head-to-head duel, the outcome was nearly impossible to predict. Everything depended on the situation on the field, the critical moments, and who could read their opponent's moves first.
That's why, as soon as Cross betrayed the Fraternity, Cross knew there was no time to hesitate. Cross would make the first move, and Mr. X—the only person who could pose a real threat to him—would be mercilessly killed.
But now, the tables were turned.
Mr. X stood back up, and with the same cunning tactics, he exacted his revenge. Cross fell.
"Haha, those two professional assassins... two invincible monsters... now both dead," Lance chuckled softly, shaking his head, his smile crooked, as if mocking the absurdity of the situation. "I wonder how Sloan will react to this?"
Then Lance asked, his tone becoming more serious, "Cross' death… will draw the Fraternity's attention, won't it?"
Mr. X replied calmly, his voice as flat as a shadow, "Not immediately. But as time goes on, they'll surely grow suspicious. I suggest, before that happens—we wipe out the Fraternity completely."
Lance pondered for a moment, nodding slowly. His eyes flashed with a glint of decision. "Okay."
At which point Lance took a deep breath. "First, we go to Los Angeles. Rescue the Smiths. Fulfill our unfulfilled promises. Then we rip the Fraternity apart."
Lance turned, his eyes narrowing with a plan. "And yes… I'm in. Let's revive Cross first. Such a powerful subordinate… it would be a shame to let him rot in the ground."
...
...
...
An unfinished building in the suburbs of Los Angeles.
It was completely abandoned—a remnant of an ambition born during a prosperous economy a few years ago, but abandoned when the crisis struck and things took a turn for the worse. The concrete skeletons now stood like the skeleton of a failed dream.
While the building's general appearance was solid, its interior remained like the empty hull of a shipwreck: unadorned, unfinished. The walls were unplastered, the floors were still strewn with hardened cement chips, and cables dangled like upturned tree roots.
If the project had gone according to plan, the building would have risen to six stories—but now, it stopped at the fourth floor. Only the rusted iron frame of the fifth floor hung above it, forming a makeshift roof that leaked when it rained.
On the fourth floor, near a large open window—more like a hole in the wall because it had no glass—a wind blew wildly, bringing the night air in like a breath from the outside world.
By the window, a man stood leaning against it: his body rigid, his eyes sharp yet calm. His rough fingers deftly checked the remaining ammunition in his vest, counting each bullet like a final breath.
In a corner of the room, filled with dust and concrete debris, a beautiful woman stood cradling a tiny baby. The baby sucked on a pacifier with its tiny mouth, its tiny lips moving slowly as if trying to calm the tension of the world around it.
The woman trembled subtly, her body tensed, her breathing irregular—but as she bent down and touched the baby's cheek, her face softened, and a weak but sincere smile spread across her lips. Amidst all the fear, love still lives.
Not far from them, Jane—with disheveled hair and a face familiar with anxiety—closed a worn magazine she had found somewhere and said calmly yet forcefully, "They're coming."
Two teams of elite assassins were now hunting them. John and Jane, who had survived countless shootouts and escapes, were once again caught in a precarious situation. Although they were among the best assassins on the international blacklist, limited ammunition and exhaustion made the situation even worse. This abandoned building felt like an open grave—a final place to fight or die.
However, they soon realized they were not alone.
There were two other people in the building. Two mysterious "refugees" also being hunted by different groups of assassins. Whether by bad luck or some strange stroke of luck, now three groups of assassins were about to meet in the same place.
Ironically, this was good news.
One of the two "refugees" turned out to be a top-tier assassin—a terrifying figure only spoken of in whispers among professional killers. His presence was like adding a deadly chess piece to the game.
The pale-faced man—with piercing eyes that seemed to penetrate the depths of the soul—glanced at the woman holding the baby. For a brief moment, a glimmer of tenderness appeared on his hard face. But only for a moment.
The gaze quickly turned cold, like a knife blade dipped in blood. The man turned to John, who was putting away his phone, and said in a deep, steady voice, "Even though this building is surrounded by concrete walls as thick as hell, those people still managed to get in. And if your reinforcements don't arrive soon, we have to find a way out now."
John dropped his phone to the floor, his expression a mix of frustration and anger. He said bitterly, "If there was another way out, do you think we'd just stay here waiting to die?"
------------------------------
[Announcement: A New Novel Has Been Added!
The Puppet Maker in the World of Naruto
A man who is a scientist, researcher, and expert mechanic in robotics dies in a massive explosion that occurs in his laboratory while developing an advanced robot project. However, instead of experiencing death as he thought, the man awakens in another world—a strange place with vast stretches of desert.
There, the man is surrounded by people who can jump high, calling themselves ninjas. The confusion he initially felt grows as he realizes that this world is not unfamiliar to him. This is the world of Naruto! However, there is one thing that surprises him.
"Isn't this Sunagakure? Why am I not in Konoha? This poorest village... Oh my God, this is serious!"
Now, in the midst of a new life filled with danger and uncertainty, the scientist must find a way to survive in Sunagakure, a harsh place full of limitations. With his robotic knowledge, can the man change his fate in this ninja world, or will he fall along with the village?]
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