"Okay, if that's the case..." Morin thought for a moment and said, "I still need you to give me that list I asked you to investigate."
"Why?" Carlos was stunned. "I already believe what you're saying."
"First, that list is very useful to me. I can investigate which organizations benefited from those assassinations, which will help me deduce which factions Sloan is working with."
Morin said, "Second, I don't really understand how you assassins think, but for me, an answer from a loom is not enough to convince me."
"So, I need more detailed, more crucial, and for me, more practical evidence."
"Your job, besides getting the list, is not to do anything else. If you investigate too deeply, with your skills, you'll likely be discovered. If you're exposed early, it will have a huge impact on my plan."
"...Okay." Carlos hesitated for a moment but still agreed with Morin's opinion.
He was well aware of his own abilities. If it came to killing, whether it was close-quarters combat, curved-bullet shooting, or ultra-long-range precision sniping, he could be considered a top-tier assassin in the Fraternity.
But when it came to gathering information without being discovered...
Based on his past track record, he would usually choose to kill everyone who saw him.
Several of his past missions were large-scale massacre scenes. Afterward... he had a clear understanding of his own limitations and chose not to do those things anymore.
If Morin knew about this, he would definitely remark that Carlos was a true assassin master.
After all, "perfect" stealth means not being seen by
anyone.
If that's the case, killing everyone who sees you, even if you walk in in broad daylight, could be considered perfect stealth!
...
Morin hung up the phone, stood up, stretched, and walked out of the room.
After reaching a preliminary agreement with Wick, they had both returned to the Continental Hotel.
It's worth mentioning that the assassins who saw Morin
coming back with Wick had a variety of expressions on their faces.
"Let me see, how far have things spread?"
Morin thought to himself, then headed to the hotel's dance floor.
Wick was also in a corner here, discussing something with the hotel's owner, Winston.
"You want to retire?"
Even Winston gasped when he heard why Wick had come.
He had to drink a few sips of his wine before he could calm down.
"Wick, are you sure you've thought this through? Are you sure you've given this a lot of thought before making this decision?"
Winston knew what kind of person Wick was and that he wasn't joking, but when he heard about this, he couldn't help but ask a question that he knew was pointless.
It was just unbelievable.
"Of course," Wick said, taking a sip of his drink. "Tell me, what do I need to do to quit?"
"...You need to complete a mission," Winston said after a moment of silence. "An impossible mission. People have tried before, but they've all failed."
"Tell me," Wick asked. "What is the mission?"
...
Morin was in the dance hall, chatting happily with two female assassins.
With his flirtatious skills, good looks, and physique, he had both the hardware and the software to do so with ease.
Of course, a part of the reason was also the rumor mill.
The rumors about Wick helping Morin had become more and more intense, with dozens of different versions.
For example, Morin was Wick's relative, Morin was Wick's friend, or the two of them were blood brothers.
There was even a version that made Morin want to hit someone.
Wick was actually gay and had a thing for Morin...
In short, since Morin had been in trouble in the eyes of these assassins, and Wick had followed him out, only for Morin to return safely with Wick, there were simply too many directions for people to guess.
If it had been any other assassin instead of Wick, it wouldn't have caused this much of a stir. It would have just been a little small talk after dinner.
But now, the assassin was Wick, John Wick.
The Boogeyman.
So, even though Morin wasn't an official assassin yet, he already had a certain level of fame in the Continental Hotel's assassin circles.
Of course, the main reason most people were interested in this was not only to avoid a potential landmine, but also to find out if Wick finally had a weakness.
Wick, the Boogeyman that name, that title, was an absolute threat to all assassins. No one wanted to go against him.
But if the invincible Boogeyman had a weakness...
No one wanted to provoke Wick, but everyone wanted to
get a hold of his weakness because it would mean they could use that weakness to leverage him.
This was the reason why these assassins were so excited about this matter.
Morin was well aware of this, so he didn't hesitate to
take advantage of it.
Not taking advantage of it would be a missed opportunity, wouldn't it?
Morin was very fond of the "playing dumb to catch a tiger" routine.
With his arms around the two most beautiful female assassins in the room, Morin walked toward the room floors, under the various secret, direct, angry, and jealous gazes of the other assassins.
"I hear that kid has something to do with you?" Winston asked, taking a sip of his wine.
A moment ago, Winston had finished talking about the impossible mission.
Wick, after some thought, had chosen to temporarily give
up.
He didn't have confidence, or rather, he didn't think it was possible.
Besides, there was another reason: he now had another option.
His agreement with Morin gave Wick some breathing room. He decided to wait until Morin showed his true strength before making a decision.
Since Wick had given up for now, the atmosphere of the conversation between Winston and Wick immediately became more relaxed, and they started to just chat.
Putting their differences in status aside, they were actually friends.
As they were talking, Winston saw Morin leaving with two female assassins and remembered the rumors he had heard earlier, so he asked with interest.
"Yes," Wick turned to look at the departing Morin, then turned back. "You could say he's a friend."
"You have very few people you consider friends," Winston said, cutting a cigar. "But I heard he's a probationary assassin who only registered today... Did you know each other before?"
"No," Wick said, shaking his head. "We met today."
"That makes me even more curious," Winston pressed.
"Why? And aren't you worried about him? Those two women are the very definition of a femme fatale."
"The ones who should be worried are them," Wick said, a slight curve on his lips as he shook his head.
"That person's skills are on par with mine."
"...You're not kidding?"
"Of course not."
"To be honest, I find that a little hard to believe."
"Then let's just wait and see."
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