Looking at the taillights that had already disappeared into the distance, Carlos and Wesley exchanged glances, utterly surprised. They had intended to kill Sloan with their own hands, but someone had beaten them to it, and they didn't even know who it was.
Behind them, the textile factory was still spewing thick smoke, and flames had even started to appear.
A killer organization with a thousand-year legacy was thus completely destroyed on an ordinary, uneventful afternoon.
As for the remaining killers who were still alive and scattered outside, no one would care about them.
Once the true towering tree behind them had fallen, those ephemeral beings became useless pawns.
What's more, almost all of Brotherhood's top assassins were wiped out in this battle, with only Simmons, Carlos, and the newcomer Wesley remaining.
The two survivors, Carlos and Wesley, naturally couldn't re-establish Brotherhood, and Simmons had also completely bid farewell to Brotherhood. From this point on, Brotherhood was truly headed for extinction.
Trailing behind them were John, Zhang Jie, and Simmons. Simmons was helping Zhang Jie, and Zhang Jie and John walked out shoulder to shoulder.
Zhang Jie was probably the most severely injured, as his abdomen had been shot through. Fortunately, no vital organs were hit, and he was still barely alive. John's injuries were also quite serious.
"He's dead already?"
Zhang Jie was quite surprised by this; he had thought the man had escaped, but he never expected him to die here.
"We didn't kill him. When we came out, he was already dead," Carlos shook his head.
Zhang Jie was astonished. Although Old Man Sloan seemed to have no deterrent power, his actual strength was extremely formidable; he could even curve bullets.
An ordinary assassin would have to sacrifice at least five or six lives to take down that old man, but who could have killed him under such circumstances?
"When we came out, we saw a car leaving. I guess the person driving it took him out."
Wesley told Zhang Jie what he had seen.
Zhang Jie was full of questions. Had the plot been changed this much? It was truly terrifying.
Only Simmons looked at the small enamel butterfly on Sloan's body without speaking, but her eyes were red.
Seeing Zhang Jie's pale lips, Carlos and Wesley didn't dare to delay. They quickly drove out the garbage truck and helped the two men inside.
And so, the five of them returned to Carlos's house in the garbage truck.
Carlos once again prepared a special medicated bath for the two to heal their injuries, and then Wesley and Carlos himself also lay in the bathtub.
Thus, four out of the five people were healing, leaving Simmons alone in the living room, quite bored.
She toyed with the small enamel butterfly in her hand, lost in thought.
She even had a strange feeling that ever since she met Zhang Jie and the others on the train, everything that followed had been beyond her expectations.
So many years of peace had suddenly been completely shattered, and even Brotherhood had met such an inexplicable end.
Looking down at the enamel butterfly in her hand, Simmons finally gripped it tightly until her knuckles turned white.
Looking at the guys lying in the bathtub, Simmons's expression softened considerably, though her gaze towards John still held a hint of... annoyance?
By the time the four got out of the bathtub, it was already noon the next day, 12 o'clock.
Under the treatment of the special medicinal liquid, the four's injuries were mostly healed, just waiting for full recovery.
It must be said that this medicinal liquid was indeed very buggy; no matter how severe the injury, it seemed that as long as one lay in it, they would quickly recover.
But Carlos told them that the remaining materials he had were not enough for three more treatments, so everyone needed to be careful.
Zhang Jie and John didn't mind this. Although they were often injured, compared to the injuries they sustained at Brotherhood's textile factory this time, those were mere trifles. They hadn't sustained as many injuries in several months as they had in one day yesterday.
"What are you planning to do next?"
Before leaving, John asked Carlos.
Carlos scratched his head and then said, "Let's rest for a while and see. Maybe I'll pick up the assassin profession again. You know, an assassin's retirement is never their own decision. Plus, the downfall of Brotherhood will soon spread throughout the entire underground world, and we'll face a lot of trouble then."
Carlos's worries were not unfounded.
Indeed, when Brotherhood was strong, many forces were helpless against them and could only concede.
But now that Brotherhood had fallen, they would naturally swarm in, devour their influence, and even hunt down their surviving assassins.
Carlos and Wesley were fine; the former had already betrayed Brotherhood and had been retired for a long time. The latter was a newcomer who hadn't appeared much in the assassin world.
Simmons, on the other hand, would be more troublesome. After all, she was Brotherhood's fourth-ranked assassin and quite renowned.
With her recognizable appearance, walking on the streets, she would definitely be recognized by those forces, and another bloody battle would be unavoidable.
"I'll rest for a while and try not to show my face. Then I'll see if I should go to my eldest sister's place." Simmons said there was no need to worry about her.
Then, she looked at Zhang Jie, "When you see the Old Lady, remember to say hello to her for me."
This statement left Zhang Jie a bit confused. "If you want to say hello, just go in person or call. Why do you need me to do it?"
Simmons rolled her eyes and ignored him, instead returning to Carlos's house on her own.
Alright, this guy had long since developed feelings for Wesley, but what would happen next, he didn't know. Let her be.
A simple greeting was just a matter of a sentence, but he wondered if the Old Lady had returned home yet?
John just patted Carlos on the shoulder and didn't say much else.
Wesley, however, bowed to John, "Thank you, Uncle John. If you hadn't saved my father, I would probably still be in the dark right now."
John accepted this favor. He just patted Wesley's arm, "You're great, but you can become even more remarkable."
Wesley didn't understand this, but Carlos did. Once you step into the ranks of assassins, once you learn an assassin's skills, it's impossible to return to being an ordinary person. It's simply not realistic.
Whether you've shown your face or not, you've adapted to this life of gunfire and smoke. It's hard to go back to being an ordinary person, especially since you were never an ordinary person to begin with.
Carlos's eyes dimmed slightly, but he quickly cheered up.
After all, he was still alive, his son was still alive, and they had reconnected. The threat of Brotherhood was gone. What could be more exciting than a future that was gradually becoming better?
Innumerable thanks, unspoken.
Zhang Jie drove away with John in the Volkswagen Passat, signifying that Jack's matter had come to a temporary close. Of course, the KH Alliance's affairs had also temporarily concluded.
In just a few short days, so much had happened. To be honest, John was very tired.
But Zhang Jie was even more exhausted, because he had constantly been performing high-intensity missions, escaping, and surviving.
However, everything seemed to be moving in a good direction.
As dusk fell, the lights of the Volkswagen Passat pierced the darkness, heading towards the distant end of the highway.
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