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This time, Zod had his eye on a mission whose target was another assassin.
Not a colleague from the Midnight Hotel, though—someone from a different syndicate.
Why such a contract existed was impossible to know; the employer's identity and motives were locked behind confidentiality. All the assassins could see was this: the job had been posted for twenty days, every assassin affiliated with the Midnight Hotel had already received the notice… yet over thirty killers were dead, and the target was still alive.
A bounty of five million USD.
Originally, the employer only offered one million, but after the target kept killing every hunter who came for him, the Midnight Hotel had forced the bounty up to five million.
"Global manhunt. What the hell did this guy do?"
Zod thought about it for a moment, then dismissed the question. Even if the target had bedded some crime boss's woman, it had nothing to do with Zod. For a second, he wondered if he should wait a little longer. Maybe the bounty would rise again.
But he was also afraid the target wouldn't last that long.
Fine. Better to just go.
The target, originally in North America, had cut his way through the world's killers after the global bounty dropped, eventually fleeing to Japan.
Of course, he was only resting there for a short while. No one would guess his real destination was Detroit—everyone assumed he was slipping toward Russia.
"Jitt, what the hell did you do? Every assassin on the planet is hunting you. Even the Midnight Hotel sent people."
Jitt's friend in Japan took him in, then demanded answers with clear worry.
The Midnight Hotel had left out a particular detail: besides the thirty-plus assassins from their own network, Jitt had already killed more than a hundred assassins from other organizations.
"Yamada… it's better if you don't know. I don't want to drag you into this."
Jitt shook his head. A five-million-dollar bounty was enough to drive every killer in the world insane. Rumor had it that several assassins with nicknames were after him already.
A nickname meant you were someone—either famous or with a long, bloody résumé. The rest used throwaway aliases.
Yamada Shin-suke felt speechless. You already ran to my house. And you're still worrying about dragging me down with you?
"Where are my babies?"Jitt asked him.
"This way."
Yamada led him into his home, down into the underground garage. At the press of a button, the wall shifted open, revealing rows of meticulously organized firearms.
These were all custom weapons—Jitt's personal creations. His treasures.
His stash in North America had been blown up; otherwise his escape would have been far smoother.
Meanwhile, Zod had arrived in Japan thanks to the Midnight Hotel's transport services. He had to admit, their intel was impressive—they even knew Jitt's movements. Saved Zod a great deal of trouble.
But too many people were after Jitt. As Zod approached in his bullet-resistant coat, his heightened senses picked up danger.
A sniper?
With two Silver Eagles holstered at his waist, Zod ducked behind a corner.
He wasn't entirely sure he could stop a sniper round yet. Better to be cautious.
Just then, the target—Jitt—stepped into the open. Two assassins immediately roared toward him on motorcycles.
Bang!
A flash of muzzle light flickered from the distance. Jitt was untouched, but both bikers were blown clean off their seats, bodies pierced straight through.
A two-for-one shot.
A top-tier sniper… with one hell of a rifle.
Jitt swore under his breath and rolled out of sight.
Clearly, the sniper didn't intend to let anyone else claim the kill.
Pedestrians had long since scattered, screaming down the street. The gathered assassins were itching to move but held back, wary of the unseen rifleman.
Zod figured he should try using a sniper rifle one day himself. But for now? He'd just handle the target directly.
He leapt from cover, instantly drawing every eye. His twin Silver Eagles gleamed under the light.
Dual-wielding Israeli .50 Desert Eagles?!
Nobody but a lunatic—or a terrifying professional—would dare dual-wield weapons like that.
And sure enough, the moment Zod revealed himself, the assassins opened fire.
Zod scoffed. With a gun in each hand, his firing rhythm doubled instantly.
Bang bang bang bang bang bang!
Six assassins' heads erupted like melons, leaving the rest stunned.
"What the hell kind of shooting is that?!"
"He wasn't even facing me—how did he—?!"
While they reeled in shock, Jitt made his move—only for Zod's bullets to meet his in midair.
Two rounds collided and burst apart. Zod's shot veered wide from the interference—but Zod always fired in pairs.
Jitt's eyes widened in disbelief. A round tore through the back of his skull, entered through his left eye socket, churned violently inside his brain—
And the fight ended.
The target was dead.
None of the other assassins had expected Jitt to fall so easily. He'd survived days of pursuit, killed so many of his hunters, seemed unstoppable.
But now that he was gone, there was no point sticking around.
They scattered quickly. Zod had expected a massive showdown, but… that was it?
After a brief silence, police sirens echoed in the distance. Zod holstered both Eagles and slipped away.
Midnight Hotel, Japan
When Zod stepped inside, every assassin's attention snapped toward him—they'd all just witnessed what happened.
"Mr. Heath Zod, congratulations on completing the mission."
The front-desk receptionist—a sweet-smiling blonde—greeted him politely.
"I need a flight back to Texas. Tonight."
Zod dropped two gold sovereigns onto the counter.
"Mr. Heath, we offer excellent accommodations. Why not stay a few days and relax? You did just finish a mission."
She smiled invitingly.
"No. I prefer my own home."
Zod's tone was calm, final.
"…As you wish."
As he left, chatter broke out among the assassins.
They had their own networks; it wasn't surprising everyone was buzzing. Zod had just killed six assassins and the infamous Jitt in one go—of course he'd draw attention.
"The White Devil, huh? Got himself a nickname right at the start of his career."
"Three hundred fifty-three kills. If you could do that, you'd get one too."
"I heard the Hellfire Gang is tearing itself apart fighting over the boss's seat. The White Devil wiped out nearly a third of their manpower."
…
The Midnight Hotel fulfilled its duty and returned Zod to Texas.
He yawned. Over three million dollars had already been transferred into his account, and he carried the remaining bounty—converted into gold bars—back to his ranch.
Less than a week had passed. Judd was still negotiating with construction crews and ordering custom steel; the mansion hadn't even started yet.
After a bit of rest, Zod headed to the Midnight Hotel again, this time to have Kayala inspect his guns—just to avoid any unpleasant surprises on the next job.
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