Chapter 362 53: Not One of You Is Leaving (2)

"That's right."

「A few minutes later.」

Lu Chao was ushered into the living room on the first floor of the villa and sat down on the sofa.

A cup of hot tea was handed to him. He accepted it and listened as You Qiulin explained, "Someone has posted a contract on the Dark Web. Five million Alliance Coins for my life."

"Someone from Deep Sea has definitely taken the job already. The other assassin organizations on the Dark Web probably won't pass up this bounty either, so there might be even more people accepting the contract."

You Qiulin's expression was grave, her eyes filled with both gratitude and worry.

In a situation like this, all the Superpower Level individuals who had once owed her a favor chose to either stand by and do nothing or demand an exorbitant price.

Only the young man before her, who valued loyalty as always, had come at her request.

Because of this, she was especially grateful, but also worried that he would have a difficult time handling the situation.

"So that's how it is."

Lu Chao understood now. It finally made sense why he had sensed so many Elite Level individuals outside the villa earlier.

He had even encountered an assassin pretending to be a passerby within the villa complex just moments ago.

As he mulled it over, a silence fell over the room.

The assistant, Xu Yao, and the security captain both wore uneasy expressions, staring at him intently with a glimmer of hope.

'Is Mr. Lu going to refuse?'

'After all, there are so many assassins. They're everywhere. Even a Superpower Level expert can't be in two places at once...'

"That shouldn't be too much of a problem."

Unexpectedly, Lu Chao just smiled and looked at the three of them.

His tone was calm, yet it carried immense confidence.

He was already at the Superpower Level.

Besides, while five million Alliance Coins was a lot, Superpower Level assassins weren't a dime a dozen. There were only a few in the entire Red Maple City Circle.

"However, Aunt You, you should be aware of the Dark Web's contract rules."

Lu Chao looked at You Qiulin and pointed out the key issue. "I can't stay here forever."

The reason Dark Web assassins were so troublesome wasn't just their anonymity; the real issue was the nature of the contracts themselves.

A bounty can only be canceled by the client. As long as the mission isn't officially over, these assassins could show up at any time.

"Don't you worry about that!"

Seeing that Lu Chao had accepted the job, You Qiulin breathed a sigh of relief and quickly explained, "I actually have a good idea of who posted the contract. It's almost certainly those rivals of mine in the guild. Otherwise, Advisor Mo wouldn't have rejected my request for help."

"Give me three days. I'll definitely make them withdraw the contract."

A cold glint flashed in her eyes, her tone exceptionally firm.

Lu Chao grew thoughtful.

He recalled another rule of Dark Web contracts: if the client who posted the contract was found dead, the corresponding mission would automatically terminate.

He didn't ask any more questions and simply nodded.

He then glanced out the window at the man-made lake not far away, and at the sky, which was already turning to dusk.

"Then leave it to me."

He slowly stood up and picked up the brown leather case that had been resting by the side of the sofa.

Lu Chao opened it and smiled. "It's only three days. Aunt You, just get some good rest."

...

THUD!!

On the first night, a figure was sent flying off the rooftop and plunged into the man-made lake.

The shimmering surface of the lake rippled, and the gurgling bubbles that rose to the surface quickly vanished.

The second night.

Several silenced gunshots rang out, muffled by the darkness.

Someone hiding in the shadows tried to look up, only to see a young man with silver arms standing on the villa's rooftop, several blood-stained bodies at his feet.

The attacks over two consecutive nights felt like a test.

The silent clashes made everyone certain: there was likely a Superpower Level expert guarding that villa.

And yet, the number of arriving assassins didn't decrease; on the contrary, more and more of them were showing up.

The reason was that the contract posted on the Dark Web had not yet been terminated. In fact, the bounty was steadily increasing.

"The bounty's up to six million Alliance Coins. If we pull this off, we can take it easy for a few years."

"Tsk, tsk. You've gotta be alive to spend it. We're talking about a Superpower Level expert."

"Bah! A Superpower Level expert? Him and what army?"

A slew of taunting comments appeared under the mission contract on the Dark Web, instantly sparking arguments among many users.

This was especially true on the evening of the third day.

"These idiots. I don't know what they're so afraid of."

"I refuse to believe a Superpower Level is invincible. Does he not eat or drink? Does he never need to let his guard down for a second?"

a figure lying prone on the rooftop of an empty villa muttered curses.

He wore black camouflage, had a full beard, and looked to be around thirty years old.

A black anti-materiel sniper rifle was set up in front of him. Through the night-vision scope, he could clearly see the man-made lake below and the target villa three hundred meters away.

The curtains of the first-floor living room window were drawn, and a dim yellow light glowed from within.

The lawn outside the balcony was relatively flat, showing signs of having been trimmed, but it was spattered with droplets of blood.

That was from the first night, when someone tried to infiltrate and was killed on the spot. He had been right here, watching with his own eyes as the person was struck in the head by some kind of brown projectile and fell into the lake.

"Hunting Dog, you sure talk big."

A mocking voice reached his ears. He frowned and turned his head to look.

A figure had appeared without him noticing, now standing just a few meters to his side.

The figure was standing right there, but all he could see was a blurry outline, as if it were refracting light.

"If a Superpower Level was really that easy to deal with, why have you been hiding here this whole time, too scared to take a shot?"

"Besides, I've looked into this guy's file. He's with the Superpower Bureau, isn't he?"

the figure taunted, seeming to want to move closer.

The man on the rooftop, nicknamed Hunting Dog, frowned and immediately swung his rifle around, aiming it at the newcomer.

"Gecko, back the hell off!"

A flicker of apprehension crossed his eyes; he was well aware of the other man's skill in assassination.