Chapter 14

The off-road vehicle crossed the flooded street. Damien leaned back in the rear seat with his eyes closed, resting, when his tactical watch vibrated.

Ghosthand's voice came through, with the rapid sound of keyboard tapping in the background.

"Boss, that bastard Ares is really cunning. After coming ashore, he immediately cut off all electronic devices."

"But he mobilized Celestial Temple's underground network in North America. I intercepted encrypted telegrams from their informants."

Damien opened his eyes, "Speak."

"They're investigating Mrs. Shaw's background and everything that happened before. Ares took a hit at the dock and knows he can't win in a direct fight."

"He wants to find a weakness through Mrs. Shaw, capture someone alive to force you to submit."

The temperature inside the vehicle dropped sharply. The Iron Bears member driving couldn't help but shiver.

Damien clenched his fist, "Location."

"Still checking. Ares used anti-tracking methods, so the signal sources of several informants keep moving."

"Boss, since he wants to go after Mrs. Shaw, he'll definitely use people around her to lure her out of your protection zone. What are you planning to do?"

Damien didn't answer and cut off the communication directly.

Ironclaw, sitting in the passenger seat, turned around with a serious expression, "Lord, Ares is arrogant by nature, but this time he's chosen to hide in the shadows and play dirty."

"Could this be his diversion tactic? Deliberately releasing information about going after Mrs. Shaw, drawing your main forces out, while actually concentrating his troops to attack Safe House Number One?"

Damien looked at the night scenery rushing past the window. Ironclaw's concern wasn't unreasonable. Although Celestial Temple's guard suffered heavy losses at the dock, Ares himself was extremely powerful. Combined with the Assassin Alliance working in the shadows, one wrong move could lose everything.

Sophia and Faye were his weak spot. He would never let anything happen to them.

"Notify Falcon to raise Safe House Number One's defense level to maximum and expand the outer perimeter control to three miles."

"Strengthen protection. Don't let even a fly get in," Damien gave the order.

"Understood," Ironclaw nodded.

"Rage Tiger," Damien opened the holographic projection, directly contacting Rage Tiger and Falcon.

"Lord, what are your orders?" Rage Tiger immediately became alert, his tone carrying some excitement about receiving a mission.

"Take your men and sweep through everyone in San Francisco who can take black market bounties."

"Anyone who dares to take Celestial Temple's job, anyone who dares to provide intelligence to Ares, wipe them out completely."

Damien's tone was ice-cold, "I want Ares to leave a tombstone in San Francisco."

"As soon as you spot any trace of Celestial Temple, don't report back. Open fire directly."

"Orders received. Tonight, San Francisco's underground world will be very lively, Lord," Rage Tiger smiled and cut off the communication.

The convoy drove into the estate halfway up the mountain.

Damien pushed open the car door and strode into Safe House Number One.

Third basement level, Shadow Sect command center.

Ironclaw followed behind Damien, handing him a tablet.

"Lord, ten minutes ago, they officially posted an SSS-level kill order targeting you on the dark web's highest bounty list."

Damien took the tablet. In the center of the screen was a blood-red skull symbol.

Bounty: three billion US dollars.

Additional reward: one honorary elder seat in the International Assassin Alliance, lifetime access to all Alliance resources.

This kind of money was enough to drive every desperado in the world's underground dark world completely crazy.

Damien handed the tablet back to Ironclaw, "Interesting."

Ironclaw sneered. He operated the console a few times, and the main screen switched to the dark web's job acceptance area.

No one dared to take it. Their Shadow Sect wasn't a pushover either.

The right side of the screen was full of anonymous discussions, with information refreshing like crazy.

"Three billion dollars? Those old guys in the Alliance are really willing to spend big."

"Money to earn but no life to spend it. Didn't you see the intel? Shadow Sect doesn't take Celestial Temple and the Assassin Alliance seriously at all."

"Yesterday at the West District dock, there was a firefight. Celestial Temple's Ares led a team there and got beaten so badly he escaped in a submarine."

"Latest inside news: Shadowblade, one of the Assassin Alliance's Twelve Gods, infiltrated a Shadow Sect safe house last night."

"That same night, photos of the corpse spread throughout the black market."

"Shadow Sect's Lord has been silent for five years. His first move is earth-shattering. Who dares take this job is asking for death."

Major underground forces, top mercenary groups, and lone assassins all chose to watch from the sidelines, not daring to get involved.

The kill order that the Assassin Alliance had posted so boldly became a big joke.

Damien looked at the empty job acceptance area and tossed the tablet on the table.

"A bunch of rotten wood maintaining their rule by bloodsucking. The rules of the underground world are fought for with blood."

Ironclaw nodded in agreement, "All the major forces are watching. Celestial Temple and the Assassin Alliance joining forces has indeed made quite a few people wary."

"But you destroyed the Ford family, crippled Ares's guard, and killed Shadowblade."

"This series of moves directly scared them shitless."

"Now whoever dares to take the job is going against Shadow Sect. No one dares to stick their neck out at this critical moment."

Damien pulled over a chair and sat down, "The Assassin Alliance won't let this go. If no one takes the kill order, they'll make their next move."

"You guessed right," Ironclaw pulled up a communication record they'd just intercepted and projected it onto the main screen.

"The Ford family is destroyed. The Alliance's biggest money laundering network in North America is broken. Those old guys on the council lost their cash flow—it hurts them more than losing their own father. Intelligence found that the Alliance's envoy is making contact with Hayes Ford from the Ford family's branch."

A photo of a middle-aged fat man appeared on the screen.

"Hayes controls several smuggling routes in San Francisco's South District. The Alliance wants to support him to take over the Ford family's main line position and rebuild the money laundering network."

"Once the funding chain is restored, the Alliance can continuously hire other organizations to wear us down."

Damien's eyes turned cold.

"Where is Hayes now?"

"Already confirmed. He's currently heading to the abandoned shipyard in the South District."

"Tonight he's meeting with the Alliance envoy to sign a cooperation agreement."

Damien stood up.

"Ironclaw."

"Yes!"

"Take the Iron Bears squad to the shipyard. Bring back Hayes and that envoy's heads."

"Find a nice box to put them in, use international express, and send it to the Assassin Alliance's European headquarters."

"Tell them that this territory in North America—if I don't give it, they can't take it."

Damien tapped his fingers on the table, feeling completely confident in the outcome.

"Orders received!" A bloodthirsty gleam flashed in Ironclaw's eyes as he turned and strode out of the command center.

Damien watched the constantly jumping data on the screen, then turned toward the elevator.

No matter how fierce the storm outside, he now had a safe harbor.

San Francisco South District, abandoned shipyard.

Three armored sedans were parked in the center of the empty workshop, their headlights illuminating the surroundings brightly.

Hayes, wearing an expensive suit, rubbed his hands together, looking at the old man across from him with a fawning expression all over his face.