Chapter 7: Top Dark Web Assassin, Blackfire!
Catherine fell silent.
"Who placed the order?"
"Don't know, encrypted account."
Catherine reached up to rub her temples. "Reject it. Find out their IP and identity."
"Yes, but I noticed they've posted several identical jobs. Besides the one specifically for you, there are a few open contracts that have already been taken!"
For jobs posted on the dark web, aside from hers and a few top assassins' contracts with specified amounts, other jobs were up for grabs to whoever was interested.
To kill Marcus, they'd actually arranged over a dozen assassins!
Catherine asked for information about who'd accepted the jobs, then hung up.
"This is the place, right? I got a tip that Marcus is hospitalized here, Building 3, third floor, room 3."
"Correct. Snipers in position, everyone else follow me into the hospital."
Across from Bright Heal Hospital, three snipers from different positions aimed at Marcus pacing in his hospital room!
Six assassins in disguise walked straight through the main entrance and dispersed toward different buildings.
Catherine stood on a rooftop, her silenced sniper rifle aimed at the three snipers in the windows.
She was calculating trajectories.
The snipers were 1000 feet away—within her range!
She pulled the trigger. Three bullets fired simultaneously, following their predetermined paths without deviation, hitting all three snipers right between the eyes!
Before they could even send a distress signal, the snipers dropped dead.
Catherine on the rooftop acted as if she'd known the outcome all along. The moment she finished shooting, she'd already packed up her gun, put on her cap, and headed downstairs.
Third floor—a group of people appeared in the hallway!
The man leading them was especially striking. Wearing a black shirt with sleeves slightly rolled up, revealing strong, muscular forearms, sharp eyebrows, bright eyes, and a chiseled face like a work of art from God himself.
Yet he wore a faint smile that seemed refined and easygoing, while also radiating an icy aloofness that kept people at a distance.
At 6 feet 2 inches tall, he carried an aura of coldness—a presence that could only belong to one person!
Alexander, head of the Howard family, one of Imperia City's great families!
The Howard family's business spanned the globe. Every year on the wealth rankings, Alexander's name topped the list—and that was just his public holdings. No one dared estimate the Howard family's true power anymore.
In Stellara, they straddled both political and business worlds, with fingers in real estate, healthcare, finance, and education.
Every household in Stellara was bound to have something from a Howard family enterprise!
The moment Alexander appeared, the entire floor fell silent.
His eyes swept the area, a subtle smile on his lips. "Excuse me, has the medical staff been changed?"
The head nurse hadn't expected Alexander to be so perceptive. She quickly explained, "Yes, there was an issue with Mr. Windsor's medication."
A barely perceptible cold gleam flashed in Alexander's eyes before he looked away.
A faint sound—a bullet cutting through air—suddenly reached Alexander's ears!
He couldn't mistake that sound. He'd undergone rigorous training since childhood and knew the sound of every type of bullet.
This sound was one he'd heard before!
"Protect Mr. Windsor."
He gave the order and turned toward the corridor behind him.
Catherine's hand clamped around an assassin's neck, her knife flicking up to slit his artery.
Her eyes were calm, her strikes fast and precise. Each move efficiently brought down an assassin.
"That technique—you're Blackfire? Blackfire didn't accept the contract! What are you doing here!"
"Let's go, Blackfire's here—it's a trap!"
Catherine ignored them. A bullet flew from her gun, hitting an assassin right between the eyes!
Several assassins, eyes red with bloodlust, saw her and knew they had no way out. They pulled out their guns for a desperate fight.
"Your opponent is me."
A calm male voice came from deep in the stairwell!
A man in a black shirt emerged from the stairs, his black leather shoes striking the floor, each step like a demon crawling up from hell.
A refined, composed smile played on his lips as he moved with invisible speed, striking out. The assassins stopped breathing before they even realized what happened!
Catherine's gaze fell on him.
She'd never seen him before.
But with those skills and that killing aura—if she wasn't mistaken—only one person in the world fit that description.
Nightfall, leader of Shadow Syndicate, ranked number one on the dark web assassin leaderboard!
Catherine frowned slightly, meeting Alexander's equally assessing gaze.
Alexander took down the assassin beside him with one hand, his wrist cracking as he smiled. "I heard your price went up again?"
Catherine fell silent.
Her price was already quite high on the assassin rankings.
The people who wanted her dead could form a line from The Smith Mansion all the way to Tranquilwave Ocean.
Clearly Alexander had guessed her identity too.
Catherine's knife efficiently pierced an assassin's neck as she said coldly, "No need for false modesty. Your life is worth quite a bit too."
Alexander fell silent.
He hadn't expected the famous Blackfire from the dark web assassin rankings to have such a sharp tongue.
Catherine dusted off her hands, having taken down the assassins around her, then looked up at Alexander.
"Are you here to kill Marcus too?"
Alexander shrugged, pulling out a handkerchief from his pocket to carefully wipe the blood from his hands.
"What if I am? What if I'm not?"
He'd also seen the job posted on the dark web, specifically requesting Blackfire.
He hadn't expected Blackfire to be a girl—and one who looked quite young at that.
But Alexander knew that age, gender, and appearance were the least important things!
In fact, they made the best disguises.
Catherine's gaze turned cold.
If Nightfall was also here to kill Marcus, she had no confidence she could escape unscathed.
"Drop this contract."
Alexander wasn't surprised. He leaned against the stairwell, his custom-made shirt fastened with exquisite, elegant cufflinks, every gesture carrying an indescribable warmth and composure.
Even Catherine, looking only at this man's appearance, couldn't guess he was Nightfall—a ruthless killer with brutal methods.
"I can, but you have to join Shadow Syndicate."
Catherine fell silent.
Was he sick or something?
Everyone on the dark web knew that her Faceless Ones and Nightfall's Shadow Syndicate were rival organizations, constantly stealing contracts from each other.
And now he wanted her to join Shadow Syndicate?
"I'll think about it."
"I await your good news."
Catherine's expression was complicated. She glanced at Alexander in front of her, then looked away and left the stairwell.
Behind her, Alexander lit a cigarette. Through the smoke, his expression turned dark and cold, like a demon returned from hell.
Marcus took several phone calls. His face, which had softened considerably after seeing Catherine, immediately darkened.
He picked up his cane and went into the next room.
Inside, an old man in a hospital gown playing chess against himself looked up. "Felix Howard, what are you doing here? Didn't you say Catherine was coming to see you today? Where is she!"
Marcus almost whacked him with his cane.
"I sent her home."
Felix slapped his thigh. "You just let her leave like that! I haven't even seen her yet!"
Marcus snorted coldly and sat on the sofa. The old general who'd been through countless battles put away the kindness he'd shown Catherine, his presence commanding as a mountain.
"There are quite a few people in this hospital who want me dead."
Felix snorted. "What's that got to do with me? If you die, you die. Don't expect me to come to your funeral! Where's Catherine!"
He looked toward Alexander, who had just walked in.
"You've got some nerve showing up! Let me tell you, if you don't get married this year, I'll beat you to death!"
Alexander pressed his temples, smiling. "Grandpa, you can't beat me."
Felix threw his chess piece at him, which Alexander caught with one hand.
Marcus acted as if he hadn't seen anything, smiling. "I heard some commotion. They came to kill me, right?"
Alexander nodded. "Yes, all anonymous dark web assassins. I suspect Blackfire might also be targeting you. If you need, I can help investigate."
Marcus waved his hand, picking up a chess piece and making a move.
"No need. I know what's going on."
"Let's play chess. No more talk about unpleasant things."
Alexander said nothing more, maintaining his gentlemanly, composed demeanor, calm and collected.
Felix threw another chess piece at him. "Get lost! I'm annoyed just looking at you! Go take my granddaughter-in-law out to dinner and a movie, or I'll die right here in front of you!"