Chapter 9

The second bullet followed close behind, grazing Victor's body and shattering the stone pavement on the ground.

The fact that they were using a heavy sniper rifle meant their close-combat abilities were extremely weak—they could only fight from a distance.

Victor let out a cold laugh. His legs suddenly exploded with power, and he shot forward like a cheetah, charging straight toward where the shot had come from.

In the blink of an eye, he had closed in on a vantage point several hundred feet away.

In the dense tree canopy, a sniper in camouflage gear was frantically attempting to reload.

Too close!

Victor didn't even bother climbing the tree trunk. His toe kicked sharply at the ground.

A pebble the size of a thumb shot out like a cannonball.

The pebble pierced straight through the sniper's forehead with perfect accuracy, sending up a spray of blood mist.

The assassin didn't even have time to scream before falling heavily from the tree, gun and all.

Victor walked over slowly and casually plucked a leaf from a tree.

With a flick of his wrist, the leaf traced a graceful arc and cleanly severed the assassin's carotid artery.

After confirming the target was dead, Victor didn't even spare another glance before turning to head back the way he came.

However, he didn't notice that a hundred meters away, in another clump of bushes, another pair of eyes had witnessed everything.

That person lay flat in the dirt, covering their mouth, trembling as they pressed the communicator.

"Calling headquarters... Assassination's failed."

"Viper has been killed by the target with... with a leaf. Request immediate S-class assassin backup!"

Ten minutes later, in the main hall of the Martinez Villa,

Aiden was discussing follow-up arrangements with Hayes when heavy footsteps suddenly echoed outside the door.

Then a round object wrapped in black cloth was tossed in.

The black cloth fell away, revealing a human head.

Aiden's hand shook, and his glass shattered on the floor with a sharp crash.

Hayes also shot to his feet, his face instantly turning deathly pale.

Outside the hall door, Victor walked in with an expressionless face.

He walked straight to the sofa and sat down, his gaze sweeping past the head on the floor before finally settling on Aiden.

"Mr. Martinez, have you ever gotten a clear look at the design on the back of the Shura coin?"

The casual question made cold sweat break out on Aiden's forehead.

He took several deep breaths before barely managing to steady his trembling voice.

"Victor, what do you mean by this?"

Victor pointed at the head on the floor, and said, "Half an hour ago, this man aimed a Barrett heavy sniper rifle at my room. Now he's lying here."

"If I hadn't gone out for dinner, I'd be the one lying here as a corpse . I've only been staying with the Martinez family for two days, yet trouble keeps coming one wave after another."

Victor leaned forward slightly, his eyes growing sharper.

"The first two waves were one thing, but today's show—it was arranged it pretty thoroughly."

Aiden's legs went weak and he nearly collapsed to the floor. He frantically waved his hands in denial.

"This absolutely wasn't the Martinez family's doing! The Martinez family never touches the arms business—we couldn't possibly get our hands on heavy weapons like a Barrett!"

Victor nodded noncommittally.

"I believe you didn't know about it."

He changed tack, his gaze sweeping around the hall.

"But for them to pinpoint my location so precisely, there must be an insider within the Martinez family, right?"

Aiden's Adam's apple bobbed, but he had no response.

The hall fell silent. Hayes and Hazel, who had just come downstairs, held their breath, not daring to make a sound.

Victor's gaze slowly swept over everyone before finally settling on the butler in the corner, whose face was ashen.

"The security and daily operations of this villa have always been the butler's responsibility, haven't they?"

Victor's fingers lightly tapped the table. The sound wasn't loud, but it struck the butler's heart like a heavy hammer.

Aiden immediately caught the implication.

Victor was demanding an explanation.

Without hesitation, he turned his head, his tone severe, "Victor, if this butler really is the problem, you may deal with him as you see fit!"

The butler dropped to his knees, kowtowing repeatedly.

"Mr. Ashford, Mr. Martinez, it really wasn't me! I don't know anything!"

Victor's eyes turned cold. He casually picked up a fruit knife from the table and flicked his wrist.

A flash of cold light shot out, grazing the butler's cheek and instantly embedding itself in the wall behind him.

The butler's voice cut off abruptly. His eyes bulged wide, a sound escaped his throat, and then he fell straight backward.

From extreme terror, his heart stopped, and he died on the spot.

Seeing this scene, Hazel's eyes rolled back and she fainted.

Hayes stood frozen in place, his back already soaked with cold sweat.

He was incredibly grateful he hadn't mocked Victor yesterday. His methods and presence were truly terrifying.

Victor calmly walked forward and pulled the fruit knife from the wall.

"This won't happen again."

Leaving behind this warning, he walked out of the main hall without looking back.

Only after Victor's figure had completely disappeared did Aiden let out a long breath of stale air.

He felt secretly relieved that the Martinez family hadn't completely angered him.

After having someone carry the butler's body away for proper burial, Aiden looked at Hayes with a grave expression.

"Hayes, use your connections to investigate this assassin's background."

"Understood, Father."

Hayes hurried off.

Shortly after, Hazel came to.

She opened her mouth but found her throat dry and tight.

The oppressive killing intent from earlier, and the horrific sight of the butler being scared to death, had caused her tremendous psychological trauma.

"Hazel, I'm asking you one last time—did you hire this assassin?"

Aiden stared at Hazel.

Hazel shook her head repeatedly, her voice tearful.

"Dad, it really wasn't me! Ever since I learned about that coin's origin, I wouldn't dare provoke him again no matter how bold I am!"

Aiden studied her for a long time. Confirming she wasn't lying, he nodded slightly.

Now they could only wait for word from Hayes.

Three hours later, Hayes strode quickly into the hall.

"Did you find out?"

Aiden immediately approached him.

"Yes, Father."

Hayes lowered his voice.

"That man was a top assassin from the Veiled Syndicate, codename Viper."

"The Veiled Syndicate?"

Aiden's brow furrowed.

"Why would they target Victor?"

"That's unknown."

Hayes smiled bitterly.

"But we can be certain that this has nothing to do with the Martinez family. It's just that Hazel's actions yesterday made Victor suspicious of us."

Aiden fell silent.

In other words, the butler had truly suffered an undeserved fate.

But in the face of absolute power, right and wrong were often the least important things.

Victor needed a statement, and the Martinez family had to provide one. This was the survival rule of the dark underground world.

"Father, should we inform Victor about the results of this investigation?"

Hayes asked tentatively.

"Go explain it clearly."

Aiden made the decision firmly.

"We must make him understand that the Martinez family absolutely has no intention to harm him. We cannot bear Lord Shura's wrath."