Meituan Delivery and Crowdsourcing

Carlos!

The top assassin of the assassin organization, The Assistance, and a figure in the top ten of the assassin rankings in the entire assassin world. In simple terms, Carlos was the idol of countless assassins and novice assassins.

But...

That was before. Now, he was an object of admiration and sympathy for countless assassins.

Without exception.

Because Carlos had betrayed his organization, The Assistance.

The assassin profession wasn't a dinner party or some romantic story. Before The Continental Hotel, the assassin world might have been a wild west. But after The Continental Hotel appeared and spent over a decade establishing rules for the entire assassin world, things changed.

Let's put it this way.

After The Continental Hotel rose to prominence as the rule-maker in the assassin world, any assassin who dared to betray their organization faced certain death, no exceptions.

Don't be fooled by the fact that Carlos could still drink at The Continental Hotel now. That was because it wasn't time for The Continental Hotel to act yet.

This was because Carlos wasn't a direct employee of The Continental Hotel, but an assassin affiliated with one of its chain partners.

For assassins directly employed by The Continental Hotel, if they betrayed the organization, The Continental Hotel would directly issue a wanted notice, place a bounty on them, and hunt them until they were dead.

But for those affiliated with chain partners?

They would let the chain partners handle it first. If the partners couldn't handle it, or if the partners were wiped out by the assassin, only then would The Continental Hotel step in to clean up the mess and deal with the assassin.

The Continental Hotel did this to reassure other assassin organizations. After all, The Continental Hotel was powerful, and if it interfered with the internal affairs of other assassin organizations casually, there would be widespread rebellion.

So...

Carlos's fate was sealed the moment he betrayed The Assistance, regardless of his reasons. That fate was death, and it was a one-way path. The only variable was how many people Carlos could take down with him.

Would he die alone, or would he take a portion of The Assistance with him?

Lake watched Carlos, who was downing whiskey after whiskey, and a slight smile touched his lips as he walked over.

"Hi!"

"..."

Lake looked at Carlos, who raised his head with a blank expression and said nothing. He smiled, sat down opposite Carlos, and waved to the bar, "Two glasses of bourbon."

One glass was one gold coin, and two glasses were also one gold coin. Lake naturally chose to have two.

Soon.

The bourbon was brought over by the bartender.

Lake took his glasses, handed a gold coin to the bartender, and under Carlos's gaze, placed the two glasses of bourbon in front of him.

Carlos's brow twitched. He looked at Lake and asked, "Something wrong?"

Lake took a sip of his bourbon and shook his head, "No, I just wanted to see what the legendary ranked assassin, Cross, looked like."

The assassin world had its own hierarchy.

Lake?

Lake had no real rank. He was a freelance assassin. If the assassin world were compared to the food delivery industry, then The Continental Hotel would be the dominant Meituan, and other assassin organizations would be like Meituan's franchisees.

Assassins directly employed by The Continental Hotel were like Meituan's salaried assassins, while assassins from other franchised organizations were like their respective delivery assassins.

Freelance assassins like Lake were equivalent to crowdsourced assassins.

Hmm.

Most of the missions Lake took were orders that Meituan assassins and delivery assassins didn't want, or orders that were missed when they were too busy.

It sounded rather pathetic.

But Lake didn't feel that way. Because if he became a directly employed assassin or a delivery assassin, Lake feared that he would have ruined the entire assassin world.

How would he make money then?

Besides...

Lake liked a life with some excitement, but he didn't want to spend 365 days a year in constant stimulation.

Carlos frowned, "You've seen me now. You can leave."

"I will."

Lake said with a smile, "Cross, can I ask a rather personal question?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Because I'll kill you."

"This is The Continental Hotel."

"I'm a dead man."

"Understood."

Lake nodded, "So, you've accepted your fate. Don't you have any lingering attachments?"

This is why Carlos was at The Continental Hotel, and why the other assassins from The Assistance didn't show up.

If Carlos had seen them at The Continental Hotel, he probably would have opened fire immediately. But Fire Fox and the others wouldn't dare. If Carlos lived, and they attacked him, they would be rewarded by The Continental Hotel. If Carlos died, they would still be rewarded for attacking him.

Carlos continued expressionlessly, "No."

Lake swirled the bourbon in his glass, a slight smile curving his lips. "Not even for Wesley..."

He didn't finish.

Lake suddenly felt something press against his thigh.

Cold.

It was the muzzle of a gun.

Carlos narrowed his eyes, exuding the aura of a cornered beast. "Try moving, and see what happens."

Lake's smile remained. "I have a proposal."

I think I can make money twice.

The moment Lake walked into the hotel and saw Carlos at the bar, this thought suddenly flashed through his mind.

He can profit from both sides.

No.

He can get paid three times.

Carlos was a top-ranked assassin in the assassin world. Although most of the assassin funding from The Assistance was pocketed by Director Sloan, Carlos, as a top assassin for The Assistance, still had some savings.

Carlos gazed at Lake's completely unfazed eyes. After a moment of silence, he said sparingly, "Speak!"

Lake smiled. "You want your son, Wesley, to not be like you, to live his ordinary life. So, I have a proposal. I will ensure Wesley has an ordinary life."

Carlos continued expressionlessly, "What do I need to pay?"

"Everything!"

Lake's smile remained. "As far as I know, even though assassins from The Assistance don't participate in activities organized by The Continental Hotel, you still have some gold coins and savings. Simply put, give me your inheritance, and I guarantee Wesley the simplest of lives."

Carlos smiled for the first time.

Lake felt Carlos's pistol being withdrawn.

Carlos looked at Lake and laughed heartily twice. He downed the whiskey in front of him in one gulp, then said to Lake with a mocking expression, "Do you know how many people have come to covet my inheritance tonight?"

It's the same old story.

Not all assassins have mansions and sports cars.

Every profession is like this. Only the very top echelon can earn money. Most assassins are, at best, just above the poverty line, like blue-collar workers outside.

Lake said with a smile, "I'm different from them. So, this brings up another matter. I can do this first, and then you can pay me for it."

Carlos: "..."

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