Enter the Assassin's Alliance

Rice Country, Big Apple City

Once again, Hao Shuai appeared out of thin air in an empty alley.

He glanced around, saw no security cameras, straightened his collar, and walked out of the alley with a calm expression.

Hao Shuai first went to a pawnshop, as he had before, and exchanged some things for cash. Then he bought a newspaper from a roadside vendor. After reading it, he found no reports about Wesley, which meant the shootout at the supermarket in the story hadn't happened yet.

This time, Hao Shuai had entered the world of The Assassin's Alliance, also known as Wanted. The story went like this: Wesley, a low-level office worker, led a meaningless, repetitive life. Every day, he had to endure his obese boss's nagging, his best friend sleeping with his girlfriend, and the need to constantly medicate his racing heartbeat. One day, a mysterious woman rescued him from a crazed gunman. She brought him into the world of the Assassin's Alliance, where his rescuer, Fox, and the Alliance's leader, Sloan, told him that his long-absent father had also been a member of the organization, and had recently been killed by a traitor known as Cross. Wesley had to grow stronger through brutal training as quickly as possible so he could protect himself—and even avenge his father.

Under the harsh training of Fox and the leader, Sloan, Wesley not only unlocked his astonishing inherited potential, but soon became an unparalleled and deadly assassin, carrying out the organization's death missions. Yet nothing was as simple as it seemed. Eventually, he killed the man he believed had murdered his father, only to hear the dying man claim that he was Wesley's father! In the end, Wesley uncovered the truth behind the so-called Loom of Fate and began taking perfect revenge on the Alliance.

Of course, Hao Shuai wasn't interested in the story's cycle of love and hate. He had only one goal in entering the world of The Assassin's Alliance: to learn how to make bullets curve.

The first time Hao Shuai watched the movie, he had been stunned by the kind of marksmanship that could make bullets curve. To understand how it worked, he had even searched the internet for all kinds of information, but it had all been useless. It had become one of the questions nagging at him. Now that he had the chance to get an answer, he had naturally come to find out.

Besides, he could take the opportunity to learn this world's incredibly badass marksmanship. That way, he wouldn't always have to use telekinesis to kill people, which was inconvenient in places with security cameras.

If he wanted to learn marksmanship, then naturally, he had to find Cross, the most skilled one around.

Cross's Art of the Ricocheting Bullet was uncanny, and his long-range sniping was peerless. He was the undisputed king of assassins!

Even Sloan had said that there was no one in the world he couldn't kill, except for Wesley!

Hao Shuai's first task was to find Cross. The opening assassination in the movie took place at the Metropolis Building, and Cross had carried it out from a distance at home. That meant he should be within a few miles of the Metropolis Building.

He also knew that Cross lived across the street from Wesley, and that a subway ran past Wesley's home.

With those clues, Hao Shuai had an easier time looking. He first took a cab to the Metropolis Building. After getting out, he got into another taxi and told the driver, "I'm looking for a friend. I only know he lives not far from the Metropolis Building, in an old house, with the subway passing by every day."

"Sir, that's not enough for me to do my job," the driver refused.

"I'll pay double if you find my friend!"

"Of course, sir. It'll be my pleasure." The driver quickly changed his tune.

After several hours, they finally reached William Street, where Hao Shuai spotted an old apartment building similar to the one in the movie. He paid the fare, got out, and went straight to an equally shabby white house across the street.

Hao Shuai's target was inside!

Cross, the king of assassins—a perverted peeping Tom who had spied on his son for over twenty years. Hao Shuai wondered whether he'd watched his son play Fight the Landlord with his girlfriend, too. Maybe he should ask sometime?

This was where the father who had secretly stayed close to his son, watching over him in silence, lived.

Hao Shuai walked right up and knocked. Luckily, Cross hadn't gone out that day.

When the door opened, Hao Shuai saw the middle-aged white man standing before him. He looked vaguely familiar, and Hao Shuai knew he had found the right place.

Cross saw a handsome, sunny-faced Chinese man he didn't recognize at the door. Deep in his eyes, he was wary and guarded. His body looked relaxed, but his muscles were taut, ready to move at a moment's notice.

He looked Hao Shuai over carefully. The man was smiling warmly, seeming harmless,

Cross secretly breathed a little easier, but didn't let his guard down.

"Who are you, young man? I don't know you!"

Seeing that he didn't recognize Hao Shuai, Cross began to close the door.

"You don't know me, but I know you!" As the door began to close, Hao Shuai stuck his foot in the way and said amiably, "The king of assassins—Cross!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a black handgun appeared in Cross's right hand. He swiftly aimed it at Hao Shuai's forehead and fired.

The bullet stopped in midair, five centimeters from Hao Shuai's forehead.

Cross reflexively fired several more shots, until he had emptied the gun.

Hao Shuai used telekinesis to freeze all the bullets and collect them, then pinned Cross to the floor with his power. He strolled into the room, shut the door, and said helplessly to Cross, who was struggling desperately on the floor, "Are all you assassins paranoid or something? You start shooting as soon as we meet."

"At least figure out whether I'm friend or foe before you open fire! Can we talk normally now? If you can, nod."

Cross nodded once Hao Shuai had finished. He understood now that if Hao Shuai had wanted to kill him, he wouldn't have bothered talking.

After Cross nodded, Hao Shuai released his hold on him, but still surrounded himself with a layer of telekinetic protection.

Who knew whether these assassins had normal thought processes?

Better safe than sorry!

Once Cross was free, he got to his feet and asked with a frown, his voice low, "Who are you, exactly? How do you know who I am, and what did you just do?"

Hao Shuai strolled around the room, looking over Cross's home. Then he cleared his throat and said, "My name is Hao Shuai. I'm from China. I know who you are, and I know about the Alliance and Sloan. I even know why you and the Alliance are enemies."

At that, Cross froze. He stared at Hao Shuai in disbelief and exclaimed, "You—you even know that?"

"What's so strange about that?" Hao Shuai walked to the window and looked across the street before continuing, "I even know you're a peeping Tom who's been spying on your son for over twenty years."

"As for how I stopped the bullets and restrained you just now, you can think of it as a kind of superpower!"

Cross was still reeling. Hao Shuai seemed far too mysterious, as if he knew everything, and he had that incredible superpower, too.

Cross stared at Hao Shuai. It took him a long while to recover before he finally asked, "Since you already know everything, what do you want with me?"

Hao Shuai looked at Cross and said seriously, "I came to ask you to teach me marksmanship—the technique that makes bullets curve, and your long-range sniping skills."

Cross looked at Hao Shuai, puzzled. "You already have superpowers, so why do you want to learn marksmanship? And why should I help you?"

Hao Shuai pondered for a while before answering, "Cross, I only want to learn marksmanship because I'm interested in it. It's a little wish I want to fulfill. If you teach me, I can help you wipe out the Alliance. Then you can reunite with your son and give him a better life, instead of letting him stay the useless loser he is now—broke and wearing a giant pair of horns!"

"You...!"

Cross's eyes narrowed. He was furious. If he hadn't known he couldn't beat Hao Shuai, he would have shot him right then.

Damn!

Haven't you heard that you shouldn't hit people where it hurts or bring up their weaknesses?!

Wesley's life really was miserable! He was timid, his job was going nowhere, and worst of all, his only friend had teamed up with his bitch of a girlfriend to cheat on him!

As a father, even Cross, who killed without batting an eye, couldn't help feeling heartbroken to see Wesley living such a pathetic life!

He had wanted to reunite with Wesley countless times, but he couldn't!

He didn't dare!

If the Assassin's Alliance found out, Wesley's life would be in danger!

So Cross could only grit his teeth and endure it. Until he had taken down Sloan and destroyed the Alliance, he had no choice but to hold back for Wesley's safety!

Wesley's life was, without a doubt, Cross's deepest sore spot.

Now Hao Shuai had deliberately jabbed at that sore spot right in front of him. How could Cross not be furious?!

Cross glared at Hao Shuai through gritted teeth, his gun hand twitching as if he might open fire at the slightest provocation.

Hao Shuai wasn't about to back down. He stared straight back at Cross and said, "What? Am I wrong, or are you unhappy about it?"

After a long while, Cross's anger faded, and he put on a meek expression. "Fine! You win! I'll teach you."

Cross insisted that he wasn't afraid to shoot. It was just that Hao Shuai had used telekinesis to pin down the gun in his hand, keeping him from raising it.

When Hao Shuai heard Cross agree, he released his hold on him, then held out his right hand and said, "A wise choice! You won't regret it."

Then their hands clasped together.