Playing the Assassin

Ever since Altair had brought firearms to the club two days ago, invitations had been arriving one after another. Some proposed cooperation; others were threats.

It wasn't until he pressured all sides under Owen Donovan's name today that things finally quieted down.

Over the past two days, Li Altair hadn't been idle either. He'd had Hahn thoroughly investigate the gangs in every district of Bexland.

I didn't consider myself a good person, but there was no need to kill ordinary people. Deliberately killing them was completely at odds with playing the "Assassin"; it was simply murder.

People had only a few definitions of an "Assassin": political assassination, personal revenge, and hired killings...

I didn't need money, so all I could do was act as a vigilante and fight oppression.

At dusk, after changing and disguising himself at home, Altair left Empress Borough alone with the information Hahn had gathered.

He arrived in the Dock District of Bexland. It was an important part of the city, connected by the Tussock River to inland regions such as Sea County and Awwa County, and it also had direct access to the sea.

Because the river ran through much of Loen, numerous cargo ships docked or set sail every day. Most people here made a hard-won living helping load and unload cargo.

The district's population was nearing one million, roughly a fifth of Bexland's total. It was not only one of the city's poorest districts, but also a hotspot for lawlessness.

Perhaps it was because of the enormous population, or perhaps for some other reason. Dozens of large gangs and nearly a hundred smaller ones had established themselves here. Each gang occupied its own territory, monopolizing job opportunities through control of the docks.

Workers who wanted a job had to accept wages far below market rates. Even after finishing their work, they still had to pay "protection money" to keep themselves safe.

Ever since arriving in the Dock District, Altair had noticed the vast gulf between it and the other districts. In Empress Borough, you would never see children in tattered clothes, their arms and legs like dried stalks, nothing but skin and bone. It seemed as if they would snap in two if you so much as bent them gently.

Altair looked at the abandoned wooden building before him and compared it with the photograph in the file. It matched. Once he was sure he had the right place, he looked around and planned an escape route... After settling on one, he entered the building and climbed to the top floor.

He took the rifle out of its case and attached the "silencer."

This "silencer" had been made using a special secret technique. Its outer casing was forged from Deep Sea Black Iron, its interior packed with fibers soaked in silence talismans, and a "Silence" talisman had been embedded in it.

It was a Special Item rushed through special channels. It worked well, but the price was painfully high. He'd paid nearly 85 pounds. By Altair's calculations, the production cost couldn't have been more than 30 pounds. But he'd been in a hurry to use it, and didn't yet have the skills to make one himself.

This time, his target was Jesse Harrington, the Blood Snake Gang's second-in-command. According to the investigation, he had risen by stepping over the corpses of others.

Ever since joining the Blood Snake Gang, he'd been ruthless toward his enemies and hadn't spared even his own people. He'd incited infighting among the gang's leaders so he could reap the rewards, murdered entire families with his own hands, raped and murdered women, and broken children's limbs so they would beg for him...

In short, he'd done just about every evil thing imaginable. Now Altair had happened to come across him. If he didn't deserve to die, who did?

After waiting for nearly an hour, Altair finally saw Jesse Harrington and his underlings leave the gang's headquarters, ready to depart.

The Assassin Pathway's innate abilities, Eagle Vision and Dark Vision, meant Altair didn't have to worry about being unable to see in the dark like ordinary people.

He picked up the rifle and took aim in a standard firing stance. "Shoot."

There was no sound. After five flashes appeared at the muzzle, Altair began disassembling the rifle. Once he had packed everything away, he climbed down slowly along the edge of the window, then walked straight into the darkness without looking back.

Night was an Assassin's natural hunting ground. No matter how many people searched behind him, they wouldn't be able to find Altair's trail.

When he was nearly home, he saw Hahn waiting at the entrance to the estate.

As soon as Hahn saw Altair return, he hurried forward to greet him. "Count Altair, did everything go smoothly? Were you hurt?"

Seeing how anxious Hahn was out of concern for him, Altair patted his chest and said, "I'm fine, Hahn. Those people were only ordinary men. There wasn't a single Beyonder among them. How could they possibly catch me?"

The next morning, after Altair got up, Hahn reported the news from the Dock District over breakfast. "Five men, including Jesse Harrington, were shot dead outside the gang's headquarters last night. All five died on the spot."

"Because of the special circumstances in that area, the Police Department immediately classified the incident as a gang feud. They didn't investigate it at all."

When Altair heard how hastily the matter had been settled, he smiled wryly. "He was just another evil gang member. This is probably the best possible outcome."

While a person was alive, they might still have some value. Once they were dead, that value disappeared. Anyone investigating the matter on that pretext could only be one of two things: either they had a stake in it and the incident involved something valuable, or they were a pure fool playing at being a 'Justice'."

Over the past few days, Altair had continued as before, "calling out" and dealing with certain gang members. By now, he had killed more than twenty vicious criminals.

This had also put the gangs in the Dock District on alert. The killing of one gang leader was understandable; gang members were always fighting for power. But when one gang after another ran into trouble, something was clearly wrong.

The gangs had now joined forces to seal off the Dock District, preparing to catch him. There was no need for Altair to fight them head-on.

Altair had been exhausted lately. To keep his identity hidden, he couldn't have anyone drive him and couldn't take a public carriage, so he always got home very late.

After returning, he still had to share his longing with Vivian. Then, in the morning, the maids would force him out of bed for lessons. He decided to take a few days off and give himself a break.

To digest his fused Beyonder Characteristic, he only needed to play the "Assassin." He didn't need any additional acting.

He just needed three times as much "time" to play the role as other people did. If anyone else used his method, they should have been ready to drink a new Potion by now. But he had only digested a little over half of his. He only needed to take part in a few more activities like this before he could prepare to advance.

I remember that, according to the setting, assassinating a Beyonder should be much faster than what I was doing now. But there weren't that many Beyonders in this world. All I could do was think about it. It was too dangerous. I was a practitioner of the "survival first" Pathway, after all.