Fish Hold

"Set out first thing tomorrow morning. Get plenty of rest tonight." The woman appeared again, still in a red dress, her nails and lips a vivid scarlet, like a ball of fire.

"Understood!" The masked men all nodded, then went upstairs to their respective rooms.

The five rooms on the warehouse's second floor had been converted into sleeping quarters. In truth, each contained only a bed and a table, and they had been sleeping there these past few days.

Just as Number Five was about to lie down, his phone received a message.

It was from the woman: "Give me your bank account number. I'll transfer you some money."

Before he could reply, another message followed: "Only you have this money, so don't tell the other four."

Number Five gripped his phone and frowned at the message.

Something was off about the woman's message. They were all assassins, so why did the others get no money while he alone received this huge sum? What made him special?

Perhaps this was the woman's trick. Everyone had received money, but each person had gotten a different amount. She had sent every assassin the same message, preventing them from communicating in private and sowing discord among them.

Number Five stared silently at his phone for a long while before replying:

"I have no family left. I don't want money. I definitely won't come back alive from this mission, so even if you give me money, I won't have time to spend it."

After waiting for some time, there came a gentle knock at the door. Number Five got up and opened it. The woman stood outside, giving off the scent of expensive perfume—musk, grapes, and green apples.

"Then do you have any last wishes?" the woman asked as she entered. "After living this