"The fight was just an accident. You know me, I won't retaliate." Hannes shook his head.
Grian interjected, "Let me guess, he's the Black Phantom who's been very active lately. He's the only decent newcomer in your organization."
Hannes was taken aback, then said thoughtfully, "So it's Black Phantom. Even though I've retired and haven't been paying attention to newcomers, people have still mentioned his name to me. This guy is no ordinary person. Bennett, you've gained a valuable asset this time."
Bennett smiled without saying a word, just as Hannes had said; he himself felt he had struck gold.
When Bennett first met Black Phantom, his codename was still Mr. Black, and he was just Scorpion-level Assassin. Although his strength was not bad, he was still far from the top level. He seemed to be a fan of Bennett's and even gave him a gift that suited his taste. So Bennett gave him some guidance, but at the time it was just a casual gesture and he didn't take Han Xiao too seriously.
In just a few months, Han Xiao shocked the underworld with his achievements, rising to the top ten on the assassin list and becoming the undisputed ace of the Blood Pact Union. His rapid growth greatly surprised Bennett.
Although they hadn't fought, Bennett could vaguely sense that the gap in strength between Han Xiao and him was rapidly narrowing.
Black Phantom has the potential to grow into a key figure in the organization sooner or later, so Bennett won't be left to fend for himself. Black Phantom's cooperation with the Dark Net is currently in its honeymoon phase, which is why Bennett values it so much.
"Since he's one of yours, I'd like him to help us with something," Hannes said.
Bennett refused, "Black Phantom and I are not in a subordinate relationship. I can't order him around. At most, I can ask him for you, but it depends on his opinion."
Hannes hesitated for a moment, then said, "Alright, I hope to speak with him in person."
"That's no problem."
The call has ended.
Vernina asked in surprise, "You want to bring in a stranger? He's powerful, but we know nothing about him."
"He's very capable. What's wrong with having another helper? Besides, what we're doing doesn't require secrecy."
Grian, the initiator of the operation, strongly agreed with Hannes's decision, scoffing, "We're about to uncover a huge secret. The three of us aren't enough. I've been gathering intelligence for years to find the clues to this mystery; we have to figure it out no matter what."
Hannes said earnestly, "You'll die from your curiosity sooner or later."
As dawn broke, Han Xiao returned to the Dark Net safe house. Golden Fox Golden Fox and Ghost Blade, who hadn't slept all night, breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing him return.
"The mission is complete?" Ghost Blade asked suspiciously. "Did you follow my plan?"
"Your plan is not feasible." Han Xiao shook his head and briefly explained the difficulties encountered during the infiltration process. Ghost Blade's intelligence had missed some details, but these details were extremely important.
After Han Xiao pointed it out, Ghost Blade realized that there were still errors and loopholes. He had thought he had collected the most detailed information, but Han Xiao pointed out these missed details, and he immediately felt very embarrassed.
Ghost Blade was initially confident in his meticulously crafted plan, but he discovered that following the plan would not be able to handle unexpected situations during the mission. Han Xiao, on the other hand, adapted to the situation and successfully completed the mission, appearing calm and collected as if he had casually accomplished a small task.
The sense of disappointment made Ghost Blade feel frustrated and embarrassed.
However, he discovered that Han Xiao had no intention of blaming or criticizing him at all, completely disregarding his thoughts and utterly ignoring him. Coupled with the fact that he was proven wrong, Ghost Blade was in a very embarrassing situation, feeling that Black Phantom didn't care about his thoughts at all.
"Whether it's provocation or respect, he doesn't care what I think." Ghost Blade felt frustrated. It was like provoking someone who completely ignored him, not even giving him a second glance, like punching cotton. Coupled with the difference in status and strength, he felt that his jumping around was ridiculous and made him feel inferior.
Being ignored was extremely unpleasant; Ghost Blade felt like he was superfluous, and his heart felt heavy.
Although Han Xiao didn't know the changes in Ghost Blade's mentality, he could roughly guess that it was nothing more than resentment, arrogance, and then the realization that the facts had slapped him in the face, making him feel embarrassed. Han Xiao's heart remained completely unmoved by this.
Everyone's heart is a private sanctuary, brimming with childish and crazy thoughts. Everyone has outrageous ideas, but as long as they aren't acted upon, they remain secrets forever. Therefore, Master Han's indifference to others' momentary emotions and thoughts is even more meaningless than wearing glasses without a lens.
Whether Ghost Blade is dissatisfied with him or admires him, Han Xiao's mentality will not change in the slightest. If we were to summarize Master Han's code of conduct, there would be no more suitable adjective than "doing things his own way".
This is what they call a calm and stable aura.
The Golden Fox pursed her tender red lips, her feelings complicated.
The first time I met Black Phantom was a few months ago during a manor guard mission. At that time, Black Phantom was just a Scorpion-level Assassin, one level lower than me. But a few months later, while I was still stuck in the same place, Black Phantom had risen to become the Blood Pact Union's ace in a short period of time, and had also made contact with the higher-ups of the Dark Net Organization.
Golden Fox envies Black Phantom's status, but knows she doesn't have the power to achieve it.
If she could sacrifice her looks to get Black Phantom as a backer, Golden Fox would be more than willing to do it, but unfortunately, Black Ghost isn't interested in her.
But she could understand; what's wrong with a man being a little perverted?
Ignoring the conflicted Golden Fox, Han Xiao opened the safe, took out the stored equipment, and realized there was no need to stay in Red Maple after completing the mission. He was about to leave immediately when his phone rang; it was Bennett calling.
Han Xiao answered the phone.
"I've handled the matter you asked me to handle. Although there was a slight mishap, I'm quite composed."
"I know you won't fail. I have something else to ask you," Bennett said. "It seems the enemy you encountered on your mission was actually my friend. You may have heard of them: Hannes and Vernina. They were contemporaries of mine."
Han Xiao feigned surprise and said, "Oh, what a coincidence."
"You didn't lose? You weren't this strong when I first met you." Bennett said in surprise, "Your progress has exceeded my expectations."
"Did you come here just to praise me?" Han Xiao said, "Keep going, don't stop, I can still hold on."
"..." Bennett took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in his heart, and said, "Hannes asked me to tell you that he wants your help. As for the previous conflict, it was just a misunderstanding."
"You want my help?" Han Xiao's eyes flashed, and he understood. In other words, the task was offered to him on its own initiative!
To put it more simply, he met the prerequisites for triggering this plot: he had a high level of Legend Points, strong connections with Dark Net Organization, was friends with Bennett, and reached the required level, so the hidden plot would come knocking on his door.
The Legend Points and faction relationships can be cleverly utilized, sometimes attracting NPCs who come to the player to ask them to complete tasks, which are usually quite difficult and rewarding.
Having quests come to you is a completely different experience from the miserable player who has to trigger quests everywhere. It's like the difference between asking someone for a favor and having someone ask you for a favor.
Therefore, players probably prefer attributes like "Legend Points" status, as they provide a particularly great experience.
"I'm willing to help, but I need to know the details." Han Xiao's eyes darted around, and he added, "Since they are your friends, they are my friends too. Let's just forget about that little conflict."
Bennett found this very pleasing, his smile appearing "reserved" yet unable to conceal his overall delight. Since Han Xiao was being so courteous, he decided to return the favor, saying, "Consider this a favor I owe you. Ha, I feel like I owe you a lot of favors already."