NIKKE, When the Milky Way Blossoms

"Here……"

The assassin was stunned.

He never imagined that he could be a prisoner of war and a lowly client in his lifetime. Back then, he gave up his promising future and turned to the dangerous business of killing because he didn't want to be a dog for a stupid client.

Why make him experience the pain of being the "second party" before he dies?

"I... let me think..."

By the way, my orders weren't to assassinate Missillis's CEO...

"It's not that I'm killing you."

Recalling the memory of being brutally beaten by the other party not long ago, Xsis couldn't help but laugh self-deprecatingly and said:

"And it's not just me; there are many reckless people trying to get to the top floor to kill you."

After taking the prisoner as an example, Phoenix, who had been aimlessly searching for answers, finally found a starting point for the interrogation and immediately threw out three questions without thinking.

"Were the people blocking the entrances and exits outside the building with you? Are you self-employed or an employee?"

Faced with the client's question, the killer, who didn't want to experience that inhuman pain again, answered cleanly and decisively:

"I was the one who took the job. Apart from providing the task objectives, requirements, and a map of the building's internal structure, the employer did not provide me with any other information."

"The one who takes orders?"

After hearing Xerxes's testimony, the lieutenant was more curious about the specific process of "taking a job," as the assassin described, than the crucial question of who the employer was. So he asked:

"How do you take orders? Has this industry already been industrialized?"

"That's not the case."

Ksis shook his head without hesitation, rejecting the lieutenant's wild idea, but at the same time, doubts arose in his heart.

The other party's skills are so terrifying, yet they don't know anything about their line of work. Could they be experts dispatched by the military?

No wonder a mere bodyguard could command such a high bounty...

As expected, there are very few good people on the client side.

Despite his inner grumbling, the assassin's mouth remained completely open, and he explained everything in great detail:

"Our industry is very loosely structured, and we still use the traditional methods of experienced people mentoring newcomers and using secret online platforms."

There are models that provide professional services one-on-one, as well as reward programs with publicly listed prices and first-come, first-served offers.

This time, I accepted a limited-time public bounty. The mission description clearly states that the target is the bodyguard of CEO Missilis, and the bounty is three million credits.

Of course, there are also long-term public bounties and cumulative bounties. A cumulative bounty means that multiple people offer a reward for the same person, and the rewards can be combined.

Like that second lieutenant who recently topped the bounty list; his accumulated bounty is a whopping 260 million, of which reportedly 99.99 million is a price offered by the military.

"..."

Hearing from someone else that his head was worth 260 million, Phoenix was both amused and exasperated, saying, "According to your understanding, not counting those whistles outside the building, the people who want to make three million this time have very complicated backgrounds?"

"Well, you could say that."

With Xerxes' approval, the man withdrew his hand with satisfaction, quickly forming a completely new kidnapping plan in his mind.

First, the identity of the person who issued the bounty is easily guessed; they are likely a high-ranking official within Missilis. The purpose of the bounty is quite clear.

Whether the assassination succeeds or not is not important; what is important is to create panic and put psychological pressure on Shuen.

But their mistake was using the common option of hiring assassins from abroad instead of sending their own trained bodyguards to carry out the plan.

In this way, he could make a big deal out of his identity as an assassin, and while kidnapping Shuen, try to create an atmosphere that someone within Missilis was trying to monopolize the "Lecher Control Technology".

In just a few breaths, the lieutenant, who had already formed a framework of the plan in his mind, finally remembered that he did not know the prisoner's name. So he asked the prisoner, and after learning that the assassin's name was Xsis, he whispered again:

"Since you're willing to risk your life for a price of three million, then let me ask you, would you dare to do a job worth two hundred and sixty million?"

"……what?"

When the masked man in front of him invited him to do a job worth 260 million, the poor assassin instinctively widened his eyes, sat there dumbfounded, and felt as lost as a bewildered teenager who couldn't find his first love.

I hit a lieutenant...?!

real or fake?

Chapter 296 Third Meeting with Shu En (Part 5)

The atmosphere was serious.

After much persuasion, we were discussing a large project worth hundreds of millions, so at least the atmosphere was right.

So, after confirming that the other party was probably not joking, Xyz had no choice but to force a smile that looked worse than a grimace.

"Then what...

gentlemen……

This isn't a matter of 260 million.

The assassin pondered and thought, racking his brains to try and put together a speech to explain to Phoenix the horrifying records set by Lieutenant Phoenix.

However, before he could speak, someone had already raised their hand and impatiently removed the mask from their face.

There were no reminders, and no unnecessary words.

This unexpected action startled Xerxes so much that he immediately covered his eyes with one hand, not daring to look at the other person's face hidden under the mask.

They were all from the same underworld, so he naturally knew the rules for prisoners of war very well.

As long as his identity is not confirmed, he still has a chance to live.

Unfortunately, just a second later, the assassin's palm was pulled away from his face by an irresistible force, and his tightly closed eyelids were forced open with the arrival of the leather gloves.

What came into view was a male face that the assassins knew all too well.

— 260 million.

The bodyguard with a three million bounty protecting CEO Missilis is actually a mad lieutenant with a two hundred and sixty million bounty on his head?!

The thought flashed through his mind like lightning. After witnessing such a shocking scene, Ksis, speechless for a long time, subconsciously opened his mouth wide, his mind blank and his brain completely clear.

However, despair did not arrive at the scene as expected. Instead, a sense of relief and Buddhist-like calmness filled the killer's heart.

At first, he couldn't accept the fact that he had been unilaterally beaten up by a security guard after being knocked to the ground.

No matter what, he was a professional assassin who had taken on several jobs and received rigorous military training. How could he be treated as a punching bag and beaten up when they were of similar size?

And at this moment,

Upon learning that the bodyguard who had pinned him to the ground and beaten him was actually the rumored Lieutenant Phoenix, all of Xyz's grievances and resentment vanished instantly.

It even gave rise to a somewhat morbid sense of smugness.

Surviving the clutches of the mad lieutenant while ensuring that no part of his body was missing—that feat alone puts him in a league of his own across the entire Ark.

Given the relationship between the lieutenant and the CEO of the Elysium Pure Land, how could Krish possibly stick to his professional ethics when faced with such a rare opportunity to turn his life around?

He decisively adjusted his emotions, corrected his attitude, and said respectfully:

"You're too kind. Please don't hesitate to ask if there's anything I can do to help you."

……

……

The temporarily opened private elevator has been restored to the top floor of Missilis.

The door opens on one side.

Donning his mask again, Phoenix, covered in blood, once more stepped into the private residence that belonged exclusively to Shum.

However, the moment he stepped out of the elevator, the annoying questions and accusations from the kids came through the speakers.

"Hey! You bastard, I told you to get lost, and you actually did it?!"

Shuen’s tone was very arrogant, sounding like a spoiled princess throwing a tantrum at her guards.

The girl acted entirely on her own whim. She first made a boastful "tsk" sound, and then hurriedly urged Phoenix to go to the living room to discuss a plan with her.

Unfortunately, the junior executive, whose attention was entirely focused on the board of directors, failed to notice a very important fact.

Phoenix was never her personal bodyguard, but a vengeful and vulgar man.

As for her, she had abused the first and second wives of a vulgar man...

And it happened more than a few times.

"Tsk, it's just killing someone, how come you're covered in blood? Don't you carry a gun with you when you go out?"

Using remote control to open the double doors to the living room, Shuen sat elegantly on the floating chair, her slightly pale face filled with feigned disdain.

"Tell me, you're in such a sorry state, how many people did you kill?"

"I haven't counted, but there should be more than a dozen."

The man answered calmly, continuing to walk towards his "boss" without stopping.

"Don't come any closer, it smells awful!"

On the other side, Shuen, still unaware of the seriousness of the problem, frowned immediately after hearing Phoenix's report. He waved his hands irritably, trying to dispel the increasingly strong stench of blood.