As soon as William released his grip, Charlene slumped weakly over the driver's seat, gasping for air. She had truly believed that William was about to snap her neck. Now, though she had narrowly escaped death, William's cold and ruthless demeanor had terrified her. Instinctively, she pressed herself against the car door, trying to put as much distance between herself and William as possible, as if that would somehow make her feel safer.
Seeing how frightened she was, William scoffed inwardly. *It's not just women who can act—men can lie so well they even believe their own stories sometimes.*
Though the part about training since he was ten was a complete fabrication, William had indeed personally killed over 200 people. When necessary, his aura of indifference to life was no act. Scaring a rookie like Charlene was all too easy.
Moreover, his words weren't just for Charlene.
"Had enough?" William rolled down the window, speaking to the darkness outside. "If you've heard enough, come out. You might be an idiot, but I'm not. Your sneaky little act is pointless. The noise you made was loud enough to be heard 100 meters away, and to top it off, you're wearing white in the dark."
William wasn't fooled by Mr. White's attempt to approach unnoticed. His psychic senses now extended nearly 240 meters, so he had sensed White's presence the moment he entered the bridge area. William's heightened awareness made him the worst enemy of assassins and stealth operatives.
"Watch yourself. You'd better put that knife away before I get nervous and shoot you."
"Oh, wow, you actually hid the knife at your waist? Aren't you worried about accidentally injuring yourself?"
"FKU, William Devonshire. FKU, you bastard!" Mr. White, clearly frustrated, stormed up to the car, yanking off his mask. "Shut your damn mouth! One more word, and I'll challenge you to a duel."
"Fine, you're the boss now. Whatever you say." Seeing Mr. White gripping his knife in reverse, seething with rage, William wisely decided to keep quiet. After all, it wasn't his temper that was boiling.
"This is Charlene, or if you prefer, Sha-Lin. But according to Eastern tradition, calling her Xia-Lin sounds better. Be polite, Mr. White—I remember monks cared a lot about courtesy."
As Mr. White raised his knife, William quickly added, "Courtesy, courtesy. Don't scare a pretty young girl who's only 19."
Mr. White's mouth twitched in response to William's words, but his anger reached its peak, and he swung the knife at William. However, as expected, the strike was blocked—though the way it was blocked surprised him. "What the hell? What are you wearing that lets you block a blade from my Arashi Shadow Clan?"
*This guy actually tried to cut me.* William tightened his grip on the knife and yanked it aside. The force of the pull sent Mr. White stumbling backward, despite his best efforts to hold onto the weapon. He couldn't keep his balance and staggered back several steps as the katana flew out of his hands.
With a splash, the sword landed in the Thames. Mr. White stood in stunned silence for a long time before turning to William. "Tell me how you trained. If you can make me as strong as you, my life is yours."
"Hah!" William let out a big yawn. "Train you to be like me, so you can one day beat me? Besides, until you avenge your master, isn't your life already mine? Why would I bother training you?"
Before Mr. White could respond, William continued mocking him. "If I train you, what's to stop those ninjas back in Japan from undergoing the same training? Don't tell me you haven't thought of any way to clear your name all these years."
"What do you mean?" Mr. White interrupted eagerly.
"You don't know?" William pressed a hand to his forehead, speechless. "God, all these years, and you've never stopped to think? Since you didn't kill your master, the sword that did the job likely wasn't yours. Get someone to examine that sword, and there's at least a 50% chance you can prove you didn't kill him."
Hearing this, Mr. White didn't seem surprised. After a long pause, he said quietly, "It's not 50%. It's certain, because the sword you just threw into the Thames was mine. I've had this idea ever since I fled Japan. I didn't return because I haven't found the real killer. But now, I'm starting to believe that you really do know who killed my master."
"Please, tell me who it was." Mr. White bowed deeply, but even after waiting for a while, William didn't respond. After a moment of silence, Mr. White walked over to Charlene's side of the car, opened the door, and knocked her out with a single blow.
Then, in accordance with the rituals of the Arashi Shadow Clan, he knelt on the ground and pledged his loyalty to William. "As a member of the Arashi Shadow Clan, I, Mr. White, vow my allegiance to you."
Seeing Mr. White kneeling, William inwardly sneered. *Who still does this kind of thing?* Just as he was about to reject him, Sunday's voice rang in his ear. "Sir, I've researched ninja customs. If you reject his pledge without a valid reason, he will likely take it as a grave insult. In such cases, people in East Asia often hold honor and family more important than their own lives. You can reject his loyalty, but don't let him feel disrespected, or he may become your sworn enemy. Based on today's interactions, there's a 90% chance that Mr. White will interpret a rejection as personal disdain."
*This is like being forced into a deal,* William thought. Mr. White, still kneeling, waited for an answer, unaware of William's thoughts. Then William said, "If you swear loyalty to me, won't your clan oppose it? If they find out about our relationship, won't that cause problems for me?"
"As long as you help me find the one who killed my master—who was also my uncle—my clan won't cause you any trouble. In fact, they would be grateful to you and offer you our friendship."
After a moment of silence, William remained skeptical of the whole "loyalty" thing. *Ask anyone if they believe in this loyalty stuff, and I guarantee 99% of them would have the same expression as me—a look that says, 'You must be joking.'*
"I grew up in England, so this whole idea of loyalty doesn't really sit well with me. How about we just be partners? You complete my tasks, and I'll store the name of your master's killer in a Swiss bank vault, set to release in five years. That way, you don't have to worry about not getting your revenge if something happens."
Mr. White remained silent for a long time before he replied, with regret in his voice, "It's a pity that I can't serve you, Mr. Devonshire. A ninja without faith and responsibility is like a ghost. Since I fled Japan at 12, I've already lived as a ghost for 18 years. Another five years won't make a difference. Besides, you've given me hope. I swear on the name of the Arashi Clan and my uncle, Master Kan, that I will complete any task you give me as a form of repayment."
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Hello, if you enjoy mythology novels, I invite you to check out "I Am Thalos, Odin's Older Brother", a story inspired by Norse mythology