The next morning.
10 A.M.
Alex awoke from sleep.
Glancing at Anna beside him, he rose, walked into the bathroom, and washed up quickly.
When he stepped out, Anna was already up.
With a thought, Alex pulled twelve Bulletproof Suits from his System inventory.
He tossed one toward Anna and slipped into another himself.
The moment he finished knotting the tie, the suit snugged against his body, adjusting perfectly to his build.
Anna's suit adapted the same way, fitting her frame like a second skin.
Next, Alex drew out eleven black weapons crates.
He handed one to Anna, then pulled out the last of his purchases—
ten White Assassin Recruitment Scrolls.
He used them at once.
A flash later, ten new figures appeared in the room.
Six men, four women, all in their twenties.
Alex casually inspected the data of one:
[Name: Dickie Valentine]
[Age: 25]
[Height: 183 cm]
[Skills: English Mastery LV3, Infiltration & Disguise LV1, Close-Quarters Combat LV1, Firearms Mastery LV1, Driving LV1]
[Talent: None]
[Evaluation: A faceless extra in the assassin world. Adequate for handling a few ordinary people.]
"Fair enough…" Alex muttered.
Still, he didn't complain.
He clapped his hands and barked his first order:
"Each of you—one suit, one crate. Get changed immediately. We're leaving the hotel soon!"
While the new recruits changed, Alex picked up his phone and browsed through bounty listings.
He quickly understood how things worked in this world.
Bounties were divided into three categories: Public Contracts, Single Contracts, and Long-Term Contracts.
Public Contracts were open to all assassins—whoever completed the hit first claimed the prize. They usually started in the millions.
Single Contracts also went to whoever accepted them first, more like app-based gigs. Once claimed, no one else could take them. Rewards ranged from tens to hundreds of thousands.
Long-Term Contracts were different.
They were dangerous, messy, low-paying jobs that no one wanted. Over time, they piled up into a category of their own.
And those were exactly what Alex was eyeing.
Scrolling through, he found one that looked promising:
[Type: Long-Term Contract]
[Target: Lily Archer]
[Affiliation: Liaison for the Camorra Syndicate, Bishop of St. Simms Church]
[Bounty: $250,000]
[Time Limit: 24 hours after acceptance]
[Location: St. Simms Church, Harlem District (updates every 30 minutes)]
Perfect.
The target was a liaison for one of the High Table's twelve families, the Camorra.
The bounty was low, but the connections were high risk.
No wonder it had been sitting unclaimed for so long.
But now—it was his.
Sliding the phone away, Alex turned to see his crew armed and suited up.
He clapped once, smiling.
"Alright, everyone! We've got ourselves our first job."
Thirty minutes later.
Harlem District.
Alex led his group into a café directly across from St. Simms Church.
He checked his phone once more—
the target was confirmed to still be inside.
He handed the phone to Anna.
She scanned the details, nodded, and strode toward the church.
Although Alex trusted her abilities, he still waved six of the assassins to follow her inside.
Then he took the remaining four and sat down by the café's front window.
"Waiter! Twelve lattes!"
When the coffees came, Alex stirred his with two spoons of sugar, occasionally glancing across the street.
Moments later—
Gunfire erupted from inside the church.
Bang, bang, bang—!
Ratatatat—!
Screams and shattering glass filled the air.
The chaos inside was undeniable.
And yet, on the streets of Harlem, passersby barely flinched—only quickening their steps when too near the church.
They were used to it.
A few minutes later, Anna emerged with the six assassins.
She crossed the street with calm poise, brushing stray shell casings from her suit as they clattered against the asphalt.
Clink… clink… clink.
She stepped into the café, sat across from Alex, and exhaled softly.
From her pocket, she pulled a wad of cash, three gold coins, and handed them over along with his phone.
"Mr. Cross, here's the loot from the church—$9,700 and five Sand Coins. The contract's confirmed. The $250,000 just hit the account."
"Good work. Take a rest."
Alex pushed a steaming cup of coffee toward her, while sliding the coins into his own pocket.
Then, he turned to the four who had stayed behind.
"Use the account balance. Buy three SUVs, plus a fresh batch of phones and computers."