Rome - Headquarters of the Camorra Syndicate.
The news of Lily Archer's death reached here only five minutes after it happened.
Inside a dimly lit chamber, Santino D'Antonio sat face-to-face with his sister, Gianna D'Antonio.
Behind them stood their respective lieutenants — Cassian at Gianna's back, and Ares at Santino's side.
At this moment, a laptop was open before Santino, streaming surveillance footage from St. Simeon's Church in Harlem.
The video showed a female assassin bursting inside, wielding a SIG Sauer P320. She didn't hesitate — three precise shots ended Lily Archer, the Camorra's church contact.
The rest of the Camorra foot soldiers in the church drew their weapons, but the woman cut down three more by herself. Then, six assassins followed in behind her, eliminating everyone else.
Only five minutes of footage, but it was enough to make Santino's blood pressure rise.
Just a week earlier, Santino had dispatched his ace killer Ares to New York, working alongside Lily Archer. With her help, they had successfully executed a bounty on the local Mafia's head in New York.
Because of that, the Camorra Syndicate had managed to seize a chunk of Mafia territory in just days.
Of course, the Mafia, being one of the High Table's Twelve Seats, struck back swiftly — putting up bounties on both Lily and Ares.
Lily's head carried a $250,000 price tag, Ares' was worth $500,000.
But no freelancers or High Table affiliates wanted to wade into such a political crossfire. Both contracts lingered untouched for a week, downgraded into long-term bounties.
That fact alone spoke volumes about the Camorra's recent rise in power.
Yet, on the seventh day, an unknown female assassin had picked up Lily's contract — and finished it.
"Have you identified who this woman is?" Gianna asked calmly, lifting her gaze toward a family retainer.
The man nodded and handed over two files — one for Santino, one for Gianna.
Both siblings flipped them open and scanned the details.
Santino's eyes turned cold.
"Anna… a rookie bounty hunter dares to take on a Camorra contract? Call the New York branch immediately. Have them deal with her."
A family subordinate was just about to make the call when Gianna's voice cut in.
"Santino. I don't oversee New York, but I expect you to handle this cleanly. No mistakes. No mess."
Without sparing her brother another glance, Gianna stood and left the room.
Santino's face flushed red, his rage boiling after his sister's rebuke.
Meanwhile — Midtown Manhattan.
Three brand-new Chevy Suburbans rolled in formation through the city streets.
In the middle vehicle, Alex sat with a new model phone in hand, refreshing the bounty board.
New York averaged two to three hundred contracts per day — roughly one new bounty every five minutes.
Unlike the legendary John Wick, who once eliminated over a hundred in a day, most contracts only resulted in a few casualties. In a city of nearly twenty million, it was a drop in the ocean.
Because of that, most single contracts were snatched up within seconds by the thousands of assassins hunting across the city.
Securing a job required both speed and luck.
Alex grumbled under his breath:
"Damn… these days it's harder to land a kill than to snag a delivery app order."
Fortunately, Anna and the others were also glued to their screens, hunting for openings.
Within twenty minutes, Alex had locked down two single contracts:
[Contract Type: Single Bounty]
Target: Terry Bradrick
Identity: Owner of Fairplay Lending Company and the Fairplay Casino
Bounty: $400,000
Deadline: 24 hours after acceptance
Location: Fairplay Lending Company, Uptown Manhattan (location updates in 30 minutes)
[Contract Type: Single Bounty]
Target: Taro Inoue
Identity: Owner of Yasui Sushi Bar, confirmed serial killer
Bounty: $170,000
Deadline: 24 hours after acceptance
Location: Yasui Sushi Bar, Midtown Manhattan (location updates in 30 minutes)
After reading both contracts, Alex made quick decisions.
He, Anna, and five killers would head Uptown to take down Terry Bradrick.
The remaining five killers would handle Taro Inoue in Midtown.