The setting sun dyed the Surrey countryside road a bloody red, and Zhang Jie's tense profile was reflected in the window of the speeding Mercedes.
The dashboard needle trembled slightly at 120 kilometers per hour, and in the rearview mirror, the last ray of sunlight was being swallowed by the horizon.
Zhang Jie held the steering wheel with one hand, while the other hand, holding a cigarette, rested on the car window.
Driving Lv2 brought him many benefits, such as at this very moment; even if the car speed soared to 120, he was fearless and handled it with ease.
The scenery outside Surrey's suburbs rapidly receded past the car window, and sunlight dappled through the tree shadows onto the dashboard.
He felt like a lone hero, driving a car at high speed towards an unknown castle, where an unknown fate awaited him.
Well, he was still just a poor loser.
His phone suddenly vibrated. He was staring at the red dot on the navigation, getting closer and closer: Blackthorn Castle.
The unfamiliar number flashing on the screen had an American area code.
Who would call him at this time, and an international call at that?
"Who is it…?"
He frowned and pressed the answer button. Before he could speak, a series of blush-inducing moans exploded from the receiver, filling the car.
What the f*ck?
In an instant, Zhang Jie's ears turned a little red. Damn it, how could such R-rated sounds appear on his phone?
"Mmm… uh… you…"
The other party's gasps were mixed with some slapping sounds, and Zhang Jie almost threw his phone out the car window.
"F*ck!!"
Zhang Jie was about to hang up when a teasing female voice came through: "Don't be in a hurry to hang up, my dear little brother, it's me… Veronica, ah~"
You f*cking—!
If he could have followed the internet cable and shot her, Veronica would probably be gone by now.
He slammed the speakerphone button and tossed the phone onto the passenger seat as if it were a hot potato.
"Veronica! You f*cking—"
"Don't be in a hurry to hang up~" The woman's smiling voice came from the loudspeaker, and the banging sounds in the background became clearer. "I'm busy… ah… with important business…"
Heh heh, a woman's mouth is a deceiving ghost!
Zhang Jie's face was as black as the bottom of a pot: "Then could you please not call me when you're 'busy'? My phone is dirty!"
A soft laugh came from the other end of the line, followed by crisp slapping sounds.
"Don't tell me you're still a… hmm?"
"Gentler…" Veronica said to someone else, then turned back to the phone, "I heard you took the Blackthorn Castle mission?"
Veronica always managed to calm Zhang Jie down just as he was about to explode. Zhang Jie took a deep drag from his cigarette, suppressing the urge to hang up: "Speak quickly, or fart it out quickly!"
Zhang Jie was extremely disgusted. He knew she was open-minded, but couldn't she be a little more discreet?
"Hehe…" Veronica's laugh was like a sated cat. "I'm just warning you, be careful of the castle's owner. That's not a good thing… John… once suffered there…"
The crucial words that followed seemed to be covered up by an indescribable commotion; he didn't hear clearly… But Veronica's words made Zhang Jie interested in continuing to listen. At this point, Veronica finally told him: "It's not really a strange thing…"
"Speak like a normal person." He rolled down the car window, letting the cold wind rush in to disperse the sweet, cloying smell in the car. "Or call back when you're done."
"Hmm… six years ago…" Veronica's voice was intermittent, mixed with ambiguous gasps. "He… took a mission… ah… the target was to kill someone…"
"And then?" Zhang Jie asked impatiently.
"That person… was himself…"
"Himself?"
"Hmm… that is… the employer hired someone… hmm… to kill themselves…"
A sound of fabric rubbing came from the other end of the phone; Veronica seemed to have changed positions.
"Then he hired a bunch of bodyguards and assassins… to protect himself from being killed by himself…" She chuckled softly. "Very perverted, right? Ah…"
Damn it!
You're the most perverted right now!
What kind of perverted fetishes are these?
Couldn't she have just said it normally? Did she have to call at this moment?
But he had heard this much; not listening was not an option. After all, knowing yourself and your enemy ensures victory in every battle. Once he understood the whole story, he would have a better grasp of this mission.
Zhang Jie's frown deepened: "And then?"
"The mission was completed… the target was dealt with… but we always felt… hmm… something wasn't right…"
The sounds in the background suddenly sped up, and Veronica's voice became fragmented.
"Three years later… the mission appeared again… ah… no one completed it… everyone who took the mission died… and John's…"
"What? Everyone died? John's what?"
The sounds over there were too messy and too suggestive; he couldn't hear clearly at all!
Zhang Jie slammed on the brakes, and the car screeched to a halt by the roadside.
"Are you saying… people can resurrect? And John's what?"
"I wouldn't know that…" Veronica's voice had a pleasant tremor. "I can only tell you… Blackthorn Castle isn't that simple…"
A low grunt came from the other end of the phone, making Zhang Jie's eyebrows twitch, followed by silence from the other side.
Zhang Jie: "…"
F*ck!
How did I come to know such a woman?
Zhang Jie was so tormented he was starting to doubt his life.
"This time there will definitely be more than one assassin…" Veronica finally resumed normal breathing. "You need to be careful, my dear… ah…"
"Pfft!" Zhang Jie tossed the phone onto the back seat in disgust. "Crazy…"
Smoke swirled in the car, and Zhang Jie stared at the road ahead, his thoughts churning.
Why would John take on such a mission?
Why was the target the employer himself?
If he wanted to hire someone to kill himself, why would he then hire someone to protect himself?
Isn't that contradictory?
It's a dead hand, telling you to click randomly!
He was the one who clicked it with his own itchy hand… As soon as he thought of this, Zhang Jie directly extended his right hand, then slapped it several times with his left hand.
F*ck!
From Veronica's description, it wasn't hard to see that this mission was definitely not easy to handle, and there was even a high probability that it would cost him his life.
But… why did it reappear three years later?
Or rather… does it repeat every three years?
He lit another cigarette and took a deep drag.
So, John came along this time, first to protect himself, and second to find out the truth?
At this moment, the screen of the phone lying aside suddenly lit up again, displaying a message.
"This time I'm providing information for free. Next time it'll cost you, little brother ^_− "
In the rearview mirror, a black sedan had caught up again at some point, maintaining a distance of about 200 meters.
"Haunting…"
Zhang Jie sneered and stepped on the accelerator.
The Mercedes shot out like an arrow from a bow.
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T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
There should be... around 20+ advanced chapters?
[email protected]/TripleCrown
If you guys wanna check it out.