The instant the gunshot rang out, under the barrage of intense firepower, Ji Ruyi, the assassin from the Suo Ming Sect who had appeared so calm and collected since her debut, finally revealed her true nature in the face of danger.
Driven by instinct, she instinctively lowered her body, covering her head with both hands.
Compared to her previous demeanor, her fear of death at this moment was a monumental irony!
However, even more ironic things were yet to come.
After the gunshot, the twin brothers beside her, after confirming each other's safety, practically lunged at me simultaneously.
But just as they were about to charge and pounce on me, Ji Ruyi's body inexplicably collapsed to the ground, her chest showing no signs of blood.
It was clear that Ji Ruyi's fall was not due to being shot.
In a sense, she had been scared into paralysis!
With Ji Ruyi collapsing, the twin brothers immediately stopped. They both crouched down and, taking positions on either side, pulled her up from the ground.
If a person dies suddenly, nothing else matters.
Conversely, as long as one is alive… the concept of face is definitely paramount!
Especially for those in the martial world, face is almost synonymous with life itself.
This was precisely why the twin brothers abandoned their intention to subdue me and instead rushed to support Ji Ruyi.
Ji Ruyi's entire body was trembling uncontrollably, and her face no longer held the cold arrogance she displayed upon her arrival.
It was only after being helped to her feet again that the mountains rising and falling on her chest gradually calmed down.
As expected, my gamble paid off!
My previous observations and deductions about Ji Ruyi were not wasted effort or thought.
Ji Ruyi was indeed from the martial world, but she lacked any aura of a martial artist.
Instead, she possessed a distinct merchant's air, habitually talking about money and insisting on rules and logic.
It was only the twin brothers who were the true assassins of the Suo Ming Sect!
I mentioned before that the Suo Ming Sect is very mysterious, but its mystery far exceeds your imagination!
Even now, people in the martial world know that the Suo Ming Sect still exists intact, but few can find their traces.
While individuals like Camel, who are from the Que Men sect, might be reclusive in the wild, they at least maintain a coffee shop as a front for their business, making them traceable for those who can find his contact information.
But the Suo Ming Sect is different. These people no longer operate openly in the martial world; instead, they specialize in rebuilding and organizing their structure within the virtual online world.
To put it plainly, they've created a website, much like the darkest "dark web" of later generations.
Furthermore, to operate this website effectively, the Suo Ming Sect not only hires renowned hackers with significant investment to design a series of protective measures for the platform but also assigns professional agents to each of their active assassins.
The general model is quite similar to what is depicted in the movie "King of Killers."
In essence, there is not only a direct financial tie between assassins and their agents but also an indirect supervisory relationship.
Where there are assassins, agents are present, and vice versa!
It is precisely because the Suo Ming Sect possesses the determination to cut off its own limbs and keep pace with the times to continuously improve and adapt that it can thrive and survive in a harmonious society.
And rumor has it, their business is quite substantial!
If you ask me how I know so much, it's because ever since He Guan made his earth-shattering escape through a massive explosion that night, I had been worried that Xiao Tianci would resort to desperate measures and hire assassins.
Therefore, afterward, I proactively sought out Camel and diligently learned much about the Que Men and the Suo Ming Sect.
It was also because of this prior knowledge of the Suo Ming Sect that I wasn't nervous when Ji Ruyi announced her affiliation earlier; I was only startled when she called out my real name.
A significant reason why the Suo Ming Sect's contracts are often successful stems from the excellent coordination between assassins and their agents, which easily distracts the victim's focus and targets.
If I hadn't foreseen all this in advance, and if I hadn't had a gun in my hand, I might have been truly intimidated by Ji Ruyi just now.
At that point, I probably wouldn't have known until my death that the real assassins weren't Ji Ruyi at all, but the twin brothers who appeared to be mere bodyguards.
Getting back to the main point…
Not long after the gunshot subsided, Camel's figure appeared in the private room.
At this moment, the muzzles of two Black Star pistols were aimed squarely at Ji Ruyi and the twin brothers!
Ji Ruyi, her emotions gradually calming, looked at me with a dazed expression and asked, "You… you saw through the lunch today as a Hongmen Banquet in advance, didn't you?"
Of course, I couldn't tell Ji Ruyi the truth, that it wasn't like that at all, but rather that I was naturally cautious and stumbled upon it by chance.
Seeing my silence, Ji Ruyi patted her left chest lightly and sighed deeply, lowering her head as she said, "Alright, you win!"
"Do as you please, whether it's killing or torture!"
On the surface, it seemed like I had won, but given the Suo Ming Sect's principle of not giving up until their objective is met, this round could at best be considered a draw.
What I won was merely some breathing room.
To resolve this matter completely, I needed to find the mastermind who offered an eight-figure bounty to hunt me down.
Then, I would confront that person face-to-face, adopting a life-for-a-life desperate stance to force them to revoke the kill order.
Otherwise, from this point forward, I would only be passively on the run, endlessly caught in an inescapable cycle of being chased and chasing…
With this thought, I looked at Ji Ruyi and said, "Give me a name!"
"What? What name?"
Ji Ruyi seemed not to have fully recovered her senses, asking blankly.
"Since you accepted the contract, you should know who issued it?"
Before Ji Ruyi could speak, I added, "Don't tell me you don't know! According to your Suo Ming Sect's rules, the client must pay thirty percent of the reward upfront as operating expenses for your mission!"
"With an eight-figure reward, even thirty percent is a solid seven figures!"
"Such a large transaction amount would definitely have to be a bank transfer! The transfer record would have that name!"
"If you're worried about breaking the rules and find it difficult, then just give me a surname, and I'll find the rest myself!"
"This is my bottom line, and I won't repeat it a second time!"
This time, the one who answered my question was not Ji Ruyi, but the twin brother with the buzz cut, who appeared more imposing.
The buzz-cut brother tilted his head, a contemptuous smile in his eyes as he stared at me and asked, "If I don't say, what are you going to do to me?"
Hearing this, I immediately turned my gun, slowly aiming it at the buzz-cut man, and stared him down, saying coldly, "Then I'll start with you, one shot at a time, until someone is willing to speak!"