Chapter 1 The Phoenix

"Oh."

Xin Que had just reached the stairs outside the hotel lobby when she heard the sound and turned around to look.

She is the twin sister of the shop owner in the upper town.

The woman leaned against the Land Rover, crossed her arms, and greeted Xin Que.

"It's been so long, shall we find a coffee shop and chat for a bit?"

The mechanical device hidden in Xin Que's hair emitted a slight vibration.

Xin Que turned around, looked around, and finally fixed his gaze on the woman. "Okay, it's on me."

"Madam, your coffee."

The waiter placed two lattes from the tray in front of the two people.

"Is she really planning to retire?" The woman looked Xin Que over carefully and chatted with her with a smile.

Xin Que sat opposite the woman with a warm smile on his face, showing no trace of his former ruthless killing nature.

"Having been through so much, met so many people, and had enough of the adventures," Xin Que said with a smile.

"I know my own limitations. I'm just a nobody. I made enough money during those years of struggling. It's good that I'm backing down now."

The woman gave an awkward laugh upon hearing this.

Don't believe a killer's words.

For example, Xin Que said he was retiring, but he kept observing the actions of passersby around him.

“I was just passing through on my way as a deliveryman and stopped by to see you,” the woman said, standing up. “Also… I’ll pass on a message for Wasp.”

Xin Que slowly stood up. "It seems that the Huo family still has the energy to cause trouble."

The woman smiled and left side by side with Xin Que. "The Huo family is deeply rooted in Shangcheng and cannot be shaken overnight."

"But you, with your extensive involvement in the Huo family, have become quite famous in the industry."

"Now, those who want to win you over and those who want to kill you... I wonder how long the line is."

The woman lowered her voice as she walked to the Land Rover parked outside the coffee shop.

"The Wasp told me to tell you that the Huo family paid him a lot of money to take your life."

"He asked me to come and deliver the letter to you ahead of time because of our past relationship... but if we run into each other again, it's up to us to see who has the best chance."

The woman patted Xin Que on the shoulder. "You know, our boss is always neutral. He won't get involved in these things."

"I was allowed to deliver this message because of your immense value as an assassin..."

Xin Que simply smiled and said nothing.

Seeing that Xin Que did not respond, she remained silent for a moment, then turned around to face Xin Que. "Your advantage is too low if you fight alone now. The best solution is to join an organization that has a deterrent effect in the assassin world."

"With your abilities, becoming a high-ranking official would be a piece of cake. Now you're just wasting your future by living on the run."

Xin Que's smile remained unchanged. "Everyone has their own ambitions."

The woman knew this was a polite refusal, so she just sighed and didn't try to persuade her further.

"I hope I can get a coffee from you next time I come to see you." She waved her hand, turned around, opened the car door, and got in.

The Land Rover quickly sped away.

...

Who is the wasp?

After returning to her hotel room, Luo Huayi finally spoke, asking her, "Was it dangerous?"

“He’s a fellow traveler,” Xin Que said, quickly packing her luggage back at the bedside. “He’s not exactly dangerous, but his methods are quite troublesome.”

"I can't stay here any longer." Cheng Zheng had just transferred from the hotel room's control system to the carrier.

[There are many more channels outside the city network that are searching for your signal.]

[Many of them were familiar faces.]

When Xin Que put on her coat, picked up her suitcase, and went out, she had already changed her demeanor.

The sun had just set.

As I opened the car door and got in, the afterglow of the sunset still lingered as the SUV drove away from the hotel and onto the highway.

One by one, the streetlights lit up, taking over from the daytime to illuminate the approaching night.

"Xin Que." The car's infotainment system was blurry for a moment, then suddenly connected to an unfamiliar signal channel. "Long time no see."

A black and white snake head symbol floats in the center of the car's infotainment screen, making the male voice, which is masked by electronic sounds, even more mysterious.

Cheng Zheng has already hidden the system data he distributed in the vehicle's infotainment system to avoid being tracked down.

Xin Que kept his eyes straight ahead, continuing to steer the SUV at high speed on the highway. "Given our current position, it's best not to meet."

The snakehead flickered for a moment, "Judging from the information she brought back, it seems you're determined not to join us?"

Xin Que jerked the steering wheel, her peripheral vision catching sight of the black car she couldn't shake off in the rearview mirror.

"Viper, we're all in the same industry, there's no need for this useless nonsense."

"After dealing with the Huo family for so long, the only lesson I've learned is that no matter what organization you're backed by, you can't escape the fate of being exploited and drained of your value."

The snakehead didn't seem discouraged. "Xin Que, we've been working together for so long, you should know the principles I follow."

"We, these clandestine assassins, mostly operate within various factions, constantly on guard against betrayal from our backers, while also maintaining complete focus on carrying out our missions..."

“I believe this industry needs an authoritative intermediary that can intimidate everyone, so that these cities can be connected by ironclad rules that everyone fears.”

"Points connect to form lines, lines connect to form surfaces, and eventually our names will resound throughout the dark side of the world."

The male voice, disguised with electronic technology, grew increasingly louder, its infectiousness almost bursting through the disguise. "For this, I need your explanation."

Xin Que's lips twitched.

"Do you think we're filming a high-speed chase?" Xin Que quickly turned the steering wheel to full speed before the sharp bend. After a sharp sound of tires screeching against the asphalt, the SUV slid through the bend in a beautiful arc, its rear end narrowly missing the outer guardrail as it drifted through the bend.

"What did you say?" The snakehead didn't react.

The black car that was chasing her car didn't have time to react and crashed through the guardrail into the night.

“Viper, let’s forget about working together, but I can give you some naming inspiration for the brokerage business you want to build.” Xin Que floored the accelerator again and sped off to the next destination.

Xin Que said seriously, "I suggest you open a chain of hotels all over the world, and set up a high table conference... How about calling it the Killer Hotel?"

The viper "..."

His assistive system had already projected the movie poster onto the portable screen in front of him.

[Following Ms. Fire Magpie's suggestion, a movie matching the requirements has been found. The Killer Hotel is the villain in this film.]

Would you like me to connect a projector for playback?

The snake head symbol flashed for a moment and then disappeared from the car's infotainment screen.

The mechanical device nestled in the crook of her neck, confirming the signal had been lost, finally spoke, [sounding as if the other party was furious].

"The Viper's intelligence network and black market are enormous, and he's much more cautious than I am, a lone wolf."

Xin Que didn't take it seriously, "Don't worry, he won't rashly turn against us old partners."

Cheng Zheng reconnected to the car's infotainment screen. ["We won't be staying in this country much longer... What should we do next?"]

"If you can't stay in this country, go to another country. If all else fails, leave this continent."

Xin Que's nonchalant voice dissipated in the howling wind outside the car window, "Anyway, my retirement is a done deal, and no one can stop me."

Cheng Zheng's signal indicator suddenly froze for a moment.

[Received an email from user "Wasp".]

The woman and the mechanical device beneath her collar both looked at the car's infotainment screen.

The email was detected to contain a virus.

[Type: Infectious - Completed Virus]

End of article