"Long time no see!"
As Russell sat down, Winston spoke calmly.
"It has indeed been a while," Russell replied with a smile.
"You brought Perkins here, are you trying to stand up for her? I remember that your relationship wasn't that good," Winston said, glancing at the heavily armed Perkins and then shifting his gaze back to Russell.
"While our relationship isn't that great, don't forget that I'm an assassin. If Perkins is willing to pay for my services, I won't refuse," Russell replied calmly, as if he were chatting with an old friend.
Upon hearing this, Winston furrowed his brow slightly as he was about to say something. At that moment, a stranger sitting nearby stood up and approached Russell. With an air of confidence, he introduced himself, "Mr. Bradley, hello, I'm Callum Lynch."
Russell had no intention of shaking hands with Callum, instead, he looked at him with suspicion.
Could it be?
First Godzilla and Titans, and now the Assassin Brotherhood and the Templars?
Although Russell hadn't seen Callum before, he was not unfamiliar with him.
Callum Lynch, the last surviving descendant of the de Nahar bloodline, a member of the Assassin Brotherhood, and a descendant of Aguilar de Nahar and Alonso de Borja.
If Godzilla and Mothra appearing in this world were somewhat understandable, the appearance of Callum Lynch from the Assassin's Creed universe was something Russell couldn't quite wrap his head around.
This world had its own Assassin's Creed video games, and they had already released several installments. Russell had played them during his office downtime.
Although the characters in the games were slightly different from what he remembered, and the storyline had some variations, the game's lore and world-building were consistent with what he had experienced before.
Godzilla and Mothra, being members of the legendary monster universe, could be somewhat explained.
But the Assassin Brotherhood and the Templars were a different story.
The Assassin's Creed movie had only one installment and couldn't be considered a cinematic universe.
Furthermore, this world had Assassin's Creed video games!
Wait a minute!
Could it be that the Assassin's Creed games in this world were actually produced and distributed by the Assassin Brotherhood?
Although it seemed far-fetched, upon closer examination, it wasn't entirely implausible.
Some self-made successful individuals liked to have autobiographies written for themselves, and the Assassin Brotherhood, with its long history, might have had certain events turned into video games as a form of storytelling.
Even though video games didn't have the same reach as movies or television, they were still a channel of communication.
"Mr. Bradley, do you know me?"
Seeing Russell's puzzled expression, Callum also looked puzzled.
As an Assassin, Callum strictly adhered to the Assassin's creed of staying discreet. Even the members of the High Table who were currently cooperating with the Assassin Brotherhood were not entirely clear about his background; they only knew that he came from a long-standing Assassin organization.
"I don't know you personally, but Mr. Lynch, you do look a lot like someone I remember," Russell replied with a smile.
"Is that so? Well, that's quite a coincidence," Callum responded with a smile of his own.
He didn't believe Russell's words.
Russell mentioning that Callum looked like someone he knew sounded like an offhand lie.
Callum had no way of knowing that Russell's words weren't a lie.
If this world had a Magneto in its history, a young Magneto would probably look like Callum.
However, Callum's appearance was somewhat different from what Russell remembered in the movies, which was why he didn't recognize him immediately.
"Mr. Lynch, are you affiliated with the High Table?" Russell asked.
"I'm not a member of the High Table myself, but my organization has some cooperation with them, so we could be considered allies," Callum replied slowly.
Allies?
Hearing Callum's answer, Russell had a hunch about why the Continental Hotel had suddenly arrested Perkins and other notorious hitmen.
The High Table didn't have the same kind of brainwashing technology as the Hydra, but the Assassin Brotherhood possessed abilities that were not dissimilar to the brainwashing techniques of the Hydra.
The Apples of Eden!
The Apples of Eden, numbers 1, 2, and 3, had the power to control the minds of others.
Judging from Callum's current situation, he probably had access to one of the Apples of Eden entrusted to him by Aguilar.
If the Assassin Brotherhood did indeed have the Apples of Eden, then the High Table's actions in arresting Perkins and the others could be justified.
While Perkins and the others were hired killers motivated by money, they did not adhere to the Assassin Brotherhood's values.
However, times had changed, and the Assassin Brotherhood had also evolved in some ways.
Moreover, if the Assassin Brotherhood had the Apples of Eden, they could easily brainwash Perkins and the others into becoming modern Assassins who aligned with the Brotherhood's values.
More importantly, since Perkins and the others were already famous hitmen with outstanding assassination and combat skills, they didn't require much training to become fresh blood for the Assassin Brotherhood.
However, there was still something Russell couldn't understand.
Although it was no longer the age of Assassins, the Assassin Brotherhood still had considerable strength.
If they needed fresh blood, they could use more traditional methods.
For example, they could cultivate new members from a young age or recruit targets who aligned more closely with the Brotherhood's values and then gradually assess them, instead of capturing famous hitmen like Perkins everywhere they went.
Unless the conflict between the Assassin Brotherhood and the Templars had reached a point where the Brotherhood urgently needed to replenish its ranks.
Otherwise, there was no explanation for why the Assassin Brotherhood was cooperating with the High Table.
No, the Assassin Brotherhood might not be cooperating with the High Table at all.
If they had the Apples of Eden, they could easily manipulate the High Table's representatives as if they were drinking water.
After some thought, Russell decided not to beat around the bush and asked directly, "Is the Brotherhood really in such dire need of recruits that they have to cooperate with hitmen with blood on their hands? It doesn't seem to align with the Brotherhood's principles."
Upon hearing Russell mention the Brotherhood, Callum's small movements didn't escape Russell's notice, but he didn't pay them any mind.
Although the hidden blades of the Assassin Brotherhood were dangerous, they were still cold weapons.
Trying to injure him with them was less effective than hoping he would choke on water.
At least the odds of him choking on water were a bit higher.