"Eh?"
As they brushed past each other, Zhao Ling'er's bright eyes lingered, and she couldn't help but turn back to glance at Lin Hao.
"Why does this man's silhouette feel so familiar?"
Her brows furrowed slightly, staring at Lin Hao's figure for a split second of stupefaction.
"He's just a blind man; it's impossible for him to be here."
Zhao Ling'er shook her head silently, shifting her gaze to Lin Hao's feet.
His steps were steady, each stride purposeful and not the cautious probing of a blind person.
Zhao Ling'er didn't think much of it, and after curiously observing Lin Hao for a few moments, she turned and left.
The interior of the shop resembled an armory.
Lin Hao noticed that the counter displayed various weapons, but the majority were daggers and thin swords suitable for assassination.
Clearly, this place not only sold assassination missions for a commission but also trafficked weapons to assassins.
"If you're here just to buy weapons, I'm sorry to say we're not conducting business today," said a middle-aged shopkeeper with a mustache, sizing up Lin Hao as he entered.
Lin Hao's voice was deliberately cold as he responded, "Cut the chatter, I'm here for work."
Hearing this, the shopkeeper's demeanor turned more solemn, and he looked at Lin Hao with a new wariness.
Those who came here for work were all ruthless assassins, and he dared not offend them, lest he not know how he'd die one day.
"May I have the honor of your name?" the shopkeeper asked with much more politeness.
In the world of assassins, though they never reveal their true identities, each assassin has their own codename, creating an informal ranking list.
Lin Hao thought for a moment and replied indifferently, "Jing Ke."
Jing Ke?
The shopkeeper paused, having never heard the name before. Could this be a novice?
With this thought, the shopkeeper gave Lin Hao a few skeptical looks.
But the conical hat obscured Lin Hao's face from his curious gaze.
"Our shop offers tasks of four different levels: ordinary, intermediate, difficult, and red notice," the shopkeeper explained, looking at Lin Hao. "Which kind are you looking to take on?"
"Ordinary, and preferably not too far away," Lin Hao replied, not intending to dabble in difficult assassination missions on his first job.
As for the so-called red notice, it was easy to guess that these were ultra-difficult missions involving the assassination of top-tier powerhouses that no one had been able to accomplish.
Hearing this, the shopkeeper didn't say much, but a flicker of disdain crossed his eyes.
So he was indeed a rookie, no wonder he was taking on such ordinary tasks.
He went to the counter, picked up a large stack of papers, and began to flip through them.
"Here we go."
The shopkeeper soon said with a faint smile, "You're in luck. There's an ordinary task available right here in our Tianwu City."
As he spoke, the shopkeeper handed Lin Hao a piece of paper.
It was the details of an assassination mission, marked in the top right corner with a crimson 'kill'!
Target: Chen Dajiu
Age: 38
Strength: Second-level warrior
Identity: Owner of the Everyday Gambling Den
Habitual location: Everyday Gambling Den
Subordinates: Twenty-three people, all first-level warriors
Bounty: One hundred thousand taels
...
The information above was very detailed, listing all the heinous acts of rape, kidnapping, and bullying committed by the target.
It even included a portrait of the assassination target, who looked ferocious with a vicious scar across the left side of his face.
Lin Hao read through it carefully and nodded to himself.
Such a villain deserved no pity in death.
And what attracted Lin Hao most was the bounty of the mission; indeed, it was a good channel to make quick money.
"According to the rules, we take a thirty percent commission," the middle-aged shopkeeper stated soberly. "Once the task is completed, someone from our shop will verify the death of the prey."
"Mm."
Lin Hao nodded indifferently and then turned to leave.
After deducting the thirty percent commission, he would still have seventy thousand taels in hand, which was not bad at all.
After asking a passerby for the location of the Everyday Gambling Den, Lin Hao quickly arrived at his destination.
In front of him was a gambling house, with the character 'Gambling' hanging above, quite eye-catching.
The doors were closed tight, but the howls of despair from within could still be heard.
In such a place, those who lost money suffered.
Next to the gambling house was a pawnshop that accepted any item of value. After pawning, one could exchange it for money and then go back to the gambling house for a few more rounds.
The shrewd knew that the proximity of the gambling house and the pawnshop always operated on a win-win system.
One earned a commission, the other the gambling capital; placed side by side, the two establishments created an excellent profit chain.
"Little Fly, find the prey, quick battle, quick decision."
Lin Hao gave an order, then turned to stand in a corner on the side of the street, quietly waiting.
He had no interest in entering such a murky gambling den.
Buzz!
Upon receiving the command, Kung Fu Fly suddenly burst from Lin Hao's shoulder and entered through a window in the rear wall.
"Open! Three fives, triple kill!"
"Is there something wrong with these dice, damn it, triples again?!"
"If I lose the next round, I'll pawn my house for money. I can't believe I won't turn this around!"
Inside the gambling house, there were ten gambling tables, all filled with the raucous noise of the gamblers, incredibly loud.
In each corner of the room stood enforcers of the gambling den, each one looking fierce and strong.
With these enforcers around, ordinary people didn't dare to cause any trouble here.
In a rest area at the far end of the gambling tables, Chen Dajiu sat in a chair, wrapping his arms around a worldly woman, his hands freely kneading her body.
"The dealer introduced by Lao Ba is good. Recently, I can earn at least a million!"
Looking at the gamblers who were losing money, Chen Dajiu showed a satisfied smile.
And as he grinned, the hideous scar on his face twisted slightly, making him look even more vicious.
"That's him."
Lin Hao, through the vision of Kung Fu Fly, locked onto Chen Dajiu immediately.
"Kill."
Lin Hao gave the order without hesitation.
Kung Fu Fly headed straight for Chen Dajiu's location at a steady pace.
However, Kung Fu Fly didn't immediately attack; instead, it flew around Chen Dajiu, waiting for an opportunity.
Evidently, after advanced enhancement, Kung Fu Fly now possessed a certain level of intelligence.
About ten breaths later, Kung Fu Fly began to act, cautiously approaching from behind Chen Dajiu.
Chen Dajiu, a second-level warrior with heightened senses, seemed to notice something approaching from behind and abruptly turned to look.
Kung Fu Fly executed a beautiful quick turn, bypassing from the side.
Then it landed on the back of the worldly woman, cautiously watching Chen Dajiu.
It was waiting for a good opportunity.
An excellent chance for a one-strike kill!
It was hard to imagine that Kung Fu Fly had fully assumed the role of an assassin, opting not to confront directly.