Damn it!
Why are there so few of them?!
Lock suddenly felt like an idiot.
Oh, right, the weekend!
What a genius he was!
Sure, it might look like an ordinary, run-of-the-mill textile factory from the outside, but at its core, it's a true assassin incubator.
Weekends?
Assassins have weekends?
What kind of assassins even *have* weekends?! What kind of assassin goes out partying in plain sight?
But...
He thought the US had something called "labor slavery," like 996—9 AM to 9 PM, six days a week. But apparently, that's not the case, or at least not in New York...
If the company's boss tried that... he'd be kicked out of office immediately.
So what should he do?
Wait?
Lock looked at the windless sky, which seemed to suggest that today wasn't the best day for a dance of death. Considering there were only a dozen or so kittens there, it wasn't profitable to go at all.
What's more, George showed up there too.
Just then...
Lock's attention was drawn to a fiery-red sports car driving out of the textile factory's grounds.
Ding!
[Mission Created.]
[Mission: Scent of a Woman in the Night, Night Visitor.]
[Reward: 1,000 Achievement Points, 1,000 Potential Points.]
[Mission: Not Sleeping at Night is the Worst Evil! Tsk!]
— ...
Lock raised an eyebrow.
Well... alright?
This is good.
First my car... and now my house?
That's fine.
It's just... Brotherhood, you sons of bitches. If you want death so badly... you're dead!
Lock looked at the textile factory with an expressionless face, then turned away.
Friday?
Who cares, I'm a real assassin, I don't get weekends!
Lock's revenge never lasted longer than one night, but now, not only were there only a few birds at the factory, he also didn't have time to play hide-and-seek.
And most importantly...
Who knows, maybe the system wouldn't even give him extra points for playing hide-and-seek.
Manhattan.
Fifth Avenue.
Star Building.
Wesley, sitting in the passenger seat, looked up, gazed out the window at the Star Building, its view as bright as starlight in the night, and asked with some curiosity: — He's an orphan, isn't he?
People are envious creatures.
Wesley felt strange; he wasn't an orphan, yet he lived worse than a sixteen-year-old kid.
That's... strange.
Is he really sixteen?
Fox looked at the twenty-eighth floor of the Star Building, her expression darkening: — He's an orphan, but not poor. He has an inheritance. Instead of saying he's an orphan, it would be more accurate to say he's a rich second-generation with the title of an orphan.
— ...
No wonder he could afford a house Wesley couldn't even dream of.
Damn capitalists.
Just then...
— There he is.
— What?
Wesley followed Fox's gaze and saw a silver Audi R8 exit the parking lot and speed past their fiery-red sports car.
Fox started the car and followed the Audi.
Lock looked in the rearview mirror, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly.
He absolutely wouldn't let his new home be touched the way his car had been.
And most importantly...
Lock hadn't intended to reveal himself so early.
— System, upgrade driving!
[Upgrading Driving skill from 'Beginner' to 'Intermediate' requires 1,000 Potential Points. Are you sure you want to upgrade this skill?]
— ...upgrade to Advanced!
[Upgrading Driving skill from...]
— Just upgrade it already!
[Upgrade successful, 2,000 Potential Points consumed. Enjoy!]
[Driving: Advanced Level.]
Just like that, two levels at once.
In Texas, strange as it may sound, Lock got around on horseback. After all, you don't need a license for a horse.
And...
The 'Beginner' driving skill had been with Lock from the very beginning.
Lock, a veteran driver in his past life, found his driving skills rated only 'Beginner' by the system.
This severely wounded his pride, as he considered himself practically a god of driving.
However, sooner or later, the driving skill had to be upgraded to the Advanced level. With that level, he wouldn't need to upgrade it again for about five years.
Now, he wasn't the best driver in the world.
But compared to someone like Paul Walker or Dominic Toretto, he might not be half bad.
Lock took out his sunglasses and put them on, glancing at the fiery-red sports car in the center of his rearview mirror.
The fun begins.
Time for a handbrake turn!
— Something seems off!
Fox, following the silver car, immediately noticed something was off when Lock accelerated. Suddenly, he yanked the handbrake and executed a 'police turn,' instantly landing in the opposite lane and speeding away from them in the other direction. Fox also yanked the handbrake and spun her car around to not lose his trail, shocking Wesley.
Wesley was an assassin.
A true assassin should, in a sense, be versatile, but Wesley was different. He couldn't do anything but shoot, and shoot very accurately. Analysis, information gathering... all that was new to him, but his shooting skills made up for everything.
The Brotherhood didn't bother to teach Wesley anything beyond shooting.
After all...
To the textile factory, Wesley was merely a tool, specifically developed to work with Cross.
But Fox, who was driving now, was a true professional!
Boom!
Lock's car hit a bump and launched 70 meters through the air!
— Holy hell!
— Damn!
Behind him followed the fiery-red Maserati, driven by Fox.
Wesley, sitting in the passenger seat, tightly gripped the door handle, feeling an insane amount of adrenaline surge through his body every second.
Fox narrowed her eyes.
She understood.
Fox stared at the silver R8 ahead, where Lock was reflected in the rearview mirror through the back window, his deathly gaze fixed on them like targets.
Fox quickly drew her pistol.
Boom!
She leaned her arm out the window and fired. A yellow bullet instantly shot out, heading toward the driver of the car in front.
But...
Lock quickly turned the steering wheel. The bullet struck the Audi R8's body, leaving a mark, then ricocheted, losing all its force.
Lock drifted and turned right, executing a sharp 180-degree turn.
Tsk, tsk, tsk. How rude to visit someone and then pursue them.
Now, taste my lead.
Lock's ears twitched slightly, and the moment his right hand reached for the window, a [Silver Dancer] appeared in his hand, having been placed in the item panel.
Boom!
— Get down!
Boom!
— ...