Ultimate Firepower

Gao Yi felt that with this mission as groundwork, he should have established enough trust by now.

With sufficient trust in place, naturally, he could move on to the next mission, and whether that big mission would bring in big money was secondary. The key was whether it could allow him to clear his debts.

But Luca's demeanor suggested he still had some hesitations, and when Gao Yi mentioned planning the next mission, he actually hesitated.

There had to be a problem, definitely a problem.

"Um, about the big mission, actually, there's no rush. This mission was meant to let you get a feel for being an assassin, to get familiar with the whole process from getting close to the target to completing the assassination, but..."

Luca spread his hands, a look of helplessness on his face, "But you did it too quickly. We were just going over to scout and you went straight to taking action. I admit it was very satisfying, beautifully done, but it didn't achieve the intended effect."

The original intention of this mission was for Gao Yi to practice, but well, he turned it into a show of skill.

Working too quickly was also a problem, something Gao Yi hadn't anticipated before.

However, since Luca was still unwilling to disclose the big mission, there was indeed a problem.

Even if practice was necessary, if you needed to familiarize yourself with how a conventional assassin operates, they could always talk about the big mission first. They could at least clarify what kind of mission it was, so Gao Yi would be mentally prepared and could study the characteristics of the big mission accordingly. That would be the normal approach.

Now Luca refused to discuss specifics of the mission, and it was obvious that he didn't want Gao Yi to know. There could only be one possibility.

Suddenly Gao Yi said, "This big mission is too difficult, has already claimed the lives of many assassins..."

Luca's eyes widened in shock, "You know?"

Gao Yi had guessed, but he hadn't guessed wrong, and Luca gave himself away with just one bluff.

"I didn't know before, now I do. Alright, stop trying to hide it, just speak up if there's something."

Luca remained silent for a while, but eventually nodded, giving in, "Alright, I have to tell you the truth, yes, this task is difficult..."

He watched into Gao Yi's eyes, trying to gauge his reaction. Seeing no change in Gao Yi's expression, Luca continued in a low voice, "This mission has already killed six assassins, and two mercenary groups also nearly perished because of this mission. So, the difficulty of this mission is indeed high."

Gao Yi sighed.

He wanted to say something but didn't know what to say. After struggling for a while, Gao Yi sighed deeply again, "One million dollars?"

Luca began operating on his phone, then showed the amount displayed on the screen, "You can see for yourself, it's one million dollars. I definitely won't lie about the reward."

Gao Yi gave a wry smile, "That's not what I mean. I'm asking if I can see the specific requirements of the mission, and any other detailed demands. I'm just curious about what a one million dollar mission looks like."

"This mission is a semi-public assignment, it has been around for three years now, and nobody has been able to complete it."

"I just finished a mission that hung around for three years, and this one is also three years?"

"Yes, but it's just a coincidence. Also, this mission is unlike the previous one; it's an open-ended assignment from the day it was posted. That is, the client has already paid the full amount to the Dark Web. No matter whether the mission is completed or not, the Dark Web will not refund the reward; it will simply keep the mission posted until someone completes it and claims the reward."

After thinking for a moment, Gao Yi surmised such missions were like an unredeemable pawn in a pawnshop.

"Six assassins dead, huh..."

Observing Gao Yi's expression turning a bit odd, Luca quickly said, "But this mission isn't impossible to complete. One million dollars, those assassin organizations don't care about it, and the assassins who did get killed were no good. They were just too dumb. I'm different; I have a complete plan."

"You mentioned that two Mercenary Groups also perished."

Luca laughed, "The target is a warlord. He's got at least three thousand troops. What a joke it would be for two small Mercenary Groups to try and forcefully take down a warlord!"

"Hmm, do you really have a good plan?"

"Yes, let me explain to you."

Luca again raised his phone, leaned in close to Gao Yi, and showed him a photo on the screen.

The photo depicted a black man, bulky and large, dressed in an ostentatious military uniform, donning huge sunglasses, and surrounded by at least a dozen armed guards.

"Gray Horace, fifty-two years old, the leader of the Liberian anti-government army, controls about three thousand troops. His domain includes just one city, Suakoko."

Taking back his phone, Luca continued, "Did you spot the problem? This is in the rainforest region of Liberia, extremely poor, and the city of Suakoko has less than fifty thousand people—almost exclusively black. Thus, any foreigner entering would be discovered almost instantly; it's practically impossible for outsiders to get close to Gray Horace!"

Gao Yi furrowed his brow, "Then, a yellow-skinned person entering would be even more likely to get noticed. Why would you still look for an Asian assassin?"

Luca's laughter had a hint of pride, "That's the central point of the entire plan. Suakoko has a Chinese restaurant, and Gray Horace visits at least once a month!"

Gao Yi had a moment of realization, "So, you need an Asian assassin capable of taking down Gray with bare hands!"

"Exactly, that's it! Of the previous six assassins, four were black. They thought their skin color would protect them, but that wasn't the case, since any outsiders entering Suakoko and approaching Gray Horace made it as if they had 'I am an assassin' written on their faces."

Luca waved dismissively, continuing, "The other two were Caucasian; one pretended to be a businessman, the other a documentary filmmaker, but these disguises were useless. For Gray Horace, it's simple: kill all who dare approach him, just that easy!"

"Wait for the target to approach me, and then I'll have the chance to strike. But there's a problem. If this city is so closed off and the military is loyal to the target, even if I succeed, how would I escape?"

Gao Yi looked sidelong at Luca, speaking in a low voice, "Don't you think I would be very likely to die in your plan?"

Luca shrugged, then with a perplexed look said, "Of course, there's a risk, but you're an assassin, aren't you? Why should you make five hundred thousand dollars if there's no risk?"

Gao Yi found himself at a loss for words.

Indeed, there's no easy money in this world.

But surely Gao Yi couldn't be expected to risk his life for someone else to make a fortune. Debts had to be paid, but not with his life.

If Luca couldn't come up with a good plan and really intended to set him up to die just to collect the money, Gao Yi wouldn't be polite about it.

Others tried to scheme against Gao Yi first, so what's the big deal if Gao Yi decided to default?

"Five hundred thousand is hard to earn, but one million is easier, right? Is there a chance that I kill the target and then get taken out by his bodyguards, while you claim the one million and declare the mission a success? Could that happen?"

Luca retorted angrily, "How could that be! Would I do such a thing? I will, of course, plan your escape route!"

"How's the escape?"

Luca spoke defiantly, "Haven't figured that out yet."

Gao Yi thought that managing not to beat Luca to death right now was already the biggest reward he could give him.

Seeing Gao Yi's displeased look, Luca still insisted, "The reason I didn't tell you the plan is that I haven't thought of a way to retreat. You kept asking. If you had waited for me to perfect the plan, there wouldn't be a problem to worry about, right?"

Once again, Gao Yi was left without words to reply.

Right, one can't blame someone for an imperfect plan they haven't finished yet—awkwardly worded, but that's the truth.

After pondering for a moment, Gao Yi finally said, "Okay, let's start brainstorming a good plan together now."

Luca sighed with reluctant agreement, "A true, formidable assassin can spend a year preparing and then in one second kill the target without anyone noticing, without any abnormalities, such that nobody even knows the target was murdered. That's the highest realm."

Studying Gao Yi closely, Luca shook his head, "You're obviously not that type."

Gao Yi nodded; he acknowledged the truth in Luca's words.

"There's another kind of assassin, one who through ample preparation creates an opportunity for a certain kill, silently takes out the target, and withdraws quietly before anyone perceives it. By the time someone notices, the assassin is long gone."

Luca gave another sigh, his face filled with resignation, "I hoped you were this type of assassin. My preparations were for this ideal scenario, but it's clear that you're not."

Gao Yi's style was simple: approach the target, take him out, and be done with it.

Seamless perfection was impossible for him, silence beyond his capacity. It was the seven-in and seven-out kind of fighting that was Gao Yi's style. However, the precondition was that the opponent shouldn't have guns.

Gao Yi sighed and then said, somewhat helplessly, "Silently take out the target, and be gone before anyone discovers... haha, your plan is no better than having none. I'd say..."

He suddenly paused.

"What are you saying?" Luca frowned slightly.

Gao Yi, looking at Luca's expectant eyes, somewhat embarrassed to say more, prodded, "Come on, tell me!"

Gao Yi cautiously said, "Well, silently take out the target and everyone around him, and be gone before anyone else notices. Could that also count as the second type?"

Luca stared blankly at Gao Yi, then perked up, dumfounded, "What did you just say? I think I understood you, but I don't quite grasp what you mean."

Gao Yi resigned himself to being frank, "Just take out everyone, and naturally, no one will know I was there. If I kill Gray Horace, his bodyguards will notice. So, what if I also take out all his bodyguards?"

Luca sucked in a breath, "Looks like I didn't misunderstand your point..."

Since the words were out, Gao Yi continued, "Could Gray eat a meal with hundreds of onlookers? Even if people surround the entire restaurant outside, there would be at most two or three people inside, maybe five or six, or seven or eight?"

Watching Luca remain dumbfounded, Gao Yi waved his hand, "I'll take out everyone inside, quietly, and then naturally, no one will discover, right?"

With what little reason Luca had left, he pondered a moment, then nodded, "Makes sense..."

He blurted out "makes sense," then quickly shook his head, his voice urgent, "No, no, that's not right. How can you be confident of instantly killing several people? If someone fires a gun, or even shouts, how will you wrap things up?"

Now Gao Yi felt his plan was feasible, and without hesitation, he said, "I'll strike when I have a chance; if there's no opportunity, I'll wait! If the chance isn't good, can't I just quietly watch the target finish eating? What if I move the next month he comes to eat, is that not alright? If not one month, then two, if not two, then half a year. Earning half a million dollars in half a year is fast enough, what else could make that much so quickly?"

Luca gawked, standing up and pacing in a small circle before stamping his foot and stretching a finger towards Gao Yi's nose, exclaiming, "You damn genius! We'll go with your plan!"