The Continental, New York.
Front Desk.
“Good morning, Mr. Lin.”
“Good morning.”
Nate shoved Marcus into a chair beside the front desk.
“I need to go to Administration to confirm the contract.”
Charon glanced at Marcus, then at Nate’s battered appearance.
For the first time, his usual professional smile changed into something genuine.
Approval.
“Someone is on duty in Administration.” He stepped out from behind the front desk and led Nate toward the hidden door.
“Please follow me.”
…
Administration, The Continental.
“This is the contract completion form. Please fill in the contract number and the target’s identifying information.”
The middle-aged woman from yesterday was gone.
In her place sat a young man with glasses behind the service window.
He handed Nate a form as he spoke.
Nate took the pen, wrote “Marcus Chen” under target identification, then signed his own name.
The young man took the form, verified Marcus’s identity, typed several lines into the computer, then looked up.
“Contract NY-2021-0901 has been confirmed as completed.
“Contract type: Private Bounty. Target alive. The bounty has been increased by fifty percent, for a total of $82,500. Ten percent will be deducted for hotel operations, and the remainder will be deposited into your account within two hours. These are your gold coins.”
The young man slid a small box across the counter.
Eight gold coins were neatly arranged inside.
Then he stood, folded his hands in front of himself, and gave a slight bow.
“Congratulations on completing your first contract.”
[Host completed first bounty. Commission completed! Reward issued: Trait acquired: Eagle Eye (Lv. 1)]
[Eagle Eye (Lv. 1): Vision enhanced by 30%. Firearm proficiency increased by 10%.]
Nate immediately felt his vision sharpen.
At the same time, knowledge of various firearms flooded into his mind.
He took three gold coins from the box and looked at the young man.
“I need to know who put the bounty on me.”
“Of course, sir.”
The young man worked at the computer for a moment, then pulled up the information for Nate.
“Contract Number: NY-2021-0892.”
“Target: Nate Lin.”
“Bounty Type: Open Bounty.”
“Bounty Amount: $400,000.”
“Contract Status: Active.”
“Bounty Issuer…”
The young man pressed Enter one final time.
A new line appeared on the screen.
He glanced at it, and his expression shifted slightly.
Then he turned the monitor toward Nate, bringing the name and photograph into the warm glow of the desk lamp.
Nate leaned closer.
The screen displayed a profile in much the same format as the bounty target files he’d seen before.
In the upper left corner was a photograph of a middle-aged man with sharply defined features.
His black hair was combed immaculately into place, and he wore a custom-tailored dark blue suit.
The corners of his mouth were turned slightly downward, and there was an arrogance in his eyes that seemed to come naturally to him.
Several lines of text appeared beneath the photograph.
“Name: Vincent Lin.”
“Age: 44.”
“Position: Executive Director of the North American Division of Everrise Group, an organization under the High Table. Alternate member of the High Table’s Twelve-Member Council.”
“Relationship to target…”
Nate’s gaze stopped on the final line.
“Biological father.”
The clatter of typewriters and the low murmur of operators inside Administration seemed to fade away like a receding tide.
The entire world went silent.
Nate stared at those words for five seconds without any expression on his face.
“Vincent Lin.”
He repeated the name quietly.
The young man glanced at him but said nothing.
He simply handed over a printed sheet.
“This contains the complete information you requested, sir. Three gold coins.”
Nate copied what he’d seen people do in movies, placing the three coins on the counter and sliding them across.
They scraped softly against the wood.
He took the information sheet, folded it, slipped it into his pocket, then pushed Marcus along as he left Administration.
Charon was still standing neatly behind the front desk, a cup of tea in one hand.
He watched Nate approach, his gaze lingering briefly on Nate’s calm expression before tilting his head slightly.
“Would you like me to take care of this man for you?”
He gestured toward Marcus with his chin.
“What happens to him?”
“Once a contract has been completed, The Continental can arrange for the target to be delivered to the bounty issuer on your behalf. The fee is one gold coin.”
Charon set his teacup aside.
“Also, that vehicle doesn’t look particularly appropriate parked outside the entrance. I’ve already had someone move it into the underground garage. Would you like us to handle the repairs and transfer of ownership as well? That will also cost one gold coin.”
Nate nodded, took out two gold coins, and handed them to Charon.
Charon accepted them politely, picked up the phone, dialed a number, exchanged a few words with whoever answered, then hung up.
“Everything has been arranged. You may return to your room and rest.”
He paused.
“One more thing, Mr. Lin.”
Charon glanced at Nate’s left calf, which was still bleeding.
“Would you like me to arrange for The Doctor?”
“Yes, thank you.”
Nate took out another gold coin and handed it over.
“You may give it directly to The Doctor, though I can pass it along for you if you prefer.”
Nate picked up the heavy little box.
Five gold coins had become two in the blink of an eye.
He glanced at Charon, then turned silently toward the elevator.
…
Room 307.
The moment the door closed behind him, Nate let out a long breath.
The wounds on his calf and shoulder burned painfully.
He didn’t turn on the lights.
He didn’t even take off his shoes.
Instead, he walked through the darkness to the floor-to-ceiling window and stood there, staring out at the city.
It was four in the morning in New York.
The sky was beginning to lighten, while only scattered lights remained on among the skyscrapers, like isolated scales across the body of some sleeping giant.
This day was finally over.
Nate pulled the information sheet from his pocket and read it again by the city lights outside.
“Vincent Lin. Forty-four years old. Executive Director of the North American Division of Everrise Group, an organization under the High Table. Candidate for the High Table’s Twelve-Member Council.”
His biological father.
Fragments of the body’s original memories came together in Nate’s mind, forming the vague silhouette of a tall man.
A man who had never come home.
The original Nate’s mother had died when he was eight.
Vincent hadn’t even appeared at her funeral.
Nate smiled.
It was barely a smile at all, so faint that it might have gone unnoticed.
But if anyone had been standing in front of him at that moment, seeing that smile would have sent a chill down their spine.
It wasn’t the smile of someone crushed by fate.
It was the smile of a hunter who had finally learned where his prey was hiding.
Nate tossed the information sheet onto the sofa across from him, then leaned back into another couch without caring that the blood on his clothes was staining the expensive upholstery.
“Vincent Lin,” he said again.
“A four-hundred-thousand-dollar bounty on your own son.”
“You waited all these years before making your move. What were you waiting for?”
Nate began sorting through the memories.
The original Nate had known almost nothing about his father.
He had been too young back then, and after so many years, most of the details had faded.
But as Nate pieced the scattered fragments together, a vague picture began to emerge.
Twelve years ago, when the original Nate was seven, Vincent suddenly cut off all contact with his mother.
There had been no argument.
No explanation.
Not even a phone call.
His mother’s bank accounts were frozen, their apartment was taken away, and the two of them became homeless almost overnight.
Nate didn’t know why.
But one line on the information sheet seemed to offer an answer.
“Candidate for the High Table’s Twelve-Member Council.”
A candidate for the High Table…
Vincent was one of the senior members of Everrise Group.
Everrise Group was an organization under the High Table that controlled much of the underground business along the East Coast of North America.
Smuggling, money laundering, loan sharking, along with perfectly legitimate-looking real estate holdings and international trading companies used as fronts.
Vincent had come to New York from Hong Kong twenty years ago.
He had started as a nobody and climbed step by step until he became Executive Director of the North American Division.
Now he was even a candidate for one of the High Table’s Twelve seats.
Impressive, wasn’t it?
But…
“Why kill me? Why the hell do you want me dead?”
Nate closed his eyes, trying not to think about it.
But one thought after another kept forcing its way into his head.
Fuck!
Nate slammed his fist into the couch, forcefully cutting off those irritating thoughts.
“This body may be your son’s, but I’m not him!”
“I don’t care who you are. If you want me dead, I’ll kill you first.”
[Ding. New System Quest issued.]
[System Quest 2: End the bounty on yourself. Reward: Trait Copy Card. Bonus: Trait Viewer.]
Trait Copy Card?
Trait Viewer?
Did that mean other people in this world had Traits too?
Nate checked his phone.
6:03 a.m.
His bounty was already active.
From this moment on, anywhere outside The Continental was no longer safe.