Hayden’s pupils dilated in surprise.
The mysterious sniper on the rooftop had actually been her.
“Why did you help me?” Hayden asked.
“Because Garrison Cross, and by extension the Azure Syndicate, is our mutual enemy.” Valerie smiled faintly, pouring herself another glass of whiskey.
Hayden did not mind her drinking on his tab.
He simply pushed the entire bottle across the bar toward her.
“I am honestly surprised you managed to escape Garrison’s kill squad.
Care to tell me how you pulled it off?” Valerie leaned in close.
Her breath was warm and smelled of expensive bourbon, a slight flush coloring her cheeks.
“I killed them all.
Including Garrison,” Hayden replied with absolute calm.
Valerie raised an elegant eyebrow, a highly amused smile touching her lips.
She clearly did not believe a single word of it.
A rookie assassin taking out an entire heavily armed cell of the Azure Syndicate?
It was an absurd joke.
She shook her head.
This rookie was surprisingly humorous.
Since he was unwilling to tell her the truth about how he escaped, she decided not to press the issue.
“Are you free right now?” Valerie checked the sleek tactical watch on her wrist.
“I need to take you to meet someone.
We can discuss the details in the car.
Time is running out.” Hayden quickly considered his options.
When Valerie had approached him, his Wallhacks had not detected a hostile red bounding box around her.
She carried no malicious intent.
Furthermore, she had saved his life earlier that night.
Following her lead could not hurt.
If anything went wrong, he could simply blast his way out.
Hayden downed the rest of his whiskey and stood up.
“Let’s go.” …
Late at night.
Summit Heights.
This was the most exclusive, affluent residential district in Rookwood City, where sprawling luxury estates were nestled into the lush mountainside.
A Glacier White Audi RS5 roared as it tore up the winding mountain roads.
Valerie maneuvered the high-performance vehicle with surgical precision, proving herself to be an expert driver.
Hayden sat in the passenger seat, silently piecing together the political landscape of the city.
Through his conversation with Valerie on the drive, he had finally grasped the overarching structure of the underworld.
The two major assassin factions in Rookwood, the Obsidian Cartel and the Azure Syndicate, were secretly backed by massive corporate conglomerates.
Apex Corporation funded the Obsidian Cartel.
The Vance Corporation funded the Azure Syndicate.
Everything suddenly clicked into place.
That was exactly why Marcus Vance had been so friendly with Garret Cross at the nightclub.
Apex Corporation had likely hired Valerie to investigate the Azure Syndicate.
The corporation undoubtedly suspected that their rival, the Vance Corporation, had used the Azure Syndicate to assassinate their CEO a few nights ago.
If Hayden played his cards right, he could manipulate this corporate warfare and secure a massive, high-tier bounty directly from Apex Corporation.
The Audi rolled to a halt in front of a colossal, heavily fortified manor.
The dark silhouette of the estate resembled a crouching behemoth.
Two rows of heavily armed private military contractors stood at the reinforced iron gates, holding the leashes of aggressive wolfhounds.
The security captain recognized Valerie behind the wheel and immediately signaled his men to open the gates.
As the Audi slowly rolled onto the grounds, Hayden discreetly activated his Wallhacks.
The entire estate lit up with glowing bounding boxes.
The sheer volume of security personnel was staggering.
Looking up at the dark ridges overlooking the property, he spotted several more isolated boxes.
He guessed those were hidden sniper nests.
The combination of visible patrols and hidden overwatch created an impenetrable fortress.
Hayden followed Valerie out of the car and into the main house.
An elegant head maid escorted them into the grand living room.
The interior was as opulent as a royal palace, dripping with priceless art and antique furniture.
Hayden could not help but marvel at the immense wealth of a top-three conglomerate.
“Ahhh!” A bloodcurdling, heart-wrenching scream suddenly echoed through the hall.
A man lay on his back in the center of the plush carpet.
He was covered in blood, his limbs shattered and his face mangled beyond recognition.
It was Garret Cross.
Hayden recognized the one-armed gang leader instantly.
He had never expected Garret to end up in the hands of Apex Corporation.
Garret finally passed out, unable to endure the agony any longer.
A large group of elites sat on the surrounding luxury sofas, dressed in bespoke suits and dripping in expensive jewelry.
Standing in the center of the room was a gray-haired elderly man.
He was holding a heavy titanium golf club.
The club was entirely coated in fresh blood.
Drops of crimson splattered onto the pristine rug.
A team of maids stood nearby, silently wiping the blood off the carpet the moment it landed.
“Uncle Elias, I brought him,” Valerie announced, gesturing for Hayden to take a seat in the guest area.
Hearing Valerie’s voice, Elias Sterling handed the bloody golf club to a nearby bodyguard.
The vicious, murderous look on his face instantly softened.
Elias snapped his fingers.
Two maids quickly emerged from behind a decorative screen, serving Valerie and Hayden a pot of premium tea and delicate pastries.
The surrounding corporate elites treated Valerie with extreme reverence.
When they looked at Hayden, however, their eyes were filled with thinly veiled doubt.
“That is Elias Sterling,” Valerie leaned in and whispered in Hayden’s ear.
“He is the original founder of Apex Corporation.
He stepped down a few years ago to let his younger brother take over as CEO.
Since his brother was just assassinated, Elias has returned to the throne.” “The people sitting around us are the President, the Board of Directors, and the Vice Presidents of Apex Corporation.
A few of them are even high-ranking politicians tied to the family by marriage.” Hayden raised an eyebrow.
These were the true masters of the city.
Normally, an ordinary college student like him would be lucky to scrub toilets for a low-level subsidiary of this empire.
Now, he was sitting in their inner sanctum.
Elias Sterling narrowed his eyes at Hayden.
He completely ignored the young man for a moment, turning his attention back to the K7 sniper.
“Miss Quinn, thank you for coming out so late.
You must be exhausted.” “It is no trouble at all, Uncle Elias,” Valerie smiled.
“Mr.
Brooks here might have some valuable information regarding the Azure Syndicate.” She turned to look at Hayden.
Every single eye in the grand hall instantly locked onto him.
“Mr.
Brooks,” Elias said, his voice a low, commanding rumble.
“Did you happen to see a specific man held captive at the Azure Syndicate warehouse tonight?” Elias gave a brief description of the man’s appearance and clothing.
Hayden frowned, a vivid memory flashing in his mind.
The description perfectly matched the broken man who had been fed to the starving hounds.
“You mean the General Manager of your corporation?” Hayden asked flatly.
Everyone in the room sat up straight.
The casual atmosphere vanished.
Elias Sterling’s gaze sharpened into daggers.
“He really was captured.
How is he?
Is he still alive?” a woman with long, wavy hair asked frantically, tears welling in her eyes.
“I am sorry.
He is dead,” Hayden answered calmly.
Elias’s expression darkened into a mask of pure fury.
The woman immediately buried her face in her hands and burst into hysterical sobs.
Several other family members wiped tears from their eyes.
“Bullshit!
You are just spouting nonsense!” A young, arrogant heir suddenly jumped up from the sofa.
He pointed a trembling finger directly at Hayden’s nose.
“Nobody escapes from a fully armed Azure Syndicate cell!
You are probably a spy sent by Garrison Cross!” “I did not escape,” Hayden replied, his voice terrifyingly calm.
He enunciated every single word with crystal clarity.
“I killed Garrison Cross and wiped out his entire faction.” “Ha!
You?” The young heir scoffed loudly.
The rest of the grieving elites in the room actually chuckled, finding the blatant lie highly amusing.
Valerie frowned slightly and shook her head.
She shot Hayden a warning look.
It was one thing to joke around with her at the bar.
It was an entirely different matter to boast in front of the most powerful people in Rookwood City.
“They only treat me with respect because I am a K7 professional,” Valerie whispered urgently.
“You are just a rookie.
Be careful.
These people can crush you effortlessly.
Do not offend them.” Elias Sterling’s face twisted in profound annoyance.
Nobody had ever dared to disrespect him with such blatant, arrogant lies in his own home.
It was a direct insult to the intelligence of the Apex Corporation.
“See our guest out,” Elias ordered coldly, waving his hand.
Several massive, heavily armed bodyguards immediately stepped forward to grab Hayden.
Clack.
Hayden casually flipped his wrist.
A heavy, matte-black medallion hit the glass coffee table.