The blood-red “K6” engraving gleamed with a chilling, metallic light under the crystal chandelier.
The mocking laughter in the hall stopped abruptly.
The room became as quiet as a midnight graveyard.
The heavy medallion acted like a flashbang.
It instantly deafened all the noise and arrogance in the room.
Elias Sterling stared at the token.
His wrinkled fingers began to tremble uncontrollably.
He slowly looked up.
His cloudy eyes reflected Hayden’s terrifyingly calm expression.
“Impossible,” the wavy-haired woman gasped, covering her mouth.
The glare of the gold inlay stung her eyes.
“There are fewer than five K6-tier assassins in all of Rookwood City,” Elias murmured, his voice trembling.
“Now there is one more.” Hayden tapped the medallion lightly with his index finger.
The sharp clink of his fingernail against the metal rang out clearly in the deathly silent hall.
“Do you need me to demonstrate K6-tier killing speed?” Hayden asked flatly.
Upon hearing this, the young heir who had been shouting just moments ago turned deathly pale.
He staggered backward in sheer terror, violently knocking his knees against the glass coffee table.
His porcelain teacup tipped over.
Scalding hot tea soaked completely through his designer trousers, but he did not even flinch.
He finally realized Hayden was entirely serious about wiping out the Azure Syndicate.
Elias Sterling stared at Hayden.
The corporate titan’s gaze shifted from profound shock to a deep, complex sense of awe.
“Mr.
Brooks,” Elias said, his voice dropping to a respectful, hoarse whisper.
“It seems we have had a terrible misunderstanding.” Hayden did not answer.
He simply tilted his head, his cold gaze sweeping across the luxury sofas.
Every single elite who had looked at him with disdain just minutes ago now stared firmly at the floor.
Nobody dared to meet his eyes.
A low groan broke the silence.
Garret Cross finally woke up from his pain-induced coma.
He forced his swollen eyes open.
The first thing he saw was Hayden’s cold, unyielding face.
“Hayden Brooks!
You killed my brother Gideon!
Garrison will never let you leave this city alive!” Garret roared, coughing up a mouthful of blood.
Hayden’s icy glare pinned Garret to the floor.
The terrifying pressure radiating from the K6 assassin plunged Garret into a suffocating panic, forcing him into silence.
“What did he just say?” “He killed Gideon Cross?” Hearing Garret’s frantic screams, the Apex Corporation executives felt their minds go blank.
Their hearts felt as though they were locked in a vice grip.
Gideon Cross was a monster who had dominated the Rookwood underworld.
He had terrified corporate tycoons for years.
Now, they realized the unassuming young man sitting on their sofa had slaughtered him.
Valerie sat quietly on the side.
Her breathing grew shallow, a flush of adrenaline coloring her cheeks.
Gideon Cross had been the chief enforcer of the Azure Syndicate.
Even the elite kill squads of the Obsidian Cartel had failed to take him down.
This rookie had actually done it.
She finally understood why Hayden had been able to escape the nightclub ambush earlier.
He had not run away.
He had butchered his way out.
A K6-tier professional was practically a god in the local underworld.
There were only a handful of people in the entire city who could even dream of rivaling him.
She secretly rejoiced, incredibly thankful she had provided sniper overwatch for him earlier.
Looking at the pale, terrified faces of the corporate elites, Hayden found their sudden shift from arrogance to pure subservience pathetic.
He sneered and slowly slipped the K6 medallion back into his pocket.
“I will only say this once.
Your General Manager and your former CEO both died at the hands of the Azure Syndicate.” “As for the rival corporation pulling their strings, you know them better than I do.” Elias sighed heavily.
He raised a weary hand, signaling his bodyguards to drag the bleeding Garret away.
“Over the past year, Apex has swallowed up thirty percent of the Vance Corporation’s market share,” Elias explained grimly.
“We are now irreconcilable enemies.” “I never imagined they would actually hire the Azure Syndicate to execute our board members.
They crossed a line we never saw coming.” Elias raised his head.
Recalling the gruesome assassination of his younger brother, a sharp, murderous glint flashed in his eyes.
“Contact The Continental immediately,” Elias ordered his staff.
“Issue an anonymous, open bounty.
Every single executive of the Vance Corporation goes on the list.
Leave absolutely no survivors.” He turned back to Hayden, forcing a polite, accommodating smile.
“Thank you for bringing us this intelligence, Mr.
Brooks.
Do you have any specific requests?” Hayden’s lips curled into a calculated, dangerous smile.
“First, set up a dedicated bounty for me.
It needs to start at Tier-5.
Consider it a mutually beneficial arrangement.” “Second, make sure the name ‘Marcus Vance’ is at the very top of that list.” Elias nodded without hesitation.
He signaled his personal secretary to draft the contracts immediately.
“It will be a pleasure doing business with you, Mr.
Brooks.” Having achieved his goal, Hayden had no desire to linger in the manor.
Elias personally escorted Hayden and Valerie to the front gates.
…
Later that night, on the winding mountain roads.
Valerie glanced at Hayden from the driver’s seat of the Audi.
Her expression was highly complex.
“My original plan was to introduce you to a few entry-level contracts after this meeting,” she laughed softly.
“Looking back, my idea was a complete joke.” She brushed her silver hair back, deliberately drawing his attention to the plunging neckline of her tactical top.
Hayden ignored the flirtation.
His gaze pierced through the dark woods, locking onto the neon glow of the distant city.
“The real show is just getting started,” Hayden said coldly.
“Introduce me to your best black-market weapons broker.
I need top-tier gear.” “We are going to start by exterminating the younger generation of the Vance family.” …
The next morning.
Silicon Avenue, Rookwood Tech District.
Matthew Vance stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows on the top floor of the Vance International Trust building.
The General Manager gazed down at the bustling financial district, taking a sip of his morning espresso.
He immediately scowled in disgust.
“Sarah, how many times do I have to explain this to you?” Matthew snapped.
“The grind on these beans is entirely wrong.
It tastes like gravel.
And the water temperature is off.
How is it that state college graduates cannot even brew a simple cup of coffee?” After high school, Matthew Vance had been sent to a prestigious Ivy League business school in the States.
The moment he returned, his family had handed him the General Manager position of their massive investment firm.
He was the quintessential elite snob.
He despised local graduates, viewing them as nothing more than cheap labor destined to serve his empire.
Sarah, his newly hired secretary, lowered her head meekly.
Tears welled up in her eyes as her cheeks flushed with deep embarrassment.
“Bring me the quarterly reports,” Matthew ordered, smoothing his perfectly styled hair.
Sarah hurried over and carefully placed the leather-bound folder on his mahogany desk.
Matthew glanced sideways at her.
She was wearing a fitted pencil skirt and sheer black stockings.
The top buttons of her silk blouse were undone, revealing a tantalizing glimpse of lace.
“Very good,” Matthew smirked.
This new secretary was far more obedient than the last one.
Fresh out of college, she was naive and desperate for the paycheck.
Matthew flipped through the financial documents with his left hand.
His right hand casually reached out, sliding dangerously up Sarah’s thigh.
Sarah let out a startled gasp.
She quickly bit her lip, swallowing her protests.
She trembled with shame but did not dare step away.
The rumors around the office stated the previous secretary had been blacklisted from the industry for being “uncooperative.” Jobs were scarce, and she desperately needed the money to survive.
Matthew grinned wickedly.
She was completely at his mercy.
He made a mental note to brag about his new toy to his younger brother, Marcus, at the upcoming family gala.
Bang!
Just as Matthew was completely losing himself to his desires, the heavy oak doors of the executive office were violently kicked open.
A man wearing a blue water-delivery uniform stepped inside.
A heavy plastic jug rested on his shoulder.
The brim of his standard-issue baseball cap was pulled low, completely obscuring his face.