Chapter Ninety-One: The Swindled Assassin

Nangong Xiao'e sniffed, and a faint scent of gunpowder drifted from the fire escape. A slight curve formed at the corner of her lips—yes, that was the lingering scent left after gunshots. She had pinpointed the assassin's location: the rooftop.

Quietly, Nangong Xiao'e moved up the stairs, her steps light and deliberate. As expected, the rooftop door had been pried open. The lock had been severed by a welding technique, suggesting the assassin was well-prepared, perhaps having scouted the place beforehand.

She gently pushed the door ajar, squinting to peer outside, and then paused in surprise—the rooftop was empty.

Had the assassin already escaped?

Nangong Xiao'e stepped out, but the instant she crossed the threshold, a sense of foreboding struck her and she quickly retreated. As she moved back, a bullet whizzed past, grazing her side and embedding itself in the doorframe.

Startled, Nangong Xiao'e realized she had almost fallen into the assassin’s trap due to her carelessness.

Narrowing her eyes, she noticed a small device fixed to the ceiling corner of the stairwell below. At first glance, it could be mistaken for an insect nest, but she recognized it immediately: a miniature wireless camera.

This killer was certainly thorough.

“Met a professional,” Nangong Xiao'e muttered, frowning. Her handgun had been confiscated by Lin Jian of the Bureau of Comprehensive Management. Though her rifle remained, it was left at the hotel—far too cumbersome to carry around.

She pulled out a dagger and a throwing dart, the only weapons at her disposal now. With a flick of her wrist, she destroyed the wireless camera.

"Who are you? Judging by your actions, you seem to be in the same line of work. Don’t interfere with my business!"

The assassin’s warning echoed from the rooftop after she destroyed the camera.

Nangong Xiao'e rolled her eyes, then replied, "Hmph! I was about to succeed, and you suddenly blew up the car, scaring off my target. So tell me—who’s really interfering?"

She feigned the role of someone sent to assassinate Qin Tian as well, hoping to extract some useful information from the killer.

"You’re here to kill Qin Tian too? Who sent you?" the rooftop assassin asked.

"Who hired me is none of your concern. Withdraw now—he’s my target!" Nangong Xiao'e declared.

The rooftop killer was puzzled. His master hadn’t mentioned sending anyone else after Qin Tian. The previous waves of assassins had all failed, prompting his master to take action personally. Had his master secretly hired others as backup? Double insurance?

His master was none other than the mysterious figure in the black cloak.

This enigmatic figure had disguised himself as a scavenger, intending to deal with Qin Tian personally, but upon reaching the hotel entrance, he reconsidered. If such a minor target required his own intervention, wouldn’t that be beneath him? So he withdrew, sending one of his subordinates—a disciple—on his behalf.

This subordinate bore the codename "Rat." The black-cloaked master had trained twelve disciples, each with a codename corresponding to the Chinese zodiac: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig.

Among the zodiac, Rat was the leader, the strongest. Yet, among the twelve disciples, the assassin known as Rat was the weakest.

Despite Nangong Xiao'e’s claim to target Qin Tian, Rat had received a kill order and was determined to carry it out himself.

"If you’re hired, how much were you paid? I’ll match it—just leave," Rat offered.

"Fine, ten million," Nangong Xiao'e considered saying five hundred million, but thought it too far-fetched. Qin Tian was hardly worth that much, so she quoted a more reasonable price.

If Qin Tian knew her thoughts, he’d probably be furious—did she really think his life was worth only ten million? Surely he deserved at least eight hundred million, if not a billion!

"Ten million? Deal. Give me your account, I’ll transfer it. Then stay out of this," Rat said.

After years under the black-cloaked master, Rat had amassed considerable wealth. Ten million was nothing to him. Plus, if he succeeded, the reward from his master would far exceed that sum. It was a good bargain.

Rat didn’t want Nangong Xiao'e meddling, so he figured paying her off would keep her out of the way.

Nangong Xiao'e was happy to swindle some money from the assassin. She provided her account number and soon received a ten-million deposit, nodding in satisfaction.

"Done. You should have the money. Now leave," Rat insisted.

"Yes, I received it. But ten million is only the deposit. If I succeed, my employer will pay me another twenty million," Nangong Xiao'e replied.

"What?" Rat was taken aback.

"That’s right, so I can’t leave just yet," she continued.

"Hmph! You think you’ll succeed?" Rat snorted.

"You never know unless you try. After all, if I do, there’s another twenty million to be made," Nangong Xiao'e said coolly.

Rat, hidden in a shadowy corner of the rooftop, stared at the door as if trying to see through it to the woman behind. At last, he gritted his teeth.

"I’ll give you another twenty million. Leave now!"

He didn’t want her to ruin his plans, and another twenty million was acceptable—his master’s reward would surely surpass the total thirty million.

"Alright, transfer it," Nangong Xiao'e agreed.

Soon, she received another twenty million. Her heart fluttered with joy—thirty million earned in a moment just by talking. Money wasn’t money anymore—it was too easy.

"Have you left?" Rat asked.

"Not yet," Nangong Xiao'e replied.

"Why haven’t you left?" Rat was growing impatient.

"Well, my employer promised to reimburse my travel expenses. Since you want me gone, could you cover those? Just two hundred thousand will do," she said, perfectly serious.

"One million! I’ve transferred it—leave immediately!" Rat was nearly exploding with rage, yet he still sent her a million.

"Thank you, boss! You’re so generous!" Nangong Xiao'e received the deposit, inwardly delighted—another million earned!

"Have you left yet?" After some time, Rat shouted toward the door, desperate not to hear her voice any longer.

For a long while, there was no response. Rat felt relieved—she must have gone! Now he could focus on assassinating Qin Tian.

"Oh, I haven’t left. I was just zoning out, calculating some things, so I didn’t reply. Sorry," Nangong Xiao'e finally said.

Rat was so exasperated he could barely speak.

"What on earth are you calculating? Can’t you do that after you leave?" Rat roared.

"It’s like this: besides travel expenses, my employer also promised to reimburse weapon depreciation and ammunition costs. So…"

Nangong Xiao'e was running out of excuses for extortion, so she invented one.

"Are you scamming me?" Rat’s eyes widened as realization dawned—he had just been swindled!