146 Chapter 146: Getting Answers (1/2)

The assassin woke up, only to find herself completely restrained to a chair. The chains binding her had enchanted runes engraved into them, which enhanced their durability and strength. Even if she cast physical reinforcement, she wouldn't be able to break them.

Glancing at her surroundings, she saw that she was in a well-lit room, with some furniture. It wasn't a prison cell, but more of a comfortable accommodation. If she wasn't tied up, that is.

So I've been captured, huh? She thought to herself. What a disgrace for an assassin of her caliber. She had no choice, then. Before her captors interrogated her and forced information out of her, she had to execute herself.

She explored the inside of her mouth, only to find it empty.

”If you're looking for that cyanide potassium capsule inside your mouth, we've already taken it.” a voice caused her to turn her head around. Even though she had scanned the room earlier, like any good assassin would, she didn't spot anybody. Now she caught sight of the Hurricane Blade, Feng Hai, sitting on a chair a few meters from her. He raised one of her daggers and twirled it. ”We also disarmed you. You have quite the collection of poisoned weapons.”

The assassin remained silent, glaring at him defiantly. Feng Hai sighed.

”Don't worry. We have no intention of killing you.” he watched as she got ready to bite her tongue, and shook his head. ”I wouldn't do that if I were you. The enchantments on your restraints will keep you alive. They are a mini boundary field, the sort that students use in school arenas these days. We can always heal you after you inflict injuries upon yourself. There's no need for unnecessary pain, right?”

”It doesn't matter. My comrades will find me and ensure that I'm dead.”

The assassin's voice was cold and confident.

”Will they, now? I'll just let you know. You're no longer in Jing Tian City.” Feng Hai spread his hands. ”You're in the base of the Silver Wolves, the most secure location in the Federation, if I may say so myself. Any assassin who attempts to infiltrate my base will be captured as well.”

”It doesn't matter,” the assassin replied flatly. ”You can bring me all the way to the ends of the world, and they will still find me and hunt me down.”

”Well…about that…” Feng Hai smiled broadly. ”That's where we come in. I would like to offer you a deal. You see, I know who you are. It's a waste to kill someone of your caliber. We'll protect you, and in exchange, I want you to work for us. We could really use your skills.”

The assassin stared at him blankly. Feng Hai shrugged before continuing.

”There really is no point in being loyal to an organization that cuts off its members the moment they fail or get captured. It's a complete waste of lives and resources. Failure is what allows us to grow stronger, after all. Moreover, they don't care about you, so why should you care about them?”

He hit his chest with a fist.

”But here, we are different. We're all comrades. A family. We'll watch out for each other. You're worried about the assassins from your guild coming after you? We'll watch your back ad protect you from them. In return, you protect us from blades from the shadows. After all, you're the one who's most knowledgeable about how assassins operate, their modus operandi, and fighting styles.”

”That's a really tempting offer you're making,” the assassins said with a snort. ”But how can you be so sure I won't sell you out?”

”Like I said, I know who you are.” Feng Hai's grin widened. ”I know your personality. You're not the kind who would backstab others. Well…maybe you do stab people in the back, but you know what I mean. You're pretty loyal to an organization that's so ready to dispose of you the moment you slipped up. And guess what? You've slipped up. You can betray my Silver Wolves, but you think the assassin guild will care? They didn't order you to assassinate us. Your assassination target got away and even defeated you. You think they'll forgive a failure of that magnitude?” he shook his head. ”Just as I know who you are, I also know what kind of organization the assassin guild is.”

”…”

The assassin watched him silently, her expression unreadable under the shadow of her hood. She realized that the Silver Wolves had not touched her hood or cloak at all, despite searching her for weapons. They appeared to respect her privacy. Even so, Feng Hai still claimed to know who she was.

”Don't worry…” Feng Hai spoke her name out loud, and she froze. He smiled, rose from his chair, and headed for the exit. ”I'll give you some time to consider. I hope you'll come to a decision when I return.”

The assassin watched him leave the room, the door shutting and leaving her in total silence. Not darkness, though. They had kindly left the lights on for her.

*

Before I knew it, it was Friday, and I ended up being escorted by Teacher Fielding.

”Where are we going?” I asked, even though I already knew the answer. My homeroom teacher gave me a stare.

”The underground Holy Spring, of course.”

”Okay, but…do we really need such an escort to get there?”

There was a convoy of armored vehicles right in front of us, for some reason. Men in suits and sunglasses were milling around, surveying the area outside the school and scaring the students. Some were speaking to their com beads and communicating.

”It's the Holy Spring. Of course this level of security is a given.”

”…if you say so…”

Teacher Fielding had a point. If this was Jing Tian City's most closely guarded resource, of course they would dispatch a large contingent of guards to ensure nobody breaks into the underground Holy Spring.

But what puzzled me was that they should be guarding the entrance or the place where the Holy Spring was located, not wasting their time and resources escorting me. I wasn't some VIP or whatever, and I didn't need protection.

”Oh, they are not protecting you.” As if he read my mind, Teacher Fielding turned to grin at me. ”They are protecting everyone else from you.”

”…the fuck?”

Teacher Fielding ignored my expletive. ”You need more self-awareness, Richard. You do realize that you're pretty much a walking nuke?”

All because I chose to create spells of mass destruction. Brilliant. Well, I had no regrets.

Teacher Fielding handed me off to one of the guys in charge, another guy in a suit with a blocky head and a crew cut. He nodded at me, and silently gestured for me to climb into the largest car in the middle. The interior of the car itself wasn't very comfortable, and looked as what I expected a military vehicle to be. At least we didn't get iron seats. I plopped down on the leather couch that lined up against one side of the vehicle, facing the opposite couch, and then obediently buckled my seatbelt. I had half-expected them to put restraints on me, but they didn't. However, they had at least ten men in suits seated with me, all of them holding weapons. They regarded me silently, their expressions hidden beneath their shades.