A Shocked Sloan

Carlos, Wesley, and Fox stood in a huddle, silent but in tacit understanding. Intriguing by the solidified cell repair fluid, Wesley reached out to touch it when Carlos suddenly stopped him. Wesley had never witnessed Jack's skills, but Carlos' evaluation of Jack was enough for Wesley to recognize him as a violent maniac.

"Believe me, I will never lie," said Jack. "Don't believe me? Let me give you an example, Wesley. How about I give you a wife later?"

Wesley was taken aback by the sudden offer, his face adorned with question marks.

But Carlos had a bad feeling in his heart. "Are you planning to do that?" he asked, sensing something was amiss.

"Two birds with one stone, my friend," Jack chuckled. "It's a good thing for a colleague to become a daughter-in-law. How about it?"

Both Carlos and Fox were quick to refuse. "No way!" they shouted in unison. Wesley was still too stunned to react.

Fox, who had been eavesdropping from a distance, looked Wesley up and down, her eyes filled with contempt. "No chance," she said firmly, her eyes never leaving Wesley.

The reason for such a decision was extremely simple - Jack wasn't into Fox or, more specifically, Angelina Jolie. So he had no problem letting her go.

"You remind me of a small tool," Jack said, his eyes glinting mischievously.

Fox suddenly became uneasy. "What tool?" she asked, her voice faltering.

"A needle," Jack said.

"You definitely won't do that," Fox said, pretending to be indifferent. "Carlos told me about the Templars. If you were a Templar, you would never do this!"

Fox has a bad history with needles and is terribly afraid of them.

Jack grinned. "Everything the Templars do is to maintain order, so sometimes, necessary means to deal with the enemy are not forbidden."

"All I want is for you to join us in destroying the Assassin Brotherhood, Miss Fox," Jack continued. "If you disagree, then you are my enemy."

Fox was thinking anxiously, her mind in turmoil. She was caught in a dilemma - if she refused to cooperate, she risked betraying the Assassin Brotherhood and her destiny. But if she agreed, she would have to endure acupuncture treatment.

Finally, after much hesitation, she spoke up. "If, and I mean if, what you said is true, then I will take it upon myself to avenge the violations of fate, including Sloan and anyone else involved, even if it means taking my own life."

Jack nodded in agreement. "I admire your loyalty and determination, Fox. We can work together to bring justice and restore the world balance."

Fox was surprised at Jack's calm demeanor. "Aren't you afraid I might change my mind and betray you?"

Jack smiled. "I have faith in your convictions. But if you betray us, I'll still respect you as a formidable opponent."

With that, Jack left the room to attend to some urgent matters. "Get to know our other partners while I'm gone," he said, gesturing to the other people in the room.

Jack was busy strategizing his next move as Fox settled in to meet her new allies. He had yet to complete an important assessment task at the Continental Hotel. Still, first, he needed to ensure all his pawns were in place. He was determined to play a game with all the assassin and killer forces in the world, a game that would determine the future direction of the world.

▪▪▪▪

Mason, the half-bald CEO, was seething with rage on the top floor of a sprawling pharmaceutical company. He swept everything off his desk in a fit of anger, his face contorted with frustration.

"You're telling me Edward is still alive?!" he bellowed at his hapless subordinate, who lowered his head in fear.

"Yes, sir," the subordinate replied meekly. "I saw him arrive by car at the Edward Group headquarters, and we received news from our insider that he's called a board meeting."

"A board meeting?!" Mason exclaimed. "What's he planning to do? After the assassin I sent failed to kill him?"

"Maybe he's trying to salvage the company," the subordinate suggested tentatively.

Mason snorted. "Salvage? More like he's trying to take us down! This is unacceptable. I'm going to call Sloan and demand answers."

With that, Jim grabbed his phone and made a call, his eyes blazing with fury.

Meanwhile, Sloan, who was always on the lookout for the next big assassination mission, was checking the balance in his bank account when his phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID and grinned.

"Looks like fate has a surprise in store for me," he said as he picked up the phone. "Hello, Mr. Mason. I take it you've received my gift?"

Mason, Edward's nemesis and a fellow CEO in the pharmaceutical industry, was seething with anger. "Your gift?! More like a curse! How could you let Edward slip through your fingers?!"

Sloan frowned. "What are you talking about? My Fox is the best in the business. There's no way Edward could have escaped. And if he did, she would have reported it to me immediately."

"Well, she didn't," Mason spat back. "And when I saw Edward walk into the Edward Group headquarters unscathed, I knew something was fishy. What do you have to say for yourself, Mr. Sloan?"

Sloan's smile faded as he realized the gravity of the situation. "I...I don't know what to say. Let me call my subordinate and find out what happened."

Mason slammed his fist on the table, causing his whiskey glass to shake. "This is all your fault, Sloan! I wanted to go to the Continental Hotel first. Still, you came with your flattering mouth, and I stupidly gave you the money to handle Edward. And now look at me!"

"This is fate's gift," Sloan retorted coolly, unfazed by Mason's outburst.

Mason snorted, "Don't even try to play that card, Sloan. You said the Continental Hotel was a branch of your Brotherhood of Assassins. I trusted you and your expertise, but now I'm facing ruin."

"Don't worry, Mason. We can't allow the chosen one to continue living in this world," Sloan reassured him, "I'll investigate and take remedial measures."

"Remedial measures? By the time you do something, I'll be a dead man," Mason spat, "Return my money and compensate me for my losses. I want the killer of the Continental Hotel to take action!"

"Sorry, Mason, fate won't return your gift to you," Sloan replied coldly, making Mason fume angrily.

"You just want to keep my money, don't you? You're just as bad as that counterfeit assains you've been boasting about!" Mason accused.

As Mason ranted, the office door was suddenly pushed open, and a figure darted in, closing the door behind them. Mason caught sight of the unfamiliar intruder and demanded angrily, "Who are you? How did you get in here?"

The intruder ignored Mason's questions and raised their pistol, firing two shots from the silencer at two of Mason's men. Blood spattered, and the two men fell to the ground, lifeless.

"Who are you? Are you a killer?" Mason stuttered, his anger replaced by fear, "Are you working for Sloan? Is he behind this? Fuck that bastard."

The intruder remained silent, firing another shot and killing Mason with a bullet.

As Mason's life ended in a flash, Sloan was on the other end of the phone, bewildered by the sounds of the commotion. "Hello, Mason? What's going on?"

Sloan racked his brain, remembering if he had sent someone there.

"Who could it be?" he pondered, "Did Edward put a hit out on Mason after the failed assassination attempt?"

Sloan was about to hang up the phone when a strange voice on the other end caught his attention. It was a deep, gravelly voice that spoke with an air of authority.

"Mr. Sloan?"

"Mr. Sloan, from the Brotherhood of Assassins?"

Sloan's eyes widened suddenly.

The voice called him by name and identified him. Sloan was taken aback; he had not expected anyone to know his identity.

He wasn't sure if the other person on the line was a killer sent by the continental hotel. But he knew that whoever was on the other end of the line knew his name and that he was affiliated with the Brotherhood of Assassins. This was a cause for concern.

Although the Brotherhood of Assassins has a small number of members and is relatively insignificant compared to the Continental Hotel, few people will provoke them. Regarding status, it can be regarded as an equal force with the Continental Hotel.

It is because the Brotherhood of Assassins is known for its unwavering principles and its uncanny ability to eliminate its targets without fail. Unlike other assassin groups, they did not accept money commissions; they only targeted individuals whose names appeared on the loom of fate.

Sloan was well aware of the respect and fear that the Brotherhood commanded among other organizations. He knew that if news of his involvement in paid assassination missions were to leak out, it would tarnish the reputation of the Brotherhood and make them a target of scrutiny.

The Brotherhood of Assassins will instantly become a thorn in the eyes of all organizations as they will view the Brotherhood as a group of extremely dangerous and skilled people with no bottom line...

How terrible would that be? No other organization will be willing to let them exist any longer. Sloan and his assassins will be wiped out.

So Sloan was extremely secretive about how he forged fake assassination targets and got paid for the mission afterward. If the names of any of his employers, like Mason, had appeared on the loom of fate, he always destroyed those names because he was sure that his clients would reveal the truth to his Assasins. And if that happens, then his group of assassins will turn against him and finish him off.

After a brief moment of hesitation, Sloan responded cautiously, "Who are you? Are you a Killer?"

"I'm a probationary killer, and this is the assessment task of the Continental Hotel," the voice replied.

"At the same time, I have another occupation. I think you will be very interested, Mr. Sloan."

Sloan felt a chill run down his spine as the voice continued. "I am a Templar."