Mystery and target

On this trip, he flew first class on a plane from London to Hong Kong. On entering the cabin, Martin found an elderly man asleep next to him. The older man was dressed in an apparently modified purple-white Tang suit. Martin didn't pay much attention. He asked the steward for a glass of whiskey, along with some grapes, olives and ice. He put it all together into a cocktail and thought about his future journey. The only time Martin would drink alcohol was at the beginning and end of each mission, which felt like a ritual to him. He remembered books about how, in ancient tribes throughout history, their chiefs used to offer lambs for sacrifice during pre-hunting ceremonies. He believed that by using this unique stimulus of alcohol, he could also inject mysterious power into his subconscious mind.

When he drank the strange colored liquid and emptied his mind, the old man who had been sleeping beside him woke up. First he shook his head, then he wrung his neck. He looked at the glass of special wine in Martin's hand, then suddenly at Martin. Behind the old man's heavy glasses and in their reflection, the old man's eyes seemed to widen wider and even glow. The old man's embarrassing gesture did not change Martin's tasting posture. And so they talked together for a while, until perhaps a cloud had blocked the sunlight from the window, and a strange purple glow came over the cabin, and the old man began to speak.

Old man: "Young man, it seems that you are not an ordinary person."

Martin simply sipped his drink without answering immediately. He maintained his natural calm on the outside and his professional alertness on the inside. It was his long-developed habit of interacting with strangers, including some who could be vicious.

Old man: "The reason you're here is because you have a mission." Martin did not answer, though he had doubts in his mind.

He looked at the surface of the glass, reflected through the purplish liquid, and glanced at the old man. Martin had examined it before he had taken his seat. He saw no threat around him. And, in Martin's opinion, he could kill the old man whenever he wanted, and make it look like an accident. As for weapons, there were obviously more tricks, such as the toothpick he had in his glass, or the cherries he had left uneaten. According to statistics, every year, there are not a few accidents in which people die of suffocation due to food choking on their organs. Few people doubt it.

The old man didn't seem to give up. "I see some amazing things in you, some good things, some bad things."

Martin had heard that there were people in China who used mystical spells to see things. He had also heard that most of them were liars, like the gypsies who told their fortunes with tarot cards. Although his father had told him that, in his own study of Chinese history, he had found that very few of those people could indeed see something that others could not. On his father's shelves, he had also seen English books on Bagua and Zhouyi, as well as readings on Tao Te Ching and Buddhist theories. His father even said that his encounter with his mother was calculated for him by an Oriental who set up a stall in England! But Martin didn't believe it.

Martin's career taught him that all the successful results of his actions had been carried out through the kind of meticulous planning that would make even the squealer shudder. He believed in focus. Or, if there was something like metaphysics, he didn't want to use it as part of his plan.

But, as if out of some interest, he wanted to try the old man's "way." Martin: "So tell me, what is this trip about?"

The old man looked at Martin's face for a moment, pinched his fingers, and then suddenly sat back as if in shock. Then, slowly, he whispered in Martin's ear, "A task which may involve life and death."

Martin remained calm, but something stirred in his heart. He opened his eyes, looked at the old man, and said slowly, "Whose life do you think it concerns?"

The old man held his chin and shook his head. "I don't know, good things may happen to you this time, bad things may happen to you. Can you tell me when you were born?"

Martin: " could you give me your birth date?" Martin had heard of this ancient Chinese method of fortune-telling. That is, to infer a person's numerology and determine auspiciousness by the date of birth and eight characters of a horoscope date. Martin thinks this is no doubt a charlatan. Besides, the digital information about himself is a personal identity that requires strict confidentiality, and any data on his credentials has been falsified and altered by him. After all, for a killer, secret identity is key.

Martin: "Unfortunately, I can't tell you." Martin said this with a sincere expression, and then looked away from the old man. He thought that was the end of their conversation. He thought back to what the old man had said as this time he come here, he may encounter good things and bad things, and laughed secretly: -- you may encounter good things and bad things, which is equal to saying nothing at all!

The old man looked at Martin all the time and said something of his own accord that Martin did not hear. He paused for a moment and then said, "Well, young man, it seems that you don't want to communicate with the famous Feng shui master in Hong Kong. However, I see the black and white aura around you. I believe our meeting is predestined. Finally, I want to give you some words."

Martin seemed to close his eyes and ignore the old man. Instead, he listened to what was going on around him, reacting to any changes with unchanging figure.

The old man: "If you have reached the age of 35, then you have to be careful about the road after that, especially in the east direction, if you want to maintain your current life, then you had better return to the west direction, otherwise, you may encounter great difficulties. You may come across the most incredible thing in your life, which may change your life."

When old man had finished, and Martin still did not pay any attention,the old man began to talk to himself for a while, saying something about 'believe it , but not believe it all' things, and then went back to sleep until he began to snore softly. Martin opened his eyes and looked at the sleeping man. Then he closed his eyes again.

When the plane arrived, Martin checked into the Shangri-La Hotel according to his reservation. According to Chinese feng shui, there are mountains and water, and the whole Victoria Harbor can be seen from the floor-to-ceiling window. To live up to his reputation as a top killer, he opted for the most exclusive business suite just after the presidential suite.

After admiring the beautiful harbor and city for a moment, he stopped looking out the window and opened his laptop to search for information. The target of the assassination of this mission is very mysterious, only a simple code name -- '35 year old devil'. No one really knows who he is, or has seen him, and the only clue is this invisible tycoon who manages a huge amount of digital assets. When in the hitman business, the first thing he need to do is understand the target of operation. Those who are targeted for assassination often cover themselves with high prices, using the media and technology teams to cover their tracks. They make themselves invisible, disappear from public view, and manipulate everything from the shadows. Some of these invisible people are powerful officials, or newly rich people like businessmen with unparalleled wealth. Against these seemingly invisible people, it is difficult for any law to really punish them. Except on God, who is also invisible and untouchable. But where is God? Martin did not know. There is no God, as he sees it, and his unflinchingly materialistic view stems from when even he can't remember. If there was, then Martin would amusingly compare himself to an emissary of God, one who could punish these invisible conspirators. Finding such invisible people is usually no problem for Martin, who has a knack for it. On every previous mission, he has been able to pinpoint the invisible people and make them truly disappear from the earth.

Thanks to the continuous development of Internet technology and blockchain technology, digital currencies have found a place in today's financial system. Quite a few wealthy people choose to hold a portion of such digital assets. To some extent, these digital assets have the characteristics of high confidentiality and immutability that other assets do not have. Even for government intelligence agencies, it is difficult to trace the origins of the holders and traders through digital currencies. As a result, many people have for some time seen the potential for profiteering from holding them and have used them as a safe way to launder money. But as with all technology, for every creator, there are destroyers. The secrecy of the digital currency is unquestionable, but motivated by profits, a number of hacker groups have established information networks with local governments and some secret organizations, to track the users of these secret accounts, and gradually turned this very secret information into a tool that can expose the holder of a large amount of assets. Mr. Martin knows this. Sometimes, he buys services from hackers to get the specific information he needs. With these clues, he can narrow down his search. Hong Kong, a city already focused on digital assets, has that online services even better developed than in the United States.

After a search, he has obtained a list of relevant people, who are located in Hong Kong and Shanghai. Although Martin is an experienced assassin, this is his first time in Hong Kong. So some

things don't go as well as he'd hoped. For example, the heavy traffic on the street has caused him a lot of trouble, but he is a trained person, and through his efforts and unique way, he has narrowed down a few candidates: a corporate executive of a multinational company, a civil servant working in a government department, and a seemingly unremarkable member of society.

First, he joined their companies by ability of his work, language and technical skills, as well as the manner as like a civil servant or law enforcement officer . He got the job he wanted, and through meetings and networking opportunities at work, he began to approach those under suspicion. According to his own observation, the business executive and civil servant were quickly excluded by him. His suspicions were confirmed by the idler's fleeing behavior when the third one saw Martin during a crowd stare. Compared to the two men before him, the man, who was doing odd jobs in Hong Kong, had already appeared suspicious during his first few brief encounters with Martin. In an instant, Martin began to run and try to chase after the guy. He was confident in his physical strength, and a year ago, he had come out on top in the London marathon, which began at Wimbledon Stadium. He would have won that race if not concerned his profession to hide his identity, so he deliberately slowed down in that final stretch. Unfortunately, this time, when he kept cutting through the crowds of people walking along the roadside and avoiding the rush of shoppers rushing in and out of the mall like a lion hunting a calf in a herd of cattle, he was eventually continually disturbed by old men and women randomly wondering along the street. The target finally disappeared around a corner of the block.

"' damn it '! "Martin muttered under his breath. Back at the hotel, he searched online and found the man had gone to Shanghai. that makes him had to go to Shanghai inevitably.

From the moment he got off the plane, he was attracted by the unique style of Shanghai. He could not remember whether he had been there or not, and the dim memories of his childhood had long since vanished. At that time, however, he had often heard his mother say the name of the city. Compared with Hong Kong, Shanghai today is not so densely built. And the city's bustling architecture, interspersed with alleys similar to those in an English town, fascinated him somewhat.At that moment, he plans to spend a holiday here after his mission.

This time, he chose to stay in a standard room at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel near Lujiazui. After a brief knowledge of local laws, gun control here is extremely strict. Sniper assassinations must be abandoned. He merely picked out a few pens. He was confident that even with one pen, he could kill any man in seconds. He once went toe-to-toe with a Navy SEAL in a fight that took less than two minutes. The key difference between a killer and a soldier, according to Martin, is that a killer must find a weakness in the shortest possible time and focus all his energy on it. They don't need or care about ethics, dueling skills, even the basest forms of combat. soldiers have more restraints, such as team discipline and honor. The killer, except for the rare fights that require coordination, all need to rely on himself and trust no one . Sometimes he even has to kill another familiar colleague without mercy in order to kill a high-reward target. That's a killer! Aim for the end result in everything, and always alone.But as in all industries there are outliers, and Martin is one of the few outliers. He has his own unique principles and pursuits in life. As a result of this work, he did not form a family with any women, but he did have a girl friend of his own. He liked to make a conscious distinction between work and life, and his daily consumption of food, clothing, housing and transportation was arranged as if he were a gentleman of great skill. It was clear that in the eyes of his neighbors and friends, Martin was just a serious businessman engaged in some commission. 

After a few days in Shanghai, Martin found that the Internet here is not as free as in Hong Kong or Europe and the United States, especially some Web sites are obviously banned, although he can use techniques to bypass the restrictions, he does not want to leave any traces. At times, Martin even felt that there was an invisible ghost on the other side of the Internet, watching his every move. For example, he finds that some websites he can access for the first time are blocked the next day. And then there were the danger alerts on the web. Experience had taught him that feeling of alarm could not be ignored. An old English policeman once told him that intuition is a policeman's most powerful weapon. And Martin think that killers and cops are two sides of a coin, but they belong to the same coin. As a result, his mission began to slow. Although some troubles, it did not affect Martin with his persistence and meticulous, still got the whereabouts of the man fled to Shanghai. Through the clues, the intelligence showed that the man had worked in an enterprise. In order to cut through the flickering ambiguity, to confirm the man's real identity. Martin decided to go close to the target of the operation.

In Shanghai, he found another surprise: the age limit. This age limit made his investigation often stumbles, like a cheetah trapped in a cage. No matter where Martin went, his age seemed to have effects on everything, especially when he was repeatedly frustrated with his approach of gaining intelligence by working in relevant companies. He noticed that every time they found out his age on the Internet, the company personnel would reply, "Although you have a lot of experience and you are excellent, but after careful consideration, you are not a good match for this position, we hope you can find the right job soon." Martin didn't quite understand this response.

"Is it because my resume writing style is inconsistent with the local way of writing here?" Martin wondered as he began scouring the Internet for some of the most impressive resume templates. He was even curious. In the past, Martin had a unique way of working to get closer to his goals by joining the companies where the relevant candidates worked. It's become his trademark in the industry, and he loves being called a pretender. It also gives him the freedom to experience and learn about various industries and jobs. He regards this kind of penetration as a joy of life. It is fresh and exciting to play different roles in various industries, as if it is a process of his own growth, and he does so based on an objective rule that he believes in -- talent will be needed everywhere.

It took him a lot of trying to figure out weirdness of the city. Once he changed his age to 34 with reluctance, he suddenly got a lot of interview opportunities. He had a rule that he could change his identity, but he never changed his age. He has done so consistently throughout his decades as a killer. He feels that age is sacred, a constant gift from his parents since he was born, like that vague love. He needs to think and sum up his own life by connecting with everything through this eternal and immutable singularity. Now, at 35 years old, Martin is proud of his age. This is the gold age of his life. In his native England, 35 is the age at which one is at his most mature. At this age, a person usually already has valuable social and work experience and is also in good health. Men in this age group are often highly sought after in any workplace.

After getting into trouble repeatedly, Martin reluctantly had to temporarily change his age, and with the cooperation of his organization assist, he packaged his resume with the information of a higher education in China, and successfully entered a company whose main business is technology. Martin had learned that the man had also joined a local private technology company in Shanghai, which happened to be one of the service providers of the technology company where Martin worked. This gave Martin access to the man. However, on the very day he was trying to approach the man at the company's upcoming product conference, another strange thing happened, again so suddenly.

Martin was called into the personnel office that day. She, the person in charge of personnel, seemed to be acting mysteriously.

HR:"Hello,Martin. You haven't been here long, right?"

Martin: "Yeah."

HR: "Can you tell me about your experience at the company?"

Martin wondered why HR would ask. As he reflected on what had happened, he searched his memory for the right answer. "The company was great. Everyone worked hard. There were different suggestions at work, but in the end they all worked together and I was honored to serve the company." ,

Martin's official response is part of his professional habit of responding to changing circumstances. He wondered why HR was looking for him now. Had they discovered his secret? Impossible, he did not believe that anyone could have seen through his disguise in such a short time. The organization has a very strict policy. If one of its members' information is exposed, the killer will be notified by the organization in the shortest possible time. The killer must find the escape channel provided by the organization in the shortest time, or he must find another way himself. Martin actually agrees with this kind of collaboration, after all, they're killers, not charities,

The HR man smiled and said, "Martin, do you feel you have contributed anything to the company during this time?"

Martin: "Contribution? I'm sorry, I've only been here so long that I may not be able to say I'm contributing, but I feel like I've done all the things that my boss asked me to do."

The HR man smiled again. "That's right, Martin. In our company, during the first few days of a new employee's employment, it is important to observe his or her ability and performance. At this time, we feel that after assessment, Martin, you are not suitable for the job you are currently doing, so our cooperation may call it a day."

Martin seemed to think he hadn't understood, and now he wondered if it was the humid Shanghai air that was blocking his hearing. "Are you saying you're moving out of my post?"

HR: "After a comprehensive evaluation, we feel that you are not a good fit here, so out of your consideration, we would like you to leave by yourself."

Martin couldn't believe what she was saying. He had never met anyone who was not satisfy with his work. Martin has high demands on all of his jobs, and even in his current temporary position, he does a great job, handling things that most people don't. This is one of the reasons why he has maintained a good reputation in the industry for a long time.

He wanted to ask the HR person why there was something wrong with his job, but the HR

person came up with all sorts of reasons, such as they seemed to have done a comprehensive evaluation and decided that Martin wasn't a good fit for the company culture. At the same time, they said that people who had worked with Martin said that Martin's work was deeply problematic. It finally dawned on Martin that the person in charge couldn't come up with any concrete evidence and just expected Martin to resign. Martin's mood changed from quantitative to qualitative. "Are you trying to fire me? What are your reasons? Or is there going to be official layoffs?"

HR: "We're thinking for you, too. If you're leaving on your own , you may find the next right position. But if it concerns of layoffs, It might not be good on your reputation, so..."

Part of Martin understood, part of him didn't. What he understood was that he had finally confirmed that the their purpose was to expel him. What he did not understand was why they had chosen such a sanctimonious way, which was also obviously illegal.

Although Martin maintained his natural calm on his face, his hand involuntarily picked up a pen. Indeed, he can easily finish this HR with this pen in less than five seconds. But he gave up on the idea. He couldn't afford to do anything about this trash right now. After all, he was on a mission.

Martin left the personnel office. He went to his supervisor and came to the same conclusion. Although he didn't initially believe that a company could get around the legal loophole like this, he didn't understand why those people would act in such a cowardly way and sneakily, even in this particular period of global economic depression, when the company was not doing well, why didn't they just use the legal layoff process?

Then, after a few days of undercover investigation, he was no longer surprised. It was clear that the company had been doing this for years. The reason they chose to let Martin, aside from the fact that it was the least expensive to get rid of him, was that he didn't belong to any of the leadership factions in the company. More people are voluntarily dismissed or even fired for factional reasons than have real business problems. Martin now had to accept the outcome.

Over the course of a few days, he began receiving urging phone calls from the HR staff repeatedly, and the noise clearly made him uncomfortable. He has consulted with local law firms, and in their view, the company's practice does appear to be illegal, and he could Sue. However, the gray-haired old lawyer earnestly advised Martin not to do it, especially when he mentioned the potential for covert retaliation by some. For example, if he apply for a job at a new company and the new company do an investigation to him, would the personnel at the old company be ethical with the true judgment for Martin's performance? Martin laughs at these worldly admonitions. When it comes to revenge, the killer should already have put his own life out of consideration. He didn't choose to sue in the end, because after comparing his gains and losses repeatedly, he thought that he didn't have to dwell on such things for too long.

Through this incident, Martin still learned something new, he learned this "hateful" business management idea. As he wondered if he might be able to do the same in the UK when he retired, he almost choked on the sip of coffee he was drinking. He thought about the strikes that had broken out in England some time before. In the UK, what happens when a company fires someone in bad faith is that the company probably gets into all sorts of trouble with the labor union, and British workers are not that easy to mess with. If the workers take the case to court, the company will have to pay a lot of damages. After eating a hotel breakfast and drinking a full cup of bitter coffee he had ground himself, Martin decided there was no point in getting involved with the company any more.

Though he tried to remain as focused as ever, Martin only felt that lately, from nowhere, an irritability had been growing inside him and beginning to distract him. Ever since the mission began, there had always seemed to be something he could not see, lurking behind him. In order to calm his mind, Martin tried to find the source of the annoyance, using a form of meditation he had acquired while in England after consulting a kung fu teacher from China.

Martin remembers that the plainly dressed Chinese teacher, who had belonged to a Chinese killer family and ostensibly ran a Chinese restaurant in the UK, taught him some of the techniques of lethal assassination fighting. What stands out to him most is the golden glow on the teacher's body when he meditated once martin accidentally saw, it was something that Martin never forgot. By some chance, Martin learned the art of moving between real and imaginary consciousness using only his thoughts. This, of course, is one of his secrets, and he regards it only as a science of mind and subconsciousness. He never revealed this skill to anyone. Every time Martin was in trouble, he would remember that the teacher took him to see a well in the yard and told him meaningfully that the water in the well he had dug would not be seen the truth until it had been settled down. And it was only by revealing the truth that we could see what really needed to be done. This time, however, in Martin's meditation in search of the truth, he only saw an unknown shadow surrounding him. No matter how focused he was, he could not break through the dark fog, which made him more and more irritated.

Perhaps, as a result of his irritability, he met that old man on the street that afternoon who would later put him in prison. That old man was shuffling along by himself, and now and then resting against the railing. Martin noticed that many passers-by turned away when they saw the old man in that shape, as if they had encountered a plague. When the old man was trying to turn around the corner of a bungalow, his left foot caught his right and he fell to the ground, which was quite a fall. When the passers-by saw that, they all slowed down and began to gather around him just to watch. The old man was leaning on his side, trying to support himself to stand, but he failed, and again and again, that trying-and-failing of several times seemed like a slow-motion slide show which is repeating itself. Still, people just watched from a distance, and no one stepped forward to help the old man. Several children tried to help, but as soon as they showed their intention, they were stopped by the adults around them. Hiding in the crowd, Martin did not understand. To him, it was obviously gentlemanly to help an old man. It did not occur to Martin that doing so might lead to another outcome. After confirming that the old man had fallen because of his infirmity, Martin stepped forward to help him up. At that time, watching the old man reveal a very grateful expression, he has been used to the cold heart also has a hint of warmth. He even got in touch with the man's relatives through the address book of that old man's antique Nokia mobile phone. However, after old man's son arrived and Martin told him what had happened, when Martin was about to leave, that son stopped him. At this time, the that attitude is no longer kind, and he asked Martin to accompany them to the hospital immediately to check the old man's injury. Such an unreasonable request must be rejected by Martin on the spot. The young man actually grabbed Martin and tried to keep him by brute force. Not wanting to expose himself to the growing number of passers-by, Martin stun the young man with his customary two moves. This scene happened to be seen by two police officers passing by. In order to hide his

identity as much as possible, Martin could only choose to be captured and was taken to the police station by the two police officers.

'Damn it,' Martin said to himself. What happened next, is just as Martin now communicated to the police.