Midnight, Lower Downtown Chicago, an abandoned warehouse not far from Lake Michigan. Inside the warehouse, the Chicago Branch’s assistant manager Jaden and assassin Sevin of the "Skull Flower" assassin organization’s customer service center were tied to their respective chairs, placed opposite each other to the left and right. Mona sits in the center, still wearing a black mask, typing on a laptop. After a moment, she stops, looks up at Luo An beside her, and says in a low voice: "All signals have been blocked." Luo An had asked Mona to do this as a precautionary measure. Read full story at NoveI(F)ire.net "Thank you for your effort." Luo An, wearing a black hood, pats Mona on the shoulder and glances at Sevin, who is resting with his eyes closed, ignoring him, and turns to walk in front of Jaden. He removes the rag from Jaden’s mouth and asks: "You said earlier that you’d pay any price to save your own life?" "Yes! Yes! Assassin’s Code Article 14!" After the rag is removed, Jaden gags slightly but still nods anxiously: "Everyone is part of ’Skull Flower’; you can ask around, I, Jaden, am very rule-abiding." A subtle look flickers in Luo An’s eyes. During the drive earlier, Jaden had recited what he called the "Assassin’s Code". For example, "One should value reputation above all, for without trust, no one can stand." Looking at this sentence on its own, there seems to be nothing wrong with it, even a bit motivational. But prefixed with "Assassin’s Code Article 1", the whole ambiance of the sentence changes instantly, piquing Luo An’s curiosity about the "Skull Flower" assassin organization. These matters could be attended to later. For now, the primary goal was to gather clues. Luo An casually pulled up a chair to sit across from Jaden and said: "Tell me everything you know." Jaden hesitated for a moment before tentatively asking: "Where should I start?" "Start with where you work." Jaden was the assistant manager of a customer service center called "Vanilla Customer Service Center," which in reality served as the order reception hub for "Skull Flower." He had joined the company less than three years ago. The general manager Tony had control over everything and had the authority to command the assassin guards. Most people in the company were not assassins, they were solely responsible for making and receiving calls. As the assistant manager, Jaden was only responsible for this part of the business. He had heard information like the Assassin’s Code from the mouths of several assassin guards. Usually, there were only about five assassin guards in the customer service center, but in the past half a month, the number of guards had been increasing continuously, reaching nearly twenty at present. Sevin was one of the assassin guards, and tonight, as Jaden went home to get something, Sevin was both a protector and a watcher. Seeing Luo An staring at him motionless, Jaden swallowed his spit and said: "I heard that among the five major branches of ’Skull Flower’ customer service centers, the Los Angeles Branch, Las Vegas Branch, and Kansas City Branch have all been destroyed in the last month. Now only our Chicago Branch and the Philadelphia Branch on the easternmost side of the federation are left. Manager Tony is very worried that this place will be the next one destroyed, that’s why the number of assassin guards has been increased." The information that Jaden revealed corresponded to the intel previously gathered by Chenier and the others. Luo An’s eyes narrowed slightly and he asked: "Do you know who did this?" Jaden shook his head repeatedly: "Sorry, I really don’t know this. I only know that it’s very chaotic inside ’Skull Flower’ now, with many assassins posting ’temporarily not taking orders.’ Usually, an assassin posting ’temporarily not taking orders’ means only two things: either that assassin is already dead, never to take orders again. Or it means that the people above in ’Skull Flower’ have issued some mission, and these assassins are all tasked with it." After Assistant Manager Jaden finished sharing all he knew, he stopped and looked eagerly at Luo An, hoping that Luo An would follow the rules, make a demand, and spare his life. Luo An said nothing and once again stuffed the rag into his mouth. Dragging a chair to the other side, Luo An sat opposite Sevin, reaching over to pull the rag from Sevin’s mouth. Before Luo An could speak, Sevin spat a mouthful of blood onto the ground beside him, then looked up at Luo An and said in a grave tone: "You’re not an assassin." Hearing this, Mona furrowed her brows, but her expression was hidden behind a mask. Luo An’s expression remained stoic, his tone unchanged: "What do you think I am?" Sevin twisted his sore neck, cracked a smile, and said: "You have the temperament and skills of an assassin, and even your combat abilities surpass most of the assassins I know. As for who you really are, I don’t know, nor do I want to know. I don’t have any enemies that match your build or skills in my memory, so you’re probably just wanting to get some information from me. That’s fine, I can tell you everything I know, but I have a condition – let me go once this is over. By the assassin’s code of honor, I swear that everything that happens tonight will die with me in my heart." The assassin’s code of honor again. Luo An raised an eyebrow; "emotional sensing" confirmed that Sevin was telling the truth in the last part. This also showed from another angle how strongly the assassin’s code of honor bound these people, almost like a creed. A few thoughts crossed his mind, Luo An asked: "In ’Skull Flower,’ which assassins are proficient at using poison?" Sevin shook his head: "As an assassin, more or less they all use poison. It’s one of the basics." "Then only name the assassins who are most adept at, prefer, and frequently use poisoning as their method." Sevin pondered for a few seconds and began: "’Red-Backed Spider’ Brenna, she likes using neurotoxins to kill her targets. ’Undying Kyle’, this guy favors ricin because it’s easy to come by..." Sevin named seven or eight poison-using assassins in succession, but none had ever used the radioactive substance polonium-210. Mona’s brows were tightly knit. According to Sevin, although many assassins were proficient at using toxins, firearms were often more convenient than poisons, which was why shooting was the most common method among most assassins. Luo An’s expression remained unchanged. After Sevin finished, he continued: "Introduce the other assassins as well, listing them from the highest to the lowest price." "The top one is ’King Bar’, his real name is unknown, his codename comes from the seventy-two demons of King Solomon. It’s said that this demon can become invisible, and with ’King Bar’s’ high mission success rate and ability to kill without making a sound, he earned this codename..." Sevin stopped mid-sentence, furrowed his brows in thought for a few seconds, then raised his head again and said: "Right, there’s also ’Blue-eyed Roy’. He’s very capable and expensive, with an equally high success rate. Rumors say he has used nuclear material to kill enemies in the past, which should also count as a form of poisoning." The term nuclear material made Mona’s spirit jolt; Luo An felt a slight pulse in his heart, but he showed no reaction and continued to listen to Sevin’s introduction of the assassin information he knew. After Sevin’s introduction, Luo An turned to the topic of the incidents Chenier and others had investigated in Las Vegas, asking: "Do you know any intelligence about the destroyed Los Angeles Branch, Las Vegas Branch, and Kansas City Branch?" Sevin nodded, his tone serious: