In the darkness of Nyxspire city, there was a deadly assassin from the Obsidian Ark named Silas Creed.
"Wait, please forgive me, I am just a messenger," begged the target.
"You should blame yourself for becoming my target," Silas replied coldly.
In an instant, Silas' dagger pierced the target's body.
"Boss, I've completed my mission," said Silas.
"Alright, you may return," came the boss's reply.
"Understood," said Silas.
He hung up the phone and walked away from the alley.
"Phew, finally, another job is done. Time to head home," Silas muttered to himself.
As Silas was on his way home, his steps were halted by a woman being chased by a group of thugs.
"Hehehe, where do you think you're going, miss? You think you can escape from us?"
"That's right, it's better if you just obey and serve us well," one thug sneered.
"You think I'll just let myself be caught?" the woman retorted, continuing to resist the thugs.
"Hmm, interesting. It's better I leave; this isn't my business," Silas thought.
But as he was about to turn and leave, he noticed the bracelet the woman was wearing.
"That bracelet... No way, how could it be with her?" Silas thought.
Silas took out his Silencer-X from his storage box.
"Target locked," Silas said.
After locking onto one of the thugs, Silas immediately pulled the trigger of his Silencer-X.
"Hehehe, you think you can—" the thug started to say before Silas' shot silenced him.
"One target down, three to go," Silas stated.
"Who's next? Show yourself! Don't be a coward!"
Silas quickly aimed his weapon at the second thug, and in an instant, a plasma bullet from his Silencer-X pierced the thug's skull.
"Damn, where did he...?" another thug muttered.
"How dare you..." another one grumbled.
"Help me..." another thug cried before being silenced by the assassin.
With all the thugs dead, Silas approached the woman.
"Good, all targets eliminated. Now, time to ask about that bracelet," Silas said.
Silas descended from the rooftop and approached the woman.
"Who is he? Why did he help me?" the woman muttered to herself.
"Hey, I want to ask you something," Silas said.
"So, you're the one who saved me? Thank you for your help. What do you want to ask me?" the woman responded.
"Tell me, where did you get that bracelet?" Silas asked.
"Oh, so that's what you want to ask me?" she replied.
"Don't ask too many questions. Answer me quickly before I kill you with my own hands," Silas threatened, pointing his weapon at her.
"Uhh, scary... Alright, I'll tell you. This bracelet was given to me by a childhood friend," the woman said, showing the bracelet.
"A childhood friend?" Silas asked.
"Yes, my childhood friend. I can't remember his real name, but he went by the nickname Si-kun," she explained.
Silas thought about the nickname for a moment, which brought back memories from his own childhood.
"No way... Could it be Nina Kael? Wasn't she supposed to have disappeared ten years ago?" Silas thought to himself.
But just as Silas was lost in thought, a group of thugs appeared and approached them.
"There they are, don't let them escape!"
"Heh, they followed me all the way here," the woman said.
"Fighting them is more trouble than it's worth. You'd better come with me to my house," Silas said.
"Alright, I'll follow you," she agreed.
The two of them fled from the thugs.
During their escape, Silas asked, "By the way, what's your name?"
"My name is Nina Kael. And you?" Nina replied.
"I'm Silas Creed," he answered.
"Silas? Why does that name sound so familiar to me?" Nina wondered to herself.
When they arrived at Silas' house, he immediately took out his Vericard and scanned it on the X-trace scanner mounted on the wall of his house's gate.
VERIFICATION SUCCESSFUL. WELCOME, MASTER.
"Quick, get inside before they arrive," Silas urged.
"Alright," Nina replied.
The two of them entered the house, just as the thugs arrived outside.
"Damn, they got away so quickly!"
"Hurry, search for them. They can't be far!"
The thugs immediately began searching for them.
"We're safe now," Silas said, peeking through his window.
"You're right," Nina agreed.
"Now, can you tell me who they are, why they're chasing you, and what you're doing in this city?" Silas asked.
"Alright, I'll tell you. I came here to find Si-kun, and when I arrived in this city, I was intercepted by them. They claim to be members of V.I.R.U.S." Nina explained.
"V.I.R.U.S? You mean Violent Integrated Rogue Underground System? The ones who commit all the underground crimes?" Silas asked.
"That seems to be it. I don't know the acronym, but I think that's them," Nina said.
"Hmm, interesting. Continue," Silas urged.
"They wanted me to serve them, of course, I refused. But because of my rejection, they started chasing me," Nina added.
"I see. So why are you looking for Si-kun?" Silas asked.
"Of course, because I miss him. Who wouldn't miss someone they haven't seen in ten years?" Nina replied.
"Huh? That's the only reason you came to this city? And got chased by V.I.R.U.S.?" Silas asked.
"Of course, that's not the only reason. I have something to tell him," Nina said.
"What is it that you need to tell him that made you come all the way to this city alone?" Silas thought.
Silas then asked Nina what she wanted to tell Si-kun.
"And what do you want to tell him?" Silas asked.
But Nina didn't reveal the reason to Silas.
"It's a secret. You really want to know, huh?" Nina said with a teasing tone.
"Alright, sorry. For now, you can stay here until things calm down," Silas said.
"Okay. By the way, this house is quite high-tech," Nina commented.
"Yeah, for someone like me, I needed a house that's safe and comfortable. That's why my house is so high-tech," Silas replied.
"For someone like you? What kind of work do you do? And why are there so many weapons in here?" Nina asked.
"My job isn't exactly a normal one," Silas said.
"Not a normal job? What kind of job is it?" Nina asked.
"Are you sure you want to know?" Silas asked.
"Of course," Nina replied.
"My job is... as an assassin," Silas said.
Hearing this, Nina took a step back, a little scared.
"I knew it, you're scared, aren't you? That's why I didn't want to tell you," Silas said with a smirk.
"Hehe, no, I was just surprised," Nina said quickly.
"Don't lie, I know you're scared. Tell me, why are you so afraid?" Silas asked.
"Hmm, alright. I'll tell you. A month ago, my parents were killed by an assassin. After he killed them, he left me a message saying, 'Today, I'll let you go. Don't ever let me meet you again,'" Nina explained.
"An assassin? Do you remember what he looked like?" Silas asked.
"No, I don't know. He wore a Shade-X mask," Nina replied.
"That explains it. That mask is very effective at hiding someone's identity," Silas murmured to himself.
Just after this conversation, Silas received a message from his boss, which shocked him.
"What's wrong? What's in the message?" Nina asked.
"The message says..." Silas began.
What does the message contain? Why is Silas so shocked? And what will Nina's reaction be if the person who saved her is the one she's been searching for all this time? Find out in Chapter 2.
*If I made any minor mistakes that might be distracting, I sincerely apologize. I have done my best for this novel, and if you enjoy it, please consider giving it a like and sharing your feedback, suggestions, or criticism so I can learn and improve. Thank you for reading, and see you in the next chapter!*