The emergence of this bounty was purely accidental.
There is almost no other possibility for mobilizing more than a hundred special forces-level fighters at once to encircle and suppress Luke except on the battlefield.
He will not enter the battlefield either.
He has no interest in killing people, it's all just for experience points.
Even though some of them would definitely earn him experience points, he didn't have the idea of killing them all and leaving no one alive.
In the one or two hundred cases he handled over the past year or so, he only sent most of the people to prison, and most of the deaths were members of some evil gangs.
For other minor cases such as petty theft, bank robbery, and threatening with a gun, even if the case could be solved by shooting, he would only subdue the person.
This time, the reward offered by the Continental Hotel gave him an opportunity.
Actual combat is the only criterion for testing truth.
Today's actual combat tested his speculation.
Ordinary human troops could no longer pose a threat to him without a coordinated attack from heavy firepower.
This may not sound like a big deal, as every army has some heavy firepower.
But Luke and his various aliases are mostly active in big cities.
In such an environment, the army is unlikely to use heavy firepower as the consequences would be too serious.
He is invincible against ordinary people in the city.
After reaching this conclusion, he did not feel any surprise, but rather a little empty.
The phrase "lonely as snow" is indeed a true portrayal of my mood at the moment.
From this moment on, fighting with ordinary people will become a simple and unsuspenseful mechanical scoring behavior, even if the opponent is an elite killer or special forces soldier, even if there are dozens or hundreds of them.
Unless the opponent is a person with super powers, or like a certain young master, possesses extraordinary equipment and weapons, he is nothing more than a moving target under his gun.
As he thought this, he quickly cleaned up all the "garbage" and the scene and threw them into a large truck that had been parked in the park's parking lot.
This was also a prop he had reserved here in advance, specifically for cleaning the floor.
Turning his head to look at the dead silence in the park with only snowflakes falling all over the sky, he pondered for a moment and chuckled: "I'll leave you a souvenir!"
As he spoke, he used the cover of a large truck to carry out a life-size sculpture from the storage space and placed it on the small peninsula by the lake.
Most of the killers tonight lost their lives here, so it is a good place to leave souvenirs.
After placing the sculpture, Luke swung the matte knife and a line of standard English cursive appeared on the base of the sculpture.
After glancing at the sentence that looked like it was carved by a machine, he nodded in satisfaction, turned around and tried to leave, but suddenly stopped and swung the matte knife again, carving a number 126 under the message.
“Now, your memories should be clearer and longer-lasting.” Luke chuckled, got on the truck, and quickly disappeared into the park.
Quagmire Park fell into silence again, with only snowflakes falling from the sky, gradually accumulating on the unconscious killer and the black statue.
The snow is getting heavier.
…
At the Continental Hotel in New York, Winston was sitting on the sofa by the fireplace, reading leisurely with a book in his hand.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
He frowned: "Come in." Just by hearing the knock on the door, he knew it was Caron, the duty manager in the lobby.
A thin-faced black man came in and walked not far from Winston.
He was wearing a neat black suit, his back was straight, his movements were quick but not impatient, and he even seemed quite gentle, which was completely different from the unrestrained and natural style pursued by most African Americans.
This is Caron, Winston's most trusted subordinate.
"Sir, something happened." Caron lowered his body slightly and spoke softly.
Winston was not impatient, but he did not delay. He bookmarked the book in his hand, closed it and put it on the small coffee table next to him: "What is it?"
Caron: "There was a problem with the order from the Smiling Man. News just came in. Of the 127 assassins who went to Quagmire Park, only one survived."
Winston paused for a moment, raised his hand and took off his gold-rimmed glasses: "What exactly is going on?"
As the words came out of his mouth, several thoughts flashed through his mind.
An ambush by colleagues? Official intervention? Or... that person came out
Thinking of the last thought, he couldn't help but shook his head slightly: It's impossible. That person had gone through so much hardship to leave this circle just for a precious love, how could he come back
"The surviving person was deliberately released by the Smiling Man to deliver the message. She called the hotel immediately after she woke up, and that's how I learned the news," said Caron.
Winston stood up slowly with a calm expression, took two steps, stood in front of the fireplace, and added two logs of firewood to the fireplace. "What did he say?"
Caron's racial talent limited the further deepening of his expression, but his expression became even more rigid: "Sir, are those original words?"
Winston watched the wood he had just thrown into the fireplace change color and then start to flame. "Speak."
Caron: "His original words were to go back and tell the Continental Hotel that this was just a small meeting gift. Since I'm in New York, if I stand, you have to kneel. If I sit, you have to lie prone, just like you are now."
He confirmed this repeatedly.
He knew his boss would ask.
In Winston's eyes, the fire in the fireplace was dancing, and the new wood made it more lively.
After a moment of silence, he spoke: "Take good care of the living person and make sure she recalls all useful information."
Caron: “Yes, sir.”
After waiting for a while, he did not hear the next sentence. After a slight hesitation, he spoke: "Sir, that smiling man..."
Winston turned his back and waved his hand: "Don't worry about him for now, everything will continue as usual."
Caron opened his mouth, but finally said respectfully, "Yes, sir," and left the room.
One hundred and twenty-six killers died in one order, which is extremely rare even for mainland hotels.
Caron originally wanted to ask what to do, but he couldn't guess many of Winston's thoughts. However, he believed that the boss had his own plans and didn't need him to remind him repeatedly.
Winston stood in front of the fireplace for a long time, until he felt a little hot, then he walked back to the living room, took out his cell phone and dialed the number: "Thoroughly check the order, number 041125, contract code Smiley Man. Including the payer and the reason for the contract. Remember, I don't want second-hand goods I inquired about on the street, I want accurate first-hand information."
After hearing the response from the other end, he hung up the phone.
Walking to the window and looking at the first winter snow that was getting heavier, he had a bad feeling in his heart.
This premonition has helped him avoid many crises. He would rather believe it and spend time and energy to verify whether it is true than classify it as the suspicion of an old man.
This world is too dangerous.
Mainland hotels are not invincible either.
…