164: A legend in the criminal underworld

A legend in the criminal underworld

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Jiang Yue remained silent this time, pondering her next move. After a brief pause, she stated, "Let me treat my friend's wound and I'll show you."

With the way things are going, it could take a lot longer, and Xu Wuying's wounds needed to be treated right soon or they would cause irreparable damage to her wrist.

She cannot allow that to happen.

"Ah, give someone an inch, and they'll take a mile," sneered the man, "I've already stated my terms, impress me, and I'll accept your deal."

Jiang Yue nodded as he heard those remarks.

She first pressed a switch on her earpiece to prevent Xiaoli and Liu Ming from hearing what was about to happen, then she gripped the neckline of her fitting black long-sleeve shirt and tugged it down, just enough to offer her coverage.

When he saw her do so, he felt as though he just got played and was taken aback.

"That's not the kind of impress I was talking about—" he couldn't continue his remarks when he spotted something that made him stop.

He straightened his back and stopped leaning on the couch, his attention fixed on the girl in front of him.

On the girl's left upper chest and just a little below the collarbone, was a tattoo of a spider shaped like a butterfly, and just below it was the word 'Shadow'. 

It was just a small tattoo yet very clear and distinctive, but what made him react the way he did was the implication of such a tattoo.

This woman in front of him is Shadow? 

The founder of the notorious and renowned assassin organization, Fallen Vengeance?

Although his demeanor stayed unchanged, he was shaken on the inside. He could tell the woman was still young based on her body type, which he estimated to be around 20 years old.

When she began to demonstrate her talent in identifying guns and their specifications, he didn't care how young she appeared because what mattered to him was her aptitude, but if she was Shadow and she was this young, then that's a different story.

Any person who is in the business of killing or security would have heard about Fallen Vengeance, and what more about its founder, Shadow.

An assassin organization that appeared out of nowhere one day and came to dominate the killing business. Hiring one of the organization's assassin members is worth hundreds of millions of dollars because their targets are mostly well-protected people with security at all times, but they would still be able to assassinate their target in their first assassination attempt and no one had escaped from their hands.

However, Fallen Vengeance, when they were just recently established, did not quickly rise to prominence and earn the title of most known assassin organization.

Shadow, the woman in front of him, is responsible for this organization's current dominance in the killing business.

She had accomplished and dared to do something that no one had ever done before.

It was a story to be told to one assassin to another, one bounty hunter to another, one criminal to another, or anyone in particular.

Xuan Bo, a crime lord of a big syndicate that operates across various countries, had received a notice from Shadow herself that he was her target and had even given him the exact date when she'll execute him. 

This has never been done before because the client may not agree to it or the assassin may not be confident enough that he or she will be able to complete the assassination, which will no doubt ruin their reputation. But Shadow did it, putting Fallen Vengeance's reputation on the line, and her target was an International Crime Lord at that.

At the time, Fallen Vengeance and Shadow were somewhat still unknown.

Despite having hundreds of individuals after his life, Xuan Bo took Shadow's remarks seriously because his identity was hidden, and no one knew that he was behind one of the biggest syndicates at the time aside from a few people, yet Shadow was able to uncover his identity which was enough to prove what Shadow can do.

To protect himself, Xuan Bo hired hundreds of assassins to assassinate this 'Shadow' who had given him a countdown of his remaining lives. He engaged many security agencies and remained in a designated location where he was fully protected by his trusted men.

Despite all of his preparations, Xuan Bo perished on the day Shadow stated she would assassinate him.

Shadow, on the other hand, did not stop there.

Several pieces of evidence from each operation carried out by the syndicate, information on their bases in many countries, and information on every high-ranking member of the organization were handed over to Interpol, giving a major blow to the syndicate and successfully bringing it down.

The details of Xuan Bo's assassination had started to circulate because it was his men who had shared about what happened. 

Xuan Bo's assassination and the successful takedown of one of the biggest syndicates at that time made everyone who had heard about what happened to have respect and look up to Shadow. 

Several assassins sought to replicate what she did, and while some were successful, the impact was considerably lesser than what she did. It's either because their target is nothing compared to Xuan Bo's identity or it was because the execution of the assassination was nowhere near Shadow's. 

With that incident, Fallen Vengeance started to move up the ranks of the assassin organizations, gaining the respect and fear of both allies and enemies alike. They started to be known for their methodical approach with every assassination mission they have, which was combined with impeccable execution, and Shadow earned the status of a legend in the criminal underworld.

No one wanted to mess with Shadow. They don't want to be on her list someday because they know if the day comes that they become her target, there was no escape, they could only await for their deaths. 

But who would have thought that Shadow is a woman and a very young one at that?

Then how old was she when she assassinated Xuan Bo and took down his syndicate? 

He didn't want to think about it because it sounded ridiculous.

When he looked up, his gaze met hers. It was only then that he realized the intensity of her gaze. 

"You're Shadow? How do I know that's not a fake tattoo?" he questioned, gathering himself.

The Fallen Vengeance emblem of the identification of their assassins was a tattoo on their wrist, which only a few knew about, and he's one of them.

What he didn't expect was the word 'Shadow' tattooed beneath their identity emblem, as well as its placement above her chest and just below her collarbone.

"Do you think I would let anyone who impersonates me live?" said the woman in front of him.

His doubts were immediately cleared when he heard those words from her. 

No one would even try to mess with her, who would be foolish enough to impersonate her?

That's either killing yourself or presenting yourself to her on a platter.

"From what I've heard, Shadow hasn't appeared in years; was Tang Shuren your target?" he questioned, laying back on the couch as his body began to relax.

Jiang Yue sat down again on the couch, the gun still levelled at him. Instead of responding to his question, she stated, "I think that was impressive enough for you to accept my deal."

"Oh, I was impressed more than I expected to be," the guy replied with a pleased grin on his lips. "How about you tell me your friend's identity as well and I'll let you treat her wound, sounds fair doesn't it? It was already nice of me to give you the chance to make a deal with me."

Jiang Yue moved her eyes to Xu Wuying, asking if she should accept the man's offer, and Xu Wuying nodded.

"You better keep your fucking words or I won't let your soul rest if we all die here," Xu Wuying said, gritting her teeth. She tried to move the gauze that was tied to her wrist to reveal her tattoo, which was her symbol of identity as Scarlet, but it felt like the insides of her wrist were being twisted, causing her to groan and sweat even more.

"She's an assassin from Fallen Vengeance as well," Jiang Yue said, "is that enough of an answer for you? Give me medical supplies and I'll honor my part of the bargain."

"Ah, then that would be another deal. You're making one after another one, have you forgotten whose territory you are in right now?" 

Jiang Yue tilted her head, "Then it's fine with me if you don't. The three of us could just die here, your choice. I was already nice enough to offer you a deal that was advantageous for you," she snickered. 

The man scowled then he stated, "At this point the deal's meaningless, I've already given my word that I'll let you treat her and now you're changing your terms. What more do you want?"

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