Now, all tactics and plans were impossible to implement; the game rules had turned into this monstrosity, rendering any tactical approach ineffective. All teams specialized in urban warfare were furious about this.
At this moment, in a conference room, there was a round table with 20 seats, each representing a different power.
Above each seat was a special projector, and as the projectors lit up one by one, the leaders of various assassin organizations were projected onto their respective seats.
These were the seats for the leaders of the world's top 20 assassin organizations.
However, everyone's face was blurred, not revealing their true appearance, which could be considered a form of self-protection.
Sitting at the head of the table was the Old Lady who had announced the rules. Her projection sat there, crossing her legs, holding a slender cigarette, exuding elegance.
"The game is about to begin. I wonder if everyone is clear about this competition's rules?"
The Old Lady elegantly looked at everyone present, but since everyone's facial expressions were obscured, their emotions couldn't be discerned. Eventually, someone couldn't hold back.
"You are violating the rules! There has never been a rule that has been so subversionive, completely inconsistent with previous rules!"
The man who spoke this was in the fourth seat to the right of the round table. He severely questioned the changes to the competition rules, but since the rules had already been announced, his anger was futile.
"'Always'? Do I always have to follow the rules that have always been there?"
The Old Lady scoffed at this. "Rules are meant to be broken. The old rules have long been exploited, and the rankings have become less accurate. It's better to completely overturn them and establish new rules."
This was her truest thought.
"Even so, all the rules shouldn't be made so unfamiliar. Everyone will have to adapt to the rules again."
Another woman also felt a bit indignant; she had planned tactical strategies for a long time, all of which were now useless.
"Oh? Is that so?"
The Old Lady looked at the others with a half-smile. "I am the one who set the rules this time, so you must follow my rules. When it's your turn to set the rules in the future, I will naturally abide by yours."
The Old Lady's words, her powerful retort, were also a declaration: as long as I am the host, you must follow my rules.
At this, the others fell silent. They also knew that rules were not set in stone but designed according to each game's specific setup.
Clearly, previous setups always began the competition in a certain city, so the rules tended to be consistent. But this time was completely different; this fellow had completely changed the location, method, and rules of the entire game.
Such sudden changes would not be communicated to other participating organizations beforehand, which greatly prevented cheating. And in such circumstances, to achieve the highest ranking, one's strength would be self-evident.
Even if they were very reluctant, they had to grudgingly accept it. However, those who had bet heavily were a bit miserable; having their treasured assassins enter this game was sheer torment for them.
But since things had come to this, they could only hope their assassins performed well. Even if they wanted to withdraw, the top 10 assassin organizations would not allow it, unless they wanted to be delisted.
Once you joined this game, there was no getting out unscathed. Moreover, the changes in rules and venue also gave all assassins a relatively fair chance, as everyone wasn't a superman and could be ambushed or even counter-killed.
So, these seemingly unreasonable and cruel rules were actually quite fair to everyone, which was one reason why, despite some complaints, there was no outright opposition.
Seeing that everyone remained silent, the Old Lady nodded with satisfaction. Then, everyone shifted their gaze to the large screen, which displayed the cabin of a massive transport plane.
The scene shifted to Johnny's side. At this point, they were no longer making any plans. For them, any planning now seemed useless.
However, one core principle remained unchanged: all five of them must stay within the same area.
Everyone clearly understood that in this kind of team battle, any individual strength could become a factor for failure, unless one was already strong enough to disregard everything.
Before long, a knock came from outside the villa's safe house. Little Devil quickly ran to open the door, revealing a fully armed tactical team.
Looking at the emblem on their tactical uniforms, Little Devil knew the people sent to pick them up had arrived.
"Everybody, let's go!"
Hearing Little Devil's words, everyone stood up and walked out the door. Outside was an armored van. The five people got in, followed by two members of the tactical team.
Once inside, they directly handed each of the five a parachute pack and a special watch.
They also gave everyone a hood and a mask.
"In a moment, we will take you to the airport for assembly, so you must wear your hoods and masks to prevent your identities from being exposed."
This was also one of the rules of this ranking competition: no one was allowed to reveal their identity before jumping off the plane.
Even the live broadcast cameras would not show this area at this time; everything was conducted in secrecy.
"I didn't expect this rule change to make everything fairer for everyone." John took the hood and smiled, then put it on. Except for his mouth and eyes, everything else was pitch black.
Immediately after, he put on his mask.
Unless someone was extremely familiar with John's physique, they would never be able to recognize him.
The others did the same, taking the bags, masks, and watches handed to them.
After securing the parachute pack to his body, Johnny tightly fastened all the safety buckles. If this thing malfunctioned, it would truly be a fatal fall.
Johnny picked up the watch. This watch was indeed specially made, entirely black, with only a screen, but the screen was currently dim, without any light source.
And its strap was designed very specially; once put on, it was impossible to take off.
Even the material was special, likely very difficult to cut with a knife. After checking for a long time and finding no flaws, Johnny and the others exchanged glances and could only silently put on the watches. With a series of "click-click-click" sounds, the straps locked onto each person's wrist.
At this point, the screen lit up, displaying "Device Activated." So, it only activated when it detected bio-electrical currents?
Heh, that's a clever trick.
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