Evening time.
When Peerless walked into the Continental Hotel once again, he could clearly feel that the glances directed at him from the corners of everyone's eyes held a hint of awe and lingering fear.
After all, Peerless had turned someone into a giant gray rat on live television.
Although the outside world had already clarified that it was a magic trick, and Peerless had not jumped out to clarify either, those in the know understood. Only stupid people would believe the official explanation.
These days, some things needed to be interpreted in reverse.
Therefore, even though Peerless had not taken any contracts for nearly half a year, his reputation in the assassin underworld was rising by the day. The most obvious indicator was that in the past, people used to make jokes using the Peerless notification cards.
Right now?
Not a single counterfeit notification card could be found, and there was not even anyone left making jokes.
Peerless really wanted to tell them that it was perfectly fine to play a card game with his notification cards. He had actually played it when he met with Red Devil, and the rules reminded Peerless of a certain board game.
Charon, who seemed to stand at the front desk twenty-four hours a day, looked at Peerless as he arrived, a smile on his face. "Long time no see, Mr. Peerless. Are you staying for the night, or here for leisure?"
Peerless nodded. "I have an appointment. Someone from the King family."
Charon nodded, swiped a room card, and handed it to Peerless. "Room 1208, Mr. Peerless."
Although the Continental Hotel served assassins, it was the transit station for the entire criminal underworld. Basically, the Continental Hotel knew everyone with a name and a reputation.
However, the Continental Hotel maintained strict neutrality and had never broken it for so many years. Therefore, a brand effect had formed in the hearts of everyone in the criminal underworld.
Soon.
Peerless stepped out of the elevator.
Two people walked toward him from the left hallway.
Six eyes locked onto each other.
The man leading the way bore a striking resemblance to Jason Brent from the NYPD. Upon seeing Peerless, he froze slightly, then revealed a smile.
"Jesus Christ, am I seeing things? Peerless?"
Peerless chuckled, walked out of the elevator, and shook hands with one of his old acquaintances, the man known in the industry as the Mechanic, Arthur.
"Arthur, long time no see."
Arthur was Harry's apprentice.
Peerless was Chester's apprentice.
Before Chester retired, he and Harry were good friends. In fact, Chester had even invited Harry over to Texas back then to teach some skills and techniques regarding making deaths look like accidents.
But Peerless had asked out of curiosity at the time, wouldn't killing everyone who saw you also count as a perfect assassination?
After that, there was no after that.
However, Peerless did become well-acquainted with Arthur.
Arthur wiped his nose, his voice somewhat deep and magnetic.
"I should be the one saying that. How long have you been in New York? I haven't seen you here even once."
Peerless smiled.
With an outsider present, he never liked overextending small talk.
Arthur seemed to think of something and pointed to the person beside him, who looked a lot like Hannibal but wore a mustache and was dressed to look somewhat older. "Vizla. Duncan Vizla..."
Peerless extended his hand. "The Black Kaiser. A veteran senior, I have long anticipated meeting you."
As an assassin with a proper lineage trained by a master, although there were not that many rules, one still needed to show respect when meeting a senior.
Furthermore, this appearance belonged to Uncle Hannibal, whom Peerless had always admired.
Who in this world wouldn't want to be with Uncle Hannibal and taste the delicious food cooked by his own hands?
However, this Duncan was somewhat cold. He merely shook hands with Peerless and said nothing more.
Arthur offered an invitation. "Care for a drink together?"
Peerless nodded. "Sure, go on down first. I'll head over to find you after I finish my business."
Arthur looked at the room card in Peerless's hand and nodded.
He didn't ask further questions.
Mind your own business and do not interfere with other people's contracts; this was also a rule of the trade.
Peerless waited until Arthur and the Black Kaiser entered the elevator before finding Room 1208.
He swiped the room card.
He pushed the door open.
Accompanied by the sound of handguns being drawn, the two guards protecting the employer quickly lowered their pistols the moment they saw Peerless walk in wearing sunglasses.
Over there, a blonde man in a suit, who looked exactly like a business professional, realized instantly upon seeing this scene that the person who arrived was undoubtedly the main client.
He stood up.
His face filled with a smile.
"Good evening, Mr. Peerless."
"Good evening."
Peerless shook hands with the man in front of him.
Tyler King looked thrilled. "Thank you, Mr. Peerless, for giving this contract to me."
Peerless said, "Although your brother Francis is quite good, I don't like losing, I like winning. You are the victorious king of this generation of the King family. Naturally, I would choose you. I believe you will sell my item for a very good price."
Tyler King looked excited. "I guarantee it, Mr. Peerless."
The King family was a very cruel family.
Put it this way.
The King family acquired specific people and items through kidnapping and theft, then held auctions for specific buyers. The difference was that after every auction, the two sons had to calculate their respective transaction amounts. The one with the lower amount had to play a round of Russian roulette.
The loser would fire a gun at his own head.
There was a one-in-six chance of dying.
But there was also a five-in-six chance of surviving.
By using this method, the two were motivated to work harder to find transaction targets and clients. It also served to better motivate their family, keeping the family thriving with vitality.
To put it bluntly.
This family had a screw loose.
But...
This had nothing to do with Peerless.
Peerless gave the plastic bag in his hand a slight lift.
Tyler King froze slightly as he looked at that cheap, ubiquitous supermarket bag. He even looked at the characters on the cheap supermarket bag and couldn't help but look up at Peerless.
Peerless handed the item to Tyler. "Sorry, took a trip to the supermarket and realized I was running out of time."
Life is a continuous performance.
Mix the false with the true, and the true with the false. What if this kind of inconspicuous small detail ended up working? Either way, it was just a convenient thing to do.
The plastic bag rustled.
Soon.
The thick Voodoo Compendium written on human skin, resembling a British legal code, was pulled out by Tyler King, who was wearing white gloves.
"Wow."
Tyler King touched this Voodoo Compendium with his gloved hands, which were expensively crafted to ensure the tactile sensation felt exactly like a bare hand. He couldn't help but praise in admiration, then looked toward Peerless.
"Can I..."
Peerless nodded. "Of course."
An auction, after all.
Authenticity definitely had to be verified. This item wasn't guaranteed to be real just because you said it was real. Others came to the auction because they valued the reputation of the auction house.
If a fake item appeared inside, the reputation of the Earl King family would probably be utterly ruined.
However...
Although the King family's educational model was a bit twisted, it still had its merits. At the very least, whether it was Tyler in front of him or his brother Francis, both had become top-tier appraisers before reaching thirty. Their vision was not inferior to any top appraiser out there.
And they were all-rounders.
Unlike the appraisers outside, where some top appraisers were severely unbalanced in their skills.
However...
There was also a female appraiser next to Tyler King.
She was probably there for cross-verification.
Peerless didn't care too much either.
Tyler King sat on the chair, completely focused, appearing to flip through the pages of the Voodoo Compendium one by one to conduct a very meticulous appraisal.
Thinking of Arthur whom he had just met in the hallway, Peerless spoke to the seriously focused Tyler King over there.
"I'll be drinking downstairs. Come find me when you're done."
Tyler King looked respectfully at Peerless, who turned toward the door after saying this. "Alright, Mr. Peerless."
It was the same old saying.
Following that live broadcast on the television station, Peerless's reputation had basically reached its peak in the assassin underworld.
After all...
No one was certain they could give Peerless a quick end. And if they lacked that certainty, then Peerless would make them miserable for the rest of their lives.
Imagine turning into a giant gray rat yourself?
Just thinking about that feeling made one feel that death was preferable to life.
However, Peerless knew that although the giant gray rat in the basement of the NYPD was also wishing it were dead, it didn't have a single shred of courage to commit suicide.
Of course, it would be useless even if that giant gray rat wanted to commit suicide.
Because that giant gray rat was tightly bound and suspended in mid-air. Eating? What eating, it didn't even deserve it. IV fluids; the doctors from the morgue would be responsible for its nutrition to ensure it stayed alive.
In the bar.
By the time Peerless arrived, the Black Kaiser was already gone.
Arthur, sitting opposite, snapped his fingers and called over a waiter.
"His transaction ended, so he left. That guy has always been a lone wolf."
The Black Kaiser could be considered to be from the same era as Chester and Harry.
However.
Chester wanted to retire, and he had already retired.
Harry wanted to continue shining and generating heat, becoming Arthur's partner and continuing to work together with Arthur.
The Black Kaiser also wanted to retire, but unfortunately, he hadn't reached retirement age yet, so he was still working hard at his job.
"Bourbon, Thunder Bourbon!"
Peerless spoke to the waiter, then looked curiously at Arthur.
"Not retired yet?"
"Soon."
Arthur drank the whiskey in front of him, thought about it, and said,
"Probably about two more years."
Peerless nodded.
He was brought up through a master-apprentice relationship with Chester, which belonged to independent freelancing. Arthur and Harry belonged to an assassin company with a good number of years behind it.
The Black Kaiser was actually originally a freelancer as well, but later, an assassin company headhunted him over, promising a rich retirement fund and binding the Black Kaiser.
Peerless couldn't help but shake his head. "So, when there's nothing going on, don't touch that stuff."
The Black Kaiser had a drug addiction.
Most assassins had them, especially the younger assassins nowadays, even more so.
But high pressure was never an excuse.
Peerless never held any sympathy for active drug addicts.
Chester didn't have one.
In fact, when Chester took Peerless as his apprentice, he had told Peerless not to touch that stuff, otherwise, he would clean out the sect himself.
Peerless wanted to laugh at the time.
But it had to be said that it was precisely because Chester's views were similar to his to a certain extent.
That was why Peerless became Chester's apprentice.
***
Whoops looks like i uploaded a wrong chapter yesterday, i guess that's what happens when you don't sleep well 🤣
***
Read 40 Chapters early on P-atreon.com/Redestro666