Oulos connected with John via the voice channel.

Bone Shards' call does not conflict.

John briskly walked across the silent carpet, found a row of window seats based on his own number, and even suspected Bone Shards was watching him from some corner.

"I've come in, what do you need me to do?"

[Don't rush, John, do you see the floor-to-ceiling window? The sixth seat next to the flower bed has a gun, pick it up, you need the equipment to get the job done.]

John walked through the floor-to-ceiling window and the steps with breathing lights.

This is a terrace.

Dark skyscrapers tower amidst vibrant neon, with some clients standing by the railing overlooking Eden City.

They chat about business and news.

There's also a pretty silhouette smoking alone.

John moved towards the side close to the banquet hall, carefully rummaging inside the booth wrapped with parasols and greenery.

[Weapon: Family [Smart Revolver]]

[Module: Advanced Penetration, Shift Calibration]

[Description: Business-grade smart weapon, with a modified style full of American flair, equipped with showroom-level modules and Black Gold's exclusive color scheme.]

There are also two clips in the box.

John swiftly checked the weapon, casually tucked it at his waist, with no holster in the belt under his suit, he had to make do temporarily.

"What do you want me to do?"

[What you do best, killing, a very simple business...]

"Mr. Vito just needs to enter this building, you should have a thousand ways to make him drop, why do you need me?"

John more or less guessed the task's contents.

Bone Shards laughed out loud.

[Think you're loyal and righteous, huh? Mercenary boy, check the price I've offered before you decide to refuse.]

A message jumped into John's inbox.

The sender was an unknown account.

Bone Shards remained as cautious as ever.

John's artificial eye flickered, read the email's content—a gradually loading HD site photo, equipped with a self-destruct plugin once viewed.

The image showed a locked freezer.

Filled with half-melted crushed ice and an injured corpse, the scanning system automatically popped out his detailed information.

[Name: John Chavez]

[Profile: Born in Old Northern America, arrived in Eden City at seventeen, joined Tiebang Logistics two years later, over five years of driving experience...]

"F*ck!?"

John widened his eyes, a tingling sensation ran from scalp to spine.

Bone Shards actually got hold of his original body!

[You have two minutes to consider, John, once the task is completed, I'll tell you where this thing is.]

Thunk thunk thunk—

Clap clap clap clap.

In the banquet hall, applause echoed continuously.

John regained his composure from the shock, slightly backed away, and hid in the shadows within the depth of the seats.

The guests chatting on the terrace all flocked towards the hall.

The previously dim social scene suddenly turned brightly lit, holographic projections with black-and-gold engravings covered every wall.

Guests lined the paths, warmly applauding to welcome the protagonist's entrance.

Oulos's voice rose on another channel.

[Vito Russell has arrived, where are you? Don't forget our goal at the banquet, you need to approach him, ask about that group's intelligence.]

John took a deep breath, calming himself down once more.

Bone Shards was still waiting for his reply.

He tucked his gun, left the booth, and stood at the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing ahead at the spotlight circle attracting everyone's attention.

Mr. Vito Russell indeed attended.

He donned familiar bespoke shirt, hand-woven vest, cloaked in a black suit-coat, greeting the guests with smiles.

This previous Speaker of Black Gold Gang looked somewhat aged.

Having shed his authoritative presence during his tenure, yet still imposing, his hairstyle and attire were impeccably maintained.

Golden rings glittered on his prosthetic limb.

John took a deep breath, prepared to step forward, catching a glimpse of his right side in his peripheral vision.

The internal elevator happened to open at this moment.

The several senior executives of Jingke Heavy Industry he previously met, escorted by bodyguards and smart machines, stepped out, after all, it's a retirement banquet, the company had to present an appropriate stance.

Crowds congregated from three elevators and corridors into a large procession, preparing to welcome Mr. Vito.

Bone Shards appeared at the end of the procession.

He was surrounded by Black Gold Gang's high-level thugs, all with fierce faces, muscular butchers holding heavy weapons, almost three-meter stature, resembling humanoid combat machinery.

Bone Shards wore dark gold half-frame glasses, glimpsing at John across dozens of meters amid the crowded stream.

His lips moved, voice reaching John's ear.

[Will you take my job or not?]

John took a deep breath, tacitly agreed.

[Oh, don't misunderstand, your target isn't Vito...]

"WTF!?"

John reeled back his already taken step.

[The woman on the viewing platform behind you, smoking, take her out, I'll give you forty seconds to complete the task, else I'll consider you've refused, and the item in the photo will leave my control.]

Mr. Vito's arrival bolstered the banquet atmosphere.

All guests advanced to the hall, clapping welcomingly, watching him deliver his retirement speech under the spotlight.

This gang Godfather made a great contribution to the stability of the West District.

John navigated through the light, weaving among guests with blossoming smiles, returning to the empty viewing platform.

The woman was still standing there, red dots flickering at her fingertips.

She seemed unperturbed by the sounds from the banquet, head lifted, quietly gazing at Eden City against the night sky, lost in thought.

A faint scent of smoke lingered in the air.

John approached slowly, observing the target—she leaned alone against the railing, in her backless dress, smooth and white synthetic leather, strangely familiar.

Who is she?

Originally, he thought only "Vito" was worth Bone Shards' price.

The lights in the banquet hall swept across.

John's shadow was suddenly stretched very long.

The woman in front seemed to sense something, turned around, and looked at the mercenary with his hands hidden in his suit jacket, asking doubtfully.

"John!?"

"Angelica!?"

[Mission update (7s↓)]

[Kill the target. (Optional)]

[Abandon the target. (Optional)]

The mission information popped up, accompanied by a countdown.

Bone Shards deliberately didn't reveal the target's identity, probably hoping John would draw his gun and shoot before she turned around.

He did indeed set a time limit.

John almost unhesitatingly lowered his gun.

The countdown ended.

He realized that the course of the mission had taken a significant turn at that moment.

Angelica looked John up and down.

She was wearing a high-end dress with jewels adorning her fingers and neck.

"Why are you here?"

"That's my question too, ah, never mind, Bone Shards wants to kill you, come with me, you can start explaining now..."

John placed his weapon close to his body, gesturing for Angelica to come over and simultaneously turned to look at the brightly lit banquet hall.

Mr. Vito's voice came from the sound system.

He was delivering a retirement speech.

[Haha, well done, John.]

Bone Shards sneered and hung up the phone.

He stood among the bigwigs, completely invisible in any specific position.

John snapped back to reality.

Angelica still stood in place.

At first, she was expressionless, then she showed a bitter smile.

"I can't leave Eden City, can't even step out of the West District."

Angelica took one last drag of her cigarette, flicked it over the railing, and the flying sparks extinguished while falling into the darkness.

She made a finger gun gesture aimed at her head.

"The satellite detects if I take half a step outside, the lockdown protocol activates, I'm a hostage used to blackmail him."

"Who?"

John asked.

Angelica didn't answer.

As she walked toward the banquet hall, she asked.

"You wanted to kill me just now? Bone Shards' assignment, if the pay was right, you should've done it..."

[I just won some interesting intel at the card table.]

Oulos's voice came through the communication channel.

She had obviously heard John's conversation with Angelica.

[Jingke Heavy Industry once kidnapped Vito's two children to ensure the gang would remain under corporate control, one was sent to the European Branch for training, and the other remained in Eden City.]

Oulos sent the detailed information to his email.

John's cybernetic eye flickered, flashing through various photos and text information.

A tanned-skinned girl lay in a hospital bed, with medical records showing severe burns and a fractured spine, presumably having survived a gunfight and an explosion.

Jingke Heavy Industry's medical department admitted her.

Then came the years-long recovery cycle.

Timestamps and photo numbers kept increasing.

During this process, she underwent countless cosmetic surgeries, changing from skin tone to hair and even eye color, aging gradually, and finally turning into a completely different person.

[Unpublicized material detected, database scanning update initiated.]

A new prompt popped up in front of John.

This was likely a feature upgrade after Black Light.

John snapped back from the bloody surgical records and the pale oppressive hospital room.

The image in the photo overlapped with the woman in front.

He looked up and initiated a scan.

Angelica's outline was highlighted.

[Name: Ariani Russell [Angelica]]

[Allegiance: Black Gold Gang]

Sure enough.

Angelica was Vito's daughter.

She was injured in the Black Gold Gang's war over the West District, saved by Jingke Heavy Industry, and implanted with a lockdown protocol, becoming one of the means to blackmail Vito, ensuring the gang walked alongside the corporation.

"Ariani Russell?"

John stood by her side and asked in a low voice.

Angelica's skin tightened, as if she trembled slightly.

"... Haven't heard that name in a long time."

She turned to look at John, her gaze very complicated, and casually picked up a drink from the VIP area's self-service bar.

John wanted to ask something but didn't know where to start.

No wonder the cabinet warned him to be careful with Angelica.

Her connections with Black Gold Gang's businesses, funding sources, various privileges, and contacts, were all answered at that moment when her identity was revealed.

Suddenly.

A wave of exclamations erupted in the banquet hall.

John couldn't help but glance over.

Vito raised his glass as a signal, waited until the crowd quieted down again, then continued speaking to the guests unflinchingly.

"The Black Gold Gang will win this war, just as I said earlier, the West District has mastered the weapon to decide the outcome, and I will fulfill my promise, leading the West District to become the center of Eden City alongside Mr. Ethan Ratliff."

Vito gestured towards Bone Shards in the crowd.

He raised his glass and downed the bubbly champagne in one go.

There was a long hesitation in the banquet hall before applause started, followed by roaring cheers and deafening music that nearly blew the roof off.

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