Last time Ren Suo controlled the Assassin to stealthily obtain a gun, he was probably spotted by a young man in a brown suit. This directly aroused suspicion and led to the Assassin being captured.
Now that Ren Suo thought about it, the Assassin had been alone when he approached the suspect from behind to steal the gun; the target seemed a bit too obvious.
This time, he found a suspicious individual in the crowd and still used the tactic of "just a little nudge, then I'm outta here." He arranged for someone's drink to spill all over the suspicious person. Then, the Assassin approached amidst the crowd and surreptitiously shot the suspicious person in the butt.
"You obtained a 'Beretta 92' with 15 bullets and a pistol silencer."
Having successfully stolen the pistol, Ren Suo had the Assassin quickly make his escape and then continued to wander around the banquet hall, waiting for 20:00. During this time, through more "accidental" physical contact, he discovered several more suspicious individuals.
As soon as the clock hit 20:00, gunshots erupted from the inner hall on the other side of the banquet hall. Without waiting for a game prompt, Ren Suo had the Assassin shoot and kill the assassin hidden behind a pillar, taking his spot. This pillar offered an excellent field of fire, and activating [Bullet Time], the Assassin killed three more assassins in quick succession!
The banquet hall descended into chaos, and the Assassin took the opportunity to take cover behind the pillar to recover Instinct Value. Ren Suo calculated that by staying in this safe zone, he could maintain a rhythm of shooting for five seconds and resting for five seconds. Even if the other assassins found cover, he could use [Bullet Time] to catch them the moment they peeked out and shoot their big noses off...
RAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT—
At that moment, several men in black charged into the banquet hall, attempting to return fire with pistols, but they were instantly turned into a hornet's nest by two assault rifles!
Damn it, wasn't this supposed to be a pistol fight? Where did the assault rifles come from? Ren Suo noticed two assassins standing by the table where the Wine Cup Pyramid was placed. They were firing furiously with rifles, and each time they emptied a magazine, they crouched down to grab a new one from under the table!
They hid assault rifles under the table!?
Before Ren Suo could process his surprise, the assassins began to split up. Some rushed out to guard the elevators and emergency exits. One assassin holding an assault rifle headed into the inner hall with five others, while another assassin with an assault rifle began firing towards the spot where the Assassin was hidden!
The relentless gunfire instantly stripped the carvings and plaster from the pillar in front of the Assassin!
The screen suddenly flashed red, indicating the Assassin was injured but not yet dead. Knowing he couldn't continue like this, Ren Suo had the Assassin take the opportunity, while the enemy was reloading, to lean out from cover and activate [Bullet Time]—
SWOOSH—another assassin who had been targeting the pillar fired his pistol. The Assassin had to duck back to avoid the bullet, wasting precious time. The other assassins quickly took aim, effectively pinning down the Assassin's position!
After [Bullet Time] ended, the assassin with the assault rifle had also reloaded his magazine and resumed blasting the pillar with relentless gunfire!
"[You died.]"
Reloading his save, Ren Suo, despite another failure, felt a surge of excitement!
This time, upon entering the banquet hall, the Assassin not only instantly spotted fifteen suspicious individuals but also—
"[Firearms Mastery] Trait activated. You found a 'Steyr AUG' assault rifle."
The assault rifle was located right under the table supporting the Wine Cup Pyramid!
This time, Ren Suo didn't bother trying to steal a pistol. Instead, he had the Assassin linger near the Wine Cup Pyramid table. As soon as it turned 20:00, he had the Assassin immediately grab the assault rifle, activate [Bullet Time], and deliver precision shots at the assassins, who were now glowing red!
The assassin trying to approach the table to grab a gun was instantly taken down by Ren Suo. Ren Suo also cleaned up many other assassins who failed to find cover. As the guests screamed and scrambled for safety, the remaining assassins found cover and began shooting back at the Assassin.
Naturally, Ren Suo had the Assassin use the sturdy wine table as cover to block bullets while reloading. Then, he activated [Bullet Time] again. Regardless of whether the assassins peeked out or not, he unleashed a full-auto barrage!
The destructive power of an assault rifle was far greater than that of a pistol. Pistols couldn't inflict much damage on the Assassin hiding behind the wine table. However, the assault rifle's bullets continuously penetrated the enemy assassins' cover, forcing even those in hiding out into the open to be shot down!
Although there were more than twenty assassins, they were no match for an Assassin wielding [Bullet Time], [Firearms Mastery], and the most powerful weapon in the banquet hall. Moreover, by this time, the assassins couldn't get out to suppress the elevators and emergency exits, and the men in black from outside also came to help.
Several armed gentlemen also emerged from the inner hall. Under attack from multiple directions, the assassins were quickly annihilated!
Did I finally clear it…
Before Ren Suo could even breathe a sigh of relief, those men in black surrounded him, pointing their guns at him!
At that moment, an elderly-looking English Gentleman pointed his gun at him and said, "Put down your weapon! Who are you? I don't recall inviting any Asians to this banquet?!"
Three options appeared, again with only a 10-second time limit to choose:
① "Me? I'm merely an admirer of Miss Karen. I unintentionally discovered that this group of Card Assassins intended to harm Miss Karen, so I came to deal with them."
② "I was mission-bound, here solely to protect Karen Lanpelucci."
③ "I live my life as I see fit; why should I explain myself to you? (Xuan Wen)."
The first two responses seemed reasonable, while the third sounded like it was deliberately looking for trouble. Therefore, Ren Suo chose Option ②.
To his dismay, the English Gentleman frowned. "Hmph, who knows if you're an assassin who faked their way in... Bind him up and toss him in the restroom! Don't let him follow us!"
What the heck? Ren Suo was stunned as he watched the Assassin being bound and taken to the restroom. Then, one of the men in black struck the back of the Assassin's head with a palm-edge chop...
"You were knocked unconscious. Karen Lanpelucci was killed during this time. Mission failed."
After reloading and successfully eliminating the assassins on his next attempt, Ren Suo chose Option ①.
Even through the screen, Ren Suo could see the expressions of the men in black change bizarrely; the way they looked at him shifted instantaneously. The English Gentleman furrowed his brow. "...Really?"
The Assassin said, "Yes, really. I am willing to give my life for Miss Karen."
"Alright then. You and the Blackwater Squad will take the lead. Miss Karen must stay safely in the rear." The English Gentleman continued, "The Card Assassins have burst in from outside and killed the security personnel. The first floor is crawling with them, and they're coming up the emergency stairwell."
"We must leave the ninth floor; it's highly probable they've planted bombs here!" The English Gentleman looked around the banquet hall and hurriedly called out to the remaining living guests, "Miss Clarice, Sir Morris… please leave with us!"
One by one, armed men in black emerged from the inner hall. Ren Suo wanted to see what Karen Lanpelucci, the person he was supposed to protect, looked like. However, she seemed to be completely surrounded by the men in black in the center of the group, making her impossible to see. On the screen, only a golden inverted pyramid icon floated behind the men in black.
That must be the location of the protection target…
Then the Assassin, holding an assault rifle, led the way, fighting his way down the emergency stairwell. When they reached the seventh floor, the banquet hall on the ninth floor was rocked by a loud explosion, shaking the entire building.
The assassins had set up a defensive line on the second floor, but how could they possibly stop an Assassin who was practically cheating? However, after the Assassin had brutally shot them down relying on [Bullet Time], one of the assassins unexpectedly threw a grenade upwards.
BOOM—
"[You died.]"
Reload!
This time, when the Assassin arrived at that spot, he leaped directly over the stair railing and jumped down into the group of assassins. Using five seconds of [Bullet Time], he routed the assassins. Just then, as one of the assassins pulled out a grenade, it was instantly detonated by the Assassin shooting it.
"You've gained one Fragmentation Grenade."
The Assassin's swift, decisive, and unstoppable maneuvers left the men in black behind him repeatedly astounded. The English Gentleman approached, his voice filled with admiration. "What a terrifying Asian... Could you be an Ancient Ninja from the Flourishing Sakura Country? Or an Ancient Samurai? No normal person could possibly be as formidable as you. Are you one of those Non-Human entities?"
At that moment, time suddenly paused, and a box appeared on the screen with a line of text: "I am an Assassin from Ren Naiser."
In this sentence, the faction name in the middle was editable, but the surrounding "I am an Assassin from..." structure was fixed. Ren Suo exclaimed, I can even edit the dialogue...
Wait? Ren Naiser? Isn't that my game ID? Why is it the default origin for the Assassin?
Ren Suo scratched his head but didn't dwell on it. Following his preference, he edited the phrase to: "I am an Assassin from Fairy Palace."
The English Gentleman was visibly taken aback and asked in strange Xuan Wen, "Fairy Palace? Are you from Mysterious Country?"
At that moment, another prompt popped up: "Please explain 'Fairy Palace'."
Damn, there's even real-time dialogue! Could a GM be chatting with me? Ren Suo laughed and typed out a fabricated explanation: "Fairy Palace is a secret organization in Mysterious Country. I am just one of their common assassins."
The English Gentleman uttered an "Oh" and nodded, his tone becoming much more polite. "Then we shall be relying on your considerable skills, sir. The Ranpelrouge Family will not be stingy with their gratitude afterward."
Then the Assassin charged into the first-floor lobby, activated [Bullet Time], and threw the Fragmentation Grenade into a densely packed area of the crowd. After the explosion killed several, the Assassin took cover inside the emergency stairwell, waiting for [Bullet Time] to cool down. Then, every five seconds, he'd shoot down a few more assassins; every five seconds, a few more...
As the Assassin steadily advanced, killing over a dozen assassins on the first floor, people behind them screamed, "A Super Sharpshooter!" "The police are here!" "A helicopter! It's the SAS!"
As if on command, the assassins reluctantly fired a few more shots in the Assassin's direction before their main force quickly drove off, leaving only a small group of assassins behind to cover their retreat.
Sirens wailed loudly outside, and the roar of helicopter blades filled the sky. The police surrounded the building. Special Forces Soldiers, each armed with a rifle, smashed through the building's glass windows and entered, swiftly suppressing the remaining assassins.
This has to be a clear, right? Ren Suo wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked up, only to discover it was already dark outside.
It's past 6 PM already? I've actually been playing this game for over six hours? Ren Suo himself was startled. He felt like he'd only reloaded his save a few times and hadn't spent much time at all!
However, Ren Suo considered it. The enemy AI in this game was incredibly strong. Since the Assassin would die instantly if hit in a vital spot, even with [Bullet Time], he had to be extremely cautious. He had to wait for a lull in the enemy's fire to counterattack safely, and then wait again for the skill to cool down. Going back and forth like this, after several playthroughs, it really could take that much time!
Just as Ren Suo was about to order takeout, two options suddenly popped up in the game, also with a 10-second selection limit:
① Ask for a cigarette, light it, take a slow drag, blow out a smoke ring, and say with a smile, "Farewell, everyone."
② "Send my regards to Karen Lanpelucci; I look forward to our next meeting."
It seemed that this choice wasn't particularly important, so Ren Suo immediately chose the first option. He then watched as the Assassin asked the English Gentleman for a cigarette, lit it, blew out a perfect, round smoke ring, and waved to the men in black. "Farewell, everyone."
The next second, the screen froze, turning black and white.
"Mission Complete."
"Mission Score: 66.5 (Barely Passed). Highest Mission Score: 66.5 (Barely Passed)."
"Do you want to upload this as your final result? Upon successful upload, you will receive Merit Points corresponding to your evaluation grade."
"Once the evaluation is uploaded, this chapter will be permanently closed."