As the chimes from the castle’s summit rang out, preparations for the memorial service had begun. Even after the death of three high-ranking members, Srud had not altered the meeting’s schedule. What expression would she wear upon hearing of the deaths in the organization’s higher echelons?
Chen Ke and his team didn’t have much time left. Three targets remained unhandled, but they couldn’t afford to worry about that anymore. Several people started to rapidly formulate the plan for the upcoming operation.
"The situation is ," Chen Ke said. "Srud’s Thunderbolt Position has sealed off the island, but we don’t care about that. We’re here for her life, so as long as she’s killed, we can immediately open the Teleportation Gate and retreat." Several heads nodded in agreement.
"The plan is simple. Sleery and I will get to a high position, then silently take out the guards before sniping Srud. Miss Ling, Diana, and Lucina stay below to finish the job. Make sure to finish her off, even if my shot blows her head off, I want you to destroy her body with the most brutal means possible," Chen Ke added.
"That’s... quite a ruthless approach," Diana glanced at Chen Ke.
"Witches’ self-healing ability is perverse. I don’t want to screw this up," Chen Ke said.
"Mr. Chen is absolutely right about this," Ling Yuheng spoke up. "All witches have some degree of self-healing ability. If she doesn’t lose consciousness and die completely, she can regenerate indefinitely."
"What then? If Ms. Ling Yuheng makes a move, it means you and the Divine Secret Society are completely severing ties. Won’t your assets be subject to Thor’s retaliation?" Sleery asked at this point.
"You needn’t worry about me. I’ve decided to go through with this, and I’m prepared for the consequences," Ling Yuheng replied.
"You guys should consider what happens after the shot is fired. There’ll be professionals all over the place. How will we get out unscathed?" Diana was more concerned about this.
"Once the hit is confirmed, Sleery will take me and we’ll jump straight down," Chen Ke looked towards Sleery.
"I don’t know if I have the strength to fly with a big man, but I’ll try," Sleery said.
"Just don’t break him," Lucina interjected at that moment.
Ling Yuheng appeared thoughtful. She looked at Chen Ke, then shifted her gaze away.
"We don’t have much time left. Once she dies, the Position will dissolve. You’ll be surrounded by hundreds of professionals, but it won’t take us a minute to get down, and I will also provide you with a barrier on the way. That should buy us enough time. When that happens, Chen Ke will open a Teleportation Gate, and we can all disappear from here," Sleery said.
Although the plan sounded risky, its chance of success was remarkably high. Chen Ke’s casual ability to create gates and Sleery’s ability to manifest solid objects at will were bordering on the overpowered, a feat less achievable for ordinary assassins.
"Then that’s settled. We don’t have any other options," Lucina clenched her fists. She had been holding back her rage throughout most of the book, appearing in scenes only to be interrogated, beaten by various enemy forces, or left in play by Chen Ke. She had long been itching for a fight. For more chapters visit novel✦fire.net
"It’s decided then. Mr. Chen, remember, don’t let Srud get the chance to act. If she makes a move, we’ve already lost half the battle. Combine that with the hundreds of professionals here, and our chances of leaving alive are slim," Ling Yuheng said.
"I know... I know," Chen Ke nodded. In fact, he felt a bit unsure because he was just a precise shooter and had never used a sniper rifle before. Now it was time to learn on the fly...
Of course, Chen Ke had considered using the Black Gun as well.
He had tried it before...
Ever since the black stone had been used to shoot at the moon, it lay dormant, unresponsive like a girl who had been rendered unconscious by a dozen strong men. With so much time passed, it showed no signs of revival.
If Chen Ke could have used it, he would have.
However, he didn’t think he couldn’t handle Srud. It wasn’t necessary to use his trump card for just one witch. Besides, with the thousands of hours left in his lifespan, one shot from the Black Gun would consume 90% of it. What a loss...
The longer his lifespan, the less willing he was to use it. There was no help for it...
People were already beginning to head this way. The guests were oblivious to the fact that the island had been infiltrated. Perhaps Srud herself had sensed the presence of the ’rats’ on her island, but she might be planning to take advantage of the situation to eliminate them along with the high-ranking members.
Chen Ke and Sleery disguised themselves and walked into the side door of the guard city, while Ling Yuheng gestured for Diana and Lucina to hide within the maze of the garden. She then set off to join the memorial ceremony.
Since everyone was converging on the open space at the cliff edge behind the castle, the number of guards inside the building had diminished. At this point, Chen Ke and Sleery didn’t have to be too cautious. They silently dispatched all the guards they encountered, dragged the bodies into a room to pile them up, and then emerged onto the balcony to prepare their sniping position behind a battlement.
There was a sea breeze tonight. Chen Ke licked a finger to test the wind direction, then he set up the sniper rifle and pulled back the bolt.