Chapter 257: Chapter 257: Lester, Abruptly Halted

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5 a.m.

At the central comprehensive hospital in Opportunity City, Chen Ke used Sleery’s social security number to help her check in, and the nurse at reception gave him a few extra looks.

“Sir…” the nurse asked, “were you also here at noon today?”

“Hm?” Chen Ke raised an eyebrow.

The nurse, feeling intimidated by Chen Ke’s gaze, didn’t dare to ask any further questions.

Even without invoking the Killing Aura Radar, Chen Ke’s eyes naturally exuded an intimidating aura, the kind unique to those who had experienced bloodshed.

From 4 a.m. to 6 a.m., busy tending to everything, and finally, as the first light of dawn touched the top of Si’s consortium’s dark building, it all came to an end.

“The liver is slightly ruptured, and the kidneys are also damaged. There’s likely to be hematuria. Luckily she was brought in early; otherwise, it could have been life-threatening,” the chief doctor explained Sleery’s condition to Chen Ke.

At the moment, Sleery lay in the hospital bed, too worn out from the night’s injuries and labor to stay awake, and under the influence of painkillers, she fell into a deep sleep.

That shitty day was finally over. Sleery might not even be safe in the hospital–the assassins could find her and take her back for severe torture to extract Pankia’s whereabouts. Besides, Diana was hospitalized here too…

Chen Ke had wanted to check on Diana, but he suppressed the impulse because he feared running into someone from the Administration Bureau. That would complicate things, so it was better to visit this hospital less frequently.

Diana’s special status meant that the Administration Bureau would naturally send people to look for her, and her family and friends would be informed of her situation immediately, so there was no need for concern. However, Sleery needed someone to care for her. It looked like he would have to stay near the hospital for a while.

“Louis and Rama…” suddenly, Chen Ke remembered these two, who were still at the 24-hour coffee shop, utterly oblivious to what they had missed.

They could actually help take care of Sleery, giving them something to do…

It would also be good to rent an apartment nearby to use as a new base, making it safer to use the Teleportation Gate in and out of the Great Void.

Having made up his mind, Chen Ke went to the coffee shop and found them both still asleep, knowing nothing of what they had missed.

After finding them, he briefly explained the situation, then bought them cell phones and prepaid phone cards for easy communication.

Chen Ke topped up his own prepaid card, bought two laptops, a telescope, a new gun holster, as well as more underwear and socks to change into…

He rented an inconspicuous apartment near the hospital, hoping no more troubles would arise. Louis and Rama packed up their things.

From the window facing south in the room, one could see the white inpatient building of the hospital and a corner of the square, quickly noticing any suspicious vehicles entering the hospital.

After finishing up all these tasks, it was almost noon again.

Chen Ke gave the magnetic card Pankia had given to Louis. It contained money Pankia had left for Sleery. Chen Ke had no idea how much was in it; only Sleery knew the password. The money could be used to take care of Sleery until Pankia made his own preparations.

The card was of no use to Chen Ke himself; he wasn’t the type to skim money off the top, as he wasn’t slow to make his own, and since he certainly wouldn’t be frequently entering the hospital, Louis and Rama would have to be the ones to help out.

Looking at the suit he was wearing, it was dirty again–with blood and some unidentified white paste-like substance on the collar from a head being blown off. Chen Ke flicked off the hardened paste, then pulled out his phone and dialed Lester’s number.

Another suit to be cleaned, good thing he had Lester…

“Beep…”

“Beep…”

“Beep…”

“Beep…”

“Beep…”

Chen Ke sat on the edge of the bed, tapping his foot, patiently waiting for Lester to pick up.

“Beep…”

“Beep…”

“Beep…”

“Damn it…”

Chen Ke was getting impatient. He glanced at the phone screen, “Calling…”

“Beep…”

“Beep…”

“Beep…”

“Sorry, the subscriber you are dialing is busy now, please redial later.”

Chen Ke was surprised. This message was just like the 10086 in his home country, implying the call wasn’t going through and to try again later…

What’s up with Lester…?

Chen Ke hung up, full of confusion. As an assassin intermediary, Lester always valued punctuality, keeping communications secure and smooth.

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Perhaps he had some other matters to deal with?

Chen Ke shook his head; even if that were the case, Lester would not have ignored his calls.

“No good, this suit is too dirty…” Chen Ke stood up, deciding it was better to make a trip in person.

After half an hour, Chen Ke took a taxi and arrived at Lester’s Zio tailor shop.

As he stepped onto the porch, Chen Ke saw a “Closed for Business” sign hanging on the glass door. He lingered at the entrance, curiously peering inside.

There was nothing unusual inside the shop. Mannequins dressed in suits were neatly positioned on display stands, and a variety of suit jackets hung tidily on either wall. The lights inside the counter were on, casting an orange glow that gave the shop a mysteriously upscale ambiance.

By now, Chen Ke had developed a habit of using Spiritual Vision to survey the inside of a building before entering. He did not find Lester’s silhouette in the shop nor his bodyguard’s.

Where had Lester gone? A question mark popped into Chen Ke’s mind, but it wasn’t his concern. It wouldn’t be like Lester to let personal affairs interfere with an assassination mission.

Chen Ke sighed, resigned to finding a new shop to buy some clothes.

Just as he turned away, Chen Ke suddenly realized something and stopped in his tracks. Why would the lights be on if the business was closed…?

The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt. He returned to the door and lightly pressed his hand against the glass door. Should he call out a few times? Hesitating, he exerted a bit more force and, to his surprise, pushed the glass door open.

Behind him was a bustling city street, while before him lay the tailor shop, exuding a mysterious eeriness. The door ajar, the lights on–Lester wouldn’t shut up shop so carelessly.

Chen Ke stepped inside, closed the door, and surveyed the interior for any clues.

“Lester? Are you there?” Chen Ke called out towards the back of the shop.

There was no answer.

Drawing from a wealth of Hollywood action film experience, Chen Ke instantly surmised that something was wrong. He pulled a Glock 17 from his holster and, with caution, stepped over the counter and headed towards the back.

Spiritual Vision activated once more: the place was 100% empty. No human shapes meant either the person was dead, or there was something non-human inside.

Chen Ke entered the pantry, and a red trail of blood seeped out from within, bringing with it a pungent smell.

He furrowed his brows and took two steps further inside, only to discover two bodies behind the table…

Lester was slumped against the wall, half his head cleaved off, with a red and white substance smeared all over the wall behind him. He still clutched a cell phone in his hand.

Beside him, the Black bodyguard was bisected at the waist, collapsed on the ground, a MAC10 in his grip, with no shell casings on the floor–apparently, he hadn’t even had the chance to fire.

“Holy shit…” Chen Ke couldn’t help but mutter.

With that level of trauma, Chen Ke deduced they were either attacked by a monster or cleaved open by someone with Spiritual Power. It was impossible for an ordinary person to have the strength to kill two men so swiftly…

Chen Ke squatted next to Lester’s body and took the cellphone from his hand. The lock screen showed one missed call.

It was very likely his own call.

Lester was dead… Chen Ke wondered if it was rival enemies who had come to his doorstep or if he was silenced by the tycoons who had hired him.

If it was a silencing, it meant he couldn’t escape either.

But that was unlikely! With only a third of the assassination mission completed, Chen Ke felt something was amiss.

“Dammit… who’s cutting off my revenue…” His initial reaction was actually this: Lester was Chen Ke’s opportunity to connect with the Transcendent circle and a chance to make money.

Now with Lester out of the picture, without his connections, Chen Ke on his own would find it hard to come by similar opportunities.

He holstered his gun and exhaled, concluding that his best action now was to leave quickly to avoid being mistaken for the murderer by the County Police.

Chen Ke stood up, but suddenly felt the hairs on his body stand on end, sensing he had fallen into great danger.

This was an assassin’s reaction, similar to the function of the Killing Aura Radar, but not the countdown of a lifespan; instead, it was an instinct of Lin Mo’s body.

He turned around to see a Black man in a dark blue suit standing behind him.

In a flash, a silver blade lunged toward his throat with astonishing speed!

Chen Ke quickly raised his left hand, opening his palm to block it. The blade shot straight into his palm, piercing through and exiting from his forearm, the dark red blood gushing out like a waterfall from the open wound.

With his right hand, Chen Ke summoned the Spear of the Sun and hammered it towards the Black man’s head, only to have his wrist caught by him.

Firmly held in place, Chen Ke had the opportunity to get a good look at the Black man’s face–it was a face he had never seen before, not once, completely unrecognizable!

“I’ve found you, I knew you’d come here,” the Black man said with a smile, his face riddled with shallow gashes, as if it were pieced together from fragments.

Chen Ke looked at him in astonishment. It was the first time he had encountered such an enemy–even at this proximity, even after being wounded, Chen Ke’s Spiritual Vision and Killing Aura Radar could not detect him, nor could he sense the slightest hint of killing intent from him!

“What kind of monster are you?!” Chen Ke demanded.

“Monster? Hahaha… I am Bader!” Bader sneered.