Chapter 145: The Impatient Assassin

While Boss Bao and his men were filled with anticipation, and everyone in the prison was watching the developments to see what kind of end awaited Ye Fei, the next day, another burly man under Boss Bao's command met his demise.

Although they had been extremely cautious, Boss Chen's faction now entirely obeyed Ye Fei's commands, and the Thirteen Blades were secretly fanning the flames, deliberately leaking Boss Bao and his men's whereabouts to Ye Fei at any moment. As a result, Ye Fei easily tracked them down and eliminated yet another individual.

Terror gripped Boss Bao and his cohorts. Even though Ye Fei was currently threatened by the two professional assassins, what good would it do if Ye Fei managed to wipe them out first before the assassins could kill him?

Driven by panic, Boss Bao and his men cast aside their remaining pride and spread the word throughout the prison that they were willing to pledge allegiance to the two assassins.

Only Cang Lang maintained a cold smile, though he could sense the chill of approaching death. The young man had been dead for several days now; the seventh day following his death—the traditional day of the soul's return—would undoubtedly be the day of reckoning for Boss Bao and all his men. Ye Fei would use their deaths as a sacrificial tribute to the departed.

Cang Lang felt a deep-seated fear, intertwined with a lingering sense of reluctance, yet strangely, there was also a faint trace of liberation.

Ye Fei had learned of Boss Bao and his faction's actions, but he merely responded with an indifferent smile. Killing them off one by one was deliberate; it was designed to subject the survivors to escalating psychological torment and oppression. One person per day, culminating in the seventh day since Little Bai's death, at which point he would slaughter them all as a sacrifice to his fallen subordinate.

"Little Bai's seventh day is almost here, and this game is about to end," Ye Fei murmured to himself with a soft sigh.

He truly had no desire for slaughter, but some things had to be done. A tranquil life could never be achieved through endless yielding and forbearance; sometimes, when the time came, one had to strike decisively, using an iron fist to carve out a clear and open sky.

***

"Lian Ge, I've checked into it. That Boss Bao and his men offended Ye Fei inside the prison, so Ye Fei is killing them off, using their deaths as a sacrifice to a persecuted underling. With the seventh-day anniversary of that underling's death fast approaching, Boss Bao and his gang are feeling the threat of death and want to defect to our side," Xiao Xue reported.

Da Lian replied flatly, "Ignore them. The two of us are more than enough; taking in others would only drag us down and increase the risk of exposure. Let them and Ye Fei tear each other apart! The more chaotic their struggle, the better the opportunities it creates for us."

Xiao Xue immediately reminded him, "But our time is extremely tight. Once Ye Fei avenges his underling on the seventh day, he will leave the prison. Our orders require us to eliminate him before he gets out, or else the mission will be considered a failure."

"Damn it... We were far too rash when we accepted this mission. Once we get back, I'll make sure that wretched bastard pays," Da Lian cursed angrily.

Both he and Xiao Xue belonged to the same agent. When they first entered the business, they lacked fame and were forced to take on low-paying jobs just to survive. It was under those desperate circumstances that they had signed with an agent, slowly building their reputation over time.

In three months, their contracts with the agent would finally expire, granting them freedom so they would no longer have to suffer exploitation.

Their agent was well aware that the pair had no intention of renewing their contracts, and thus, during these final three months, he had been frantically pushing assignments upon them to squeeze out every last drop of value. The assassination contract targeting Ye Fei had been accepted under such reckless and slipshod conditions.

Noticing Da Lian's foul mood, Xiao Xue offered soothing words: "Lian Ge, don't worry. Even if we fail, the money we've saved up is more than enough to cover the breach-of-contract penalty. At worst, we lose all our money, but with the reputation we've already carved out in the underworld, we won't have to worry about lacking work or starving."

Clearly harboring greater ambitions, Da Lian said resentfully, "If we fail even once, it becomes an indelible stain on our record. It will not only ruin our killer rating, but our future payouts will also plummet drastically."

"Lian Ge, what should we do now? Are we going after Ye Fei?" Xiao Xue asked.

"We can't afford to rush. Ye Fei is deliberately trying to rattle us, hoping we'll panic and make a mistake so he can exploit our flaws. Damn it, if only we had been given two more days for this assassination," Da Lian muttered.

After collecting himself, Da Lian asked, "Has our gear arrived?"

"It's here. Someone will deliver it shortly," Xiao Xue replied.

At that moment, the cell door suddenly clicked open.

"Who's there?" Xiao Xue demanded sharply, his guard instantly raised.

"Gentlemen, I'm just here to drop off the delivery," the person outside answered hurriedly, trying to placate them.

Da Lian and Xiao Xue spotted a small cloth package in the visitor's hand and gave a slight nod of acknowledgment.

Daggers, piano wire, needle-rings—

Each of them strapped on a pair of daggers, carrying one poisoned blade and one clean blade. They wound the piano wire neatly and slipped specialized rings onto their left and right index fingers, each featuring a razor-sharp steel needle designed to pierce deep into an enemy's flesh.

As professional assassins, Da Lian and Xiao Xue's arsenal went far beyond these items; they possessed long-range sniper rifles, close-quarters handguns, and various lethal poisons. However, such heavy equipment was of little use within the crude confines of a prison, which was why they had been left behind.

*Whoosh!*

*Clang—*

*Swish!*

Inside the cell, the two men were inspecting their equipment. The daggers danced and spun effortlessly in their hands like circus props, executing complex angles and high-difficulty flourishes with absolute fluidity.

"If we had these toys last time, we would have gotten rid of Ye Fei ages ago," Xiao Xue said, gripping his twin daggers.

"Don't bring that up. That idiot of an agent actually claimed that heavy gear wasn't suitable for a prison environment and insisted we try conventional methods first. Hmph! If a standard approach fails, the target is immediately put on guard, making any subsequent attempts infinitely harder. I honestly don't know what goes through that moron's head. Fortunately, we only have three months left before we can finally tell him goodbye," Da Lian vented bitterly.

Meanwhile, in the visitation room, Zhang Linsheng had come personally to see Ye Fei.

"Ye Fei, how are you holding up in prison?" Zhang Linsheng asked.

"Years ago, to fulfill a contract, I spent over a month in a maximum-security prison in Country M. Compared to that place, this is a walk in the park," Ye Fei replied with a relaxed smile.

"Good! That's a relief. I know your capabilities—this little cage can't trap you. Still, you should finish up your business and get out of here soon. Xiaoxia has been driving me out of my mind lately, nagging me every single day to pressure the prison into bailing you out," Zhang Linsheng said with a wry, helpless smile.

Ye Fei chuckled. Knowing Zhang Xiaoxia's fiery temperament, he could easily picture the relentless torment Zhang Linsheng had been enduring.

After venting his frustrations, Zhang Linsheng reached into his coat, pulled out a small cloth bundle, and placed it on the table before Ye Fei.

"This is what you asked for. After Xiaoyue brought your message out, I managed to get it from Sun Qianwan and brought it straight to you. Is it really that urgent? Relying solely on this still feels a bit risky—do you need me to smuggle a handgun in for you?" Zhang Linsheng offered, clearly feeling that a mere dagger was insufficient to guarantee Ye Fei's safety.

Inside the cloth bundle lay the iron-cutting dagger Ye Fei had retrieved from the ancient tomb. When Xiaoyue had visited him previously, Ye Fei had enlisted her help, instructing Zhang Linsheng to retrieve the blade from Sun Yang's father and bring it to him inside the facility.

Although the surveillance cameras in the visitation room had been turned off, Ye Fei played it safe. He merely ran his fingers over the outside of the cloth package, confirming by touch that the dagger was inside, before tucking it away without unrolling it.

"There's no need. Every world operates by its own rules, and this dagger is more than enough," Ye Fei smiled, keeping the blade concealed.