Die, Replay, Repeat

Chapter 57: The Black Rose

"I need a black rose with twenty-four petals," Fang Xiu said calmly from under the black hood.

The attendant slightly stiffened and hesitated, saying, "I'm sorry, sir, we don't have that kind of drink here."

Fang Xiu shook his head. "I'm not asking for a drink, I want a flower."

The attendant's demeanor instantly became respectful. "Please, follow me."

With that, he led Fang Xiu to a room behind the bar. There was a door secured with a code. After the attendant scanned his fingerprint, the door opened with a bang, revealing a long corridor.

The hallway was dim, with just enough light to make out the path.

"Please proceed. Someone inside will assist you."

Fang Xiu nodded and entered. The door closed behind him.

As he reached the end of the corridor and took a turn, he was met with an elevator. Next to it stood two burly men dressed in black, their waists bulging, clearly concealing weapons.

"Sir, please present your membership card."

Without hesitation, Fang Xiu produced Lin Ziyang's membership card.

The card was anonymous, so he confidently displayed it. The Black Rose was particular about client confidentiality. They issued membership cards only to qualified individuals, without mandatory registration.

According to Lin Ziyang, there was a mighty force behind the Black Rose, likely not local, with branches in many cities.

After verifying the membership card, one of the men said, "Sir, entering the trading market requires a routine check. No conflicts are allowed inside. Please be noted."

Fang Xiu nodded and let them scan him with their devices.

Of course, they were only checking for firearms, bombs, and the like. Anything psychic in nature, they wouldn't dare to touch.

After the check, Fang Xiu entered the elevator, which then descended.

It was clear that, like the Investigative Bureau, the underground market was literally underground.

When the elevator doors opened, Fang Xiu walked into the trading hall. There weren't many people, just a scattered dozen or so, but the place was vast, roughly the size of a soccer field.

And this was just the main hall, not including separate rooms.

Of those scattered few, except for a very rare number who wore no disguise, most were masked to some extent, with some even donning grand masks.

This wasn't surprising to Fang Xiu. Psychics were already rare, and there might be fewer than a hundred in all of Greenvine.

The fact that there were a dozen people in this trading market was evidence of its influence.

Just two steps in, a young woman with a striking face, an elegant figure, and dressed in black professional attire approached him. She greeted him with a respectful yet radiant smile, "How may I assist you, sir?"

"I want someone killed," Fang Xiu said flatly.

The woman's expression remained unchanged, seemingly unphased by Fang Xiu's request. She continued with her smile, "Very well, sir. Please, come this way."

Fang Xiu was led to a discreet meeting room. After pouring tea, the woman excused herself.

Shortly after, a man dressed in a sharp suit, wearing a delicate silver mask, appeared.

"Good day, sir. I'm the manager of operations. My name is Cheng. So, who do you wish to eliminate?"

"How much for the leader of the Bright Club?"

Upon hearing this, a flicker of emotion passed through Cheng's eyes, but his professional demeanor didn't let it show.

He explained, "The leader of 'Bright' is a second-tier psychic, and one of the best at that. To target him, you'll need at least a second-tier psychic. Assassinating him means waging war against the entire 'Bright', which means you'll need significant manpower to handle his subordinates. The resources involved would be immense. Local assassins might not suffice. If you're serious, we'll need to call in people from outside, and that won't be cheap."

"How much?" Fang Xiu pressed.

"For someone of that caliber, we don't take money, only spiritual coins or material. Roughly, it would be about five thousand spiritual coins."

This didn't surprise Fang Xiu. After all, the head of a psychic force, with a lot of subordinates, couldn't be cheap to take down.

"How much for Tan Guangyuan of the Bright?"

"Tan Guangyuan might not be a second-tier psychic, but he's a core member with considerable strength. His assassination would cost at least a thousand spiritual coins."

Fang Xiu remained silent, wishing he could have more coins in his pocket now.

"What about Li Zhiwei?"

"That's cheaper, only two hundred spiritual coins."

"Oh?" Fang Xiu was slightly surprised, "Why so cheap for him?"

"Sir, your questions are now delving into valuable information. Unless you're sure you want to eliminate Li Zhiwei and pay a deposit of a hundred spiritual coins or separately purchase the intel, I cannot reveal more."

THUD!

Fang Xiu placed a black briefcase on the table. A clinking sound emanated from inside, unmistakably the sound of coins clashing.

Cheng inspected the contents of the briefcase and, upon verifying the exact amount of one hundred spiritual coins, he responded with a beaming smile.

"Since you've placed an order, consider this piece of information a complimentary gift. Although Li Zhiwei is a core member, his ability is sensory in nature, meaning he isn't strong in direct combat. Hence the lower price. Another thing to note, Li Zhiwei is the cousin of the leader of 'Bright'."

_'Another cousin? Doesn't matter. I'll kill this cousin, too.' _

Fang Xiu then asked, "When will the hit take place?"

"That's a trade secret, and I'm afraid I can't disclose it. However, we should be able to give you feedback within a week. You can download the 'Killed Yet?' app. It's an in-house developed mini-program, and you can monitor the assassin's activities and track your order in real time. Or you can gather intel from external sources. Given that Li Zhiwei is a significant figure, news of his death shouldn't be hard to come by. Once the deed is done, you have a month to gather information. If the assassination is successful, you'll need to pay the balance within that month," Cheng explained with a smile.

"And if the job isn't completed?"

"If the assassination fails, we offer two options. First, we refund half of the amount paid for the task. Alternatively, you can add more money, and we'll hire a more skilled assassin."

Fang Xiu nodded, "Let's draft the contract."

Cheng quickly prepared a contract. "You can sign with your real name or a pseudonym."

Fang Xiu was slightly taken aback, "A pseudonym is allowed?"

Cheng nodded, "You're a psychic. Try sensing the contract."

Fang Xiu immediately picked up the contract and felt faint Specter energy fluctuations emanating from it.

He instantly had a hunch, _'This contract is imbued with the power of a Specter Gadget.'_"