Father, please grant your son strength!

O-Ren Ishii and McClane were locked in an intense, evenly matched battle. Trading blows and chasing each other, they fought their way down from the second floor to the first. Having exhausted all their ammunition, both engaged in close-quarters blade combat.

Luca had no time to keep watching, knowing full well that O-Ren Ishii stood no chance of killing McClane.

"Leon, help me keep an eye on Richie and David, and protect them as they get out," Luca instructed. "And O-Ren Ishii as well. If she wants to get away, McClane probably won't be able to stop her, but keep an eye on her just in case McClane tries to chop her into pieces."

That Japanese lunatic wielding her "toy sword" possessed extremely useful skills.

Besides, everyone's assassination targets were Richie and his associates.

And they were allies, after all~~~

"...Alright."

Leon nodded glumly, his head in a bit of a spin.

Acting was far more exhausting than killing.

......

"Follow me."

In the hallway, following Luca's orders, Leon killed his way through while escorting Richie and David toward the exit.

Richie and David were completely bewildered. Who on earth was this brute dressed like a masked terrorist?

"You..."

"Don't ask questions. I've been assigned to protect your retreat, simple as that."

With a few rapid shots, Leon instantly dropped several Japanese henchmen blocking the path ahead and motioned with his hand. "Keep up."

The police officers: "......"

Such marksmanship! Incredible!

Under Leon's unstoppable cover fire, the group retreated all the way and successfully made it outside the club.

"Get out of here quickly," Leon left behind those words and walked away without looking back.

......

[You have killed 17...]

Inside a private room on the fifth floor, Luca closed his system panel and looked back at Elle, who was tending to her wounds on the sofa.

Gunshots echoed outside, but the small room was eerily quiet.

Elle was also observing the masked man before her.

Earlier, while she was locked in a fierce firefight with a group of gangsters, this man had suddenly appeared holding a typewriter, helped her eliminate the enemies, and covered her retreat to this very place.

"You've been staring at me. Never seen a woman with one eye?" Elle held a ladies' cigarette in her mouth, her remaining eye glaring sideways.

Staring at the black mamba snake tattooed on her arm, Luca teased, "I've just never seen a woman who keeps venomous snakes. I've heard women who like snakes are all very beautiful."

"Is that how you blindly flatter every woman?"

"You know, there's an idiom in China: a beauty as venomous as a serpent and scorpion... ummmm, which means women who love keeping snakes and scorpions are kind-hearted beauties."

Luca shrugged. "I used to think that was just a legend, but you've proven it true. The Chinese weren't lying to me."

This logically sound yet completely fabricated nonsense left Elle bewildered. Although she had traveled to China to study martial arts, her exposure to Chinese culture had been far too superficial. That white-haired Taoist priest with the white eyebrows had been an extremely foul-tempered old man whom she thoroughly despised.....

She curled her lips. "I'll just take that as a compliment. So, is that why you helped me? Who the hell are you? Are you Chinese?"

As a somewhat scatterbrained woman who relied on a notepad and possessed neurotic tendencies, Elle Driver felt deeply puzzled by the masked man before her.

Yet, inexplicably, she felt a trace of trust emanating from him, sensing that this man would never harm her.

"Didn't I already say? I'm an assassin too, and Roberts is my target as well. We're allies, which is why I helped you."

"Is that so? Let me see what you look like."

Without hesitation, Luca pulled off his mask, flashed a dazzling and invincible smile, and then, under Elle's astonished gaze, put it right back on.

"You're the Pigeon, Luca?"

Elle flipped open her little notebook, which contained some basic information regarding Luca—Bill had even emphasized that they could team up with Luca to assassinate the target together.

However, that arrogant little bitch O-Ren Ishii had chosen not to cooperate.

"I told you we're on the same side."

Luca glanced at Elle's little notebook, feeling quite speechless inside. Who the hell keeps a diary if they're a normal person?

[Elle: A]

[Snake Kiss: Grants stronger affinity with serpentine creatures; snakes will not actively attack you and can be commanded to a limited extent to attack targets; your immunity to snake venom is increased by 40%]

[Learning Requirement: Bond level must reach 'Friend' or above; requires Skill Fragment x40]

......

[Venom Eye: When poisoning a target, the poison's efficacy is increased by 30%; upon losing an eye, activates the 'Fish Soup Master' effect: toxicity is additionally increased by 30%, and poisoning targets via fish dishes becomes much harder to detect]

[Learning Requirement: Bond level must reach 'Close Friend' or above; requires Skill Fragment x60]

Both skills were related to poison.

Very well, truly the assassin of Deadly Vipers.

However, losing an eye was quite absurd. What kind of bizarre prerequisite was that?

Luca certainly had no desire to become a one-eyed dragon.

Yet, discarding the second half, the Venom Eye skill was quite good; the Snake Kiss skill was full of advantages, though a bit niche, applying only to snakes.

To be honest, Luca felt these two skills were just so-so—not worth going out of his way to learn, lacking high priority.

In comparison, he much preferred O-Ren Ishii's skill—[Hundred-Step Serpent King] pertained to gang leadership, something the Ambassador of Peace desperately needed.

Outside, the battle was raging passionately.

Luca stepped outside to observe the situation. Returning shortly after, he put on a stern expression and accused righteously, "You guys were far too reckless this time! You ruined my assassination plan! Who authorized you to act on your own?

Richie and Galante aren't that easy to deal with. Do you think this is Japan? Or do you overestimate your own strength? If it weren't for me just now, you'd be dead!"

Elle was left speechless. This chaotic melee was something she hadn't anticipated.

Luca continued his reprimand, "You have no idea who you're dealing with!"

Two SSRs!

Plus me, the double agent!

And you expected a successful assassination?

"The situation is completely out of control now. Retreat! Otherwise, when the Bonanno family arrives, none of us are getting out of here alive!" Luca said with exasperation.

"There's still a chance!" Elle refused to give up. "Galante hasn't left yet. He's hiding in the suite upstairs. We still have time to take him out before we leave!"

Take out my foot. I'll kill him myself eventually, but he can't die right now... Luca shook his head. "Give up. The operation has failed. If you want to stay here and throw your life away, I won't stop you. I just wonder if Bill will shed a single tear of grief when he hears the news of your death."

Bill... Elle's heart trembled, and she gritted her teeth, cursing, "To hell with Bill! That bastard is probably off dallying with his sweetheart somewhere right now."

Luca raised an eyebrow.

Oh, so she's jealous?

So the plot is only at this stage?

The yellow-robed female warrior hasn't left the organization yet; she's still Bill's lover, and the two are still deeply in love?

According to the original plotline, later on, the female warrior would discover she was pregnant, quit the assassin organization without a word, find another man to act as a placeholder, and plan to marry, retire, and live a quiet life.

A jealous Bill, accompanied by the organization's other assassins—the remaining four vipers—would march directly into the wedding chapel, turning it into a bloodbath. Years later, after waking up from a four-year coma, the female warrior would also turn everything into a bloodbath for revenge.

Listening to such a tragic romance story simply gave the Ambassador of Peace a headache.

What kind of assassin version of temptation to go home was this? When a single condom could have solved the whole thing...

Wait, there was also a love triangle here. The one-eyed woman in front of him had also been mind-controlled by Bill—Bill was an older man exceptionally skilled at brainwashing his female subordinates, constantly rambling on, possessing an overwhelmingly strong desire for control, coupled with extreme arrogance and narcissism.

At that moment, Luca received a call.

"The FBI and the police have arrived," Leon said.

"Understood. You pull out first, don't worry about me."

Hanging up, Luca called out to Elle, "The police are here. Are you still not leaving?"

Elle followed, brushing past Luca. "From now on, you'd better not mention that scum Bill in front of me, or I'll have my friends bite you!"

Love turns to hatred, huh... Luca smiled faintly. If I actually kill Bill, you and the bride will surely hunt me down to the ends of the earth.

"Oh, right," Elle turned back, blinking her single eye. "Thanks for saving me earlier, handsome~~"

[Bond: Attention]

.......

The two fought their way down to the first floor.

O-Ren Ishii was still locked in bloody combat with McClane.

By now, McClane was covered in blood, but his fighting spirit was growing fiercer by the minute, resembling a blood-soaked deity of war. In contrast, O-Ren Ishii was also covered in wounds, having withered like a flower about to fall.

Luca clicked his tongue twice. True to being a rule-based SSR, McClane was simply too ferocious.

Elle shouted loudly, "Hundred-Step Snake! Fall back!"

Why won't this guy just die... O-Ren Ishii resentfully glared at McClane and quickly retreated.

If she wanted to run, McClane couldn't stop her.

Seeing McClane charge toward them, Luca provided cover fire, pulling out his pistol and engaging in some textbook stormtrooper marksmanship—hitting entirely around the silhouette.

Honestly, Luca felt that missing on purpose took more skill than hitting the target.

As it turned out, Luca was overthinking it. McClane was like a prairie lion, leaping forward with incredible speed to dive behind the bar, leaving Luca not even a chance to miss.

The man seemed able to anticipate the trajectory of his bullets, using cover to dodge every shot with unreasonable and savage momentum as he charged forward.

The group sprinted all the way to the rear exit. Luca burst through the door, and just as Elle and O-Ren Ishii made it out, he pulled a grenade from his pocket, tossed it inside, and slammed the door shut with a kick.

Boom!

The explosion obliterated the door, and amidst the smoke and dust, McClane's soot-covered yet still sturdy figure emerged.

He cursed furiously as he charged onto the street, hurling insults at the departing car. Sitting inside the vehicle, Luca watched that warrior-like, robust figure in the rearview mirror, involuntarily clicking his tongue in awe.

Too fierce, simply too fierce. True men never look back at explosions~~

Glancing back at the two women in the back seat, O-Ren Ishii clutched her chest, her pale face spitting out a mouthful of blood. Elle was sitting beside her, explaining Luca's identity and what had just happened.

Elle asked Luca, "Where are we going now?"

"To a place where neither the police nor Bill can ever find you."

Luca removed his mask, turning back to remind O-Ren Ishii, "There's a medical kit under the seat."

O-Ren Ishii stared at Luca's profile, nodded heavily with great solemnity, and said weakly, "Arigato! Mr. Greco!"

Looking at her still youthful face, Luca couldn't help feeling a sense of emotion. This delicate and beautiful-looking woman was destined to become the underworld empress who would later turn Tokyo into a sea of corpses!

Yet, for now, she lacked her own faction—she was merely a solitary assassin.

[Bond: Attention]

[O-Ren Ishii: SR]

[Snow Pavilion Zen Mind: Projectile (cold weapon) accuracy +20%; perception of danger and intuition +15%; when fighting in snowy weather/terrain, danger intuition is additionally increased by 15%, evasion rate +15%]

[Learning Requirement: Japanese Swordsmanship Level 5 or above; Bond level must reach 'Friend' or above; requires Skill Fragment x50]

......

[Hundred-Step Serpent King: When leading a gang organization, overall member loyalty +20%; inflicts fear suppression on gang members whose status is lower than yours: target's combat effectiveness reduced by 20%, rebellious psychology reduced by 20%]

[Learning Requirement: Bond level must reach 'Close Friend' or above; requires Skill Fragment x100]

......

[Asura Killing Princess: Parents both deceased, combat effectiveness unknown; if your parents are killed by revenge, combat effectiveness increases by 50%~100%; if anyone violates or insults your bloodline, attacking that target with a katana will ignore the target's defensive stance, triggering a 100% instant kill decapitation effect (requires Japanese Swordsmanship Level 6 or above)]

[Learning Requirement: Bond level must reach 'Partner' or above; requires Skill Fragment x200]

Suddenly, Luca thought of his own beloved father who had been killed in prison....

Father!!

Please grant your child strength, I swear I will avenge you!