Black Snake indeed didn't know much about this commission, which was also within Lin Yu's expectations.

After all, the mastermind behind it was clearly intentionally hiding their identity; even Sheng Lan Kui had no real clue about who they actually were...

And when Black Snake received this commission, naturally, he hadn't managed to catch any slip-ups from the other party either.

Just—he still provided Lin Yu with valuable information.

This commission was issued three weeks ago.

At that time, Black Snake inexplicably received a large money transfer, a precise sum with no round numbers, from some unknown anonymous account.

Receiving the money naturally made Black Snake very nervous—at his level as a middleman, he wasn't really that short on cash anymore.

But the amount of that transfer was still large enough to shock Black Snake somewhat.

As a "veteran intermediary," Black Snake naturally realized this transfer must have a deeper meaning. Sure enough, not long after, he received another anonymous message sent directly to his communicator.

That message precisely gave the same numerical figure as the transfer amount; the transferred sum became an anti-counterfeiting password at that moment—just looking at the message alone, one wouldn't know what it meant.

Attached to the message was also a time and address: the location was at a quiet roadside on the outskirts of the Outer City, and the time was late at night that very day.

So, following the instructions, Black Snake went to that road late at night.

Upon arriving, he found that on that road, which was usually almost deserted and especially devoid of people late at night, a vehicle was parked there.

After he approached the vehicle, the rear passenger door automatically opened.

After getting in, there was only a Driver sitting in the driver's seat.

Black Snake remembered very clearly: the Driver wore very ordinary clothes, with a mask and hat covering his face, but his body carried an aura of a Superior that was hard to conceal.

He deduced that this person should at least be from a Duke's family... and very likely even from the Peerage Nobility!

Subsequently, the Driver informed Black Snake of his purpose: he intended to issue an assassination commission.

Because the target of the assassination was too important, the other party did not reveal who exactly was to be assassinated—this was quite common, so Black Snake didn't become suspicious about it. Many employers didn't want to tell the middleman the specific assassination target.

After all, one more person knowing meant one more layer of risk of exposure... As a top-tier middleman, Black Snake knew very well how to accommodate and comply with employers.

Therefore, he was also very skilled at selecting suitable candidates for employers without knowing the specific commission details.

Moreover, this employer's requirements weren't all that special either.

"Skilled at infiltration, possessing strong frontal combat capability, and a capable person worthy of the reward. Priority given to those familiar with the Inner City and Noble situations."

"The final team should have four to five people."

Based on these requirements, he quickly filtered out a few suitable candidates in his mind, ready to contact them privately.

And, Black Snake also planned to issue a public commission through the Magic Boar Bar, his old friend's establishment, to see if he could hook some formidable characters he didn't have contact information for.

This was also a normal procedure.

However, the special part was...

"Today is the only time I will show myself. Here are eight brand-new communicators, with my contact information stored inside. After finding suitable people, contact me directly using these."

This did not follow the normal procedure.

Because it meant this employer had absolutely no intention of "vetting" the candidates for this mission himself!

For Black Snake, this was very unreasonable.

Judging from the amount and the requirements, this should be a very critical mission.

Yet for such a critical mission, the other party didn't plan to personally screen the people executing the commission... This puzzled Black Snake.

Because it was an almost self-contradictory action!

In other words, this employer cared about this mission, but also seemed not to care about it.

"This is what I found strangest. However, at the time, out of respect for the hefty intermediary fee, I didn't delve deeper..."

After listening to Black Snake's complete account, Lin Yu gave a slight nod.

"I actually know the general reason, but—Black Snake, describe the employer's appearance to me in more detail."

Black Snake hesitated for a moment, then spoke: "I really didn't see the other party's appearance clearly at all. He wore a trench coat, and his hat and mask fit together almost seamlessly. Even his voice was processed."

"I could only roughly judge that his build wasn't tall, and he was driving a very common second-hand cargo truck... So, the other party probably isn't the type among Nobility with severe mysophobia or who are particularly averse to the Outer City and the poor."

"And that person definitely knew how to drive a truck, and his driving skills were very proficient—because after I got out, the vehicle was driven away directly."

Hearing Black Snake's words, Lin Yu seemed to have gained some insight.

"Good, I think I understand. Thank you for the valuable information."

As he spoke, Lin Yu looked at Black Snake: "Also, regarding why this employer wasn't willing to personally meet his employees, the answer is also very simple..." 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

At this moment, hearing Lin Yu's words, Black Snake felt not even a shred of curiosity about this question that had troubled him for so long.

On the contrary...

Black Snake only sensed a hair-raising danger.

"Swish!"

Blood spurted out as the middleman beside Black Snake clutched his throat and slowly collapsed.

Lin Yu wiped his blade clean again and spoke with a smile.

"This matter is of great importance. The fewer living people who know about it, the better. I hope you understand."

Black Snake couldn't help but tremble again. His intuition told him that hearing about this matter would probably bring disaster upon himself, making it hard to survive.

But...

Black Snake also didn't have the courage to stop Lin Yu, who seemed eager to tell him the contents of this commission!

Because he was afraid that if he spoiled Lin Yu's mood, he might be killed on the spot.

Originally, Black Snake wasn't actually that afraid of death; after all, being in this line of work, he had long grown accustomed to death. He had made some psychological preparation for the possibility of dying an unnatural death someday.

But just now, Lin Yu had already hinted to him—if he died, what kind of desperate situation would his younger sister face?

Indeed, he would die one day... but he absolutely could not die today, while his sister was not yet independent!

The great Fear of death itself, combined with this matter, left Black Snake unable to do anything now.

He could only listen as Lin Yu slowly revealed the commission content that filled him with despair.

"Mr. Black Snake, the content of this commission is... at the Coming-of-Age Ceremony of 'Sleepless Sky Huoxing,' assassinate the Peerage Noble Alt Mercury."

"Thud!"

Hearing this commission content, Black Snake collapsed limply onto the ground.

"Assassinate... a Peerage Noble!"

"And assassinate a Peerage Noble in a public venue!"

Black Snake covered his face, nearly wailing: "I... I know nothing."

"No, you do know," Lin Yu said calmly. "Not only do you know, but you must also 'let the news leak' at the appropriate time."