Aspen could not help leaning closer to see what Andrew was doing. To her surprise, his breathing was steady-he was already asleep.


    She stared at him, both amused and annoyed as she thought, ''I''m lying right next to him, and he still manages to fall asleep? Am I not attractive enough? Or does this guy just not find me worth the effort?''


    That split second of realization triggered an unexpected wave of disappointment and frustration in her.


    Meanwhile, outside Serenity Vi, a ck figure moved silently across the ruined outer wall, climbing with inhuman ease. It was ck Wolf-Elon''s secret weapon, a top-tier assassin with a reputation to match.


    A matte-finished de dangled from his lips as he surveyed the building, swiftly memorizing theyout of the damaged vi. He was not alone. At least a dozen other men hid in the dark, surrounding the perimeter and lying in wait.


    Nheless, they were not predators, at least not to him. He scoffed, thinking, ''They''re the bait, and I''m the one doing the hunting!''


    He sneered at the broken state of the vi. It had clearly been torn apart by the earlier mercenary team.


    He silently mocked them for being a bunch of amateurs. It was obvious that even with the impressive firepower, the group only managed to charge in but never came back out.


    In his mind, true assassination was not about brute force. Instead, it was about silence, precision, and timing. Moreover, he had no doubt that those hired guns were already dead.


    Weightless as smoke, ck Wolf reached Andrew''s window in seconds. From the shadows, he could make out the shape of his target, Andrew, asleep in bed. To his amusement, there was a beautiful woman lying beside him.


    ck Wolf shook his head, almost impressed. ''This guy''s about to die, and he still finds time to bed a woman. Some men really can''t resist their vices.''


    But then again, he thought maybe Andrew believed he was finally in the clear, so he decided to enjoy himself while he could. As a man himself, he understood it well.


    After all, he did the same after every mission. He would find a lonely wife and have a wild night to blow off steam.


    Gripping his dagger, ck Wolf picked the lock and quietly slipped into the room. As a seasoned killer


    Years of sess behind him,


    wasted time with chatter.


    ''Viins die from running their mouths,'' he silently reminded himself.


    So, it was best to have no speeches or hesitation. Once he saw the opening, he would strike first and hard.


    He crossed the room in three long strides and plunged the dagger down toward Andrew.


    But in a sh, Andrew''s eyes snapped open. With one sharp kick, he knocked the de straight from ck Wolf''s hand.


    ck Wolf''s heart sank. "You were faking sleep?"


    Andrew smirked. "What do you think?"


    From the other side of the bed, Aspen suddenly screamed at the top of her lungs, "Intruder! Someone grab the assassin!"


    ck Wolf cursed. "You filthy pair! I swear, I''m gonna kill you both myself!"


    ording to the second rule of the assassin''s code, you should not stick around if you missed your first strike. Instead, you had to retreat to ensure survival and live to strike again.


    He lunged toward the window to escape, but Chantelle''s long leg shot through it like a missile, catching him mid-step.


    Caught off guard, ck Wolf staggered back. At the same moment, Reuben burst in, nked by Dn and Natasha.


    Chantelle vaulted through the window andnded smoothly inside. In seconds, the four surrounded him,unching a coordinated assault.


    Even for someone as lethal as ck Wolf, the onught was too much.


    e moments, both his legs were


    and he copsed to the


    floor, groaning in pain.


    "You had this many elite fighters hidden in here?" he gasped in shock.