Seeing Ghost Fire walk towards Xie Yao, Nie Yan could no longer hold back. If he were a step slower, and Xie Yao fell into Ghost Fire’s grasp, Nie Yan would be caught in a dilemma, and have even less of a chance to act.

Perhaps due to his frequent play of the Thief class, the skill of stealth seemed to have seeped into Nie Yan’s bones as an instinct. Ghost Fire hadn’t noticed Nie Yan until he suddenly appeared, then Ghost Fire finally reacted.

"Go to hell!" Nie Yan roared as he pounced towards Ghost Fire with resolute determination.

Just as the dagger in Nie Yan's hand was about to pierce Ghost Fire's back, Ghost Fire suddenly moved his feet and raised a hand to parry.

The dagger in Nie Yan's hand missed its mark, but his left elbow landed a fierce blow on Ghost Fire's scapula, striking precisely at the weak point of the joint. With a crisp snap, Ghost Fire's left shoulder was completely dislocated, his left hand hanging down weakly. The intense pain made Ghost Fire gasp.

What a ruthless attack!

Nie Yan's appearance was too sudden. His attention had been focused on Xie Yao. He never expected there to be another person in the room.

Being ambushed without warning made it difficult to dodge.

Nie Yan's attack was fierce, reaching the standard of a professional fighter. His strikes were decisive and ruthless, leaving no room for error. The viciousness of his attacks was no less than theirs, these professional killers. Nie Yan had been an assassin in his previous life. He had learned almost all the skills of an assassin; otherwise, he wouldn’t have succeeded in assassinating Cao Xu.

If he hadn’t succeeded in catching his opponent off guard like this, Nie Yan wouldn’t have any face to show.

Ghost Fire endured another blow, feeling a tightness in his chest, as if his entire ribcage was about to burst open. But he didn't surrender. His right elbow swept towards Nie Yan.

Nie Yan dodged, Ghost Fire's elbow grazing his chest with a tearing sound, ripping Nie Yan's clothes in two. Two sharp barbs on Ghost Fire's elbow glinted with a cold light.

After only a brief exchange, Nie Yan had a rough grasp of Ghost Fire’s strength—just a first-rate assassin, not a top-tier one.

Having been reborn, and with proper training, Nie Yan's strength had already surpassed his previous life. Killing Ghost Fire would be easy.

After dodging Ghost Fire's attack, Nie Yan punched Ghost Fire in the right shoulder, completely shattering it. He gained control of Ghost Fire, and held the short dagger against his forehead.

Almost at the same moment, Stiletto appeared before Nie Yan, the gun in his hand aimed at Nie Yan's temple.

Nie Yan was shocked. Such fast movements! Before he could even react, Stiletto had a gun pointed at his head. This guy was definitely a master of both gunplay and close combat.

Stiletto's strength exceeded Nie Yan's expectations, surpassing him by a wide margin.

The situation froze.

Nie Yan held the short dagger against Ghost Fire's forehead, Stiletto's gun pressed against Nie Yan's temple. Neither side would give way.

His forehead was cut, and blood streamed down Ghost Fire's cheek. He let out a sharp, sinister laugh, saying, "Don't forget I have a teammate. Take your knife away! Be careful the gun doesn't go off!"

Nie Yan smiled. This guy really didn't know what was good for him! He tore off the earpiece from Ghost Fire's ear and crushed it into pieces.

Stiletto didn’t move, letting Nie Yan crush the communication device.

A glint flashed in Stiletto’s eyes. No one knew what he was thinking.

From the conversation between Stiletto and Ghost Fire, Nie Yan could infer that Ghost Fire’s teammate seemed unreliable. Nie Yan glanced at Stiletto beside him and said calmly, "Put your gun away, and I'll let you go. Apart from me, Xie Yao, and you, no one will know what happened today."

"Ridiculous, you're the one with a gun to your head!" Ghost Fire laughed arrogantly.

"Ignorant fool, I think your employer wants you dead even more than I do!" Nie Yan said in a chilling voice, close to Ghost Fire's ear.

Hearing Nie Yan's words, Ghost Fire trembled. He looked at Stiletto in disbelief. Would Stiletto really do that?

Nie Yan was also nervous. Having a gun pointed at his head was definitely not a pleasant experience.

Stiletto glanced at Nie Yan and said in a cold tone, "I don't like smart people like you. Being too clever can be a curse." He looked at Ghost Fire, his eyes suddenly turning cold. "I don't like being controlled, but I hate it even more when someone threatens me with my brothers. If someone does that, I'll make sure they die!"

Hearing these words, Ghost Fire's face turned ashen. A guy like Stiletto had done everything on the mercenary battlefield. He had danced with death and corpses countless times. Their thoughts couldn't be understood by ordinary logic. Stiletto's words were equivalent to a death sentence.

"Stiletto, you can't do this!"

"There's nothing I can't do in this world!" Stiletto said indifferently. Ghost Fire was just a stranger to him. Ghost Fire's life or death was none of his concern.

"I won't tell anyone about what happened today. If one day you have nowhere to go, you can come find me," Nie Yan said, glancing at Stiletto.

Nie Yan could roughly guess Stiletto’s thoughts. As a mercenary, or even a killer, as long as they were a man with any guts, they wouldn't be willing to be played like a fiddle so easily. If Nie Yan were in Stiletto's position, he would have killed Ghost Fire without hesitation, and then dealt with the other problems one by one.

Nie Yan was right. From the beginning, Stiletto had wanted to kill Ghost Fire.

Stiletto put away his gun. Ghost Fire’s voice was almost distorted as he said, "Stiletto, you'll pay the price for this. The employer won't let you off!"

Stiletto sneered, looking at Ghost Fire with disdain. "That's all bullshit! If he dares to touch my brother, I'll kill his whole family!" At this moment, he exuded an aura of awe. Those who are fearless are invincible! If he were always timid and hesitant, he would only put himself in a passive position. Don’t forget, he was a mercenary! He had seen gunfire and rain of bullets, and wandered countless times on the edge of death. What did he have to fear? His brothers had all crawled out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood. Would they be afraid of this threat?

Seeing Stiletto put away his gun, Nie Yan breathed a sigh of relief. He looked at Ghost Fire, and a murderous intent flashed in his eyes. "I know you're unwilling, but go tell it to the King of Hell! Anyone who wants to touch my woman, I'll make sure they die without a burial!"

Suddenly, a bloody light burst from Ghost Fire's forehead. Nie Yan's short dagger pierced through his brow, killing him instantly. The forehead was the most dangerous weak point in the human body. Once pierced by a sharp weapon, the brain would stop functioning directly, leaving no chance of survival.

Blood splattered on the floor, and Ghost Fire fell to the ground.

It was the first time Xie Yao had witnessed such a bloody scene, which was different from the game. The bloody atmosphere filled the air. It was the first time she realized that the familiar Nie Yan could be so decisive and ruthless when ending someone's life, as if he had become a different person.

Xie Yao looked at Nie Yan. At this moment, Nie Yan was both familiar and a little strange. At this moment, Nie Yan was like the one in the game, the Guild Leader, towering high above, with a chilling aura.

Nie Yan risking his life to kill Ghost Fire also moved her deeply. A complex feeling stirred in her heart, which she couldn't quite explain.

Ghost Fire probably didn’t understand until his death why Stiletto would put away his gun and let Nie Yan kill him.

Nie Yan could sense that Stiletto and he were the same kind of person. Their characters could not be understood by someone like Ghost Fire.

"How are you going to leave here?" Nie Yan asked, looking at Stiletto beside him, sizing up the person in front of him.

This person named Stiletto was about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, dressed in black combat gear, his face covered in camouflage paint, a hideous scar on his forehead, and a pair of sharp eyes staring at Nie Yan. His eyes were like those of a hunting eagle, capable of piercing through people's hearts.

Nie Yan couldn't see through Stiletto’s thoughts. Stiletto was like a mystery. Nie Yan understood that he and Xie Yao were not safe. If Stiletto was a violent person, he might kill everyone present. But based on Stiletto’s refusal to harm the old, weak, women, and children under Ghost Fire’s coercion, Nie Yan could be sure that Stiletto would not kill them to silence them.

"I hope only the three of us know about what happened today. If a fourth person finds out, you should know the consequences," Stiletto said, his face expressionless, his tone cold.

"If one day, you're no longer a mercenary, you can come to the Nie Family Consortium and find me," Nie Yan said. A person like Stiletto was definitely a sharp weapon for killing. If he could recruit him, the people around him would have more protection.

The ability to kill could also be used to protect people. Stiletto had been in the battlefield for many years, so dealing with assassins and killers would be easy for him. Moreover, he was proficient in anti-satellite technology, which could definitely come in handy at critical moments.

Someone like Stiletto could apply to any consortium, and the bosses of those consortiums would definitely be willing to pay a high price.

"I have at least dozens of murder cases on my hands. Do you dare to take me in?" Stiletto looked at Nie Yan and laughed contemptuously.

Nie Yan paused, and said, "As long as you dare to come, I dare to take you in." A person like Stiletto was untamed and unruly. If he was afraid, people would look down on him.

Nie Yan didn't know what the murder cases Stiletto mentioned were about. He would have to send someone to investigate to determine the situation.

Nie Yan understood that he would eventually face Cao Xu one day, and then both sides would be unscrupulous. With an expert like Stiletto around, he could play a big role in dangerous situations.

Based on Nie Yan's experience from his previous life, a person of Stiletto's level could definitely be called a top expert. Nie Yan originally thought that Stiletto and Ghost Fire were on the same level, but after the exchange just now, Nie Yan could feel that Ghost Fire and Stiletto were not on the same level at all.

Some people would deliberately hide some of their strength at ordinary times, and only reveal their strength at the most critical moment. Nie Yan felt that Stiletto was such a person.