The Sand Knight was impatient, but at the Snow Knight's insistence, he held back.
Just then, a sense of foreboding struck them, and they abruptly turned around.
On the lawn behind them, a figure appeared in their sight.
It was a man wearing a top hat and a tuxedo.
Such attire made him look as if he were attending a banquet, not a hunt or a confrontation.
Seeing their gaze, the man flipped his hand, and a deck of playing cards danced in his grip, his technique dazzling.
The Sand Knight and the Snow Knight immediately became alert. The Snow Knight held her blade reversed in her left hand, while her Desert Eagle in her right hand pointed at the man.
"Magician?"
The Snow Knight, looking at the man's attire and the playing cards, suddenly recalled a legend from the underworld, her pupils constricting.
"A beautiful lady, to remember me, it seems my legend is not entirely forgotten!" The Magician smiled, his handsome face appearing quite charming.
However, the Snow Knight became even more tense than before.
The Sand Knight materialized a cross sword in his hand and asked in a deep voice, "Your organization, Nightfall, are you also here to contend for that item?"
"The Storm Knights, you still abide by the rules in the underworld," the Magician said with a smile, slowly adding, "State the employer for this mission, and you may leave!"
"What do you mean?"
The Sand Knight hadn't fully grasped the situation, but the Snow Knight's expression changed drastically. "You... this was your setup?"
The Snow Knight's face was filled with disbelief.
"Very astute, Storm Knight, you truly should be the leader!"
The Magician praised.
The Sand Knight's expression shifted. He stepped forward and said in a stern voice, "Just you alone, Magician?"
The Snow Knight's gaze flickered as she asked, "Has Nightfall sent anyone else?"
"You'd best not know, otherwise, you will despair."
The Magician said courteously.
"Nightfall has been dormant for too long, and it is no longer your era!"
The Sand Knight snorted in anger and charged forward, his sword flashing with a cold glint.
Rustle...
Suddenly, playing cards flew everywhere, engulfing the Sand Knight and the Snow Knight.
Before their eyes, the Magician's figure had vanished, leaving only a few playing cards, like sharp blades, flying towards them.
Their hearts felt a chill. Without hesitation, they swung their weapons to block.
However, the Sand Knight couldn't help but let out a muffled groan. A playing card was embedded in his sword hand, and blood gushed out.
At the same time, a strong gust of wind attacked him from his left.
He quickly swung his sword, the blade shredding the approaching playing cards.
Yet, this sword stroke missed its target, and the gust of wind dissipated.
A figure quietly appeared beside the Snow Knight, a magic wand pointing directly at her throat.
"Watch out!"
The Sand Knight roared, rushing to her rescue.
The Snow Knight hastily retreated, her dagger flashing out like lightning.
With a *ding* of collision, the Magician, as if performing a trick, caused the tip of his magic wand to shoot out a net, which fell over the Snow Knight's head.
The Sand Knight charged forward with his sword. The Magician flicked his hand, and a black cloth suddenly unfurled, blocking his vision.
When he tore through the black cloth and burst out, the Magician's figure had already vanished, leaving only a cloud of white mist on the spot.
The Sand Knight quickly held his breath.
"It seems you youngsters have ultimately forgotten the prestige of Nightfall..."
In the Magician's voice, the Sand Knight felt a sharp pain in his ankle. Two special playing cards, like blades, sliced through the muscles of his ankle.
The Magician retracted his magic wand, which astonishingly transformed into a pistol.
Its muzzle pointed at the Snow Knight.
"Guess, is this a magician's tool, or a real gun?"
The Magician wore a beaming smile, but it sent a shiver down their spines.
The Sand Knight charged forward with his sword.
"Sand, we surrender!"
Trapped in the net, the Snow Knight struggled and suddenly said.
Blood stained the Sand Knight's sleeves and pant legs. He looked at the Magician with the gun pointed at his companion, dropped his sword onto the lawn, and asked, "Will you kill us?"
"I told you, just state the employer for this mission, and you may leave!"
The Magician said politely.
"Sorry, we don't know!" the Snow Knight replied. "The employer offered fifty million US dollars. Only our leader knows who the employer is."
"Honest words indeed. Then, I hope you are important enough in your leader's heart!"
The Magician showed a perfect smile, which nevertheless made the two knights feel a chill.
...
On the terrace of the garden villa.
Xiao's gaze was still surveying Villa One through his sniper scope.
Even though many were eager to enter Villa One, Xiao remained as steady as a rock.
He knew how terrifying Chen Fan was, so he would not rush in this time!
Having suffered losses twice, as a veteran assassin on the dark rankings, he maintained sufficient patience.
He was searching for Chen Fan's figure, waiting to deliver a killing blow when Chen Fan appeared.
Compared to snatching things from Chen Fan, snatching from other forces and organizations might be easier.
Through the scope, a shadow moved behind the curtains, but who it was, he couldn't tell.
It didn't matter. When everyone who went in failed, Chen Fan would relax, and eventually reveal himself.
He was still waiting.
But just then, he heard the sound of something heavy breaking through the air.
Trusting his instincts as a veteran assassin, he felt danger and abruptly straightened up, retreating.
In the dim light, a metal disc was thrown down.
*Bang!*
The metal disc struck his sniper rifle, which was propped against the railing.
*Crackling sounds.* The sniper rifle, worth tens of thousands of dollars and painstakingly smuggled into the Great Hua, was smashed to pieces, becoming a pile of parts.
Not only that, but the metal disc also created a large crater on the terrace of the garden villa, as if threatening to collapse the entire terrace.
His gaze swept over the metal disc. It was as large as a millstone, clearly a weight plate from a bench press in a gym.
Its weight would not be less than one hundred and fifty pounds.
And such a heavy object was discarded and thrown onto the balcony.
Xiao naturally knew what this implied.
In the dimness, he could only determine the general location of the person who threw the metal disc, but he couldn't lock onto them.
Angrily, he grabbed a rifle from behind him, preparing to engage.
*Whoosh!*
The next moment, a second giant metal disc whizzed towards him.
"Again?"
Xiao retreated back indoors.
*Boom!* The entire second floor trembled.
Xiao dared not show his head this time, nor did he dare to tangle. He immediately flew downstairs and slipped out from the side door of the garden villa.
He didn't know the identity of the enemy, but that didn't stop him from changing his position out of a sense of crisis.
The villa area of Xiangshan Tanfu was quite large, enough for him to find a new place to hide.
However, as soon as he slipped out of the side door, he saw a man standing in the shadows by the roadside, pointing a gun at him.
Without hesitation, he raised his own gun.
*Bang!* A shot rang out. Xiao felt a sharp pain in his wrist as a bullet pierced it.
He could no longer hold the weapon in his hand, and it fell to the ground.
Before he could reach for the pistol at his waist, another *bang* sounded.
Feeling pain in his leg, Xiao knelt on one knee.
He saw the person who shot him walking towards him.
It was a middle-aged man in his forties. In the dim light, his face was not very clear, but his eyes were striking, glowing with an indescribable brilliance in the darkness.
Wise and profound.
"Bloody Church, Xiao?"
The middle-aged man spoke slowly, asking.
"Who are you? If you know the Bloody Church, you should know the consequences of being enemies with the Bloody Church!" Xiao said in a deep voice, his expression gradually becoming solemn.