Chapter 229

one could still vaguely see the evil smirk curling at the corners of his mouth.

He probably wished he could press his entire weight onto the woman.

"The two of you! Please follow me."

At this moment,

a cold voice interrupted the old man’s "prank."

The old man jumped off the woman’s back with a look of disappointment.

Then he stood in place, straightening his clothes.

Hoshino Ki and the old man followed a beautiful young girl to the gate of the ancient castle.

Standing at the entrance was a sturdy, white-haired old man.

He was dressed in a gorgeous black suit, with an extraordinary air; one look and you knew he wasn't an ordinary person!

Upon seeing Hoshino Ki’s arrival,

the white-haired old man immediately showed a kind expression.

Then he strode toward Hoshino Ki.

Hoshino Ki focused his attention on this white-haired old man.

Although the old man had an amiable appearance,

the murderous aura around him could not be hidden at all.

Based on his first impression alone,

Hoshino Ki could be certain that this old man’s strength would not be lower than the one beside him.

However! Fortunately, neither of these two old men showed any hostility toward Hoshino Ki.

If he really had to fight them both,

it would be hard to determine the winner.

"Hahaha, I’ve heard of your great name from the BOSS for a long time, Louis, right?"

"Today I finally see the real person; I didn't expect you to be so young!"

The old man immediately shook Hoshino Ki’s hand warmly.

"You are...?"

Hoshino Ki indicated that he didn't know the person in front of him.

"In the Organization, besides the BOSS, he is the highest-ranking. He is Ballantines, the Organization’s second-in-command."

The old man pulled a flask from his bosom.

He unscrewed the cap of the flask,

and lazily poured the wine into his mouth.

"You flatter me, Martell, you are also an old senior in the Organization!"

Ballantines squinted and smiled slightly.

He tilted his head and spoke to Martell.

Hoshino Ki watched the two old men quietly.

Although he didn't show it on his face,

he felt that these two were competing in secret.

Otherwise, why would Ballantines completely ignore Martell’s existence at first?

"Come, come, come, please come in. I’ve prepared a very sumptuous dinner to entertain you both today."

Ballantines hurriedly ushered the two into the ancient castle.

Inside the castle’s reception hall,

an extremely luxurious dinner had already begun.

The rectangular dining table was filled with a large amount of exquisite food.

There were also delicacies that Hoshino Ki had never seen before.

He hadn't eaten dinner,

and his stomach was already growling.

So Hoshino Ki didn't stand on ceremony with them.

He picked up his knife and fork and began to eat.

Meanwhile, Martell beside him was just chugging wine frantically,

only eating a bite or two of food occasionally.

Clearly, he was a man obsessed with alcohol.

Ballantines didn't mind their rude behavior,

because this dinner was meant to entertain them both.

He wouldn't restrict what they ate or how they ate it.

The sides of the dining table were filled with maids.

Their job was to serve tea, pour wine, and wipe mouths for the guests at any time.

The row of maids on the left were all standard Chinese beauties.

Any one of them could be a big star.

The maids on the right were beauties with Western features.

They all had blonde hair, blue eyes, and extremely hot figures.

All I can say is...

The life of the wealthy is truly wonderful!

Seeing Hoshino Ki’s gaze linger on the maids,

Ballantines joked that if Hoshino Ki wanted, he could take one away.

After the two had eaten their fill,

Ballantines waved his hand.

The surrounding maids and security personnel walked out of the living room directly.

In just a moment,

only the three of them remained at the dining table.

Time to talk business!

"The BOSS is not convenient to show his face; you have always known this."

"So, I will be fully authorized to explain what comes next."

"Do you two... have any objections?"

Ballantines spoke plainly.

He immediately made it clear that he was representing the BOSS.

Who could possibly say they had "objections"?

"No objections!"

"I have no objections either."

The two said one after the other.

"That’s great. As you can see, the BOSS is treating you both with the highest level of care."

"We have also prepared the most luxurious houses for you in the city."

"And your identity information has been registered in the internal personnel network; we will grant you the best treatment..."

Ballantines listed a whole bunch of generous benefits within the Organization in advance.

This feeling was very subtle.

It was just like when you first enter a company in your past life,

and the boss describes that beautiful... pie in the sky!

In this situation,

it often makes people have many beautiful fantasies about the company.

But after joining the company,

you will realize...

You’ve been scammed!

"Is there a mission?"

Hoshino Ki cut off the other party’s words directly.

"It’s just that... our Organization is currently facing internal and external troubles, and I’m afraid it will disband before long!"

When he said this,

his expression was solemn, and his tone was extremely sincere....

It didn't look like a lie.

Hoshino Ki understood instantly!

They were looking for someone to carry out a suicide mission??

Martell was already somewhat tipsy after three rounds of drinks.

He slammed his palm onto the dining table with force.

The plates and food on the table shook instantly:

"Damn it! I knew you bastard weren't planning anything good!"

"Did you go and report me to the BOSS again?"

He opened his bloodshot eyes,

full of anger.

"Eh? Martell, you’ve wronged me this time."

"Don't you know the current state of our Organization?"

Ballantines smiled at Martell,

waving his hands repeatedly to explain.

"I don't believe your ghost stories, you old geezer, you’re very bad!"

"I was scammed miserably by you last year!"

As he spoke, he stood up excitedly.

His fierce aura made it seem like he wanted to start a fight right there.

"You’d better not be impulsive; look at where you are."

Under Ballantines’ reminder,

Martell paused slightly, and his drunkenness cleared by more than half.

He was like a deflated balloon,

slumping back into his seat.

The current state of the Organization could be known without asking the upper management.

It was indeed as Ballantines said:

internal and external troubles.

Internal trouble: there were no loyal employees in the Organization besides Gin.

External trouble: the police, FBI, Conan, and other organizations were eyeing them like tigers.

"Continue!"

Martell picked up a glass of red wine from the table and said.

"I presume you both have been following this serial killer incident, right?"

"Of course, Louis is even the big star of this incident!"

Ballantines placed the materials in his hand one by one on the empty space of the dining table.

One of the photos showed Hoshino Ki’s profile.

"Oh, I followed it, so what?"

Martell looked indifferent.

"This actually involves some secrets."

"We have been hiding it all along."

"These serial killers are a breed developed by our rival organization."

"Especially recently, their actions have become more frequent."

"Although they haven't attacked our headquarters directly,"

"reliable sources say their goal is to eliminate us!"

A flash of light passed through Hoshino Ki’s dark eyes.

Wasn't this the organization he wiped out last time?

Hoshino Ki understood what Ballantines wanted them to do without needing more words.

"Oh? Then what should we do? Fight directly, or hide?"

Martell asked tentatively.

"Hide? Only cowardly fools would choose to hide. Facing these pests that harm our Organization!"

"We should fight! Even if we can't kill them, we must bite off a piece of their flesh!"

Ballantines raised his fist, his face full of hatred.

Case closed!

The BOSS called them here just to trick them into going to their deaths.

That was actually great.

Hoshino Ki had already completed this mission long ago.

Going there this time would be easy, wouldn't it?

The reward for completing a mission for the Black Organization shouldn't be too bad, right?

"So! Who among you two will take this mission?"

Ballantines looked at Hoshino Ki and Martell.

As if asking for their opinions.

Martell stepped back instantly.

So only Hoshino Ki and Ballantines remained at the dining table.

"I’ll take it. What are the benefits?"

Hoshino Ki was certainly not a fool.

The reward requested before the mission is done definitely wouldn't be too shabby.

"Good! Since you’ve accepted this mission, the Organization happens to have an A-rank spot for you. From now on, you are an A-rank internal member!"

"Hehehe, promoted! That’s really nice, but who knows if you’ll live long enough to enjoy the promotion."

Martell had already run far away.

He was holding a flask in the corner of the dining room, making sarcastic remarks.

"As long as his strength is strong, I believe Louis will definitely succeed!"

Ballantines glanced at Martell,

then pulled Hoshino Ki aside:

"Don't mind that crazy old man; he’s just a coward afraid of death."

"Here is your badge! This is a badge that symbolizes honor!"

Hoshino Ki took the badge Ballantines handed over calmly.

The moment Hoshino Ki took the badge,

the system issued a notification sound.

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for successfully upgrading from a D-rank member to an A-rank member of the Black Organization.]

[Your status in the Black Organization is getting higher and higher, please continue to work hard!]

Hoshino Ki pinned the badge to his chest and said:

"How do we fight?"

Ballantines said hurriedly:

"We have decided to take the initiative and strike directly at their lair. Catch the ringleader first to catch the gang; as long as their BOSS is dead, our Organization will be safe!"

"Oh, do you know the location?"

Hoshino Ki raised his eyes to look at him.