After a long time, both of them finally breathed a sigh of relief and slowly sat down on the floor.

Samuel Lincoln suddenly jumped up, ran to the living room window, hid behind the curtain and looked outside. After observing for a while, he gently closed the curtain.

They never turned on the lights, and the curtains blocked most of the streetlights outside.

Samuel Lincoln sat down on the sofa and asked, “Are you sure we don’t need to contact Old Charles?”

“No need.” Henry Lincoln said firmly, slowly standing up as his panic faded and his mind returned to normal. “Let’s wait for him to come. At times like this, it’s best not to contact anyone rashly. The organization might use us as bait, and so might the other side.”

Pretending to assassinate two low-level spies to lure out a bigger fish from higher up—this was also one of the tricks of the trade.

“You’re right.” Samuel Lincoln sounded drained. His physical strength had long since recovered, but his emotions had not.

“Did you see that person?”

“I did, but it’s useless. He was dressed like a street kid, all bundled up, so I couldn’t see his face clearly. But judging by the way he ran, he should be an adult in his twenties or thirties.”

“He didn’t fire a second shot.”

“Maybe because he only had one bullet.”

“Assassinate two people with a single bullet?”

“Ah, ah!” Samuel Lincoln howled twice, “What on earth is going on? I’m about to go crazy. When Old Charles comes again, I have to get a clear answer.”

The streetlights flickered but never went out all night. The two of them didn’t dare sleep, nor did they want to. At any sound, they would rush to the door to stand guard.

Samuel Lincoln rummaged through the kitchen and found a kitchen knife that hadn’t been used in who knows how long, always keeping it close at hand.

Henry Lincoln felt this couldn’t go on. “I need to look up some information, at least figure out why we’ve become assassination targets. It must be related to our identities.”

“Go ahead, that’s your specialty. I’ll guard the door.”

Though he said he’d guard the door, Samuel Lincoln would patrol the place every few minutes, not missing a single clue.

After midnight, the noise on the street disappeared, making the occasional sound even more jarring. Henry Lincoln focused all his attention on information online, using a microcomputer to browse major sites and forums. He mostly just read the headlines, sometimes the first paragraph or two.

More than three months had passed, but the murder of the planetary heir was still the hottest topic. There were so many articles that one person couldn’t finish reading them in a lifetime. Even just reading the headlines was a massive undertaking.

Henry Lincoln read until his head was spinning and had to stop for a break.

The room was still very dark. Samuel Lincoln dragged a dining chair to the door, sat down without moving, and said, “I still haven’t thanked you.”

“For what?”

“If it weren’t for you tackling me, I might have…”

“In our line of work, things like this are inevitable. If it were you, you’d protect me too.”

“But we’re not even in the business!” Samuel Lincoln said, a bit agitated. “I keep thinking about what happened.”

“What did you come up with?”

“That person, the killer, was after me. That’s why he only had one bullet—because he didn’t intend to kill you.”

“You’re sure?”

“Most of his face was covered, but his eyes—I remember them clearly. That was a look of utter hatred, definitely a personal grudge. I was the target. I’m at least seventy, no, ninety percent sure.”

Henry Lincoln said nothing.

“The organization behind Miss Bennett has come for revenge.” When Samuel Lincoln said this, there was no anger, no fear, no excitement, no emotion at all. It was as if he didn’t care, or maybe he was just numb from fright.

“The The Carter Family sure gets information fast.” Henry Lincoln didn’t know how to comfort him.

“There are plenty of traitors on the farm!” Samuel Lincoln became indignant again. “Those cops can’t keep their mouths shut either. Maybe one of them leaked the news.”

Samuel Lincoln complained for a long time before finally quieting down.

Henry Lincoln asked, “Have you ever thought about why the The Carter Family would send a peripheral spy to lure Old Charles? Why did Old Charles have to kill her? And why is the The Carter Family so eager for revenge? After all, the two sides have kept the peace for years.”

“I… I don’t know. Maybe… maybe the peace has been broken. After all, murdered spies are always written off as accidents, so the news never digs deeper. Ordinary people know nothing, and even we’re kept in the dark.” Samuel Lincoln gripped the knife handle tightly. He hated being kept in the dark, especially when a war might have already started.

“You’re right. Maybe we’re just unlucky—just joined the organization and ran into this… If you were killed, what kind of accident would they call it?”

“What do you mean?”

“If you’d been killed on the street just now, it would definitely make the news. Your wound would match the planetary heir’s, and the location would be similar. I bet some sharp reporter would connect the two incidents. That wouldn’t be an accident anymore.”

Samuel Lincoln couldn’t answer. “Old Charles knows the truth. I… next time he comes, I have to get a clear answer.”

“You should get some sleep first.”

Samuel Lincoln wasn’t sleepy. “Do you think Old Charles will tell the truth?”

“No.” Henry Lincoln was certain. “He won’t say a thing.”