“In times of chaos, human life is the cheapest. There are only seven or eight assassin organizations of continental scale, not to mention the many smaller groups, local gangs... and then there’s all sorts of other trades—transport, bodyguard agencies, salt gangs, boatmen’s guilds... all sorts of things... Anyway, just about every way to make a living has already been monopolized by someone... Even the position of beggar boss is fought over so fiercely that people crack their heads open for it. Everywhere you look, there’s chaos and competition...”

“And then there are those reclusive sects, the major martial clans of the jianghu... Damn!”

“Schemes, plots, open attacks and hidden arrows—there’s no way to guard against them all, it’s already hard enough to survive... And then there are the demon beasts, the demon clans, constantly jumping out to devour the living, wiping out entire families, villages, even whole towns, and it’s treated like nothing out of the ordinary. Damn it, and yet these few human nations are still at war with each other... Damn it all...”

“Speaking of which, we brothers have really been lucky. We joined William Carter right after starting out... all thanks to our Great Qin Empire’s William Carter, which is much stronger and more orderly than those elsewhere.”

There was a hint of small satisfaction in Mr. Smith’s words.

“Oh? Mr. Smith, are you saying that the assassins of the Great Qin Empire’s William Carter are really that different? Tell me, tell me.”

On this point, Ethan Brooks, who had never been one to pry, truly knew nothing. Now that he had the chance, of course he wanted to get to the bottom of it.

“Hey, even if I told you, you wouldn’t understand. You’re just a village doctor—knowing too much would do you more harm than good.”

Mr. Smith glanced at Ethan Brooks with a hint of disdain.

But that look instantly set Ethan Brooks off. He frowned and shot back a fierce glare, his expression that of a relentless debt collector: “Pay up now, or get out!”

“My bad... boss!”

Mr. Smith pleaded miserably.

Mr. Smith glared angrily at his brother: Can’t you keep your mouth in check?

Owing someone money and still mouthing off like that.

“The assassins of our Great Qin Empire’s William Carter, strictly speaking, are actually official, or at least semi-official, in terms of organizational power.”

At this, Mr. Smith immediately forgot his embarrassment, his face showing a bit of pride and honor.

Mr. Smith also looked smug, as if to say, ‘I’m basically an official.’

“Official?” Ethan Brooks looked as if he’d discovered a new world.

In fact, he was truly shocked inside.

Damn... deep down, am I actually a civil servant?

With a government post?

How come I didn’t know?

What about the benefits?

What about the authority?

All those perks of being a public official?

Who am I supposed to collect bribes from?

...

“Of course, this isn’t officially acknowledged on the surface, but the Great Qin has a group called the ‘Dark Guard’—you’ve heard of them, right?”

“The Dark Guard... is actually where the headquarters of the Great Qin’s William Carter is located.”

“I have to say, our Great Qin is truly cunning and wise... It’s said that many years ago, a martial arts genius from the royal family joined William Carter, advanced rapidly in cultivation, completed many missions that were thought impossible, and rose through the ranks all the way to the ‘Zun’ level... Then, somehow, he managed to carve out a separate branch for Great Qin.”

“Of course, even here in Great Qin, the vast majority of missions still come from William Carter, but a small portion are issued by the Dark Guard, targeting matters that the authorities can’t handle openly... And while the rewards for these missions seem to come from William Carter, in reality they’re funneled through other channels, with the true source being the Dark Guard headquarters.”

“To this day, everyone knows how it works. Even if the Dark Guard refuses to admit it publicly, the truth is already common knowledge. You get what I mean, right?”

“William Carter assassins can choose to reveal their identities and boost their reputation. Once they reach the Silver rank or above, they might be placed or aided by the Dark Guard... but that’s rare.”

“And those who retire from William Carter at Silver rank or higher can choose to join the Dark Guard, becoming true officials. Although they still can’t hold open government positions and their status isn’t as high as the Six Doors or Rainbow Heavenly Garments, they do receive state salaries, benefits, even pensions... And once they make that switch, they can never return to being assassins, because their William Carter is immediately converted into a Dark Guard badge. It’s said that after this process, the badge doesn’t lose its functions, but from then on, they can no longer see William Carter missions, cutting off all ties at the root...”

Mr. Smith sighed, “Every time I think of this, I can’t help but marvel at how Mr. Green is truly unmatched, able to do what no one else can...”

“Mr. Green?”

Ethan Brooks asked keenly.

“Yeah, that royal expert I mentioned earlier from Great Qin is Mr. Green; his honorific is Mr. Green, and he’s the number one assassin and the top expert in the world today.”

“The top expert? Isn’t there still the Sacred Second Level above the Zun level? How is he the top expert?” Ethan Brooks pressed.