Chapter 2013 - 1454: The Life-or-Death Choice

Song Heping put down the wine glass and looked at him.

"I don't want to kill you."

Victor was taken aback.

"You don't want to kill me?"

Song Heping shook his head.

"What's the use of killing you? If one Victor dies, your employer will send a second Victor. Kill the second, there's a third. It's endless."

Victor was silent.

He knew Song Heping was telling the truth.

His employer was certainly not ordinary, with plenty of money.

If three million isn't enough, then five million.

If five million isn't enough, then ten million.

Someone would always be tempted.

"Then what do you want?"

Song Heping leaned forward slightly.

"I want you to tell me how you got this job."

Victor's expression subtly changed.

"What do you mean?"

Song Heping stared at him, his gaze as sharp as a knife.

"Who contacted you? How did they contact you? Through which channels does the money go? How many layers are between you and the employer?"

Victor remained silent.

These are professional rules.

The rules of a hitman—never disclose client information.

He had been in the business for twenty years and had never broken this rule.

Song Heping noticed his hesitation.

"Victor," he said, "I know what you're thinking. Professional rules, code of conduct. I understand all this."

He paused.

"But you also need to realize one thing—you are sitting here because I don't want to kill you. If I change my mind, you won't be able to leave this bar."

Victor's fingers subtly tightened.

"Can those rules save your life?"

Song Heping's voice was calm, but every word hit Victor's heart like nails.

This was a brutally realistic choice.

"You've adhered to the rules for twenty years, saved how much money? Is it enough to spend for the rest of your life? Enough to retire, find a quiet place, and live peacefully?"

Victor said nothing.

"I know you've saved quite a bit," Song Heping continued, "but rules are rules, life is life. If the rules are broken, you can still live. If your life is gone, what's the use of rules?"

He leaned back slightly.

"Moreover, let me tell you something. I roughly know who hired you, and they won't leave any witnesses. If you kill me, they will turn around and silence you. Someone like you, he knows too much. He won't let you leave alive."

Victor's pupils slightly contracted.

He sensed Song Heping wasn't bluffing.

"So..." Song Heping said, "you now have two choices. First, you continue to follow the rules and die here. Your people will die too. Tomorrow, no one will know where you went."

He paused, then continued:

"Second, you tell me everything. How you made the contact, through which channel the money goes, who the middleman is. Then, I will give you fifty thousand, and with your own savings, you can flee far away. Retire and never come back."

Victor stared at him, silent for a long time.

Fifty thousand.

Plus his own savings, it's enough.

Enough to buy a farm in South America, or a villa in Southeast Asia, live peacefully for the rest of his life.

Yet he still hesitated.

Twenty years of rules aren't easily broken.

"I know what you're thinking." Song Heping interrupted his thoughts: "You're wondering, if the rules are broken, how you'll continue in the circle. You're wondering, if colleagues find out you sold out clients, how you'll ever get work again."

He chuckled.

"But Victor, don't you understand? You no longer have a future. Since you accepted this job, you no longer have a future. Robbin won't let you live, whether you can kill me or not. You know too much."

Victor's breath paused for a second.

"The only way you can survive is to leave this circle. Leave completely. Never return."

Song Heping looked at him.

"Fifty thousand, enough for you to go."

Victor was silent for a long time.

The whole bar seemed to have quieted down, even the saxophonist on stage stopped playing, leaving only the low voices of a few tables of guests in the corner.

Victor's mind was racing.

He was weighing options.

Calculating.

Thinking through every possible consequence.

Finally, he spoke.

"I got this job through a middleman."

Song Heping's gaze subtly focused.

"Who?"

"I don't know his real name," Victor said, "in the circle he's called 'the accountant'. Swiss, specializes in connecting hitmen and employers. He uses an encrypted email, changes the address each time he contacts. He's also the one who transfers the money."

Song Heping nodded.

"How do you contact him?"

Victor was silent for two seconds.

"I have an encrypted email. Send him a message with a specific title. He replies with another encrypted email, with a different address each time."

He took a phone out of his pocket, pulled up an interface, and pushed it in front of Song Heping.

On the screen was an email address, and a string of characters.

"This is his encrypted email address. This string of characters is my verification code. Without it, he won't reply."

Song Heping stared at the screen, silently noting down the information.

"Where's the money?"

Victor hesitated for a moment.

"Three million, to be divided into two payments. The first one is one and a half million, to be wired to my Cayman Islands account. The second payment will be made once the job is completed."

He slid his phone to another page.

An account number appeared on the screen.

Song Heping glanced at it and nodded.

"Anything else?"

Victor thought for a moment.

"I haven't met the employer personally. The accountant said he was contacted through a man named Marcus Vogel. Vogel is Swiss and used to work at a credit bank in Zurich. Later, he started an asset management company specializing in helping wealthy people launder money and transfer assets. He has extensive connections in the European business and political circles, and Robbin found the accountant through him."

Song Heping nodded slightly.

These pieces of information were sufficient.

Henry and people in his company could use this information to trace back to Robbin eventually.

"That's all," Victor said, "I've told you everything."

Song Heping looked at him, silent for a few seconds.

Then he took out something from his pocket and placed it on the table.

It was a check.

Five hundred thousand.

No name, redeemable at any time.

Victor stared at the check, his expression complex.

"Take it," Song Heping said, "I keep my word; you deserve it."

Victor did not move.

"Aren't you afraid I'll take the check and then turn around to kill you?"

Song Heping laughed.

The smile was faint, but there was a trace of coldness in his eyes.

"Victor," he said, "do you think you can kill me?"

Victor was speechless.

He knew Song Heping was speaking the truth.

There would not be a second chance.

He reached out, took the check, and put it in his pocket.

"Mr. Song," he said, "I will disappear."

Song Heping nodded.

"You'd better disappear completely."

Victor stood up.

He reached the door but suddenly stopped and turned back.

"Mr. Song."

Song Heping looked at him.

Victor said, "Even if I leave, disappear, someone will continue to try to assassinate you, be careful."

Song Heping laughed, "I'm well aware."

"One more thing," Victor continued, "your guys, they are well-hidden. But there's one thing you might not know."

"What's that?" Song Heping asked.

"Your sniper's position," Victor said, "is not the second-floor window. It's the rooftop of the opposite building. The reflexion in the second-floor window was a false target you deliberately set up."

This time, Song Heping was taken aback.

Then both of them laughed.

The laughter had admiration, surprise, and a bit of mutual respect.

Victor nodded, pushed the door open, and disappeared into the night.

Song Heping stood there, looking at the door swinging back and forth.

After a while, he picked up the phone and dialed a number.

"Grey Wolf, Victor figured out the sniper's real position," he said, "looks like you all need to improve your training level."

The other end of the line was silent for two seconds.

Then Grey Wolf's voice came through, with a touch of shock, "Damn, this guy really is something."

Song Heping chuckled.

"Yes, that's why Robiken offers three million for him to kill me."

He hung up the call, lifted the glass, and finished the last sip of whiskey.

The saxophone player on stage began to play again, with a deep melody flowing through the room.

Song Heping put down his glass and walked out of the bar.

The night breeze outside was cool, the street deserted.

He looked up at the night sky, taking a deep breath.

The issue with Victor was resolved.

He now had all the evidence he wanted.

Accountant.

Encrypted email.

Cayman account.

Vogel.

These things could lead to Robbin.

Perhaps...

These pieces of evidence could be given to Simon or directly handed to Obama...

Haha...

The thought of the future situation made Song Heping want to laugh.

No need to fuss with a small figure like Robbin; if he was to play, it would be with the head of AAFES Company.