Outside the Church.
Viggo, having just inspected the church and realized everything was gone, was absolutely livid. Smoke was practically pouring out of his ears as he roared at his assistant, "Who the fuck did this?!"
"Find out! Find out now!"
"We have to get that stuff back!"
His assistant, visibly panicked, nodded rapidly. "Yes, sir."
Finding out wasn't hard.
There were surveillance cameras on the streets near the church.
It didn't take much effort before photos of Dexter and Dumb Nine were placed in front of Viggo.
"Who the hell is this?" Viggo stared at the photo, dumbfounded. He didn't recognize Dexter at all, let alone the Husky.
"He seems to be a newcomer to New York. Name's Dexter. Last night, he rampaged from Brooklyn all the way to the Continental, killing over thirty people. Made quite a noise," the assistant replied.
"Where is this son of a bitch right now?" Viggo took a deep breath and asked.
"The Continental," the assistant answered.
Viggo hated that answer. The Continental was neutral ground; no business could be conducted there. "Send men over. Surround the hotel. Wait for him to come out! I want him alive!!"
"Yes, sir," the assistant responded. "How many men?"
"As many as possible. We cannot afford mistakes on this. I need those items back!!" Viggo barked, then added, "Also, put out a contract. See if anyone is willing to break the rules and act inside the hotel to retrieve my property."
"The amount?"
Viggo thought for a second. "Five million dollars."
The assistant didn't waste words. He turned and left to execute the orders.
---
The New York Continental.
Dexter left most of his Death Soldiers stationed on the street outside the hotel. He only took two soldiers, Dumb Nine, and the loot back to his room.
In the room, Dexter took a little time to inventory his haul.
Setting aside the oil paintings and jewelry for a moment...
Cash amounted to a little over three million.
"A bit light..." Dexter looked at the pile of money on the floor with a tinge of regret, then shifted his gaze to the other items.
He had a plan.
He intended to contact the High Table's Accounts Payable department and open an open contract on Comrade Viggo Tarasov. He wanted to make New York lively tonight.
Considering Viggo's status in the city, if the bounty was too low, nobody—except maybe a few lunatics—would touch him.
So, he estimated he needed to put up at least ten million dollars.
So...
Should he go back out immediately to fence the paintings and jewelry for cash?
The streets outside probably weren't safe right now. Viggo's men were likely already swarming the perimeter of the hotel.
Going head-to-head with Viggo right now didn't seem like a smart move. High risk of death.
Dexter pondered for a moment and decided to play it safe.
Open chests.
He still had 57,350 Karma Points.
Let's try opening thirty Silver Chests first and see how much cash I get.
[You opened a Silver Chest. Congratulations, you received...]
[...]
In no time, 30,000 Karma Points were gone.
He pulled in a total of over four million dollars, increased his Assassin Experience by four years (bringing the total to six), and got some assorted weapons.
Dexter left the weapons in the System for now and withdrew all the cash. The pile on the floor grew to about eight million.
Still not quite enough.
Keep pulling? He didn't have many points left.
Change of strategy... Among the stolen items were plenty of blackmail materials—files, recordings, that sort of thing.
Those should be worth a pretty penny.
Decision made. Dexter didn't delay. He sifted through the blackmail material, found a file on a high-profile figure, looked up the contact info for the guy's company online, and made a call.
"I have the leverage Viggo Tarasov was using against you. Five million cash, and it's yours," Dexter said once he got the big shot on the line.
It worked like a charm.
Just a few hours later.
The transaction was completed in Dexter's room. Both parties were happy.
After sending the VIP away, Dexter didn't waste time. He counted out thirteen million dollars, bagged it, and had the two Death Soldiers carry it down to the lobby to find Charon.
"Hello. This is thirteen million. Please deposit it into my account. My account number is 4563249," Dexter said with a smile, sliding a gold coin across the counter to Charon.
The coin was the service fee.
By this time, Charon had already heard the news. He knew exactly who Dexter had robbed earlier. Hearing this request, he couldn't help but be slightly surprised.
But surprise or not, duty called. Charon accepted the coin and nodded. "Certainly, Mr. Ding."
"Thanks. How long will it take?"
"Within ten minutes, Mr. Ding."
"Good."
Dexter returned to his room, sat on the sofa, lit a cigarette, and waited quietly. Less than ten minutes later, his phone vibrated. A text message.
Funds received.
Dexter grinned. He didn't hesitate and dialed the number. "Accounts Payable. 4563249. I want to open a contract. New York. Viggo Tarasov. Thirteen million dollars. Effective after midnight tonight."
"Processing," the woman in Accounts Payable replied calmly.
About a minute passed.
"Transaction complete. Contract open."
Dexter hung up.
Moments later.
Every High Table assassin in New York received an identical text message: A bounty on Viggo Tarasov.
The scene across the city was shocking. Every phone lit up at once.
Naturally, Dexter received it too.
And so did Viggo.
Viggo stared at his phone, dumbfounded. Then, realizing who had put out the hit, he nearly exploded with rage. "FUCK!!! He robs me, and then turns around and puts a bounty on me??"
Viggo's roar shook the room.
His assistant nearby was stunned too. He didn't think you could operate like that.
Haha.
So interesting.
Viggo screamed for a few solid minutes before he started to calm down. He turned to his assistant. "Get more men here! Protect me! Also, double the bounty on him! Get that Dexter and bring him to me now!"
According to the rules of the High Table, once a contract is live, there are only two outcomes. One: the target is eliminated, the assassin gets paid, and the contract is closed. Two: the person who opened the contract withdraws it. If they do that, the bounty money is forfeited to the High Table... usually, no one does that because it's throwing money away.
Viggo knew the rules well. His head was throbbing. He yelled at his assistant again, "You have to take him alive! He cannot die!"
Yes.
Dexter couldn't die.
Viggo needed Dexter alive because only Dexter could withdraw the contract.
Otherwise...
The contract would remain open forever. Eventually, someone would kill Viggo for thirteen million dollars.
"FUCK!!!!"
Viggo never expected things to take this turn. He was fuming.
---
The Continental, Hotel Room.
Dexter was the complete opposite. He was laughing maniacally.
Hahahaha.
Comrade Viggo, I played this card. How are you going to deal with it?
---