Master of Kaidan
Chapter 158 Jessica Made Up Her Mind

Chapter 158: Chapter 158 Jessica Made Up Her Mind

Watching Feng Xue fall into deep contemplation, Jessica’s heart began pounding violently too; as time ticked away, just when she was about to abandon the idea, Feng Xue seemed to have finally made a decision and raised her head, looking directly at Jessica and said:

"Possible."

Although it was just a simple word, Jessica immediately perked up, her face brimming with excitement but then, she heard another word from him—

"But ..."

Hearing there was a catch, Jessica couldn’t help but swallow hard, and immediately listened as he continued:

"Although I can only provide you with one level of protection, you still have to form ten Contracts... Of course, afterward, I will also train you so that you can master as many skills as possible."

"I am willing!"

Jessica spoke almost without thinking, which somewhat surprised Feng Xue, who suddenly began to wonder if there was something wrong with this woman’s mind.

However, considering sustainable development, he still went on with his original plan and began to explain:

"Don’t rush, let me first explain the actual constraints of the ten Contracts, and you can decide after listening."

"Okay, go ahead," Jessica said, thinking for a moment before turning off her recorder and then looking at Feng Xue with eager eyes.

Feng Xue picked up the porcelain cup and took a sip of water, then explained:

"The essence of the ten Contracts is to restrain the Executioners from using their power for anything other than upholding morals and justice; it restricts the behaviors of the Executioners while also setting out a task procedure for them."

Listening to Feng Xue’s words, Jessica, looking at the ten Contracts written in her notebook, thoughtfully said:

"Accept assignments, conduct investigations, act alone... So, does this mean the entire process has to be completed independently? And if the Executioner has to conceal their identity, how would they accept assignments?"

"Because these assignments aren’t the ones people bring to your door, but rather, you need to seek them out yourself." Feng Xue revealed a smile, then added:

"Uncover injustice, look for victims or their relatives, receive assignments from them, and then verify the truthfulness of these assignments before acting, which prevents wrongful execution and also ensures that Executioners don’t become mere tools in the hands of some entities.

"Similarly, acting alone is imposed for the same reason; humans have desires, and theoretically, Executioners aren’t allowed to do anything beyond the task at hand, but if you had an assistant, you in front killing people and your assistant behind collecting the spoils, wouldn’t it circumvent the restrictions?

"From this perspective, you should understand that ’acting alone’ refers only to ’executing tasks’; seeking and investigating assignments can be delegated to others, but you must ultimately confirm their authenticity to ensure their truthfulness. Indeed, when the Libra organization flourished, it had a global information network spread across the world for gathering intelligence."

Upon hearing this, Jessica immediately thought of her scrappy tabloid newspaper; never underestimate gossip papers, their paparazzi could collect celebrities’ privacy under the protection of bodyguards, agents, security guards, and corporate guards, and naturally, they could easily handle cases that were not so tightly guarded.

She didn’t even need to expend much effort—simply by issuing a newspaper transformation order in her capacity as the chairman and declaring a salary increase for the reporters, the newspaper would immediately become her private intelligence network.

Seeing Jessica’s slightly surprised expression, Feng Xue knew her hint was on point, and she continued,

"Being an Executioner is a very dangerous profession. Although these clauses limit the abuse of power, they also shackle the Executioners with constraints. Even in an era a hundred years ago when technology was not advanced, those who had seven kinds of protections still faced instances of mission failures that cost them their lives. What you can get from me is merely a strong physique and some skills. Even so, do you still wish to join?"

Jessica didn’t care about Feng Xue’s warning at all. As an adventurer who dared to engage in activities like oxygen-free mountain climbing and parachute-less skydiving—even venturing into the rainforest with just a knife for survival—this kind of gamble with life for justice stimulated and excited her far more than those mere life-risking sports that merely challenged the individual.

Compared to the trivial matter of risking life, she was more concerned about another issue—

"This Hidden Identity, does it mean abandoning my current identity and becoming a ’nonexistent’ person?"

Jessica wasn’t spouting wild theories. Rather, during her adventures, she had heard rumors from her companions, such as "top assassins are ’Invisible Men’ without real registrations. Even if fingerprints, DNA samples, or photos were discovered, no traces could be found."

Now thinking back, could these nonexistent assassins be remnants of the Libra organization?

However, Feng Xue decisively refuted her,

"There’s no need for that. A Hidden Identity means concealing the fact that you’re an ’Executioner.’ Besides that, you can be a wealthy person, a newspaper journalist, a noodle shop owner, a store cashier, and so on. These identities do not need to be concealed. Rather, their existence also serves as a part of concealing your identity as an Executioner."

"That’s not a problem then," said Jessica with a relieved tone, but Feng Xue still maintained a serious expression,

"Are you sure? Once you sign this contract, even if your father’s murderer stands before you, unless there’s a direct commission involved, you cannot lay a hand on him. Killing is forbidden except on commission. That is a bottom line you must adhere to."

"But I can still beat him up, right? I can also commission you for help, right?" Jessica’s mind raced, but she noticed a shadow pass across Feng Xue’s face.

The faint joy of finding loopholes instantly chilled. At that moment, Jessica felt as if she was on the brink of death—

That feeling, she had only experienced during her parachute-less skydives. Although it was fleeting, she roughly understood that this might be the legendary "killing intent."

For a time, Jessica considered many things and even felt she had guessed some truths about the disappearance of the "Libra" organization—the existence of loopholes in the covenant and the natural human inclination to exploit these loopholes. As an Executioner ceased to adhere strictly to the covenant and instead continually sought loopholes for personal gain, Jessica, who knew numerous legendary tales, could imagine what might come next.

But at that moment, she could only nervously remain silent, hoping not to anger the other with her cleverness.

The tense atmosphere arrived swiftly and dissipated just as quickly. Feng Xue seemed to quickly readjust her emotions and sighed,

"Yes, there are loopholes in the covenant, but I still hope you treat it as a kind of conscience-driven self-discipline rather than a yoke imposed on you. Otherwise, as your mentor, I would have no choice but to make you disappear... if you are sure about signing this contract."

Under the deathlike pressure she had just experienced, Jessica temporarily abandoned her pursuit of thrills and pondered the meaning behind Feng Xue’s words before gently nodding and saying,

"I understand, but I still wish to become an Executioner."