After sealing the deal and handing over the detailed blackmail files on the politicians, Hunter could visibly see a shift in Cole's demeanor. The Los Angeles Continental's concierge had always been accommodating, but the look in his eyes had changed to one of genuine respect.
"Truly impressive," Cole murmured.
"Hunter, I always knew you would go far and eventually become a pillar of our establishment."
"But I never imagined you would reach A-Class status in just half a year."
"Congratulations."
Assassins earned contribution points for the Continental by successfully completing contracts, eliminating traitors, and generally proving their worth to the organization. Once those points accumulated to a certain threshold, an assassin's membership rank would increase.
The Continental's internal hierarchy was divided into four primary tiers from bottom to top: D, C, B, and A.
Each tier was further divided into three sub-levels based on exact contribution points. Taking the lowest tier as an example, a member could be ranked D-, D, or D+.
The D- rank was naturally the lowest standing within the Continental's network. Fresh recruits typically started here. It was also the default status granted to outside factions who lacked official membership but purchased access to the hotel's services using Gold Coins.
When Hunter first joined the Continental, his flawless and terrifyingly swift execution of the initiation trial earned him a starting rank of D+.
Over the past six months, Hunter had accepted dozens of contracts from the Continental. He boasted a zero percent failure rate. Every single target had been eliminated with ruthless efficiency.
Because of this perfect track record, Hunter's contribution points skyrocketed far faster than the average hitman. Prior to today, he had comfortably been sitting at a solid B-rank.
Now, thanks to this extraordinary cache of political leverage he just handed over, Cole used his full administrative authority to bump Hunter up two entire sub-tiers.
An A- rank was still an A-Class membership. The Continental didn't overcomplicate things at the top.
The higher the rank, the more exclusive privileges the assassin enjoyed. A-Class members were entitled to one free stay at any Continental Hotel per month, up to a maximum of four days.
They could requisition three fully customized weapons from the armory free of charge every year. Most importantly, they were granted one contract a month where they kept one hundred percent of the bounty, completely bypassing the Continental's standard administrative cut.
It was a highly lucrative position. More importantly, A-Class members were treated as the true elite aces of the organization, granting them access to a wealth of hidden underworld perks.
With the agreement settled, Hunter left the hotel feeling deeply satisfied, carrying a heavy pouch containing two hundred Gold Coins. The heavy ordnance he requested would be delivered directly to the Pomona farm in three days, saving him another trip into the city.
After leaving the Continental, he didn't head straight home. He pulled out his phone and made a call. Shortly after, Hunter arrived in Los Angeles' Chinatown.
He had originally arranged to meet Yen a few days ago when he first returned to LA. However, the renovations at the Macready farm had kept him tied up until now.
When Hunter walked into the designated traditional teahouse, Yen had already been waiting for a while.
As soon as he walked through the door, a delighted voice called out.
"Brother Sun! Over here!"
Hunter followed the voice and spotted the short, incredibly agile acrobat sitting in a corner booth.
Yen was practically draped in gold and silver. He was wearing head-to-toe designer labels, looking exactly like a classic nouveau riche who had just stumbled into a massive fortune.
Hunter found the display amusing but harbored no judgment.
Yen had lived a hard, impoverished life. Because of his short stature and empty pockets, he had suffered immensely in his early years. He had even been deeply burned by a bad romance back home.
That was why, after traveling to the US with a touring circus, he had been so easily swayed by the master thief Danny Ocean to join a high-stakes heist crew.
Operating in Las Vegas, the crew of eleven had flawlessly worked together to rob the ruthless casino mogul Terry Benedict, walking away with over a hundred and fifty million dollars in pure cash.
"I can tell just by looking at you that you've been living the high life lately," Hunter said with a chuckle as he took a seat.
Strictly speaking, Yen was actually a few months older than Hunter. But after witnessing Hunter's terrifying capabilities in Las Vegas, and feeling a kinship with a fellow Chinese expatriate, Yen treated him with the utmost respect.
Yen grinned sheepishly, resting his arms on the table. A luxury watch worth tens of thousands of dollars, a massive gold ring, and a thick gold chain caught the light.
Hunter considered the situation for a moment before deciding to speak up. "Yen, since you call me Brother Sun, it's my responsibility to give you a piece of advice."
"This is America. Things operate differently here."
"You are doing okay sitting here in Chinatown. But if you wander into the wrong neighborhood dressed like that, you are going to put a massive target on your back."
"You're a foreigner flashing a small fortune in jewelry. You don't have a green card yet, and your English isn't great. If a local crew decides to roll you, the cops aren't going to bend over backward to help an undocumented tourist."
Yen blinked in surprise. He had spent his recent time exclusively with Danny Ocean's crew.
Those master thieves were professional criminals, outsiders themselves who operated on the fringes of society. Brought together by Danny Ocean's charisma and the promise of wealth, they had treated Yen with camaraderie and respect.
It simply hadn't occurred to Yen that the broader underworld wouldn't be so welcoming.
But Yen was street-smart enough to listen to good advice. He had already noticed the hungry, scrutinizing looks he got from strangers on the street.
He immediately slipped the heavy gold ring off his finger and unclasped the gold chain, shoving them deep into his pockets. He clearly loved the luxury watch, placing a protective hand over it, but left it on his wrist.
Hunter smiled. "Keep the watch on. Just avoid wearing the flashy gold, especially if you have to go near rough neighborhoods or secluded areas."
"And keep less than a thousand dollars in cash in your wallet at any given time."
"Understood. Thank you for the guidance, Brother Sun."
Seeing that Yen caught on quickly, Hunter didn't harp on the issue. A waitress soon arrived with a fresh pot of tea and a spread of dim sum.
Once they were alone again, Hunter lowered his voice. "Yen, I know you walked away from Vegas with a massive payout."
"I suggest you send a portion of that money back to your parents and family in China, but don't send too much at once."
"Dumping a mountain of cash on them out of nowhere will only attract trouble. Send them a generous allowance. Ten or twenty thousand dollars every few months is plenty to show your filial piety."
"As for the rest of your cut, don't just eat through it. Even a mountain of gold will run out eventually."
"Keep half of it locked away in a secure account. Don't touch it unless it is an absolute emergency."
"As for your green card issue, I've already contacted a specialized real estate agency for you."
"I'll take you over there shortly. We're going to buy a farm for you right next to mine."
"It'll cost you just over a million dollars. Once the property is in your name, the agency will pull the necessary levers to get you a temporary green card within five to seven days."
Yen's eyes instantly lit up with excitement.
"Perfect, Brother Sun. I'll follow your lead completely."
Back in Las Vegas, Yen had personally watched Hunter flat-out refuse a ten-million-dollar cut from Danny Ocean. He had also watched Hunter use supernatural gambling skills to completely clean out Reuben for sixty million dollars.
Because of that, Yen had absolute faith that Hunter wasn't trying to scam him out of his heist money.
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