The Punisher and The Traveler

They were all killers trying to make a living in New York, so Perkins had seen Diana, and Russell wasn't surprised.

When he first started, he had considered hiding his true identity to avoid unpleasant situations in the future.

But he ultimately gave up on that idea.

There were two reasons for this.

First, at that time, he didn't have the ability to hide his true identity.

Trying to hide one's true identity in front of a group of professional killers was not an easy task.

Second, he didn't intend to be a goody-goody who conformed to public expectations.

Being a good person was a thankless task.

Especially in country like United States.

Due to cultural differences, most people in United States feared power more than they feared righteousness.

The best way to earn their respect was not by being a morally upright person according to public standards but by being someone with a bigger fist.

The people in this country believed in strength!

"Do you have any recent assignments?"

Russell brushed aside Perkins' right hand.

If he was in the mood, he wouldn't mind doing something to make everyone happy with a beauty like Perkins, who looked more like a model than a killer.

But he didn't have such worldly thoughts at the moment.

Diana had fed him a satisfying lunch, and he was content.

"I just came back from Washington," Perkins replied.

"You don't seem to have had a successful mission, judging by your expression."

"I ran into a lunatic and the mission failed. I almost didn't make it back."

Perkins's expression grew more serious.

Failed?

Russell was starting to get curious.

Perkins was not a rookie in the field of assassination.

While other girls were still crushing on handsome upperclassmen in school, she had already entered the assassin profession.

In terms of experience, she was Russell's senior.

Russell had worked with her on assignments before and knew about her capabilities.

A lunatic who had botched her mission and almost killed her was definitely not an ordinary opponent.

"Who did it?"

"It's that guy who calls himself 'The Punisher'!"

Perkins downed the whiskey in her glass in one gulp and said with a grimace, "I hope I don't run into him next time, or I'll make him regret bullying women!"

The Punisher?

Russell paused when he heard that.

He knew who the Punisher was, of course.

But the thing was, there had been no rumors of the Punisher targeting assassins before.

Of course, that was just what he knew.

Perhaps assassins had been dying at the hands of the Punisher for a long time, but not many people knew about it.

"Can you tell me what happened specifically?" Russell politely inquired.

It wasn't a very friendly gesture to inquire about a fellow assassin's specific actions during an operation.

Every assassin had their own habits, and these habits were hidden in their operational plans.

These habits were of little value to normal people, but in the eyes of fellow assassins, they could be fatal weaknesses.

"There's nothing to worry about if I tell you. You haven't been around much this week, and you've missed a lot of news."

Perkins lowered her voice, speaking so that only the two of them could hear, and briefly described her mission.

There was nothing particularly special about the operation; it was a routine assassination, with the target being a prominent mob boss in Washington, D.C.

The first half of the operation went smoothly, and for someone as experienced as Perkins, it was just an everyday task.

But something went wrong somewhere. Just as she was about to kill the target, the Punisher appeared.

The Punisher killed the target that she was supposed to eliminate, and he even attempted to kill Perkins.

If Perkins had not had some skill, she would be on an autopsy table right now instead of in a bar.

"Was it just a chance encounter between you two?" It wasn't uncommon for assassins to encounter each other during missions.

Unless the client had arranged a private, single-agent assignment.

And even in single-agent assignments, you might run into other assassins sent by the target's enemies.

"That's why I said you've missed a lot this week."

"I wasn't the first person to encounter him. Before me, three others died at his hands."

"Three deaths in a week. He's systematically hunting us down!"

As Perkins spoke, her anger became more evident, and her face could hardly conceal her murderous intent.

The Punisher was systematically hunting assassins?

While it sounded bizarre, when you thought about it, it made sense.

The Punisher wasn't a conventional superhero by any means; he was a classic anti-hero.

In his view, if you were guilty, you deserved to be eliminated.

In his eyes, there was only one criterion for judgment and sentencing, and that was death!

Although Russell didn't know why the Punisher had suddenly targeted assassins, he didn't waste time thinking about it.

To the Punisher, whether it was a mob boss or an assassin, they were both societal scum that needed to be eliminated.

Switching the Punisher's targets from mob bosses to assassins might simply be a change of taste for him.

"In that case, you should be more careful. The Punisher won't easily give up," Russell warned Perkins.

"You should be the one who's more careful. You're the fastest-rising assassin in recent years. He won't hesitate to eliminate the famous 'Traveler'!"

Traveler!

That was Russell's codename in the world of assassins.

Although the codename didn't sound very imposing, all the killers in New York knew that it represented a one hundred percent mission success rate.

"I don't think he has the ability to kill me."

"There's more than one person who wants me dead, and one more won't make a difference."

Russell ordered a glass of GlenDronach 18-year-old whiskey from the bartender and smiled.

For ordinary people, the Punisher was indeed formidable.

But for Russell, it was nothing special.

According to Nick Fury's assessment, the Punisher was classified as a "Level 10 Agent," representing the pinnacle of human combat ability.

However, unfortunately for the Punisher, Russell was not a normal human being.

Until he activated the "Venom Symbiote" reward, he was confident that he could defeat the Punisher barehanded.

With the symbiote, the Punisher would be no match for him.

"I just like your confidence. Are you sure you don't want to come to my room for a nap?" Perkins pressed her enticing body against him, her red lips brushing against Russell's ear as she whispered softly.

As she spoke, her hands were not idle, roaming over Russell's body like two venomous snakes.

"I'm not in the habit of taking naps."

Russell once again pushed Perkins away.