The Assassin Rules of Survival

Killing a person is a simple matter.

Slit the throat with a sharp blade, pierce the heart with a bullet, strangle the windpipe with a rope, snap the neck with your bare hands, or pierce the eyes with a long nail… Or perhaps, just use a drop of your own blood.

Countless techniques of murder have long been etched deep into the bones.

Just like a lumberjack felling a tree, like a fisherman hauling in a net of fish, taking a person's life is the job of assassin.

From the moment i can remember, the only path laid out before me has been this.

"Vanee, this is today's target."

"Alright, Mom."

"Good girl."

All I needed to do was listen to Mom, and it used to be the only rule that allowed me to survive in this world.

"Don't kill me, please! I can give you money! I'll pay you double whatever your employer is offering—"

Target, eliminated.

Any obstructing individuals, was also eliminated as well. Mom always gave me this instruction.

"The killer is here! Protect the target!"

The bodyguards protecting the target, eliminated.

"Please, don't kill my son… I'm begging you!"

The family members standing in front of the target, eliminated.

"It's the 'Tainted Blood Reaper'! Kill him and split the bounty!"

The bounty hunters attracted by the reward, eliminated.

"Tainted Blood Reaper, you're surrounded! Surrender immediately!"

The pursuing police officers and investigators, eliminated.

The only thing that needed to be done was killing. It was a repetitive survival method, washing away the stains with fresh blood, until I fell into the ambush and ended up in the cage.

After being thrown into prison, I was once at a loss — there were no more orders from "Mother," and for a moment, I didn't know what to do.

"Nice to meet you, Inmate 3201. I never imagined the infamous 'Tainted Blood Reaper' would be such a young child. I am the warden here, Aiden. Inmate 3201, I'd like to ask, would you be willing to work for me?" The man said to himself who was wearing handcuffs and shackles, separated by the iron table.

"Is this an order?" She instinctively replied.

Following Mom's orders was her own way of survival.

But now, "Mother" was gone.

This man in front of her seemed to be intending to replace "Mother" in giving her orders — that was her initial thought.

However, the man said something completely unexpected: "It's not an order, I'm seeking your opinion. It's just a proposal, you can refuse."

"So should I refuse?" She didn't understand the meaning of this "command."

"It's not exactly that…" The man seemed a bit helpless. "What I mean is, you can make your own choice."

After thinking for a long time, she asked, "Just like deciding how to kill someone on my own?"

"Uhhh… yeah, something like that" Aiden sighed. "I personally recommend that you work for me. After all, you're likely to spend a long time in this prison. To survive here, you need to learn the rules of the prison."

"Are the rules here different from outside?"

"Yes, they are."

"Alright, then I can do it." She agreed without much thought. "Who do you want me to kill? That's what I know how to do."

"Now, the first rule I'm going to teach you is that you can't kill anyone here." Aiden suddenly became serious.

"I can't kill anyone?"

"That's right, you can't. If you don't kill or break the rules, you can live a peaceful life here."

"Alright, I will obey."

And so, the rules of survival changed. It went from obeying Mom's orders to following the rules that Aiden taught her.

Aiden didn't deceive himself. By obeying the new rules, she indeed lived a peaceful life.

No need to kill anymore, and she wouldn't be hunted down either.

Until, once again, "Mother" appeared before her…

"Prisoner 3201!!"

The sharp command snapped Evangeline out of her reverie.

Standing before her was the prison guard who usually taught her.

"are you daydreaming again? Class is already over. Why are you still standing there?" The guard, with a stern expression, stood by the door and knocked. "Hurry up, it's time to go back!"

Outside in the corridor, underage inmates like her had already formed a line, and the twin siblings were among them.

"I understand." Evangeline stood up and followed them outside.

Ever Since "Mother" appeared, her mind had been in turmoil, like a tangled mess she couldn't make sense of.

This was a feeling she had never experienced before. All along, all she needed to do was obey, whether it was the orders from "Mother" or the rules taught by Aiden. Those were Evangeline rules of survival.

Leaving this prison was "Mother's" command.

But the new rules taught by Aiden were absolute: she could not leave this place.

As someone whose survival was based on obedience, she was now plunged into a logical contradiction.

If i leave the prison, i Will have to go back to my old life and continue to kill people under mother command.

Staying here means continuing what Aiden calls a "peacefull life" without killing anyone, and no one will come to her.

She was left with a choice of her own, wasn't she?

Her own opinion… what was that?

"I'm not giving orders, I'm seeking your opinion," Aiden seemed to frequently say this to her.

Just like deciding the method to kill a target on her own — that was something she used to decide on her own.

"Sister."

The low voice from ahead brought Evangeline attention back.

The one who spoke to her was the older sister among the twin killers who were raised by "Mother" just like her.

Evangeline looked at the twins before her, remembering that Aiden had once instructed her to pay attention to the twins' movements.

From her observation, the twins hadn't done anything out of line yet. They attended classes like her and lived by the prison's rules.

The only thing worth noting was that the day before yesterday, these two had a fever, and spent the whole day in the infirmary, and only returned to class today just like usual.

"Do you need something?" She responded indifferently. She had no extra feelings towards these twins who shared the same mentor.

As the most perfect creation of Meirujinu, she had never interacted or communicated with her other siblings.

Assassination was always a done alone. Her less skilled accomplices would only be a hindrance.

Mutual training and competition were even more out of the question. None of her siblings could touch the soles of her feet.

"This is, Mother's command." At this moment, the younger sister among the twins also turned her face towards Evangeline.

"Command?" Evangeline was slightly stunned.

Were these twins here to relay a message from "Mother"?

But in the next moment, the claws of the demon, which bound by bandages and shackles, swung towards her, the tips aiming straight at her eyes.