The next day, after Iokal was killed, Lin Feng, using his connections as a minister, completely took over Iokal's money and large estate.
Considering that Iokal was a complete nobody, as long as the Minister didn't say anything, the officials in the imperial court naturally wouldn't care about his life or death.
After Lin Feng settled into Iokal's manor, he went to the Imperial Assassination Unit's Minister's office.
"Minister Beer, let me introduce you. This is Lin Feng, the Minister of the newly established Special Operations Department."
The female secretary in a white coat pointed at Lin Feng and introduced him with a smile.
Beer, the manager of the Imperial Assassination Unit's Enhancement Group, treated his subordinates as disposable, constantly giving enhancement drugs to assassination unit members regardless of their side effects.
"Nice to meet you, Minister Beer," Lin Feng greeted the bald Minister in front of him.
Minister Beer's face did not look benevolent; he wore a monocle on his left eye, and combined with his serious expression, he looked exceptionally sinister and terrifying.
Lin Feng estimated that if this bald man went for a walk at night, he could scare quite a few residents of the Imperial Capital.
"Heh heh, for someone as young as you, Sir Lin Feng, to be entrusted with such an important task by His Majesty, you truly are a promising young man," Beer said in surprise after looking at the letter of appointment.
The newly established "Hunters" department had immense power, allowing them to act expediently and execute first, then report.
The bald Minister envied Lin Feng greatly; if he had such power, how much money could he accumulate?
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Lin Feng stated his intention: he wanted people, not only the elite assassination group members Akame, Boni, and Tsukushi, but also the girls from the regular group; Lin Feng didn't plan to let any of them go.
"Uh… you want to transfer all the girls from the elite group?"
The bald Minister's already sinister expression became even more unpleasant.
He had spent eight years and a great deal of manpower and resources to cultivate these assassins.
Now that the elite group was just beginning to show results, they were about to be taken away by a greenhorn who had parachuted in!
"I'm in a difficult position here.
The elite assassination squad still has very important missions to carry out," Minister Beer said with a serious expression.
"Currently, bandits are rampant throughout the Empire, and if cohesive leaders are not assassinated quickly, they will become difficult and troublesome adversaries in the future.
Moreover, my superior, Vice Assistant Nishimiya, highly values the elite assassination group, so…"
Although Minister Beer's words had some merit, they only earned Lin Feng a contemptuous smile.
In Lin Feng's view, even if the bald man's assassination unit killed all the bandits, it wouldn't change the fact that the Empire was on its last legs.
Furthermore, the fates of those girls in Beer's hands, except for the rebellious Akame and Boni, would be very tragic.
"I warn you, Minister Beer! Any deception, threats, or intimidation in front of me are utterly meaningless," Lin Feng said in an almost icy tone, looking down at the ashen-faced Beer.
"What the assassination unit can do, we can do; what the assassination unit cannot do, we can do even better.
Anyone who dares to obstruct, don't blame me for disregarding our camaraderie!"
Arrogant!
In an instant, Minister Beer let out a gasp of astonishment in his heart.
Although Lin Feng was just a young man, the aura he exuded was already overwhelmingly oppressive, and the murderous intent hidden in his eyes sent shivers down one's spine.
Seeing his gaze and aura, Minister Beer immediately believed that if his demands were not met, Lin Feng was truly prepared to take action.
Sweat beaded on the bald Minister's forehead; he wiped it away casually, then immediately revealed a sinister smile: "Vice Assistant Nishimiya will surely prioritize the bigger picture.
Minister Lin, feel free to pick anyone from my ranks! I believe that these children, under your leadership, will achieve even greater accomplishments!"
"Oh, by the way, Minister Lin, how many people do you plan to take?
Because not long ago, the seven-person team was assassinated by the Assassin's Guild, and only three remain.
I was planning to promote No. 8 to No. 11 to the elite group," the bald man said.
"I want to take seven people.
Let them carry out missions for a period of time first, and if their abilities are insufficient, they will be kicked out of the 'Hunters'!"
What Lin Feng didn't say was that, first and foremost, men could not join the Hunters.
"I understand, assistant, go get their files for Minister Lin!" the bald Minister ordered his female assistant.
"No need to see the files; take me directly to the training ground to observe their practice," Lin Feng directly requested, intending to pick out some good-looking girls from the regular group.
Afterward, the bald Minister led Lin Feng to a militarized forbidden area, the location of which was extremely secluded!
Outside, gray high walls stood tall, and the main gate was guarded by soldiers.
Without the Minister's permission, no one was allowed to enter or exit.
The children of the Enhancement Group lived in what was essentially a small prison, enduring a life without daylight.
This had been their reality for eight years, with virtually no freedom; every day was spent practicing how to kill, and enduring the torment of drug injections.
Compared to their daily training, the elite group's routine was like living in heaven!
At this moment, the boys and girls of the regular group were in the hall, carrying out execution tasks.
The soldiers tied the captured rebel spies to wooden stakes.
A girl in a black sailor uniform walked over, her round leather shoes clicking, and a slender katana hung at her waist.
The girl's right hand rested lightly on the hilt of the sword, her steps very steady; this was not the first time she had executed criminals.
"No! Please, I can't die yet, my daughter is still waiting for me to come home!" The middle-aged man tied to the stake, realizing death was imminent, cried out loudly and pleaded with the girl.
The girl looked up, gazing at the pleading man, her eyes indifferent; in her view, rebels were all beasts who disrupted national order and spread misfortune everywhere.
Clang… That was the sound of a blade being drawn.
No one reacted to what had happened.
They just saw a large amount of fresh blood gushing from the middle-aged man's neck, and his head, with a terrified expression, had flown high into the air before falling to the ground.
After killing the man, the girl expressionlessly flicked the blood off her sword.
Another mission completed… I heard that soon I'll be able to go out on missions, and then I should be able to see my sister Akame quickly.
Past memories surfaced before the girl's eyes.
Eight years ago, Kurome and her sister Akame both passed the Empire's brutal selection process, but Gozqi believed there could be no blood relatives in the elite seven-member team, so Kurome was pulled away from Akame's side.
After Kurome entered the Imperial Assassination Unit, she was forcibly injected with drugs for three full years, which then led to severe dependence.
Afterward, she began to constantly execute criminals, encountering various sweet-talkers and criminals begging for their lives.
The first time Kurome cut off a criminal's head, she felt so sick that she couldn't eat for several days.
But in order to see her sister again, she began to become cold and ruthless.
No matter what the enemy said, she could eliminate them without hesitation.
The current Kurome was already a qualified assassin.
However, her companions couldn't achieve a one-hit kill.
"Ah, ah, it hurts so much!"
A male prisoner had been slashed in the chest by a blonde girl, but because of the girl's small stature, she didn't have the strength to kill the enemy with a single blow.
This girl was Remus, ranked 32nd among assassins.
This was the girl's twelfth execution mission, but as always, she failed to kill the criminal with a single blow.
Looking at the agonizing criminal in front of her, Remus panicked, trembling as she gripped the knife in her hand, then stabbed the criminal in the throat and heart several times.
Anyone who didn't know might think the girl was some kind of pervert, deliberately torturing the criminal!
"Alright, done!"
Remus wiped the fine sweat from her forehead with her sleeve, revealing a cute smile.
"Not good at all! You idiot, you failed again!"
A busty girl with a silver ponytail, Silver, ranked No. 10, clenched her right fist and immediately gave Remus a hard smack on the head!
After being hit, Remus could only apologize repeatedly with tears in her eyes.
All five members of Class A were punished to clean the execution site because of Remus's failed execution.
They put down their knives, filled a bucket with water, grabbed mops, and began cleaning the scene.
After cleaning the floor for a while, Silver, feeling a bit bored, said,
"Speaking of which, I really want to participate in a real battle soon. I'm tired of dealing with criminals who can't fight back."
Upon hearing about real combat, a few drops of cold sweat immediately ran down Remus's forehead. She couldn't even handle criminals who couldn't fight back properly right now, so she forced a smile, grimacing.
"It seems like we'll be in real combat soon. I'm quite nervous..."
Silver pouted and immediately retorted, "Idiot! Isn't this a good opportunity? Get some achievements early and then get promoted to the elite group."
Silver's current rank was No. 10, and being competitive, she believed she could get into the elite group through her own efforts.
"Real combat? If I complete that, I'll be able to see my sister, right...?"
Just as Kurotome was staring blankly at the water bucket, a series of tapping footsteps came from behind her.
"All of you, stand at attention!"
Minister Beer roared.
Upon hearing his command, Kurotome and the other four immediately put down their tools and stood in a straight line, arranged by height.
Lin Feng was now wearing a black official uniform similar to a military uniform, adorned with a sash.
After the girls carefully observed the young man among the newcomers, they exchanged glances. It was the first time the girls from the Enhanced group had felt such a murderous, military aura.
"Listen up, he is Minister Lin. For the future of the Empire, he has come here to select elites. Those who are chosen, he will be your new superior from now on. Don't embarrass me, and diligently carry out Minister Lin's orders!" Minister Beer said coldly.
"Yes!"
The five responded loudly in unison. It seemed Minister Beer had long held authority among them. Even Kurotome, who was accustomed to killing, broke out in a cold sweat!
"My name is Lin Feng, Minister of the Imperial Special Operations Department. You, you, you, and you, step forward, those I have chosen!" Lin Feng walked past each of the girls, speaking calmly.
"Yes, sir!" Four clear voices rang out simultaneously.
Among the five in Group A, only the male ranked No. 8, Natara, was not chosen by Lin Feng.
"Very good! From now on, you will be under my jurisdiction along with the selection group. You could say you are the elite of the elite! Now, introduce yourselves from tallest to shortest, so I can get to know you!"
Remus seemed a bit afraid of her new superior, her legs trembling uncontrollably; while Silver was full of vigor. Although she didn't know the specific work content of the new department, it was certainly better than staying in the gloomy training camp. So, she puffed out her ample chest and loudly introduced herself.
"Reporting, sir! My name is Silver, assassination rank No. 10, skilled in using a greatsword..." True to her name, the girl had waist-length silver hair. Although she was only 15 years old, her chest was very well-developed, and her E-cup breasts under her white shirt could already create a deep cleavage.
"Sir, I am Kurotome, assassination rank No. 8!..." A hint of joy appeared on Kurotome's usually calm face after hearing that she would be performing missions with her sister. She would soon see her beloved sister!
"My name is Wu Min, assassination rank 22." The girl wearing black-rimmed glasses said.
Last was the somewhat timid Remus, who introduced herself. Her assassination rank was No. 32, making her the weakest among them.
As they introduced themselves, Lin Feng used the True Ancestor's unique perception system to briefly observe their bodies, discerning the strengths and weaknesses of the four girls.
The strongest should be Kurotome, whose strength had already reached the elite group level. Silver's strength was a bit less, but with a little training from Lin Feng, she should also be usable. The remaining Wu Min and Remus were too weak; they would likely be cannon fodder on the battlefield.
"Very well, everyone go pack your things. Today, I'll take you to the new base.
First, let me make it clear: my demands are far higher than Minister Beer's. If your performance is not up to par, I will kick you out of the Special Operations Unit!" Lin Feng said sternly.
"Minister Lin Feng is absolutely right. Our elite team doesn't need weaklings." The busty girl, Silver, brushed a strand of hair from her temple and agreed in a cold tone.
Her gaze shifted to Kurotome, unsure if it was envy or jealousy. Silver, who had worked hard since childhood, had only one goal: to become an elite.
"Oh no, I need to work harder." Remus muttered softly. Among the four, she was the one who couldn't even handle executing criminals properly. If she were to be kicked out, Minister Beer probably wouldn't let her off lightly.