Locke watched as the bandages were slowly unwound, feeling a twinge of concern. Plastic surgery, after all, always carried a margin of error—there was always the risk that the final product wouldn't match the design.
However, that wasn't the case here.
It took about ten minutes for Dr. Keller to carefully remove the final layers of gauze. Once they were off, Keller took one look and let out a long, silent breath of relief. With other clients, he didn't fear a "mismatch," but with this one?
Keller could swear that this was the most perfect surgery he had ever performed.
Snow-white skin, a high, elegant nasal bridge, and a pair of deep blue pupils. Within the depths of those eyes, there seemed to reside the endless Siberian permafrost; just one look was enough to make most people feel a bone-chilling wind.
On the bed, Carrie's brow was slightly furrowed. Her sapphire eyes emitted a faint, cold light. Her face, white as snow, held no trace of a smile, making her look like the peak of midwinter.
Locke looked at her and shook his head.
Beside them, Dr. Keller felt like he was about to faint. 'It's over. He's going to find an excuse to dispose of me now that the work is done.'
Keller thought mournfully that if he had known this day would come, he would have listened to his father and become a male stripper instead. The pay might have been lower, but at least there wasn't the constant risk of being silenced by a legendary assassin.
Locke, however, smiled at Carrie. "You shouldn't scowl, Carrie. I didn't ask you to forget your past, and the old you had a very beautiful smile."
Carrie looked at Locke, her facial muscles twitching slightly. At first, she seemed unaccustomed to the new sensations, her movements a bit stiff.
But soon, the tension in her brow vanished. Two small dimples reappeared on her exquisite face—a face that, while artificial, looked entirely natural. In that moment, though spring hadn't arrived, a ray of sunlight seemed to strike the glacier, bringing a unique and precious warmth.
Carrie looked at her new self in the mirror. The past her and the current her seemed to slowly overlap within the glass.
Her face was a bit smaller. Her nose was a bit higher. Her eyes were a bit colder.
'Wait... can plastic surgery change the color and temperature of eyes?' Carrie wondered.
Seeing that Locke wasn't dissatisfied, Dr. Keller wiped his brow and spoke up. "Ms. White... she was supposed to take certain medications post-op. However, the tests from this morning show that her recovery is unprecedented; she might not even need them. Still, for safety, she should avoid direct sunlight for the next week and keep her diet light."
Locke nodded like a responsible parent listening to a doctor's orders. "Anything else?"
Hans Keller thought hard and eventually shook his head, looking at Locke with an expression of total resignation. "That's all."
He had truly held nothing back. He had done his best; whether the Peerless Assassin decided to kill him now was entirely up to fate.
Locke looked at the doctor, who was practically offering his neck to the blade, and reached into his coat. Keller closed his eyes, his expression pained. 'Farewell, my love!'
Locke, somewhat speechless, pulled out an envelope containing the final payment—a slip of paper with an offshore bank account number and password. "This is the balance for the surgery, Dr. Keller. I told you, I don't believe in skipping out on a bill."
Keller opened his eyes, staring at the paper in disbelief. Then he looked up, his face a kaleidoscope of emotions: shock, relief, and the joy of a survivor.
Fifteen minutes later, Keller shook hands with Locke and led his team—who had already cleared out the warehouse—away. Locke watched the small truck peel out, tires smoking as they reached top speed to escape the area as fast as possible. He looked down and smiled.
Behind him, a slightly cool voice spoke. "I also thought you would kill them."
"Oh?" Locke turned to see Carrie, who had changed into a purple sweater and jeans. "What makes you say that?"
"Aren't you afraid they saw me with you... with the you without glasses?"
Carrie's vocal cords had also been adjusted. Her voice was less sweet than before, replaced by a cold, elegant tone.
Locke smiled and took off his sunglasses. The "Peerless Assassin" went offline. "You are the second person to know my true identity."
"...Is Gwen the first?"
"No, she doesn't know."
If possible, Locke preferred it if Gwen never found out. After all, if Gwen knew, George would know. And if George knew, he'd probably spend the rest of his life trying to convince Gwen to get a divorce.
That said, Locke didn't plan to hide it forever. If Gwen discovered it on her own, he wouldn't lie. He didn't like lying.
"My mentor was the first," Locke added.
"You mean... my 'father'?" Carrie asked, her voice sounding a bit odd.
The old Carrie in Maine had always wanted to know who her father was, but her mother only ever called him a devil. If she asked too many questions, she'd be locked in the prayer closet.
...
Half an hour later, on the way to Chester's home in the Upper East Side.
Locke looked at Carrie in the passenger seat. She was staring out the window at New York for the first time, her expression a mix of awe and wonder. "There's actually another reason I arranged this identity for you," Locke said.
Carrie turned back to him.
"Chester is an ordinary man, but he is my mentor. By placing you with the old guy, I won't have to worry about him being in danger if I can't make it back in time."
Dealing with the underworld was always a dangerous game.
Carrie tilted her head, her tone surprised. "You want me to be a bodyguard?"
Locke shook his head. "No. I told you, you're starting a new life. This identity is to help you live that life. Watching over that old man is just a side benefit. You can do anything you want."
He never forced anyone to do anything—especially not Carrie, the poor girl whom fate had tried so hard to crush.
'I am destiny!' Since the local destiny wanted to suppress Carrie, then he, as the "Sole Player," would bless her. It was only fair.
"Oh, right." Locke's right hand flickered, and a magnificent headpiece suddenly appeared. He handed it to her. "This is for you."
The headpiece featured two blade-like ornaments curving upward, with a transparent gemstone at the center of the crossbar.
"This is..."
"Similar to my glasses."
Carrie blinked, thinking of his magical sunglasses. She lowered her head and slowly placed the headpiece onto her hair, which she had dyed black.
Instantly, the transparent gem sensed the surge of mana from Carrie's consciousness and glowed a deep, vibrant purple.
Her black hair turned into flowing silver-white strands. Her clothes transformed as well—long boots reaching her thighs replaced her jeans. In the span of a single second, she had undergone a complete magical transformation.
Locke raised an eyebrow. 'Syndra?'
Carrie looked at her current state, her heart skipping a beat. A moment later, the headpiece flashed and moved to her slender right wrist, transforming into a striking bracelet set with a purple gem.
"This..."
"Do you like it?" Locke smiled. When he put on his glasses, he gained a tailored suit even if he was naked. A headpiece that changed clothes wasn't that strange. System-made items were always top-tier.
Locke pulled the car into a parking spot and turned off the engine. "In the future, if you find yourself angry, put on the headpiece. Let it be your boundary."
Carrie recovered from her shock. "Boundary?"
"Yes," Locke said gently. "A boundary that separates Carrie Chester from the 'Witch Carrie,' just as I separate Locke from the 'Peerless Assassin.'"
He didn't intend to hide forever, but he wasn't going to be as showy as Tony Stark either. Keeping a low profile was the way to go. Look what happened to Stark after he announced he was Iron Man—attacked by Ivan Vanko, the Extremis virus, and eventually Thanos.
Before he was Iron Man? Thirty years of peace. Not everyone enjoys the rapids; most prefer the quiet years.
Carrie touched the bracelet on her wrist, bit her lip, and nodded.
Locke opened the car door. "Let's go. Get ready, Carrie. Your new life starts the moment you walk through that door."
Carrie took a deep breath, nodded, and stepped out of the car.
***
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