300 gems = bonus chapter
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John was intercepted on the road, or perhaps more accurately, collected. He sat in the Rolls-Royce, his knees crossed. Opposite him, an older man held a glass of whiskey, swirling it gently.
"So, the adjudicator you mentioned wants me to cancel the bounty?" John, having pieced together the situation, offered a wry smile.
"Perhaps this strikes you as ironic," Winston sighed, "but there are always those who attempt to manipulate the rules of the game."
"Mr. Wick." He knew John's true identity and understood whose son John was. "There are always certain privileges associated with being at the High Table," Winston stated.
"This is not a good rule of the game," John shrugged. "How about this: you tell me who it is that wishes to assassinate my father, and I will eliminate that person. Then you can continue in your position as manager." John said this with a smile. "Do not worry, I will handle it cleanly."
This attitude left Winston speechless. "Your father is not like you."
"That is not the rule of the game either."
The Rolls-Royce came to a stop. Winston opened the door first and stepped out. He made an inviting gesture towards John. "The rules established by your father will be difficult to rebuild if they are broken. I respect your father; he was a great man."
Hearing Winston's words, John conceded him some deference and walked into the hotel.
In the uppermost garden of the hotel, the female adjudicator was sipping champagne, awaiting John's arrival. As the son of the initiator of this entire underground alliance, the founder of the hotel, and the son of an underground president naturally warranted cautious treatment. The adjudicator had placed her bets on another individual, hoping to replace the current underground president. Consequently, the son needed to be managed.
"The man has been brought; you may speak with him," Winston said, leading John over. There was a warning tone in his words. "But I must remind you, madam, it is prohibited to conduct business within the Continental Hotel."
"I will report on the progress of your work, Winston." The female adjudicator did not seem to take Winston seriously. "You may leave now."
Winston glanced at John one last time, nodded, and departed.
John settled carelessly onto the sofa opposite the woman, casually observing the wine and side dishes on the table.
"You broke hotel rules, John Wick." The female adjudicator spoke in a routine tone. "You violated the hotel's bounty policy."
"So?" John examined his fingernails. "I do not perceive anything amiss. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth."
"We require you to cancel the bounty." The woman produced a heavy record book and placed it down. "This will be beneficial for you, and it will also preserve everything your father has worked so diligently to build."
"Oh?" John glanced at the record book. The bottom entry was the bounty posted by John.
"Let us proceed in this manner." He sat up straight, leaned forward slightly, and said jokingly, "You inform me who instructed you to cancel the bounty, and I will cancel it."
"Mr. Wick," the female adjudicator did not fall for this ruse and stated calmly, "Do not allow your father's efforts to go to waste."
"You persist in mentioning my father," John smiled disdainfully. "But are you worthy?"
"I hope you will not make a mistake." A trace of killing intent flickered in the female adjudicator's eyes.
John took out his pocket watch and looked at it. "Cancel the bounty?" He put down his pocket watch and revealed his strong, white teeth. "It is too late."
"Hmm?" The female adjudicator frowned.
At this moment, Winston opened the door and entered. Surprise was still evident on his face as he said to the female adjudicator, "Unfortunate news. The leader of the Ten Rings Gang has died. This bounty has ended." He came over, took the record book, and said with feigned regret, "We cannot allow those who complete the bounty to have no funds to claim."
The female adjudicator turned to look at John. "What did you do?"
"Nothing," John said innocently. "Just a poor man who was threatened."
In a war-torn region, chaos was rampant. The leader of the Ten Rings Gang had a bullet hole in his heart and another in his head. Curiously, the wounds penetrated cleanly through. A man rummaged through the dead bodies and finally retrieved an axe. Slowly, leisurely, he approached the body of the Ten Rings Gang leader. With a swift, decisive motion, a head rolled off. He casually found a piece of cloth, wrapped the head, and walked outside.
"It is still my own child who demonstrates concern for others, knowing that his uncle is short of funds."
The news reached New York. The bounty of two billion had been claimed. The killers were in an uproar. This was, after all, the largest bounty they had ever encountered, instantly creating a billionaire.
John looked at the female adjudicator with a half smile. "Why do you not abandon the darkness and turn to the light now? Perhaps you will not appear so foolish."
The female adjudicator's expression was grim. She had traveled all this way to resolve this matter, only to lose the moment they met.
John stood up and put away his pocket watch. "I will give you a chance, Miss Adjudicator." He smiled. "Tell me, who is it?"
The female adjudicator snorted coldly, turned, and departed.
"She is truly stubborn. Could it be that she is his mistress?" John touched his chin and mused to himself.
Winston did not know what to say upon hearing this. This young man was genuinely unafraid of offending people.
"Regarding me, that individual just wanted to kill me. What are you going to do?" John looked at Winston. From the beginning, he had noticed that this man seemed to belong to his father's faction.
Winston sighed. "Then I can only exert all my strength."
"Wise choice." John offered praise, turned, and entered the elevator. "By the way, inform that person that the game is still ongoing."
The elevator doors closed.
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Rainy days became more frequent. There is a certain unique quality to the rainy scenes in New York City.
Regarding Peggy's murder case, there was also a turning point. Someone attempted to murder her inside the police station, providing Matt and Fudge with an opportunity to secure Peggy's release. Matt, suspecting Peggy was withholding information from him and others, employed a ruse and, as Daredevil, followed Peggy home. He successfully saved Peggy just moments before she was about to be killed by the assassin. It transpired that Peggy possessed evidence of crimes committed by United Construction Company, which was why they sought to eliminate her. Fortunately, Matt acted in time, fought the killer in the rainy night, and succeeded in saving Peggy, thereby restoring her innocence.
By the time John visited the law office again, there were three people inside instead of two. The Allied Construction scandal had come to light. To express her gratitude to Matt and Fudge, Peggy had prepared delicious food for them using her grandmother's recipe.
"Mr. Wick." Fudge saw John and smiled at his sponsor. "You are late. Our case is resolved, and we can enjoy some delicious food." He seemed very proud; after all, this was one of the few cases, aside from the John incident, that could bring him renown. More importantly, the law firm would gain a beautiful and eye-catching assistant.
"How does it taste?" John asked, observing them eating.
Fudge responded, "Oh, Mr. Wick, would you care to join us?"
"No, I am merely curious about the aroma." John took off his coat and found a place to hang it. "There has been a great deal happening lately, and I believe I should seek assistance from a lawyer."
"Wait a moment," Peggy was slightly confused. She looked at John. "Is he not part of the firm?"
"John is our client, to be precise," Matt clarified. The last time John and Matt had appeared at the police station together, Peggy had assumed the three of them were lawyers.
John sat down and said with a smile, "I surmise Miss Peggy has some grievances against United Company."
"No, I did not…" Peggy was about to retort.
John waved his hand and said, "I wish to investigate United Company. It is an invitation to play a game. I wonder if you would care to join the team?"
Fudge stopped eating and looked at Matt, who also paused. Investigate United? Was that perhaps too exciting? They were merely a small law firm. However, John's expression did not suggest he was joking. This was a serious matter.
Taran Industries, with Ivan's assistance, was making progress comparable to having multiple Iron Man. Prototypes for reactors had already been developed. Simultaneously, improvements in weaponry had not ceased. Taran Industries appeared to be a manufacturer of civilian weapons, but in reality, they were a supplier of specialized weapons exclusively for hotels, catering to assassins. The distinction between combat for assassins and battlefield combat made their firearm production technology more refined.
Ivan drank vodka and repeatedly tightened screws with a large wrench. Various strange machines were connected to the Destroyer, and multiple scrapped cutters were strewn aside. He refreshed himself with vodka.
"Nobel beckons," he muttered, flattening the empty vodka can and tossing it away.
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"I could have done it, Dad!"
"It could have been for you! For all of us!"
"No, Loki."
Every sentence was hoarse; every word yearned for recognition. Loki had once dreamed of that scene, and he saw the heartache and disappointment in his father's eyes. For Odin, he would not hesitate to destroy his original ethnic group. He simply desired to be recognized as the son of Odin and the prince of Asgard. But his father still stung him. So, he chose to let go, falling from the Rainbow Bridge into the endless void.
Loki opened his eyes. He was now in a temple, the domain of a cosmic overlord. And he had a mission. Go to that blue planet. Take an army and rule them all.
A figure flashed in his mind. "Perhaps I need to acquire more power." That individual. The one who damaged the Destroyer.
Laufey's words regarding the core of the Casket of Ancient Winters echoed in Loki's mind. He raised his hands and waved them before his face. The Casket appeared in his hand. He released his hand, letting it fall. With a wave of his left hand, a short blade materialized in his palm. Loki opened his right hand forcefully; due to the pain, his face looked somewhat ferocious. Blood dripped along the blade onto the Casket. Sensing the royal bloodline of the Frost Giants, a blue light glowed on the Casket. That ray of light transformed into a beam, flew into the deep space of the universe, and landed on the blue planet with vague guidance.
When Loki saw this, he picked up the Casket. Laufey's words echoed again in his mind: "The ability to freeze everything, the Casket of Ancient Winters."
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