[T/N: There was a slight mistake in the last chapter. Viggo already left the room when Charles saved John Wick.]
John Wick was surprised by the sudden appearance of Charles Doyle, who had saved him.
Just moments ago, he had thought he might be joining his beloved wife and dog on the other side.
He thanked Charles, saying, "Thank you. I owe you a favor."
As John was about to attempt to untie the restraints on his hands, Charles spoke up, "No need for that trouble." He swiftly threw a dart that neatly cut the restraints on John's wrists.
"Pretty cool!" John said, and without lingering, he picked up a shotgun from the ground, saying as he ran, "Charles, I'll thank you later at the Continental Hotel. Right now, I've got things to do."
With that, he charged out of the storage room.
The sunlight illuminated Charles Doyle, who took out a shuriken. He waved it in a particular direction under the sunlight, causing the reflected light to shine onto the rooftop where Marcus was stationed.
Marcus realized he had been spotted. As a seasoned assassin with a title of his own, he didn't make any unnecessary moves. He had come to assist John Wick, and now that his old friend had escaped danger on his own, Marcus was satisfied.
Putting away his sniper rifle, Marcus prepared to leave the scene of conflict.
Meanwhile, outside, John Wick had confronted Vigo and even used the shotgun to take out Vigo's driver in a single shot.
"Where is he, Vigo?"
John aimed his shotgun at Vigo after taking out a henchman beside him.
After questioning Vigo about his son's whereabouts and arranging a deal to cancel the bounty against him, John agreed not to harm Vigo.
While John was dealing with Vigo, Charles Doyle, who had left the warehouse, didn't reveal himself. Utilizing his ninja-like speed and stealth, he silently left the scene without exposing his presence.
Charles didn't concern himself with the reconciliation between John and Vigo. He had his own perspective.
He believes that everyone has their own principles.
…
At the same time, inside the Continental Hotel, after Perkins killed Harry in the hotel room, she took the gold coin that John had given to Harry and remembered the moment when John unexpectedly rolled off the bed during her failed assassination attempt.
She re-entered John Wick's room and found a bullet hole on the head of the bed. Upon closer examination, she realized it was caused by a sniper bullet, not the handgun she had used.
Following the trajectory of the bullet, she looked toward the window and spotted a bullet hole.
"Ruined my job!"
"I'll make you pay."
Perkins instantly understood why her assassination attempt had failed. After taking note of everything, she left the Continental Hotel.
Meanwhile, in another location, having left Little Russia, Charles Doyle quickly returned to the entrance of the Continental Hotel.
He handed a gold coin to the doorman, covering the entrance fee. He then returned to his hotel room to await John's arrival and receive his gratitude.
Charles Doyle was quite satisfied with the successful completion of this mission. Having killed just two gang members, he managed to save John's life and secure a promise in return. It was a trade that seemed worthwhile.
Thinking about the gold coins he had used so far, Charles couldn't help but feel a bit bewildered.
These coins were issued and promoted by the High Table, and their purchasing power was simply astonishing.
To elaborate:
Entry to the Continental Hotel: One gold coin.
Staying at the Continental Hotel: One gold coin.
Entry to the hotel bar: One gold coin.
Arranging medical treatment: One gold coin.
Disposing of a body: One gold coin.
Even a simple favor, like the one John asked of Harry, cost one gold coin.
Any service within the Continental Hotel, including hiring an assassin, had a minimum price of one gold coin.
To put it simply, one gold coin could only get you an entry into the hotel and a few hours of care. On the other hand, the same gold coin could hire a reasonably capable assassin for an assassination mission.
Consider that John Wick, also known as the "Boogeyman," had a bounty of just four gold coins on his head.
And for four gold coins, assassins in the Continental Hotel were willing to break the rules and commit murder.
Without gold coins, with only regular currency, you might not be able to hire a Continental Hotel assassin.
These gold coins had an enigmatic purchasing power, with their value fluctuating significantly. However, thanks to the promotion by the High Table, these coins became the hard currency of the assassin world.
Supporting the value of these gold coins was the Continental Hotel, which seemed to be the equivalent of a mercenary guild in the assassin world.
It issued bounties, gathered intelligence, and most importantly, becoming a registered member of the Continental Hotel offered protection, including a prohibition on fighting within the hotel's premises.
Around 80% of New York's assassins registered as members of the Continental Hotel.
The hotel was a hub for assassins.
Of course, there were still various other assassin organizations in the outside world, but none of them could match the power of the Continental Hotel.
The hotel also had its own enforcers, responsible for punishing assassins who violated its rules. Each Continental Hotel manager has their own armed force.
Behind the Continental Hotel stood another organization—the High Table.
The High Table was an alliance of major criminal syndicates from around the world, comprising twelve seats in total. Its headquarter is located in the desert near Casablanca.
These twelve seats constituted the management of the High Table, each occupied by a different faction such as the Camorra, the Italian Mafia, the Triads, and more.
However, wherever there are people, there will be conflicts. Even with the major criminal syndicates forming the High Table, internal power struggles and conflicts persisted.
Charles Doyle had a particular goal in mind—to obtain one of the twelve seats in the High Table. After all, before the Marvel Universe event began, this seemed like a worthwhile objective.
After all, this business was right up his alley.
Ninjas are responsible for assassination, gathering intelligence, and even starting wars, aren't they?
Lying on his bed, Charles Doyle absentmindedly picked up a gold coin and toyed with it in his hand, causing the coin to dance between his fingers.
...
On the other side, after providing John Wick with the information he needed, Viggo Tarasov didn't immediately leave in his car. Instead, he returned to the warehouse where he had previously held John captive.
He looked at the two corpses on the ground and walked over to inspect them. He wanted to understand how the Night Devil, who was clearly bound and outnumbered, managed to escape and turn the tables.
After all, his men were armed with firearms, while John was tightly bound.
Examining the wounds on the bodies of his henchmen and the two shurikens and a throwing dart left behind on the ground, Viggo Tarasov's face darkened. He roared in anger, "Ninja, Charles!"
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