At a safe house on the east bank of the river, Marcus and John Wick, who had driven up in his classic car, met up. Seeing John's relieved expression, Marcus also relaxed. The unsettling scenes of bloodshed they had just witnessed seemed less unbearable now.
The quick adaptation to gunfights and bloodshed not only surprised Marcus but even John and Marcus were amazed at his rapid psychological adjustment.
"Rick, I couldn't tell at all that you'd adapt to the bloody scenes so quickly. It looks like you've got the potential to become a top assassin. Top-notch mental strength!" John couldn't help but tease, setting aside his anger and hatred.
"There are two kinds of people in the world who think about killing every day: psychopaths and detective novelists. And I, happen to be the well-paid latter..." Richard Castle bragged. It felt great showing off in front of two top assassins!
"It looks like I should take the chance to read some of our great writer's work!" Marcus, whose face was full of wrinkles from smiling, joined in the conversation.
"Alright, Rick, no more jokes. Your job here is done, the rest is up to Marcus and me. For now, you better head back.
Once we've completely settled this matter, I'll contact you again!
Lastly, I just want to say, thank you, Rick," John sincerely thanked Castle.
He wasn't really reckless; he knew that without Castle's timely intervention, resolving the situation so swiftly would have been impossible. His own plans for revenge might have seemed manly and explosive, but they wouldn't have been easy, and could have led to endless troubles.
"Ding—" Just as Castle was about to respond, his phone's message alert went off, from a hidden number. Opening it, there was just one sentence: "All traces have been erased, impossible to restore!!"
"Alright, John, you and Marcus be careful too. Although we've dealt with Tarasov and his son, we can't let our guard down.
After all, there are still many people in the Tarasov family, we must remain vigilant regarding security.
Also, all surveillance footage from outside and inside the nightclub about us has been erased by my friend. You can rest assured about that!"
Knowing he couldn't be of much help anymore, Castle didn't want to stay and be a burden.
"I'm off, keep in touch." After saying what needed to be said, he waved casually, greeted John and Marcus, and walked out of the safe house.
"Alright, Marcus, Rick has left. Now it's time to carry out our next plan," John Wick said, watching Castle leave, then turning to Marcus.
"Yes, a family needs to stick together..." Marcus replied meaningfully, his face full of deep intent.
From the beginning, John and Marcus had tacitly decided on a plan to eradicate the roots, but they didn't want to involve Castle too deeply in it.
So both of them had agreed not to bring up the topic in front of Castle, waiting until now, when Castle naively thought everything was over, while the Tarasov family, having lost both Igor and his son, was in chaos and leaderless.
Taking advantage of the confusion within the Tarasov family, who were still frantically looking for the murderer without having been able to consolidate information, was the best opportunity for John to eliminate future threats.
The two planned to strike back unexpectedly, believing that even if they couldn't completely annihilate the Tarasov family, they could still inflict severe damage.
That would be the real way to leave no troubles behind.
For Castle, who was only experienced in theory as a writer and a good friend, he was still a "little brother" in terms of ruthlessness compared to John and Marcus, who were accustomed to the brutal reality of the underworld.
As night deepened...
Unaware of all this, Castle was sitting in a taxi on his way home, complacently lost in thoughts of 'I'm really awesome', oblivious to the storm of blood and violence that John and Marcus were preparing to unleash tonight in New York!
Upon reaching home, Castle knew his mother and daughter must have already been asleep, so he headed straight to his study, sat at his desk, and couldn't help but rub his hands together in anticipation: "It's now or never. System..."
At that moment, the familiar semi-transparent screen appeared.
"Plot Twist Assistance System Task Brief:
Intervene in the plot, while maintaining the 'chaotic neutral' alignment, assist 'John Wick' in reversing the storyline.
1. Help John Wick eliminate Tarasov and his son.
2. Protect John Wick and his friend Marcus, allowing them to survive an assassination attempt brought on by the bounty placed on them by Tarasov.
Plot twist degree: 95%, beginner task in progress..."
"What's going on? How is the task progress only at 95%? Tarasov and
his son are already dead, and John and Marcus are unharmed. What's happening?"
As Castle looked at the "beginner task in progress" on the screen, he was utterly baffled.
"Could there be more actions from John..." A guess formed in Castle's mind.
"Forget it, I won't think about it now. If it's really what I suspect, I'll deal with it tomorrow. After sleeping in the study for two nights, I'm sore all over. I need a good night's rest, I'll contact John in the morning to confirm, time to sleep..." Castle remained blissfully ignorant of the bigger picture.
"Ding... Plot Twist Assistance System alert: The beginner task has been completed, for details, please check the system panel."
At around ten o'clock, a notification sound woke the soundly sleeping Richard Castle.
"It's done? What happened?" Castle, still groggy, sat up, confused.
He opened the system panel, and on the beginner task icon, a flashing golden 'completed' appeared.
"Congratulations to the host, you have drawn the firearm skills of John Wick from 'Speed Chase', including pistol combat, rifle combat, and sniper rifle skills."
"Why is it still John Wick? System, what are you doing?" Castle said, feeling deceived by the world.
"Please read the reward notice carefully!
The beginner task reward is: 'Upon completion of the beginner task, the host will be rewarded with the scientific and technological knowledge of the protagonists from various movies, or a skill possessed by the aided individuals (John Wick and Marcus).'
The host's choice of random included John Wick's skills as part of the random options.
The system reserves the final interpretation right..." The system's response was as emotionless as ever.
"Is this considered forceful selling?" Castle, realizing there was no other choice, accepted his fate and could only vent.
"Please note, host, there is one more advanced task left in the beginner task: obtain John Wick's agreement to activate team mode.
The host may choose whether or not to continue with this task." The system's reminder was always devoid of emotion.
"That's right, I have to team up with John. It seems like he will be a long-term task, I need to talk to him." Decided, Castle got out of bed to start a new day.
___________________
Read Ahead
P@treon.com/Mutter