Smith Doyle looked at the other person and said:
"Or, when you possess two Dragon Balls, I will tell you their purpose."
Santino D'Antonio asked in confusion:
"Why?"
Smith smiled and said:
"Wasn't this one already given in advance to John Wick?"
Hearing this, Santino D'Antonio's face darkened. He didn't expect the other party to already know about it.
But as long as the task is done by John Wick, and the item isn't handed over—or even snatched—he could possess two Dragon Balls himself.
"When I obtain two Dragon Balls, I hope Mr. Smith will tell me their secret."
Smith Doyle nodded, while thinking to himself: If he's still alive by then.
After Santino D'Antonio left, he immediately mobilized his resources—on one hand, to research information about the Dragon Balls; on the other hand, to place a bounty on similar items.
······
John Wick had been preparing for his assassination task, while constantly being monitored by Ares.
At the same time, Ares also received an order from Santino D'Antonio—to retrieve the one-star ball at the trade site and kill the target.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye. John Wick successfully completed his mission.
As he escaped, he encountered Ares in the underground catacombs.
Ares walked up to John Wick, holding a four-star ball in her hand, and said:
"Santino asked me to give this to you. But he has a question."
John Wick took the four-star ball and put it into his suit's inner pocket. He asked:
"What's the question?"
Ares asked:
"Do you have the other one with you?"
John Wick replied expressionlessly:
"Looks like you're not here to deliver payment—but to clean up loose ends."
The next second, four armed men charged out of the catacombs. John Wick used his suit to block the bullets while returning fire.
His suit was the latest fluid bulletproof version from the Continental Hotel—lightweight yet protective.
Bullets were blocked by the fabric, and John fought back while retreating.
At that moment, he was not only being hunted by Ares and her people but also facing revenge from Gianna D'Antonio's forces.
Despite being targeted by both sides, John Wick still managed to escape Rome, killing many enemies in the process.
······
Elsewhere.
Through sensing the Dragon Balls, Smith already knew two of them had come together—and the owner was John Wick.
At that moment, a phone on Smith's body received a multimedia message.
This phone wasn't his; it belonged to an African assassin he had killed earlier.
Opening the message, the contents were revealed:
Sender: Unknown. Public Bounty: John Wick. $7 million. Bonus $2 million for retrieving two items from him!
The message also included photos of the one-star and four-star balls.
Seeing the message, Smith Doyle realized Santino D'Antonio had gone rogue—and failed.
His subordinates must have failed to retrieve the two Dragon Balls, so he had no choice but to make a public bounty post.
But John Wick, the legendary assassin of the Continental Hotel, had his bounty rise fast—from $2 million all the way to $7 million.
This time, it was serious—a public kill order.
Clearly, Santino D'Antonio used some privileges. Normally, a bounty task is just posted on the Continental Hotel board—either for specific or all takers. But a public kill order sends the info to every assassin directly.
With such a high reward, many would surely be interested in John Wick.
······
Just as Smith Doyle put down the phone and got up to exercise, Fox walked in.
"GOD, your subject of interest—John Wick—has been put under another bounty. And it's a public one. The amount now totals $9 million, with the two Dragon Balls accounting for $2 million."
"His value is skyrocketing!"
"But from the looks of it, he may not survive this kill order."
Smith Doyle smiled and replied:
"Have faith in the subject of our observation. To earn the nickname 'The Devil' among assassins, he's not someone who dies easily."
"Especially since he's fighting to resurrect his wife—he'll have all the more reason to survive."
Fox asked:
"What's next?"
Smith stood up and said:
"Next, I'm going to the Continental Hotel to watch a good show."
The two drove to the Continental Hotel.
"Mr. Smith Doyle, Ms. Fox, always a pleasure to see you," Charon greeted them respectfully.
Looking at the black man in front of him, Smith asked:
"Charon, I'm glad to see you again."
"Is the manager in?"
Charon tensed up a bit—thankfully, I never leave the hotel—and replied:
"He's always here."
"Shall I inform him?"
Smith smiled:
"Please do."
Charon picked up the phone and dialed:
"Sir, Mr. Smith Doyle and Ms. Fox wish to see you."
"Very well, understood!"
Charon hung up and said:
"The manager is in the dining area. You'll see him there."
Smith nodded and led Fox toward the dining area.
Reaching the basement dining area, Smith quickly spotted Winston reading a newspaper. He walked over and sat down.
Winston folded the paper, set it down, adjusted his glasses, and said slowly:
"Smith, are you here because of John?"
Facing the master of the New York Continental Hotel, Smith Doyle calmly replied:
"Santino D'Antonio is quite dishonorable. John fulfilled his blood oath, and immediately afterward, Santino puts a $7 million hit on him."
After a pause, Smith added:
"More importantly, if John Wick dies, the blood oath token I received will be useless."
Looking at Smith's serious expression, Winston thought to himself: Ah, that last point is probably the real reason.
Then he replied slowly:
"Placing a bounty is a right every Continental Hotel member has."
"Besides, Santino D'Antonio has inherited his family's position and become one of the High Table's Twelve Seats. He has the authority—so the bounty is perfectly legitimate."
"More crucially, Gianna D'Antonio was a member of the High Table. Since John killed her, there will inevitably be consequences."
...
—End of chapter—
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