Rat-a-tat-tat-tat~~
Whoosh~~
Above Downtown New York.
The Airborne Death Squad struck first.
Machine guns roared from the three military attack helicopters, spitting tongues of fire. Rockets mounted beneath their fuselages launched with a shriek...
Two of the High Table's Black Hawks were blown out of the sky instantly.
The two wrecks plummeted to the streets below, while the remaining Black Hawks scattered in evasive maneuvers.
A brutal dogfight had begun.
Moments later.
The RPG Death Squad arrived on the roof of the Continental. Without a word, they shouldered their Stinger missile launchers, locked onto the enemy Black Hawks one by one, and pulled the triggers.
Whoosh~ Whoosh~ Whoosh~~
Heat-seeking missiles screamed into the air.
One second. Two seconds.
The sky lit up as countless flares deployed, blooming like deadly flowers.
Pop~ Pop~ Pop~~
Most of the missiles were decoyed by the flares, detonating harmlessly in spectacular bursts of fire.
But two found their marks, slamming into two Black Hawks and claiming several lives...
[Karma Points +5000, +5000, +5000...]
On the rooftop, watching the Karma Points tick up and the spectacular aerial battle unfold above...
Haha!
Dexter laughed with pure joy.
He watched for a few more seconds.
As he walked downstairs, Dexter spent the 100,000+ Karma Points he had just earned in one go, opening ten Gold Chests.
[You opened a Gold Chest. Congratulations, you received...]
And just like that.
Another dozen or so Death Soldiers joined the ranks.
In the blink of an eye, Dexter reached the lobby on the ground floor.
Just then, the buses sent by the High Table arrived one after another.
Dexter saw them and grinned.
Whoosh~~
From the roof, several rockets naturally flew down...
Buses don't have flares.
Boom!
Several buses took direct hits and exploded. Dozens of assassins inside were killed or maimed before they even had a chance to step off the bus. It was a tragic scene.
Watching this, Dexter couldn't help but look down at Dumb Nine beside him and laugh. "The High Table isn't all that special."
"Woof!" Dumb Nine barked in agreement.
This wave netted Dexter another 100,000+ Karma Points.
After a moment's thought, Dexter decided to open a Diamond Chest.
[You opened a Diamond Chest. Congratulations, you received: One Defensive System (Basic Level). Includes multiple Gatling guns, automated turrets, missiles... Do you wish to retrieve and install immediately?]
Jackpot!
Retrieve!
Dexter responded instantly.
In no time.
Several military-grade turrets and radar systems appeared on the roof of the New York Continental. Dozens of Gatling guns emerged from concealed ports in the hotel's walls. A control center materialized in the basement, staffed by several specialized Death Soldiers working furiously.
In an instant, the New York Continental leveled up. It was no longer just a hotel; it was a fortress.
By this time.
A few buses managed to avoid the rockets and screeched to a halt at the hotel entrance.
The assassins on board wasted no time. They poured out like a flood, charging the Continental at full speed.
In the sky.
Every single Black Hawk sent by the High Table had been shot down.
The High Table's first wave of reinforcements ended in near-total defeat.
---
By this point, the eyes watching New York weren't just the local assassins. It was half the underworld across the globe!!!
Countless people received the news.
Countless people were dumbfounded, unable to believe what was happening.
"Dexter!"
"He seized the New York Continental and crushed the High Table's first wave like it was nothing..."
"It's surreal!"
"How is this even possible?"
"The High Table's foundation has taken a massive hit."
"What will the High Table do next?"
That was the million-dollar question.
The first wave had been effortlessly dismantled by Dexter... This blow was absolutely fatal to the High Table's image!
If they didn't handle this quickly and perfectly...
The authority and power of the High Table would be questioned.
If that questioning continued...
It wouldn't be long before the High Table collapsed and ceased to exist!
This could not be allowed to happen.
"Dexter and his men are inside the Continental. We can launch a missile and level the building!"
"We can't. There might still be surviving members inside. If we blow up the hotel, we kill our own. The backlash would be immense."
"We can only send more men. Increase the firepower."
"But we don't have many men left in New York..."
"Bring them in from other cities! We have to prepare for the possibility that this won't be resolved quickly!"
The Elders of the High Table, after a brief consultation, made their decision.
This decision was swiftly transmitted down the chain of command.
The official forces of the High Table mobilized on a massive scale.
---
New York Continental.
Dexter sat on a sofa in the lobby, legs crossed, calm as a cucumber. He smoked a cigarette and opened chests non-stop.
Dumb Nine lay beside him, eyes closed, sleeping peacefully.
Most of the Death Soldiers were still fighting, successfully keeping the High Table's assassins outside the hotel. Not a single enemy had breached the perimeter.
A small group of soldiers was sweeping the interior for surviving enemies while searching for Winston and Charon.
Time flew.
Charon was found first. Two Death Soldiers dragged him before Dexter.
At this moment, Charon's dark face was even darker, practically dripping with rage.
Dexter actually liked Charon. He blew out a puff of smoke and smiled. "Sorry. It's just business. Nothing personal. You understand."
Charon's face remained tight. "The High Table will not let you go."
Dexter's smile widened. "That statement works both ways. I won't let the High Table go either."
"You are no match for the High Table!" Charon said decisively.
Dexter laughed. "Let's wait and see."
Before Charon could say anything else, Dexter gestured. "Please, sit. Let's wait for Winston."
Speak of the devil.
The reinforced door of the safe room was blasted open by the Death Soldiers.
Looking shocked and slightly flustered, Winston was brought before Dexter.
"Hello. We haven't been formally introduced. I'm Dexter," Dexter introduced himself proactively.
Winston had grit. He stared at Dexter for a few seconds, composed himself, and instantly regained his usual calm demeanor. "Hello. I'm Winston."
Dexter smiled.
To be fair, he admired the old man.
"Do you know why I didn't kill you?" Dexter asked.
Winston smiled faintly. "Presumably because I am of use to you."
Normally, that would be the correct answer.
But...
Dexter shook his head immediately. "Actually, you're useless to me. The only reason I didn't kill you is purely because I find you interesting."
Winston paused, clearly not expecting that. He was silent for a moment. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," Dexter smiled. "You and Charon can go. I'm sorry, I can't return this hotel to you for the time being. However, if you're interested, feel free to come back and collaborate with me to overthrow the High Table. When that happens, I can give the hotel back to you."
Hearing this.
Even though he had suspected this was Dexter's goal, hearing it with his own ears...
Winston was shocked.
After the shock passed.
Winston didn't move.
Charon didn't move either; he sat quietly.
"Do you really think you can do it?" Winston asked, a hint of mockery in his tone. "The power of the High Table is beyond your imagination."
Dexter kept smiling and replied casually, "Honestly, I don't know exactly how strong the High Table is."
"What I do know is that if the High Table can't take back this hotel in New York, their foundation will be severely damaged. The fear and awe their members worldwide hold for them will diminish."
"Winston, you're a smart man. You know the saying: A single spark can start a prairie fire."
Winston understood. "That assumes the High Table really can't take this hotel back."
"They won't," Dexter said calmly.
Winston smiled, said no more to Dexter, and turned to Charon. "Charon, let's go."
Dexter didn't stop them. He let the two leave. Then, he got up to handle some important business.
Filming a video.
Moments later.
Under Dexter's instruction, a Death Soldier held a phone steady, aiming the camera at Dexter and Dumb Nine, and pressed record.
"Hello everyone, I'm Dexter. This Husky beside me is named Dumb Nine."
"Dumb Nine and I have just successfully seized the New York Continental by force."
"Now, let me give you a grand introduction to the situation."
"In this world, there is a massive organization of assassins called the High Table!"
"..."
"I, Dexter, and Dumb Nine, hereby declare war on the High Table!!"
"We will overthrow you!"
"Your doomsday is coming!"
Dexter delivered his speech in one breath. Done. He uploaded the video to the internet, then smiled at Dumb Nine. "Alright. Now we just wait for the Karma to roll in."
"Woof!" Dumb Nine responded excitedly.
---
Minutes passed in a flash.
Dexter's video spread like a supervirus across the internet, watched by countless people.
John Wick, who was speeding toward Viggo Tarasov's headquarters to hunt down Iosef, was one of them.
And so.
Unsurprisingly.
John Wick instantly connected the Husky in the video with the one that appeared in his house last night to save Daisy.
Why?
John didn't understand. He couldn't figure out why Dumb Nine had been at his house.
He thought about it for a long time but couldn't find an answer.
John decided to stop thinking about it.
Say thanks? Maybe if they crossed paths.
Go to the Continental? The hotel had fallen. No point going there.
The world is big, but hunting Iosef was the only thing that mattered.
John Wick cleared his mind, his gaze steely. His resolve to kill Iosef was unshakable.
As for Dexter declaring war on the High Table...
It had nothing to do with him.
He didn't care.
John Wick didn't care.
But countless assassins around the world cared very much.
"Holy shit, this guy is insane!"
"I want to see how he dies!"
"Ruthless! Badass!"
"..."
Some assassins watched for the drama or felt anger.
Others, who had been oppressed by the High Table and harbored resentment, had a different reaction.
"Good job!"
"Beautifully done!"
"Fuck the High Table!"
"Damn, this gets me fired up! I wish I could fly to New York right now and fight with Dexter!"
"We should seize a Continental too!"
"Good idea!"
"..."
The Elders of the High Table were beyond furious!
"Take back the New York Continental at all costs!"
---
Winston and Charon stood side by side across the street from the Continental, not too far away.
They had been standing there for a while, having watched the video in the meantime.
Suddenly.
Rain began to fall.
"Sir, it's raining," Charon said.
Winston didn't reply. He looked up at the southern sky.
Under that sky, a dense swarm of countless helicopters was speeding toward them.
He watched for two seconds.
Winston looked away, not wanting to catch a stray bullet or shrapnel and die for nothing. "We should go."
The two turned and slowly walked away in the rain.
Inside the New York Continental.
The cleanup was nearing its end.
Assassins who hadn't escaped and chose to hide were rooted out one by one, shot in the head, and tossed outside the hotel.
There were so many bodies that a wall of corpses had formed around the perimeter of the building.
Dexter, cigarette in mouth, looked at the "wall" outside and thought of a word.
Jingguan. (An ancient pyramid made of enemy skulls).
Maybe I should build one, Dexter mused silently with a smile.
Just then, the sky, which had only been quiet for a short while, filled with the sounds of gunfire and explosions again.
The High Table's second wave had arrived.
A fiercer, more violent war was about to begin.
Dexter listened quietly. "Dumb Nine, let's go. Let's get something to eat in the kitchen."
"Woof." Dumb Nine was always interested in food.
Man and dog moved toward the kitchen.
Hundreds of Death Soldiers, led by dozens of Captains, engaged the High Table's second wave.
In the kitchen.
Dexter summoned the System.
Karma Points were back over 100,000.
[You opened a Diamond Chest. Congratulations, you received: One Suicide Bomber Squad. Includes 100 Suicide Death Soldiers equipped with explosive vests. Retrieve immediately?]
Retrieve.
Before long.
Part of the Suicide Bomber Squad appeared outside the Continental, charging toward the trucks and tanks rushing in from all directions.
In an instant.
Boom~ Boom~ Boom~~
Deafening explosions rang out incessantly.
"What a rush," Dexter raised a glass of red wine, took a sip, and said to Dumb Nine. "Right?"
"Woof!" Dumb Nine lapped up some wine and barked loudly.
"Pity. I'll have to leave in a little while," Dexter felt a twinge of regret.
"Woof?"
"I don't know if I can take you with me. I'll try when the time comes."
"Woof~"
---