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The giant looked at John Wick standing before him and said,
"John, you look a little weak."
John Wick met the giant's gaze and replied,
"Ernest. The time hasn't come yet."
Ernest spoke bluntly,
"It's almost finished."
Who knows when you might die?
John Wick's expression hardened.
"Are you sure you want to do this?"
Ernest lifted his head, greed filling his eyes.
"Two billion dollars. That's a hell of a lot of money."
John Wick replied coldly,
"No. First, you have to live long enough to spend it."
However, Ernest didn't know that his words had already been overheard by Smith Doyle and Fox. All they needed to do was report it to Winston, and the Continental Hotel would deal with him.
Ernest hesitated no longer. He pulled a dagger from his arm and lunged at John Wick.
John grabbed a book from the shelf to counterattack, and the two quickly became locked in a brutal struggle.
John Wick was stabbed in the shoulder by Ernest's dagger, but after a fierce exchange, he managed to knock the weapon from his opponent's hand.
Using his height and reach advantage, Ernest seized John Wick by the head with one hand, covered his mouth with the other, and made a calming gesture.
"Shhh."
Ernest slammed John Wick's head violently against the bookshelves on both sides.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
Then he kicked John Wick out of the stacks and into the corridor.
Lying on the floor, John Wick saw Smith Doyle and Fox watching nearby—but he wasn't surprised. He picked up a book from the ground and smashed it hard into Ernest's groin.
"Ahhh—!"
Ernest cried out, instinctively clamping his legs together. John Wick seized the moment and struck his throat with the book.
Watching this, Smith Doyle's lips curled into a cold smile. Whether it was a dirty trick or a direct throat strike, both were lethal techniques.
On the combat power detector, Ernest's rating had reached 6 points—no weaker than John Wick. He even held advantages in height and weight.
Yet after John Wick crushed his neck and throat, Ernest was killed on the spot.
John Wick looked at the fallen enemy, picked up the book, and returned it to the shelf. Suddenly, a sharp pain surged through his shoulder. He wiped his hand and saw it covered in blood.
Smith looked at John Wick as he stepped out and said,
"Continue your mission. This is part of the observation."
John Wick nodded. He knew Smith wasn't here for the bounty. To people who possessed Dragon Balls, money was nothing but dust—something they could obtain at will.
Seizing the moment, John Wick rushed out of the library.
Clutching his injured shoulder, he ran at full speed. Knowing there was still a distance to the Assassins' Guild, he realized he had to treat his wounds first. In his current condition, excessive blood loss would mean certain death.
Fox took a photo of Ernest's corpse and sent it to Winston with a brief message:
Someone has acted early.
Upon receiving the message, Winston cursed under his breath.
"Damn it."
At the same time, assassins across New York were notified that anyone who violated the Continental Hotel's rules would be punished.
The message included a photo of Ernest at the time of his death.
There were ten minutes left before John Wick's excommunication from the Continental took full effect.
Elsewhere.
The Bowery King, ruler of the Bowery underworld, said to his subordinate Aura,
"Rest assured. Bowery Street will respect the decision to remove his name."
"We will not provide John Wick with any assistance or services."
Smith Doyle and Fox followed John Wick all the way to the Chinatown black-market doctor's residence.
John Wick pounded on the door.
"Doctor! Doctor! It's Wick!"
The small viewing panel on the door slid open. The doctor looked out and said,
"Mr. Wick—no. You shouldn't be here. Time is almost up."
John Wick said urgently,
"I know."
"Doctor, please. There's still time."
The doctor looked at him but still refused.
"No. I can't do that."
Seeing the refusal, John pulled a Continental gold coin from his pocket and held it up.
"I have five minutes left. Please."
The doctor took the coin through the small window, then opened the door.
"Come in."
As John Wick entered, he glanced down the hallway—and froze when he saw Smith Doyle and Fox standing nearby.
Smith smiled.
"Five minutes left. Go do what you need to do."
The two stepped inside and closed the door.
The doctor panicked, completely at a loss.
John Wick shouted immediately,
"They won't attack me. Hurry."
The doctor reacted at once, bringing John to the operating table.
"Sit down."
John Wick removed his suit jacket without hesitation, exposing his wounds.
The doctor examined his shoulder and neck.
"Let me take a quick look."
As he wiped away the blood with gauze, he said,
"This is a deep stab wound—deep enough to sever an artery."
"It needs stitches."
Without hesitation, he began suturing.
Time ticked by, second by second.
Sitting in the chair, John watched the clock.
"Doctor."
Without stopping his hands, the doctor replied,
"Almost done. Only halfway stitched."
"Doctor, five seconds left."
John began counting down.
"Five… four… three… two… one!"
When the clock's hand pointed straight up, the chime rang.
The doctor looked at John regretfully.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Wick. I can no longer provide you with service."
John nodded.
"I understand. Those are the rules."
The doctor muttered,
"The rules…"
Then he nervously glanced at Smith Doyle and Fox.
"I didn't break any rules."
Smith nodded.
"Perfect timing."
At that moment, the Continental Hotel's excommunication order was fully in effect. Any organization or individual loyal to the High Table was forbidden from offering John Wick any assistance.
John Wick did not ask Smith or Fox for help. Instead, he turned to the mirror and continued stitching himself up.
Continental Hotel — Intelligence Processing Center
At that moment, all registered assassins worldwide received a message.
Target Rewards:John Wick, the two Dragon Balls in his possession, and photographs of the four major planets.
Bounty:$2,000,000,000($1.6 billion for John Wick, $200 million for each Dragon Ball)
Mission Scope: Global assassins
Status: Public
Last Known Location: New York Chinatown
Update: Excommunication is now in effect