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The Assassin Alliance
At this moment, everyone had gathered in the conference room.
Smith spoke first."Tonight, headquarters received a letter. According to its contents, the Hand is preparing to launch a large-scale invasion of New York."
"I believe the information in the letter—and it will be easy to verify."
After speaking, Smith paused and slowly scanned the room.
When they heard that the Hand intended to move into New York in force, everyone's expressions grew grim. Cross was the first to speak.
"The Hand is a deeply corrupt organization and one of our long-standing targets. Since they dare to come here, we'll make sure they never rise again."
Mr. X added,"We just wiped out the High Table completely. They probably think we suffered heavy losses, which is why they're bold enough to send such a massive force into New York."
"But what exactly is their objective?"
After X's analysis, the room fell into speculation.
Then Smith said calmly,"I suspect they're after the Dragon Balls."
Wesley asked in confusion,"The Dragon Balls?"
"Didn't they already fly away?"
Everyone present had personally witnessed the Dragon Balls shooting off at incredible speed, disappearing in the blink of an eye. No one had any idea how to locate them afterward.
They had once asked John Wick how he managed to gather so many Dragon Balls. John Wick hadn't hidden anything—he told them everything had been done under the leader's guidance.
Fox spoke up,"They don't know the Dragon Balls have already flown away. After all, most assassins around the world know that John Wick once possessed two of them."
At those words, everyone reacted. Indeed, this information had been included in the Continental Hotel's bounty notices, and even a global manhunt order had been issued.
Smith continued,"When I took over, you gave me a list and told me to choose one target as a test. I said I wouldn't leave a single name unchecked."
"Now that the Russians and the High Table have been dealt with, the next target is the Shogunate."
"And it just so happens that they've come to us on their own."
After Smith finished speaking, no one voiced any objections.
He then asked,"What's your assessment of the Hand?"
The Gunsmith offered his opinion."To kill a snake, you strike its weakest point. To destroy a hand, you must first cut off its five fingers."
"Without leaders, the rest are nothing but a mob—easy to deal with."
Fox added,"I'll have the intelligence department track down the whereabouts of the Five Fingers as quickly as possible."
The Mechanic, recalling old documents, spoke next."You all know I prefer reviewing old files and intelligence."
"In earlier records, I saw analyses of the Hand's Five Fingers. One of them was once shot through the head by a former Assassin Alliance leader."
"But not long after, that Finger reappeared."
John Wick looked surprised."Dragon Balls?"
Smith shook his head."No. It wasn't the Dragon Balls."
"The Mechanic is right. The Five Fingers aren't easy to kill—but they're not immortal either."
The Exterminator chimed in coldly,"If bullets won't kill them, I'll blow them to pieces."
"I don't believe anyone can come back intact after being reduced to dust."
The atmosphere grew heavy, but many agreed. If killing once wasn't enough, then kill again. Even resurrection came at a tremendous cost—no one could abuse it endlessly.
Smith said,"The Five Fingers of the Hand can resurrect, but they aren't without weaknesses."
"When the time is right, I'll personally deal with those five."
"We need to kill the tiger—and wipe out the mosquitoes too. What do you think, John Wick?"
John Wick set down the documents about the Hand and said,"Boss, I have an idea."
"Everyone here knows I used to be a registered assassin at the Continental Hotel. The Continental has now become a key asset in our transition, and we still control the contact networks of many registered assassins."
"Our organization exists to punish evil and uphold justice. But there are countless assassins in the world—many will continue taking jobs just to survive. Meanwhile, small darknet platforms will only grow stronger."
"We can't arrest them all. There are simply too many."
"So why not use this operation to get them involved in eliminating Hand members?"
Some frowned. Others nodded in agreement.
Wesley raised a practical concern."Then how much are we paying them? If we expect them to work for free, they won't put in real effort."
John Wick didn't respond, but Wesley was right. No one would act without incentives—and reopening the Continental in its old form would violate the Assassin Alliance's principles.
Smith Doyle tapped the table lightly, thought for a moment, then said,"The fact that many assassins are still registered can indeed be leveraged."
"Killing Hand members also reduces the number of crimes committed."
"As for assassin platforms—and even the Continental itself—they shouldn't be reopened in their original form. But we can take what worked and discard the rest."
"For the past two days, Fox and I have been discussing new revenue streams. One option is promoting wax-bath therapy."
"We already have more advanced healing chambers, so introducing wax baths won't interfere with our operations—as long as we keep it confidential."
"The Continental once had branches all over the world, making it the perfect place to promote wax-bath services."
"Its no-killing-on-premises policy and premium services were excellent. We'll keep those and simply abolish the bounty system."
"All existing Continental coins will be invalidated. We'll issue new coins bearing the Assassin Alliance insignia."
"The Continental will be renamed the Assassin Brotherhood, dedicated to promoting wax-bath therapy."
"The message to members will be simple: explain the true benefits of wax baths."
"For every Hand member you kill, you earn one coin."
"One coin grants you one wax-bath session."
"One session costs one coin—plus one hundred thousand dollars."
At this, eyes around the table lit up.
However, Fox—who handled finances and had dealings with the Continental—asked,"How do we promote the coins?"
"And after the Hand is destroyed, how will coins be distributed? In the past, the Continental issued coins through bounties."
Smith replied,"We may not issue assassination bounties, but we can collect and sell intelligence."
"We'll attach required intelligence to missions and link them to coin rewards."
"For example, if someone provides verified information about criminals, we confirm it and pass it to Alliance members for elimination."
"The coins will be the reward for intelligence providers."
"I believe the effectiveness of wax baths—and the appeal of a no-kill safe zone—will attract more than enough participants."