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According to intelligence reports, John Wick arrived at one of the Hand's flour mills—though in reality, it was a massive warehouse. Staring at the brightly lit yet tightly sealed gates, John chose not to infiltrate quietly. Instead, he stopped the car and opened the trunk.
John Wick pulled out a five-round grenade launcher and began loading it.
After loading five grenades, he raised the MM-1 grenade launcher, aimed at the warehouse windows, and pulled the trigger.
"Thump!""Boom!"
With the sound of shattering glass, a grenade blasted into the warehouse and detonated instantly. Flames erupted inside, and nearby windows were blown apart by the shockwave.
John Wick didn't stop.
He continued firing.
Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom.
Four more grenades slammed into the flour mill. Fire illuminated the darkness, and screams echoed through the building after the explosions.
John Wick slung a bandolier packed with magazines across his back, grabbed an assault rifle, and advanced. After kicking open the warehouse doors, he opened fire on the screaming figures on the ground.
"Rat-tat-tat!"
Elsewhere.
Madame Gao had just received confirmation that the earlier attackers were assassins from New York, acting in response to bounties issued by the Assassin Alliance.
No one expected that before they could strike the Assassin Alliance, the enemy would launch a counterattack.
At the same time, it became clear that the Assassin Alliance had changed. In the past, they had never relied on external forces like underground assassins.
As Madame Gao was reflecting on this, the phone on the table suddenly rang.
She picked it up and swiped to answer.
"Boss—things are bad. Our factory in Hell's Kitchen is under attack. The attacker appears to be John Wick—"
"Uh… Aah!"
Before the man could finish speaking, a scream came from the other end of the line, followed by silence.
The call was still connected.
After shooting the messenger, John Wick walked over to the body. He glanced at the phone, which still displayed the contact name: 'Leader.' Picking it up, he said calmly:
"Are you in charge of this factory?"
"The Baba Yaga is coming for you. I hope you know how to hide."
Hearing this arrogant provocation, Madame Gao's expression darkened instantly.
Coldly, she replied,"John Wick… are you challenging me?"
Hearing a woman's voice and the word Leader, John Wick recalled the intelligence he had read earlier.
Could it be Madame Gao on the other end?
Despite the suspicion, John felt no fear.
"You can take it that way," he said.
Without waiting for a reply, John Wick hung up.
Madame Gao slammed her cane hard into the floor. Cracks instantly spread across the marble beneath her feet before it shattered completely.
Crack—Bang!
"John Wick."
After saying the name, Madame Gao turned to her subordinates.
"Where are the ninjas we dispatched to protect the factory?"
Shin checked the time and replied,"If everything goes smoothly, they'll reach the factory within two minutes."
Madame Gao ordered coldly,"No matter what, capture John Wick alive."
She then turned to Murakami and the others.
"Come. Let's meet this lucky little man together."
Sowande frowned."One John Wick doesn't seem worth all five of us going out, does he?"
The gambler shrugged."I don't mind. We can take a walk, show our strength, and make sure no one dares knock on our door again."
Madame Gao said calmly,"It's not worth mobilizing all five of us for John Wick alone. But if we don't crush him, the trash in New York will think they can harass us."
"Once we capture him and learn the secret of the Dragon Balls, we'll destroy the Assassin Alliance headquarters outright."
"I want this settled tonight."
Madame Gao knew that many things could only be done at night. If such large-scale gunfights erupted in New York during the day, handling the aftermath would be far more difficult—and costly.
Everyone agreed to lead their elite forces to the flour mill, while the remaining troops moved toward the Assassin Alliance headquarters, preparing a siege.
On the way to the factory, Madame Gao took out her phone and called Wilson Fisk.
When the call connected, she said,"Kingpin, the Hand and the Assassin Alliance are at war. As our partner in New York, you can't just sit back and watch."
Fisk sat in his headquarters, gazing at the fading sunset.
"Madame Gao, the Hand and I are business partners. I guarantee the flour we produce for you."
"As for the Assassin Alliance, they have nothing to do with me. I have no conflict with them."
Hearing this, Madame Gao laughed coldly.
"Ha ha~"
"Wilson Fisk, the Assassin Alliance has already made its move, and the Hand is preparing to retaliate. Do you really think you can stay out of this?"
"I know your ambitions, Fisk. But let me tell you—the Hand will not be the loser of the High Table. We are the true winners."
"You can choose to be a collaborator—or be crushed. If you contribute nothing, your dreams will never come true."
"Oh, and there's one more thing you should know—the Assassin Alliance's philosophy."
"They believe justice must be enforced by their own hands. Their peace is built on the blood of others."
"And their leader, like us, is just a man."
"For people who believe everything is an illusion and everything is permitted, what use are law and morality?"
"When they finish winning… who do you think they'll come for next?"
With that, Madame Gao hung up without giving Fisk a chance to respond.
The busy tone echoed in the room as Fisk's face darkened.
Madame Gao had forced him to take a side. If he refused to cooperate and the Hand won, he would be the first to be suppressed.
If the Assassin Alliance emerged victorious—after eliminating the Russian mob, Camorra, the High Table, the Continental, the Hand, and every major underground force in America—the last man standing in Hell's Kitchen would be him.
And the Assassin Alliance was different from other underground organizations.
There was no possibility of cooperation.
At best, submission might spare his life—but his entire organization would be dismantled.
Given their code, could he even survive?
Fisk picked up the phone and issued an order:
"Bullseye. Gather your people."
"This time… we can't stay out of it."