Chapter 14
"That bald guy, you've been standing around without taking anyone out. And you, fat guy, pay attention to your left!"
Ted was enthusiastically commenting on the battle between Hell's Kitchen residents and the assassins sent by the Marquis.
Suddenly, a flash of steel caught Ted's attention as a sword slashed toward him. He jumped back to dodge, barely avoiding the attack.
Planting his feet, Ted immediately launched a kick. His opponent reacted quickly, blocking the kick with his sword before pulling away to create distance.
Ted took a moment to get a good look at the assailant. "Wait… is that… Master Ye of Wing Chun!?" Ted blurted out, shocked.
The attacker was a familiar Chinese face, one Ted had often seen in his previous life. But instead of the period clothes of old Hong Kong cinema, this man was dressed in a sleek suit, with black blind glasses. He held a special cane, from which he had just drawn the sword that attacked Ted.
Looking at the face in front of him, Ted felt a wave of nostalgia. Though he had encountered many familiar faces since traveling to this new world, this was the first time he'd come across someone so distinctly Chinese.
"My name's not Master Ye. You've got the wrong guy. I'm Kane," the man replied with a simple smile.
"I'm here to see my friend, John Wick," Kane added.
Ted, still a bit thrown off, asked, "So… you're not working for the Marquis?"
"I'm not his man, but I was sent by him. I'm not planning on killing anyone today, though. Why don't we stop this fight? It's not doing either side any good, and the police will be here soon," Kane explained, sheathing his sword back into his cane.
Ted glanced around, realizing that the fight had gone on long enough. It had been a wild day, and there was another blind man out there who looked ready to make a move.
"Fine, tell the Marquis's men to stand down, and I'll get our side to do the same," Ted agreed.
Both Kane and Ted began signaling to the combatants below to cease fire. Slowly, both sides started lowering their weapons.
One of the Hell's Kitchen residents shouted, "Why should we stop just because you say so?"
Ted's demeanor shifted, his authoritative aura silencing the protester. "This is my turf. If you want to keep fighting, you'll be fighting me. And if you don't listen, I'll have Kingpin's men come after you tomorrow."
"Enough!" Ted declared. "If there's any damage today, head to Fisk Tower, and Kingpin will cover the costs. Now go home, and I guarantee everyone will be compensated."
Grumbling, but ultimately conceding, the Hell's Kitchen residents retreated to their homes.
Kane, on the other hand, managed to get the assassins to back off as well. As they were leaving, one of them turned to Ted and threatened, "The Marquis won't forget this. You'll pay for crossing us."
Ted merely smirked. "Tell the Marquis to get ready for Hell's Kitchen's revenge."
As the last of the assassins departed, the sound of police sirens echoed down the street. Soon enough, several police cars arrived on the scene.
Chief George Stacy stepped out, lighting a cigarette as he walked toward Ted and Kane. "Quite the show today, huh, Ted? RPGs, machine guns—real subtle. Could you maybe tone it down a bit?"
Stacy's tone made it clear that he was no stranger to Ted's antics.
Ted grinned, shrugging. "You know how it is in Hell's Kitchen. No civilians were hurt. Just report that there was some accidental gunfire."
"You're making this really hard for me," Stacy replied. "I need to arrest a few people to make the higher-ups and the media happy. Otherwise, they'll think terrorists are running wild in Hell's Kitchen."
Ted pointed toward the dead assassins. "Take the bodies of these High Table killers. Report them however you need. I don't care about the details."
Stacy sighed. "This really isn't easy… unless…" He trailed off.
"500k," Ted said, understanding immediately. "Use it to fix up the Hell's Kitchen police station."
Stacy's eyes brightened. "Those damn High Table thugs disturbed the peace of Hell's Kitchen and were swiftly taken out by our brave officers! Gather the bodies, boys. We're done here!" he ordered with enthusiasm.
Kane chuckled, amused by the unique way Hell's Kitchen operated. "Your neighborhood's… interesting, to say the least."
"Come on," Ted said, stretching. "I'll take you to see John Wick and Lao Ma."
As they entered the apartment and opened the door, Lao Ma greeted them with a knowing smile. "It's been a long time, Kane."
John Wick, however, wasn't as pleased. "You're here to kill me too, Kane?"
"I don't want to, but the Marquis is threatening my daughter," Kane replied, his voice heavy with resignation.
Ted's eyes lit up at the mention of Kane's daughter. He quickly spoke up, "Tell me the details. I can save your daughter, but you'll need to stay in Hell's Kitchen."
Kane's expression shifted to hope. "If you can save her, I'll agree to anything. Just don't do anything that harms innocent people."
Lao Ma and John Wick both expressed their gratitude to Ted, stepping forward. "Thank you, Ted. You've really been a lifesaver."
Suddenly, Ted heard a system notification in his mind:
"Congratulations! Marcus's favorability has increased to 5 stars." "Congratulations! Attribute gained: Sniper Mastery Lv5." "Congratulations! John Wick added as a friend." "Attribute gained: Luck Protagonist Lv1." "Attribute gained: Firearms Mastery Lv10."
Ted couldn't help but chuckle. With these attributes, he was becoming a powerhouse even without his superpowers. And with John Wick's luck on his side, it seemed like trouble was going to have a much harder time finding him from now on.
"The immediate problem's taken care of. You all can rest here," Ted said, turning to leave. "Lao Ma, take care of Kane. As for you, Kane, go back to the Marquis for now. I'll rescue your daughter, and then we'll take our next steps."
Ted left the room, already planning his revenge.
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