Chapter 70: Brothers, Let’s Go Make Some Money

Meanwhile...

Inside the office of Smith at the headquarters of the Assassin's League.

Fox approached with a folder in hand and began her report:

"The name and function of the Continental Hotel have officially been changed and announced. The bounty against the Hand has also been distributed."

She opened the folder and presented two designs.

"These are the two proposed designs for the back of our new coins. The front side bears your portrait, while the backs differ: one shows our symbol, and the other depicts our custom tri-chamber bullet."

Smith Doyle examined both designs for a moment before speaking:

"Let's go with this emblem as the official design for the Brotherhood's exclusive currency. Save the bullet image as a ceremonial token—no need to put it on the coin."

"And get the assassins hyped up. Edit together a few highlight reels showing the restorative effects of the wax bath. Post those online."

That benefit alone should be enough to get them moving.

Fox nodded. "I'll handle it. We can repurpose footage from the old recovery sessions."

Smith Doyle gave a satisfied nod. The plan was simple: let the unaffiliated hitmen launch the first wave and deplete the Hand's forces. The Assassin Brotherhood's own agents would stay at a distance and pick off targets with long-range weapons. As for the five most dangerous enemies—that was a job for Smith himself.

---

Hell's Kitchen.

Kingpin exited the Midland Central Financial Tower with Bullseye and a few men. As they stepped out, several figures moved toward the building. One of them looked at Kingpin and said:

"They're not our targets. The main ones are still inside."

Kingpin caught the comment but didn't react. He walked straight to his car and got in.

"What's going on in New York?" he asked.

One of his men, waiting in the vehicle, responded:

"The Continental Hotel has officially reopened as the Assassin Brotherhood. Their only active bounty is on members of the Hand."

"They've also introduced a new service—the Wax Bath. It's gotten a lot of attention."

As the two spoke, more assassins arrived, heading toward the building.

Kingpin looked out the window and saw the lobby through the glass. The front desk staff and security were already down.

"So the Assassin League has made their move."

"Drive. We're leaving."

Inside, the building descended into chaos as more assassins swarmed in. Gunshots rang out in rapid succession—

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The ambush caught the Hand completely off guard.

CRACK!

Suddenly, the exterior glass shattered. A sniper from a high vantage point had started picking off Hand operatives inside.

---

Top Floor of the Building.

Madame Gao and her four lieutenants were mid-discussion, working on an action plan. They had just decided to capture John Wick and extract information from him.

Before they could continue, alarms blared throughout the building.

Madame Gao frowned. A knock came at the door. One of her armed bodyguards stepped forward and opened it.

A ninja, armed with twin short blades, entered and knelt.

"A large number of assassins have breached the building. The lobby security has been eliminated. There are also snipers outside, picking off our people."

Gao's gaze shifted to Bakuto and Murakami.

"Looks like someone's trying to make a statement—clearly not welcoming the Hand's full takeover."

"The question is: was it the Assassin League… or someone else?"

She turned to Shin.

"Take a squad of ninjas. Eliminate everyone who broke in."

Then she addressed another guard:

"Transfer the surveillance footage to this room. I want to see exactly which group dared to challenge the Hand."

As her orders were carried out, Shin led a ninja team down into the building. Meanwhile, the other guard activated the electronic wall panel, brought up the surveillance system, and patched it into the large screen.

Madame Gao studied the footage.

The attackers were clearly a mixed bunch. Some wore the Continental's bulletproof suits; others looked like they'd just walked off the street. No formation, no tactics. It was chaos—like a disorganized mob.

As the Hand's tactical teams countered, the intruders suffered heavy casualties and were quickly forced down to the third floor.

But then—CRACK!

Sniper rounds from outside created a deadly crossfire. The tide turned.

A few assassins, realizing they were outmatched, chose to decapitate their targets or snap death photos as proof before escaping the building.

Others stood their ground, engaging in brutal firefights around the stairwells of the second and third floors. Bullets flew. Then came the grenades.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The explosions tore through the attacking force. With Shin joining the fray, the rest were quickly wiped out.

As the last assassins fell, the snipers packed up and retreated.

This was only the first probe.

---

Meanwhile, in Tokyo

The Hand's local base came under attack by a wave of assassins. Across the globe, hitmen began converging on New York and Tokyo.

Everyone wanted a shot at the Assassin Brotherhood's first bounty—and a chance at the coveted Wax Bath slots. Most saw it as worth the risk, wanting at least one or two passes for the future.

---

Elsewhere

John Wick's wife, Helen, found Poole and pleaded with him.

"Poole... can you help John?"

"He's gone off on his own to hunt members of the Hand. I'm worried about him."

John had made the decision himself. He wanted to repay Smith Doyle and the Brotherhood, and had no fear of fighting their enemies head-on. Even if he couldn't take down the top brass, he was confident he could handle the foot soldiers and captains.

Now, fully armed and loaded with weapons, he was already en route to Hell's Kitchen.

Poole listened carefully. He knew Wick had become one of Young Master Smith's men. And this enemy... they weren't pushovers.

"I like his loyalty," Poole said. "If he's putting his life on the line for the young master, then I'll help him."

"Thank you, Poole," Helen said gratefully.

Poole summoned another Brotherhood member to drive him to Hell's Kitchen.

John Wick's life was now under Poole's protection.

No underling of the young master would die to scum like this.

—End of chapter—

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