Smith Dole looked at him and said:
"Alternatively, when you possess two Dragon Balls, I'll tell you what they do."
Santino D'Antonio frowned.
"Why?"
Smith smiled lightly.
"Didn't you already prepay this one to John Wick?"
Hearing this, Santino's face darkened. He hadn't expected Smith to know about that already.
Still, as long as John Wick completed the job, Santino had no intention of handing over the reward. He'd just take it back—along with the other one—and have two Dragon Balls in his hands.
"When I obtain two of them, I hope you'll reveal the truth to me."
Smith Dole nodded calmly, thinking to himself: If you're still alive by then.
After leaving, Santino immediately mobilized his network. On one side, he searched for any information about the Dragon Balls. On the other, he posted bounties for similar items.
······
Meanwhile, John Wick had been preparing meticulously for his assassination task. Throughout this time, he was being closely monitored by Ares.
Ares, following Santino's orders, was to retrieve the One-Star Ball from John Wick at the exchange site—and then kill him.
Three days passed, and John completed his mission.
While escaping through the catacombs beneath Rome, he ran into Ares.
Ares stood before him, holding the Four-Star Ball in her hand.
"Santino asked me to give you this," she said. "But he has one question."
John took the Four-Star Ball and tucked it into the inner pocket of his suit jacket.
"What question?"
Ares stared at him and asked:
"Do you have the other one on you?"
John's expression didn't change.
"So… this isn't a delivery. It's a cleanup."
In the next second, four armed operatives sprang out of the shadows in the crypt.
John raised his suit to shield himself and opened fire.
His suit was the latest model from the Continental—a fluid-resistant bulletproof fabric that offered maximum protection without compromising mobility.
The bullets bounced off as he returned fire and fought to escape.
But it wasn't just Ares and her squad he was fighting. The remnants of Gianna D'Antonio's forces were also out for blood.
Despite being hunted from both sides, John Wick managed to escape from Rome, leaving behind a trail of corpses.
······
Elsewhere.
Through his attunement to the Dragon Balls, Smith sensed that two of them had now gathered together—both in John Wick's possession.
At that moment, a message arrived on a phone.
Not his main phone—this one belonged to a hitman he had killed. A burner used for receiving contract details.
He opened the MMS.
Sender: Unknown.
Public Bounty: John Wick
Amount: $7,000,000
Bonus: $2,000,000 for returning the two items in his possession.
Attached were images of the One-Star and Four-Star Balls.
Seeing this, Smith immediately understood that Santino D'Antonio's plan had gone south. His people had clearly failed, and now he had no choice but to escalate.
Posting it as a public bounty meant one thing—he was desperate.
But the most eye-catching part? John Wick's bounty had skyrocketed—from $2 million to a jaw-dropping $7 million.
Add in the Dragon Balls, and the total climbed to $9 million.
This wasn't just dangerous. It was a death sentence.
Public bounties like this weren't handled lightly. Normally, contracts were listed in the Continental's task registry—either for specific assassins or open to all. But this… this was sent directly to every assassin's personal comms.
That kind of money would stir up the entire underground.
······
Just as Smith Dole set the phone down and was getting ready to exercise, Fox walked into the room.
"GOD, John Wick's name has been added to the bounty list again. And it's a public kill order. Nine million total—with $2 million just for the Dragon Balls."
"His price is rising like crazy!"
"But honestly… he might not make it out of this one."
Smith chuckled and replied:
"Have a little more faith in our subject. You don't get called the Boogeyman of the underworld for nothing."
"And now that he's fighting to bring back his wife, he'll fight harder than ever."
Fox asked:
"What's next?"
Smith stood and said:
"Next—we go to the Continental. There's a good show about to start."
They drove straight to the hotel.
"Mr. Smith Dole, Ms. Fox. A pleasure to see you again."
Charon greeted them with his usual respectful smile.
Looking at the man, Smith replied:
"Charon, glad to see you're still here."
"Is the manager in?"
Charon tensed inwardly—thankfully, he never left the hotel—and responded:
"He's always here."
"Shall I notify him?"
Smith smiled.
"If you would."
Charon dialed.
"Sir, Mr. Smith Dole and Ms. Fox would like to speak with you."
"…Yes, understood."
He hung up and said:
"He's in the dining area. You'll see him right away."
Smith nodded and led Fox to the lower level.
There, in the dining area, Smith quickly spotted Winston reading the paper.
He approached and sat across from him.
Winston folded the newspaper, adjusted his glasses, and said slowly:
"You're here about John, I presume?"
Looking at the man who ran the New York Continental, Smith replied calmly:
"Santino D'Antonio has no sense of honor. John completes his Marker, and the next moment, Santino places a $7 million bounty on his head."
He paused.
"And let's be honest—if John dies, the Marker I got becomes worthless."
Winston thought: There it is. That's the real reason.
He then said slowly:
"Posting a bounty is the right of any Continental member."
"And Santino, having inherited his family's position and now holding a seat among the Twelve of the High Table, has the authority to issue public kill orders."
"And let's not forget—Gianna D'Antonio was a High Table member. John killed her. There will be consequences."
······
(End of Chapter)
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