The car sped through the dark, damp streets of London. The mood inside was heavy, smelling of sweat, cold air, and the faint, acrid tang of gunpowder. Xu Xialing stared out the side window, the city lights blurring past, her own reflection a cold, impassive mask.
She wasn't satisfied with tonight's outcome, but she'd confirmed one thing. The other party genuinely possessed a Dragon Ball and a gold coin whose purpose she didn't yet understand.
She had a choice now. Tell her father about it.
She pictured Xu Wenwu, his imposing silence. With his strength, he could crush that entire nest of creatures and take the Dragon Ball easily. But the thought left a sour taste in her mouth. Xu Xialing was ambitious. After her mother's death and her brother's escape, she had never received the life she wanted from her father. After mastering her martial arts, she'd run away and built the Golden Daggers from nothing, brick by brick.
More importantly, in all the years since she'd left, her father had never once come looking for her. That silence told her everything about how much he valued her.
She clenched her fist on her knee. She couldn't tell her father. But she needed to understand these enemies and the meaning of that gold coin.
She turned from the window, her voice sharp. "Airport. We're going back to New York." She looked at her lieutenant. "Contact the club. Get all our best people ready to move."
As the driver changed course, Xu Xialing pulled out her phone. The screen's light was starkly bright in the dark car. She found the contact and pressed call. It rang twice.
"John, it's Xu Xialing."
John Wick sat on the edge of his bed, the sound of his wife's steady breathing soft beside him in the darkened room. He kept his voice low. "Ms. Xu. Have you decided how to use the token?"
He hoped she'd use it soon. The longer she delayed, the more difficult resolving the obligation would become, and the higher the price would grow.
Xu Xialing ignored the question. "John, do you know about the people in London who control Dragon Balls? Why don't bullets affect them? And they have a gold coin. Fraternity emblem on one side, a Dragon Ball on the other. What's it for?"
John paused, rubbing his forehead. "Seems you've already engaged them. Is this the information you want to exchange for the token?"
Xu's voice turned to ice over the phone. "John, is your promise worth so little? Tell me what I need to know. After that, I'll decide how to use the token and free you completely."
John sighed, the sound barely audible. He'd known giving away that token would be trouble. But he'd had no choice at the time, not if he wanted the Dragon Ball. As far as he knew, other organization members hadn't given out any tokens. Instead, they'd gained favors and similar obligations by eliminating criminals and evil forces. Even the boss he followed had gained massive goodwill killing Black Widows and liberating Natasha's family. Comparing himself to others just made him look worse.
"I hope you actually use the token this time," he said, "instead of wasting my goodwill again."
He explained. "The Dragon Ball holder in London is a vampire. That's why ordinary firearms barely damage them. Powerful enough weapons would still work. Blow them to pieces, and their healing probably can't recover from total destruction. Their status isn't low, either. They likely have their entire coven's support for collecting Dragon Balls."
Xu Xialing gripped her phone tighter. That explained the nighttime meeting and the impossible bullet resistance. Actual vampires. Knowing their weaknesses made dealing with them manageable.
"What about the gold coin?"
"Those are battle tickets our leader gives to Dragon Ball holders. Only ticket holders can participate in the Dragon Ball competition."
"I don't have a ticket or a Dragon Ball," she said flatly. "I tried to take one today. Is there a penalty?"
John's tone was unconcerned. "Tickets haven't all been distributed yet. This is a grace period. If you obtain a Dragon Ball now and hold it for a certain time, our people will find you and provide a ticket."
"Thank you for the information."
There was a brief silence on the line. "Have you figured out how to use the token?" John asked again, needing to close this.
Xu Xialing's mind raced. She stared at the rain that had begun to streak the car window. She knew she couldn't delay anymore or keep using the token to extract information. After seeing how powerful those vampires were, she wasn't confident she could steal their Dragon Ball before all the tickets were distributed. That woman already had one. Maybe all of them would be distributed by tomorrow.
"John," she said, her decision made. "I want to exchange the Fraternity token for a Dragon Ball battle ticket."
John felt a wave of relief. At least obtaining a ticket wasn't impossibly difficult. Still, he had to ask, his voice serious. "Xu Xialing, are you certain you want to exchange your token for a ticket?"
"I'm certain. The token for a ticket."
She'd wanted to exchange it for the Dragon Balls directly, or even for the qualification to make a wish. But that was obviously impossible. Even if John promised, the Fraternity would never agree. There was a saying: if you can't solve the problem, solve the person who created it. By using the token, she was solving her "problem" with John.
"Come to New York," John said. "Bring the token. I'll give you the ticket."
"I'll be back tomorrow." She hung up.
John Wick ended the call and placed the phone on his nightstand. He looked at his wife, Helen, sleeping peacefully, and gently kissed her forehead before leaving their bedroom, closing the door with a soft click.
A line of light still shone from under the guest room door. Koji's daughter, Akira, was still awake, but he didn't disturb her.
He went downstairs, his steps silent, and headed straight to the gravity room. The muffled thud of heavy impacts confirmed it. The boss would still be training.
John stood by the reinforced door, watching through the small observation window. Inside the gravity room, Smith Doyle, drenched in sweat, saw him. He didn't pause his fluid exercise routine.
"Ready to break through your limit?" he called out, his voice slightly tinny over the intercom.
"Chief, it's about the token I gave out earlier."
Smith stopped his routine immediately. The heavy hum of the gravity generators wound down. He exited the chamber, grabbing a towel from a nearby rack. "Seems Xu Xialing finally decided to use it. What's she exchanging her promise for?"
Smith already knew everything about John Wick's token. After all, he'd authorized it. Not everyone had one. Even the Fraternity's top leadership only possessed one each. A second token couldn't be issued until the first was redeemed. The relationships among Fraternity members ran deep, far deeper than the Continental Hotel's blood markers, which involved only individual killers. These tokens represented the full organization's support when necessary. The leadership were either elders who'd raised Smith or childhood friends like Wesley and Fox.
If they asked, even Smith would help personally.
"Boss, Xu Xialing wants a Dragon Ball battle ticket."
Smith wiped his neck with the towel, his tone casual, as if discussing the weather. "No problem. Promise her."
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