American variety show: The Godfather, the Peace Ambassador, what the heck?

Chapter 74 Living towards death
John Wick, Soviet—Belarusian, born Jodani Jovonovich, also known as Jonathan Wick.

As the gang's "second boss," Abram knew Night Demon all too well. Night Demon had played an indispensable role in the gang's current success.

But the more I understand, the more terrified I become.

Abram had heard his brother tell the legend of a pencil killing three people countless times.

He can already recite it backwards!
“I can’t order John around,” Abram shrugged. “He’s Vigo’s personal assassin, and he only takes orders from Vigo.”

"This is not something I need to worry about."

Luca shook his head. "You brothers can discuss it slowly. If you want to get involved in the port, then you'll have to put in the effort. And the person from your family who has helped me the most is Mr. Wick."

SSR will definitely be of great help.

Abram thought for a moment and left with a tactful statement that he still needed to discuss it with Night Demon, but this did not significantly affect the gasoline tax business that the two were destined to cooperate on; it was just a matter of how to distribute the profits.

When they left, only Jimmy and Luca were there.

"Old Pigeon, is this Russian reliable?"

“There is no absolutely reliable person in this world.” Luca shook his head. Even a pure person like Night Demon had wavered between the High Table Elder and the hotel manager “Winston,” struggling with the decision of who to kill.

“What ultimately determines a person’s actions is their inner beliefs.” Luca looked back at the auto repair shop. “Abram is a man who can assess situations. He’s afraid of Night Demon, and he’s also afraid of me. As long as I’m alive, he won’t dare to do anything rash.”

Looking at Luca's young face, Jimmy lowered his head slightly.

Even the most skilled Night Demon is just a pure assassin, while Old Pigeon...
Jimmy is increasingly looking forward to seeing how far Old Pigeon can go in his lifetime.
"The butcher is much smarter than John."

In the opulent office, Abram puffed on a cigar and remarked, "I'm not surprised that the Mafia approached us to cooperate on the petrol tax business. Even if they hadn't come, I would have gone to them. Originally, I was thinking of going to the Colombo family."
But unexpectedly, the Butcher found out first; his intuition is sharper than other members of the mafia.

At this point, Abram picked up a business card from the table—SSR Club.

This was left behind by Luca before he left.

"He's quite shrewd in business. What kind of deals does this club run behind the scenes? Drugs? Brothels?"

“It seems like there isn’t any, but there is a casino,” Oriol explained.

"casino."

Abram shook his head. "There's not much of a future in running casinos in New York. The real Mafia casinos are all in Las Vegas and Atlantic City. It's a pity we missed out on the development of Las Vegas, and we can't even get a foothold in Atlantic City. Fuck! The Mafia has swallowed everything up!"

Atlantic City is located south of New York, next to Philadelphia, and is controlled by the Philadelphia Mafia.

Two years ago, Atlantic City legalized gambling, and the Philadelphia Mafia took off immediately, making a fortune.

Behind the Philadelphia Mafia is the New York Gambino family.

The Philadelphia boss also has voting rights on the Mafia Committee, and when he is absent from meetings, he delegates the voting to the Gambino family boss—the two families have a very good relationship.

"I hate the Gambino family the most. Why isn't that old bastard Gambino dead yet?"

Abram cursed, then picked up his coat, stood up, and said, "Let's go find Vigo, talk about what happened earlier, and ask Night Demon what he thinks."

Three hours later, Abram received an answer that left him utterly speechless.

—It seems like Night Demon is in love?

This joke went a bit too far.

The Night Demon, a figure revered by all in the underground assassin world, how did he end up being kidnapped by a woman?
Luca learned of this news much earlier than Abram.

Ever since he learned of Night Demon's existence, Luca had been secretly gathering intelligence. He even knew which company the woman Night Demon liked worked for.

Knowing someone's name and occupation, it's not difficult to investigate an ordinary woman.

At this moment, Luca is practicing swordsmanship with Oren Ishii at the club.

During a break, Luca asked, seemingly casually, "Have you ever heard of the Night Demon?"

Ishii Oren's expression was serious. "I know him! He's quite famous at the Continental Hotel in Japan. He's a top-tier assassin with extremely high skill levels; rumors say he's never missed a shot. Do you want to take him down? If we're going to kill him, we need to be fully prepared beforehand, otherwise..."

"Wait, that's not what I meant."

Why would I kill Night Demon? Luca smiled like an aunt. "Can you believe it? A world-class assassin, a figure feared by countless people, his cold heart could be captured by an ordinary woman. Love truly is the most mysterious force in the world; even assassins cannot resist it."

"."

Ishii Oren was stunned. Assassin? Love? What on earth is this?
The style of the painting changed too quickly. She stared at Luca's well-defined profile and quietly looked away.

If you're going to talk about killing, then kill. What's the point of talking about love?
Oren Ishii: "So, to deal with this kind of killer, we can capture his lover and use her to blackmail him."

Luca: "."

Stealing cars and killing dogs is already excessive, but capturing the Night Demon's woman? Wouldn't that mean she'd be obliterated by the Great Dao?

That said, what terminal illness did Night Demon's partner actually have?
cancer?

At this point in time, is the patient already infected? Is there any hope of recovery?

Luca saw an opportunity to quickly get close to Nightmare and gain his trust.

“Mr. Wick is my friend,” Luca said with a smile.

“Private Marseille! I misunderstood.” “I’m so happy he’s found his true love.” Luca said with emotion, standing up. “Ms. Ishii, let’s continue.”

"Eh?"

"Sword practice."

"Oh"

Two days later, in the afternoon.

At a New York newspaper office, Helen is organizing the photos and materials she has taken, intending to submit them to the editor-in-chief.

As a photographer, this is her daily work.

Just then, the editor-in-chief suddenly entered the office lobby and announced, "Everyone has worked hard lately. Let's take a break from the NYPD news for now. Tomorrow night, the newspaper will be hosting a party; everyone is welcome to bring their families and friends."

The sudden news sent the entire hall into a frenzy, with many employees shouting that it was a brilliant decision.

Helen was surprised, but she joined her colleagues in applauding.

But I was torn: should I go alone or bring my friends?
Or should we invite Mr. Wick, whom we've only recently met?

She asked curiously, "Editor-in-chief, where is the party being held?"

"SSR Club!"

The editor-in-chief explained with a smile, "This party is sponsored by the club for free. They are also planning to advertise with our newspaper. You can bring your cameras tomorrow and go there early in the afternoon to scout out the location and take photos. By the way, if you want to invite anyone, give me the list and the number of people, and I will hand it over to the club."

The next afternoon.

New York, North Shore of Long Island.

In a beautifully landscaped community, there is a courtyard surrounded by cherry and magnolia trees.

A strong man with a full back tattoo stood in the bathroom; the various scars and marks represented his past experiences and glories.

After taking a shower, John Wick stood in front of the full-length mirror, changed into a well-fitting casual suit, shaved, and styled his long, center-parted hair meticulously.

He's going to a party tonight.

A face he could never forget appeared in his mind.

She was such a gentle and intellectual woman that he fell in love at first sight—the two met at a seaside restaurant, where Helen was taking pictures outside the window with her camera.

She looked at the camera, and he looked at her.

The sea breeze that swept through the hall carried her scent, and he remained silent for a long time, realizing that his heart had never been so calm.

After getting dressed, John left early and headed to the agreed-upon place.

SSR Club.
I happen to have something to talk to Pigeon about.

Bronx, SSR Club.

Luca is directing his staff to set up the party venue.

I've arranged this gathering tonight to build up my bond with Night Demon.

"Luca, is this a bachelor party? Who's got your eye on?" Jimmy looked at the social events and dances at the party and smiled knowingly.

Don't worry about me, Luca commanded, "Bring over a few more Silver Queen plants. Tonight, there will only be happiness, no worries!"

Just as the employees were preparing, William came over to deliver the news.

"Old Pigeon! Mr. Wick is here!"

"Ok?"

Luca looked surprised; this guy was here pretty early.

A moment later, Luca arrived at the club lobby and saw a man in a black suit. The man was standing sideways beside the landscaped terrace, intently watching the Silver Queen.

[Rare Card Discovered: John Wick]

John: SSR

[Source: The John Wick series]

[Skills: Rapid Pursuit, Suit-Wearing Thug, Dog-Protecting Maniac, BABA Yaga, Living by Death]

[Bond: Strangers]

When Luca saw the skill "Living Towards Death," his gaze wavered for a moment.

The effect of this skill is too overpowered and very abstract, and it runs through the entire original storyline.

He stepped forward, and the distinct sound of his footsteps caught John's attention. John turned around and saw the peace ambassador with a familial smile.

"Mr. Wick, welcome to the SSR Club."

(End of this chapter)