John Wick - Chapter 34: Membership Revoked (Patreon)

By the time Winston arrived, four Continental security guards were already standing in the twelfth-floor hallway, all dressed in identical black suits. Each of them stood so straight it looked as though their posture had been measured with a ruler.

The man in charge was speaking quietly into his radio. The moment he saw Winston step out of the elevator, he immediately moved aside.

Winston wore a dark gray suit today, with a silver pin at his chest and a black cane in one hand. His leather shoes made almost no sound against the carpet.

His expression was calm. So calm that he looked as though he had come for a routine management meeting rather than to deal with an assassination attempt inside the Continental.

His gaze first fell on the receptionist lying on the floor.

The girl's body had already been covered with a white tablecloth, its edges soaked dark red with blood.

Winston crouched and gently tucked one of her hands back beneath the cloth.

When he stood again, his eyes had grown noticeably colder.

“Who did it?”

“That man.” Henry leaned against the gym doorway, still holding the Glock with its muzzle pointed at the floor. “He used a knife before coming in. There was something on the blade.”

“She didn't die easily. A shame.”

Winston nodded, his face utterly cold, then walked into the gym.

His eyes swept over the bullet holes in the wall, the projectiles scattered across the floor, the mangled folding knife in the corner, and Perkins leaning against the wall with gunshot wounds in all four limbs.

Without the human-skin mask, Perkins looked even more disheveled than before. Her blonde hair clung to her forehead with cold sweat, and her lips had gone completely pale.

But her eyes still held the calm of a professional assassin. She looked like a wolf caught in a trap. In pain, but still searching for an opening.

The man in the black jacket lay facedown on the floor like a dog. His wrist was bent at an unnatural angle, and low groans escaped his mouth.

Henry had stomped on it hard. That hand would probably never hold a knife again.

“Perkins.”

Winston spoke her name in an icy tone.

“If I remember correctly, your membership was personally recommended by the Third Seat of the High Table two years ago.”

Perkins said nothing. She only lifted her chin slightly.

“Killing someone on Continental grounds.”

Winston lightly tapped the tip of his cane against the floor, both hands resting over its handle.

“Miss Perkins, you broke the rules.”

His gaze shifted toward the receptionist's covered body.

“Your membership is revoked.”

“I know.” Perkins's voice was hoarse. She had noticed where Winston was looking.

“Sorry. I wanted the bounty, but I also wanted to stay alive. That girl recognized me from my build, so she couldn't be allowed to live.”

“Yes. She always did have an excellent eye and a good memory.”

Winston lowered his gaze toward the bloodstained cloth.

Then he asked, “Miss Perkins, is money really worth more than your life?”

“It's a lot of money, Mr. Winston.”

The female assassin grinned from where she sat on the floor, a faintly wicked smile appearing on her pale face.

Winston stared at her without expression.

For several seconds, he said nothing.

It felt as though some of the air had been drained from the gym. Everyone present could feel an invisible pressure radiating from the elderly gentleman in the gray suit.

It was the pressure of someone accustomed to authority. It had nothing to do with volume or physical intimidation. It came from the weight of his silence and his gaze.

Nate stood beside the bench, watching coldly. The pain throughout his body had eased somewhat.

He remained silent.

His instincts told him that this was not the time to speak.

“Take them downstairs,” Winston ordered the security guards coldly.

Then he looked at Henry.

“You're not hurt?”

“I'm fine. These two weren't anything special.”

Henry found a chair and sat down, holding his gun in one hand while rubbing his lower back with the other.

Winston's gaze then settled on Nate.

He looked the young man up and down.

Although his expression gradually softened, Nate still felt as if an X-ray were sweeping over him.

“Nate, come with me,” Winston said.

“Sure.”

Nate couldn't shake the feeling that there was something else behind Winston's gaze.

Nate followed Winston into the elevator and down to the second basement level, then through several rooms.

Eventually, they entered a chamber whose walls were covered in black patterns.

Perkins and the other assassin were already there, kneeling with their backs toward them and their hands bound behind them.

“You do it.”

Winston handed Nate an elegant suppressed pistol.

“Sure.”

Nate raised the pistol, but just as his finger settled on the trigger, he stopped.

“Wait.”

“What is it? Can't bring yourself to do it?” Winston asked.

“Wouldn't killing them here still count as breaking the rules?”

Nate looked at Winston while holding the pistol.

“This room is outside the hotel's boundaries. It's specifically used for executions,” Winston explained.

Pfft! Pfft!

Winston hadn't even finished speaking before Nate fired.

Blood burst from the backs of both assassins' heads, and they collapsed face-first onto the floor.

Just to make sure, Nate stepped forward and put another round into each of them.

[Eagle Eye (Lv2): Vision increased by 50%. Firearm Proficiency increased by 20%. (8/7) Conditions met. Requires 300 Resource Points to upgrade.]

Nate's mood immediately brightened.

Another gain.

Now he had two Traits ready to upgrade. He needed to find a way to earn more Resource Points.

Winston's eyebrow twitched slightly.

“Good habit.”

“Give me the gun.”

The older man held out his hand.

“Sure.”

Winston took the pistol, aimed it at the corpse of the man in black, and emptied every remaining round into him.

Nate's eyelid twitched as he watched.

Winston put the gun away without explaining himself and headed for the door.

“Come on. Let's go find Henry.”

After a few steps, the old man suddenly stopped.

He turned his head toward Nate and spoke with genuine sincerity.

“Nate, your talent... really is exceptional.”

“It's all right, I guess.”

Nate scratched the back of his head and brushed off the compliment.

Talent!

Nate suddenly froze.

He finally remembered what he had forgotten.

The Trait Viewer!

Why hadn't it shown anything?

Damn it. Getting up too early and not sleeping enough really did make people stupid.

Nate followed behind Winston and silently opened the system.

“System, why can't I see anyone else's Traits anymore? Was that Trait Viewer a one-time thing?”

[The Trait Viewer consumes 10 Resource Points per minute while active. Due to the Host's low remaining Resource Points, it was automatically disabled.]

“Damn you, system!”

Nate laughed in exasperation.

So it came with hidden extra charges too?

[Activate Trait Viewer? Remaining Resource Points: 72/8000.]

“No.”

Nate had no choice.

Henry wasn't here anyway. He could wait until they went back upstairs and there were more people around before turning it on.

His Resource Points were running dangerously low.

He had to start being economical.