John Wick - Chapter 94: The Jackal Has Quite an Appetite (Patreon)

“Ugh...”

The Jackal was already weak, and that impact left him seeing stars.

His body was twisted awkwardly against the seat, so Charles weakly turned to Elena beside him for help.

“Beautiful lady, mind giving me a hand? I don’t have the strength to move.”

Elena hesitated for a moment, then pulled him back against the seat and fastened his seatbelt for him. As soon as she was done, she quickly put some distance between them.

“Thanks,” the Jackal said gratefully.

“You’re welcome,” Nate chimed in.

The Jackal turned to stare at him without saying a word.

“You know John?” Nate asked.

“Of course.” The Jackal answered without hesitation. “Who in this line of work doesn’t?”

“So you were pretending when you said you didn’t know about the Continental?”

“Yeah.” The Jackal nodded.

Nate looked confused. “Why bother pretending? What was the point?”

“We just met. I have to keep a few things to myself. Besides, pretending to be a clueless newcomer makes it easier to blend into a new group...”

Yep. That was the Jackal all right.

In the original series, the Jackal had always been extremely cautious, even bordering on paranoid. Nate had assumed that side of him developed a few years later, but apparently not. The signs were already there.

The Jackal was about to explain further when Nate cut him off.

“You’re British. Is there a Continental in the UK?”

“Yes...” the Jackal replied.

“Then why don’t you take contracts through the Continental?” Nate asked in surprise. “It’s safe, reliable, and at the very least you won’t get cheated out of your final payment.”

The Jackal’s expression stiffened.

After hesitating for a moment, he seemed to organize his thoughts.

“I looked into it. Once you join an organization under the High Table, you lose a lot of freedom. And if you ever want out, the conditions are ridiculous.”

“I don’t want to be an assassin for the rest of my life. What’s wrong with making enough money, retiring, and living comfortably?”

Nate had no answer.

He glanced at John.

“He makes a really good point. I’ve got nothing.”

The Jackal continued, “More importantly, the Continental may offer security, but the bounties are too small. They also take a ten percent cut from whatever you earn.”

“And contracts worth several million barely come around once every few years. Most jobs only pay a few hundred thousand. How long would it take me to save enough at that rate?”

“The risk and reward just don’t match up. For me, working independently makes more sense.”

“How much were you getting for John’s contract?” Nate asked.

John also turned to look at Charles.

Charles looked slightly embarrassed.

“One and a half million upfront, with another one and a half million after completion. But since I failed, I’ll have to return the money I already received.”

“That’s not even that much. And why would you give it back?” Nate asked in disbelief.

“I’m just starting out. I need to maintain some professional integrity, all right?” Charles said stubbornly. “Besides, taking the contract on Mr. Wick wasn’t entirely about the money.”

“Then what was it about?” Elena suddenly looked interested and leaned closer. “Don’t tell me you’re a fan of John too.”

“Uh... no.”

Charles looked awkward.

After a short pause, he continued.

“Reputation. I haven’t been in the business long. If I succeeded on this contract, my reputation would skyrocket. My value would rise with it, and making money afterward would be much easier.”

“Wow. You really are practical,” Nate said.

“How much are you trying to save?” Elena asked curiously.

“At least a hundred million dollars. Once I have that much, I’m retiring.”

Charles answered without hesitation.

“Damn. You’ve got quite an appetite.”

Nate said nothing else. He started the car again and continued driving.

It was almost dinnertime. They needed to get back for dinner.

“Ding. Five million dollars has been credited to your membership account.”

Nate’s phone chimed with a deposit notification.

Gianna’s transfer had arrived.

The Jackal immediately looked over.

“That... what was that?”

“Money I just earned. And by the way, I haven’t been in this business very long either. Not even a week.”

“The New York Continental pays that well?”

Charles’s eyes practically lit up from the back seat. He suddenly seemed more energetic.

John thought for a moment before turning toward the Jackal.

“Your information isn’t entirely accurate. The Continental does have high-value contracts. There are private bounties involving the assassination of political figures from various countries, and those usually start at ten million.”

“Really?” the Jackal asked in surprise.

“The hotel manager personally assigns those contracts to top assassins. Most people never even get the chance to hear about them.”

“So I need to become one of the best?” the Jackal asked.

“Yes.”

“Then what are we waiting for? I’m in!”

The Jackal suddenly became fired up.

Is that the Stimulant Injector talking?

Why does he seem so excited?

Nate couldn’t remember seeing the Jackal act like this in the TV series.

Elena seemed to be growing more interested in him, and before long, the two of them were chatting back and forth.

As Nate drove, he suddenly remarked, “Looking at it that way, independent assassins actually have it pretty good.”

John thought for a moment before shaking his head.

“Both sides have their advantages. Independent assassins may get higher-paying contracts, but there’s no guarantee you’ll have work every year. Without a reputation, going several years without a single job is normal.”

“And even when you do get one, there’s no protection. Clients can refuse to pay the rest. You have to arrange your own weapons, intelligence, escape routes, and safe houses.”

“Most importantly, if you’re outside the High Table’s system, you have to worry about the police while you’re working.”

“The Continental’s regular contracts may not pay as much, but they’re safer, guaranteed, and come with support services. The top assassins still earn plenty.”

“The downside is that getting out is difficult. And sometimes the High Table assigns you jobs you can’t refuse.”

“So it’s hard to say which option is better.”

“All right, John. I’m getting tired. You drive for a while.”

“Sure.”

They pulled over and switched seats.

Nate settled into the passenger seat.

“System, view Traits,” Nate thought.

[Trait View function activated.]

A warm sensation washed over the surface of Nate’s eyes.

Through the rearview mirror, he watched the two people in the back seat continue chatting.

Alexander Duggan

[Thousand Faces (Lv. 5): Disguise accuracy increased by 150%. Disguise speed increased by 200%. (17/25: Remain undetected after using a disguise.)]

[Long-Range Shot (Lv. 4): The farther the target, the higher the shooting accuracy. Once the target is beyond a firearm’s standard effective range, bullet hit rate increases by 55%. (3/15 long-range firearm kills.)]

[Misfortune] (debuff): Each kill reduces Luck by 10%. The lower the Luck, the higher the chance of a misfortune event occurring. When Luck reaches zero, a random misfortune event occurs immediately.

After a misfortune event occurs, Luck resets to 100%.

Misfortune events include: failing to collect the final payment, being hunted by the police, your girlfriend suddenly losing her mind, getting harassed while driving, and so on.

Damn.

This guy really was unlucky.

Even Nate couldn’t help laughing when he saw that Trait.

...