John Wick - Chapter 107: Another Use for Iron Severing (Patreon)

Nate started by getting the potatoes ready. The kitchen was actually better equipped than the one back at his restaurant, so making enough food for a dozen people wouldn’t be a problem.

He took the ingredients out of the refrigerator and set them aside, then activated [Poisoning] to check whether anything had been tampered with.

Though even if something had been poisoned, it wouldn’t really matter. [Poisoning] allowed him to alter the effects of toxins.

The chef’s knife in Nate’s hand suddenly began spinning.

He wasn’t twirling it between his fingers. His palm was completely flat, yet the knife simply spun there as if suspended in midair.

Ever since acquiring [Iron Severing], Nate’s knife skills had improved tremendously.

Before, he had still been within the realm of an ordinary professional chef. Now, while he wouldn’t claim to be on a Michelin-star chef’s level, the visual effect alone was already impressive as hell.

Gianna noticed what he was doing and stared in amazement.

“Mr. Lin! How are you doing that? Is that inner energy? So Chinese people really do know kung fu!”

Nate smiled.

“No, ma’am. Just a little trick.”

Showing off a little managed to satisfy his vanity.

John explained from the side with a hint of pride, “Nate is very good with a knife. At least when it comes to knives, I’m not as good as he is.”

Gianna’s eyes widened.

“He’s that good?”

Gianna had seen John in his prime.

She had been there when he killed three men in a bar with a pencil. In her eyes, the John of those days had been the strongest man in the world, without question.

But during the assassination attempt that afternoon, she had already witnessed Nate’s marksmanship firsthand.

Now she was hearing that his knife skills were even better than John’s.

Admiration immediately appeared in Gianna’s eyes. Nate was incredibly capable, and he was still so young. The thought of recruiting him naturally crossed her mind.

Then she turned and looked at the man beside her.

John was also watching Nate with appreciation.

Almost immediately, she decided John was still better.

Thoughtful. Dependable.

Young men were still a little too restless.

Chop, chop, chop, chop, chop.

The rapid sound of the knife striking the cutting board filled the room.

Gianna watched as the chef’s knife in Nate’s hand practically blurred, quickly reducing the onions, garlic, herbs, vegetables, and other ingredients into neatly prepared portions.

Nate never stopped moving.

His left hand brought over one ingredient after another while his right hand worked at incredible speed.

Everything was quickly cut, prepared, and placed neatly into separate containers. Before long, the ingredients had piled up into a small mountain.

Nate checked the time.

Less than twenty minutes.

He had already prepared enough ingredients to feed ten people.

Before acquiring [Iron Severing], the same amount of prep work would have taken him at least an hour.

His knife skills had already been good to begin with, but [Iron Severing] had taken them to another level.

Ingredients that had once taken time and effort to prepare now offered almost no resistance.

Naturally, his speed had increased dramatically.

He heated a large pan and added oil.

Once it was hot, meat and vegetables went in over high heat. Garlic, onions, and herbs followed, releasing their aroma almost instantly.

Seasonings went in one after another.

Heat surged from the pan as the fragrance spread throughout the room.

Once the dish was finished, Nate plated it, transferred it into a food container, and covered it to keep it warm.

Then came the next dish.

And the next.

The process repeated over and over.

Gianna’s door wasn’t locked, and the aroma drifting through the hallway eventually lured Elena over.

Cassian, meanwhile, was still stocking vegetables and meat in the refrigerator.

Even so, every so often his nose would twitch and he would glance toward the kitchen.

The ventilation in this hotel really isn’t very good.

A little over thirty minutes later, everything was finished.

Nate checked the roasted potatoes he had prepared earlier. By now, they had cooled to just the right temperature.

He checked the time.

It was already past eight.

Everyone had probably been hungry for a while.

Cassian and John helped carry the food to the table while Elena stood nearby clutching her plate and fork, clearly eager to start.

Roast chicken, beef stew with potatoes, garlic green beans, creamy mashed potatoes, sautéed vegetables, baked pasta, meatballs in tomato sauce, and roasted cauliflower.

Eight simple dishes in total.

He had made plenty of each dish and placed serving spoons with everything so everyone could simply take whatever they wanted and put it on their own plates.

Nate had also done his best to make the meal suit everyone’s tastes.

Elena took the plate Nate handed her and immediately perked up.

“Let’s eat! Let’s eat!”

She grabbed a serving spoon and piled some meatballs onto her plate.

Without even waiting for them to cool, she stuffed one into her mouth.

Her eyes immediately lit up.

“Hot... but so good!”

She quickly took some mashed potatoes, added a spoonful of beef stew, and promptly buried herself in the meal.

Watching Elena eat with such enthusiasm gave Nate an indescribable sense of satisfaction.

This was exactly where the joy of being a cook came from.

“It’s hot. Slow down.”

Nate served himself some roast chicken as well.

Cooking this many dishes was real work, and he was hungry too.

Crispy on the outside, juicy inside.

Not bad at all.

Food really was best when it had just come out of the kitchen.

“Nate, this is only the second time I’ve had your cooking, but you’re seriously good,” John said with a smile after taking a bite of the beef stew. “Teach me sometime. I’m terrible at cooking.”

“Sure.”

Nate nodded and spooned some mashed potatoes onto his plate before adding a little gravy on top.

Table manners.

Eating with a group was a little more troublesome than eating alone.

Cassian ate silently beside them, but compared with John, he was clearly eating much faster.

John and Gianna were sitting together.

Every so often, Gianna would glance at John while she ate.

Cassian noticed.

His eating speed increased even more.

“I’m finished.”

Cassian gently set down his plate and fork, then immediately got up and walked away without looking back, as though he were trying to escape the room as quickly as possible.

Nate watched him leave and sighed quietly.

Poor bastard.

Gianna clearly preferred the tomato-based dishes and anything with garlic.

Elena kept her head down and focused entirely on eating, occasionally flashing Nate a smile without even glancing toward John and Gianna.

Nate had expected her to react badly to the sight.

But apparently not.

No bloodbath after all.

What a shame.

“Thank you for going through all this trouble, Mr. Lin,” Gianna said.

“It’s nothing.”

Nate took another bite of his food.

“John doesn’t have many friends. As his partner, I have to look out for him.”

John said nothing.

He simply smiled at Nate.

“Thank you, Mr. Lin.”

Gianna set down her fork, her expression unusually sincere.

“No need to be so formal. Just call me Nate.”

Nate couldn’t help thinking that maybe a few years from now, he’d end up calling her his sister-in-law.

“All right.”

Gianna smiled, looking noticeably warmer toward him.

“Nate, have you ever considered working somewhere else?”

Elena’s expression changed immediately.

Still holding her plate and fork, she stared straight at Gianna.

“I’ll pass, Gianna. Mob work really isn’t my thing,” Nate said, casually brushing off the offer. “To be honest, I’ve only been an assassin for a few days, and I already kind of miss being a chef.”

Elena immediately went back to eating.

John, meanwhile, looked like he understood exactly what Nate meant.

“Why?” Gianna asked, confused. “You’re this skilled, and you don’t want to continue?”

“Being an assassin is a job. Being a chef is a way of life.”

Nate smiled.

“But before I go back to cooking, I’ve got some unfinished business to take care of. Right, John?”

John set down his plate and fork.

He seemed to know exactly what Nate wanted to hear.

In a deep voice, he answered,

“Yeah~”

John had obviously figured out that Nate loved hearing him say it that way, so he played along.

The two looked at each other and smiled knowingly.

After dinner, everyone returned to their rooms to rest.

For safety, Cassian, John, and Gianna would stay in the same room, with Cassian and John taking turns standing watch through the night.

Nate would take over John’s shift tomorrow, so Elena wouldn’t be needed.

Lying on his bed, Nate idly scrolled through the system interface.

He had acquired quite a bit of new equipment, but he still couldn’t settle it yet.

Then an idea suddenly occurred to him.

“System, can the Operations Base be transferred?”

Before the system could answer, his phone buzzed.

A text message had arrived.

It came from an unfamiliar number.

Tomorrow, an expert is coming. Be careful!

“Who the hell is this?”

Nate sat up in bed.

Someone immediately came to mind.