Hong Kong
John Wick studied the address the Fraternity had provided, then looked up at the building before him. Construction scaffolding wrapped around several floors, and the sound of power tools echoed from somewhere above. The structure appeared half-finished, caught between renovation and rebuild.
He double-checked the address. Correct.
He entered through the main doors.
A security guard materialized from the shadows near the entrance, positioning himself to intercept. John Wick spoke in fluent Mandarin.
"I need to see your leader. Xu Xialing."
The guard's expression remained neutral. He lifted a radio to his lips. "Someone here asking for the boss."
A brief pause, then the guard gestured toward the elevator bank. "Top floor."
John Wick crossed the lobby, his footsteps echoing on unfinished concrete. The elevator doors opened at his approach. He stepped inside and pressed the button for the highest floor.
The elevator climbed smoothly, then lurched to a stop several floors below the top. The doors didn't open automatically.
Someone pulled them apart from the outside.
A man with vibrant red hair grinned at him from the hallway. "Baba Yaga. Welcome."
John Wick studied the stranger. "Do I know you?"
The red-haired man pulled out his phone and turned the screen toward John Wick. A bounty listing glowed on the display, John Wick's face above a figure that made his jaw tighten.
"Twenty-two million dollars, open contract. That's impressive, brother."
John Wick's frown deepened, but he said nothing.
The man spread his arms in an exaggerated welcoming gesture. "I'm Jon. Welcome to the Golden Daggers Club."
The enthusiasm was so genuine, so unexpected, that John Wick hesitated. Then, almost against his better judgment, he accepted the brief embrace.
"I have an appointment with your leader," John Wick said as they separated. "Xu Xialing."
"Right this way."
Jon led him through a corridor that opened into a massive space. John Wick's eyes swept across the interior, dozens of individual fighting cages arranged in a grid pattern, each one a self-contained arena. Several were occupied, fighters circling each other while crowds watched from behind chain-link barriers.
Jon noticed his attention. "We run a multi-platform operation. Global reach through the dark web. We host fights, people bet on them from anywhere in the world. Millions flowing through the system every night."
He glanced back at John Wick, his expression almost hopeful. "With your current profile? Baba Yaga in the cage? You'd draw massive viewership. The betting would be insane."
"Not interested," John Wick said flatly.
Jon's shoulders slumped. "Shame. Would've been legendary."
They reached a door at the far end of the space. Jon knocked twice, then pushed it open.
The office beyond was functional rather than luxurious. Armed security personnel lined the walls, their attention fixed on John Wick as he entered. At the center of the room, behind a simple desk, sat a young woman with sharp eyes and sharper cheekbones.
John Wick approached the desk. "Xu Xialing. I'm John Wick. I'm here to acquire something from you."
Xu Xialing leaned back in her chair, regarding him with open curiosity. "The Baba Yaga. Legendary Continental assassin turned international fugitive. Your open contract numbers are quite impressive lately."
Her head tilted slightly. "What I find interesting is how a dismissed Continental asset made contact with the Fraternity. Care to explain that connection?"
John Wick considered his response carefully. "Fate."
Xu Xialing's eyebrows rose. A smile played at the corner of her mouth. "And what does fate require from me?"
"You possess a ball," John Wick said. "An orange orb with six stars embedded inside. A Dragon Ball. I need it."
He paused, then added, "The market value is approximately two million dollars. I'm prepared to pay double."
Xu Xialing showed no surprise. "I've seen your bounty listings. The Camorra offer included Dragon Balls, though different ones than mine. I've studied the object in my possession, remarkably durable. Bullets don't even scratch it. But its actual function?" She shrugged. "A mystery."
"You're collecting them from all over the world. That's not a casual hobby. Why do you need it?"
John Wick had prepared for this question. Ever since the Sand elder, he'd known others would ask.
"The Fraternity is testing me. They've tasked me with collecting all seven Dragon Balls. Complete the collection, and they grant me permanent asylum. This is their price for protection."
"They're also the ones who leaked information about the Dragon Balls to create my current situation."
Xu Xialing studied him for a long moment, her gaze sharp and assessing. "You've started a war. The Fraternity and the High Table are tearing each other apart because of you. Word is the High Table has suffered catastrophic losses."
"You certainly know how to make an impact."
She opened a desk drawer and withdrew a smooth orange sphere. Six red stars glowed within its depths, perfectly arranged. She tossed it casually from hand to hand, the Dragon Ball catching the light with each rotation.
"I can part with this. But what do I gain beyond money?" she said as she put the Dragon Ball back to the drawer.
John Wick's stomach tightened. She wasn't talking about cash. "What do you want?"
Xu Xialing's expression turned calculating. Memories flickered behind her eyes, old wounds, old betrayals. "A promise. Similar to the Continental's blood oath markers, but simpler."
"When I need your help, really need it, you give everything you have. No questions, no hesitation."
She'd considered demanding an actual marker, but John Wick's Continental status was revoked. Who knew if those contracts still held weight? Better to secure a verbal oath and trust his reputation for honoring debts.
As for the Dragon Ball itself? She'd found the thing on a beach years ago and kept it because it looked interesting. She'd only taken it seriously after seeing John Wick's bounty.
John Wick's jaw clenched. Favors were debts that could never be fully repaid. The blood oath he'd given Santino had destroyed his life, set him on the path that led here.
"Can we negotiate different terms?" he asked. "I see you run fight operations. I'll step into your cage. With my current notoriety, I'd draw significant betting action."
Xu Xialing considered it. The proposal had merit, Baba Yaga fighting in her arena would generate massive revenue. But then she thought about the longer game.
If John Wick's story was true, if he passed the Fraternity's test and became a full member, then a favor owed by someone with League backing was infinitely more valuable than one night's betting profits. Someday she might need the Fraternity's resources, and John Wick could be her conduit to that power.
She shook her head. "No. I want the favor. The promise."
John Wick exhaled slowly. "Not negotiable?"
"I can add money."
Xu Xialing smiled, and something predatory flickered in her expression. "John, this object means nothing to me. But to you? It's priceless. It's your life."
The words hit like a physical blow because they were true. Without all seven Dragon Balls, he had no wish, no resurrection for Helen, no escape from the nightmare his existence had become.
Two seconds of silence stretched between them.
"All right," John Wick said quietly. "You have my word."
Xu Xialing's smile widened. "I'll need a token. Something to make the promise official."
John Wick reached into his jacket and withdrew one of the specially crafted bullets the Fraternity used, a three-stage round designed for extreme-distance precision work. He placed it on her desk.
Xu Xialing picked it up, examining the craftsmanship, then slipped it into her drawer beside where the Dragon Ball had rested. She stood and extended the six-star sphere across the desk.
John Wick took it.
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