"Hello, Charon, it's me."
"Mr. Tao Pai Pai, please speak."
"I'm taking the Russian Brotherhood mission. Don't let others interfere, or don't blame me if there's friendly fire."
Without waiting for a response, Leo hung up the phone.
Sometimes assassins would fight each other over jobs to compete for performance. The reason Tao Pai Pai's reputation was so prominent was because Leo had once directly killed dozens of competitors while doing a mission.
Walking out of his room, he was going to see his old friend next door, who wasn't in very good shape right now.
Coming to the hallway, he could clearly hear muffled fighting sounds and pained cries.
Leo didn't stop, kicking open the door of room 808 and walking in leisurely.
The man and woman grappling inside both froze, staring blankly at him.
Among them, the man even called out in surprise.
"Leo... Tao Pai Pai?"
"Long time no see, you've gotten so weak, John."
Leo shrugged, looking at the man with a smile: "How about it, need my help?"
Hearing him say this, the woman's expression changed slightly. Taking advantage of John Wick's distraction, she kicked him away, rolled to the broken glass, and picked up the gun that had fallen to the floor.
Then she raised it, aiming at Leo, her movements quite smooth and seamless.
"Watch out!"
John shouted, but it was already too late.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three consecutive gunshots, sparks flying from the muzzle.
Leo seemed to move, yet seemed not to move. The two only saw a blur before their eyes, then nothing happened.
"No, impossible!"
The woman's face was full of disbelief. Those three shots—two to the chest, one to the head—were standard Mozambique Drill.
Why hadn't a single shot hit when Leo clearly hadn't made any movement?
"Perkins, you brought this on yourself."
"Originally I was planning to spare your life."
Leo said slowly, casually opening his right hand. Three flattened bullet casings fell to the ground with crisp clinks.
Perkins' pupils suddenly contracted.
She remembered the legends about Tao Pai Pai—this person was like a ghost or god, and ordinary firearms couldn't possibly harm him.
Once, someone had sent an elite squad to ambush him, but the final result was Tao Pai Pai walking out of that abandoned factory completely unharmed.
Originally, Perkins thought it was just exaggerated rumor and hearsay.
But today she finally witnessed it firsthand.
This wasn't a rumor!
It wasn't a rumor!
Perkins had already developed thoughts of retreat, preparing to abandon this business, but Leo wouldn't give her such a chance.
Since she dared to make a move against him, there was no need for her to remain in this world.
Bang!
Like teleportation, he appeared beside Perkins and punched her in the stomach, without any trace of mercy.
Perkins' eyes bulged almost out of their sockets, her stomach churning violently.
"Wait, she's still useful!"
Before John could finish speaking, Leo's movements were much faster. His fist used a bit more force, and like throwing garbage, he threw Perkins out the window.
"What, you want to take advantage while she's warm? Perkins did have a good figure."
Having done all this, Leo turned around to meet John's somewhat helpless gaze.
"Leo, don't joke around. I'm not in the mood right now."
"But regardless, it's good to see you."
John gave Leo a hug.
He had wanted to interrogate her for some information about Viggo, which was why Perkins had survived until now.
Unfortunately, she encountered Leo.
"Alright, if you want to know something, just ask that old fox Winston."
"With something like this happening at the Continental Hotel, he'll definitely have to provide some compensation. Come on, accompany me for a drink."
John put his hands on his hips and shook his head helplessly.
"I guess that's the only option."
...
"So you're saying that because of a dog, you killed dozens of your former boss's subordinates and are planning to kill his son, then retire again?"
In the nightclub, Leo held a glass of juice, listening to John Wick tell his story.
On stage, sexy dancers swayed their fiery bodies, causing wave after wave of screams.
However, neither of them was in the mood to watch.
"No, that wasn't just a dog. It was a gift from my late wife, my reason for living."
John drained the whiskey in his glass and looked at Leo.
"On the other hand, although I've been retired these years, I've heard the name Tao Pai Pai so often my ears are about to develop calluses."
"Life forces one's hand. If I wasn't short on money, who would want to come to this godforsaken place?"
The conversation between the two was very casual, like old friends of many years.
Which was indeed the case.
Several years ago, John Wick hadn't yet retired and was the most famous assassin in the New York area.
Meanwhile, Leo had just entered the profession. Although his strength was formidable, he had also caused many embarrassing incidents.
For example, due to face blindness, instead of killing the target's brother, he accidentally killed the brother who was the mission publisher.
By chance, John Wick heard that Leo's voice sounded very young, like an elementary school student, and advised Leo to turn over a new leaf.
Then he got beaten up.
Through fighting they became friends. John taught Leo quite a bit of experience.
Even though most of it was useless, Leo still appreciated the sentiment.
Later, when John wanted to retire, his former boss Viggo issued an impossible mission.
Leo provided a tiny bit of help, allowing John to retreat completely unharmed.
This made John very grateful to him.
For friends he acknowledged, Leo naturally wouldn't hide his identity anymore. After John retired, he revealed his true face.
This made John question reality for a long time—so this Leo...
Was really a damn elementary school student?
Elementary school student Assassin King...
This world was absurd enough.