While Zhang Jie was still sound asleep in bed, a meeting was already underway to assess the Blackthorn Castle incident.
In the dimly lit conference room, beams from the projector cut through the smoke-filled air.
Combat footage from Blackthorn Castle was playing on a loop.
Zhang Jie's HK416 bursts, Razor Woman's deadly ambush, James's precise tactical command... the screen froze on the moment Zhang Jie rolled to dodge bullets, his eyes sharp as razors.
"John has found a successor, I hope he won't end up like the last one..."
"His Shooting skills are decent! And his tactical thinking isn't bad either!"
"Although he's still a bit lacking, he's certainly commendable."
"Six months, from a third-rate hooligan to this level?"
Assessor Mike knocked on the table, "It's hard to believe this guy was a good-for-nothing thug just half a year ago!"
"So, how many stars should we give him?"
"Most of the missions he's completed during this period were one-star and two-star, with the only four-star mission being Blackthorn Castle."
"The Blackthorn Castle mission isn't enough to promote him to 3 stars, and his mission wasn't truly completed."
"Otherwise, just give him three stars."
"Are you kidding?" Someone scoffed, "This guy gets 3 stars?"
"3 stars? I say 2 and a half!" Someone retorted, "The Hunting Squad is the weakest team in the KH squad, and they still pushed him to the brink. If White Lion had been there, he would have died long ago."
Mike shrugged: "But he survived, and... his growth rate is astonishing."
"Alright, alright, I was just asking. After all, he's grown too fast. Even if someone was assisting him, his tactical and operational abilities are still quite good."
Assessor Mark could only say that.
"Indeed, among KH's combat teams, this one ranks last. Even so, he suffered severe injuries. Unqualified, needs more observation."
... The projection switched, the screen stopping on Zhang Jie's final Mozambique Shooting: two to the chest, one headshot.
"Look at this again."
The discussion continued, but Zhang Jie's star rating remained undecided. This was because many crucial combat videos were missing and could not be used as evidence.
—
In a luxurious apartment somewhere, Lisa leaned languidly on a leather sofa, holding her private terminal, her fingertips gently sliding across the tablet screen.
The surveillance footage from Blackthorn Castle clearly recorded Zhang Jie's every move: his marksmanship, his tactics, his composure in the face of death.
"How interesting..." She murmured softly, her red lips curving into a knowing smile, "I didn't expect you to survive, and to have improved so much, my dear."
Her fingertip paused on a close-up of Zhang Jie, her eyes gradually turning cold.
"It seems the 'accident' at the warehouse last time didn't take care of you... I was too confident."
Lisa stood up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking the New York nightscape.
"My dear, do you know... that you, alive, are actually more dangerous?"
She gently swirled her red wine glass, the amber liquid shimmering with an eerie light under the lamp.
"After all, dead men tell no tales... but living ones always tend to say too much."
—
At Black Rose headquarters, Serena sat in her office, quietly watching the screen. The moment Kate fell, the dagger in Zhang Jie's hand ruthlessly pierced her neck.
Her fingers unconsciously tightened, her nails digging deeply into her palm.
"Kate..."
This was the first time she had ever called her sister by name.
In the footage, Zhang Jie expressionlessly reset his wrist joint, his movements shockingly practiced.
Serena took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.
"The mission report said Kate voluntarily participated in this game..." She murmured to herself, "But why did you have to be the one to kill her?"
Her gaze shifted to a photo on her desk: the last group photo of her, Kate, and Catherine, all three sisters in Black Rose uniforms, smiling brightly.
"I will find out." She softly promised, "If KH is behind this..."
Serena's eyes became dangerous.
"Then the next target won't be you, Zhang Jie."
—
In MI6's secret briefing room, James Bond leaned back in his chair, a tablet in front of him playing the Blackthorn Castle footage.
His superior, M, sat opposite him, her eyes sharp.
"This Asian man, what's his background?"
James chuckled: "John Wick's apprentice, so poor he can't even pay rent."
M raised an eyebrow: "So, he's worth watching?"
"Worth it." James nodded, "Because he has a major grudge with KH."
"KH won't let him go."
"Likewise..." James turned off the video, his eyes deep, "He won't let KH go either."
"You're so sure?"
"Compared to him, I'm more concerned about whether MI6 is secure enough, and whether our intelligence agency is truly independent."
M's brow furrowed. She pushed aside a desk ornament, revealing a fingerprint verification device. As her fingerprint was read and verified, a switch rose up.
When the switch was flipped, all the doors and windows in the room were covered by descending aluminum panels, and the laptop in front of James suddenly went black.
"Now, tell me your suspicions..."
... In a safe house in the UK, John sat in front of a laptop, displaying Zhang Jie's combat footage.
He watched silently until the footage ended.
Then, he closed the laptop, picked up the glock 19 on the table, and slowly wiped it clean.
"Not enough."
He murmured to himself, as if judging, or perhaps anticipating.
"But... it's sufficient."
Overall, it's considered acceptable, after all, he returned alive.
Isn't that the best reward?
Then John took out his phone, composed a message, and sent it.
In the night, the phone screen on the bedside table suddenly lit up.
Zhang Jie jolted awake from bed, cold sweat soaking his back.
In his dream, the gunshots from Blackthorn Castle still echoed.
This mission was still too stimulating for Zhang Jie; it had made the kid a bit traumatized.
There was no avoiding it; high-intensity combat, with both body and mind operating under heavy load, where a slight lapse could mean death. How could he not be traumatized?
He gasped, looking out the window. New York's night sky was still bustling, as if nothing had happened.
New York was still New York.
But he knew some things had fundamentally changed.
"Damn it..." He rubbed his face, "This life is getting more and more exciting."
He glanced at the still-lit phone screen.
"Who is it? Sending me messages in the middle of the night?"
He opened his phone to check.
"Remember to take Hades for a bath when you get back. The dog food at home is almost finished. -- JW"
Hades was the name Zhang Jie gave John's second dog. John was too lazy and had no intention of naming it.
Zhang Jie typed a direct reply.
"Got it, you're so naggy! Be careful, I'll take good care of Hades, remember to reimburse me!"
He glanced at the time.
03:45
Still early, he tossed his phone aside and went back to sleep, pulling the covers over his head!
-----------------------
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