Ways to Deal with It

Squinting at the older man before him, Henry said with displeasure, "Why do I feel that you are also using this opportunity to test the limits of my abilities?"

"This is perfectly normal. We've taken on your business. If the work can be completed, that would be the best outcome."

Charlie Fisher took a sip of whiskey, then leaned forward, lowered his voice, and said mysteriously, "Actually, I have a simple way to solve this. Want to know?"

Tell me.

Charlie Fisher rubbed his fingers together and said, "As long as you can offer a reward, you can turn the tables and put one back on the bounty. Once things are settled over there, your one-month deadline isn't out of the question."

"Continental Hotel don't prohibit such things. The reason ordinary people can't do it is because we don't reveal who's offering the reward. But in your case, it should be quite clear who would do it."

"Besides, this so-called 100,000 bounty is not only an insult to you, but also not a good deal for a contracted gunman. There's no need to take it too seriously."

It sounds like an enticing suggestion, but there are actually many pitfalls hidden within. Henry looked at the pretentious old gunman. "Let me ask you a question first. There must be other pressures behind making my $100,000 bounty work."

Charlie Fisher's eyes darted around, and he replied vaguely, "Well, maybe yes, maybe no. After all, you should know that whether it's money..."

Gold Coin are not considered hard currency in Continental Hotel.

"Personal connections and rules are what matter. This world wasn't built by a few Jews. They control Wall Street; this place isn't their domain."

Henry feigned sudden realization, then smiled mysteriously and said, "Oh, I see."

"What do you know?"

"I know the Arden Family is still alive, which must be a problem for the person who wants you to say these things. So he wants everyone in that family to stay silent, but he doesn't want anyone to know that he was the one who made the move. So I'm a very useful pawn."

"So what do you mean? This is a good favor." Charlie Fisher didn't deny Henry's analysis.

Henry shrugged and said, "Unfortunately, I'm naturally rebellious. The more others want me to do something, the less I want to do it. If they want my help, they should just tell me to my face. Using these methods, seemingly for my benefit, is just... well, let's just say it's ridiculous."

"Besides, I'm a law-abiding citizen. How could I possibly offer a bounty for someone's life? Let's say each member of the Arden Family is worth 100,000. Even if we add up all the heirs, do you think 10 million would solve this? Do you think I'm a sucker?"

He profited from both sides, like a cow being skinned in two layers. He took all the beef and blood, leaving only the unwanted offal for himself.

They also have to shoulder the responsibility of slaughtering cattle when dealing with foreign powers. Are the people scheming behind this not Jews?

"Heh." Charlie Fisher chuckled, feigning ignorance. He simply wanted to remind the other party to eliminate the main heir, but instead, he misunderstood that Henry was aiming to clear the inheritance. He decided not to explain.

"A month, I guess. I can have some fun, put on a show, and deal with those bankrupt kids. Seeing Angel from heaven fall into Hell is actually quite interesting. Is that alright?"

Charlie Fisher raised his hands and said, "Of course I have no objection to your decision."

The way you're saying it makes it sound like things can still change.

"It was our manager who decided what to do. You don't think I have that decision-making power, do you?" Charlie Fisher shrugged.

Henry leaned closer and whispered, "Moonnie, are you on your period? Are you in a bad mood?"

"I'm her uncle, why would I hold a grudge about something like that?" Charlie Fisher said, shoving Henry's face away. He added, "But the fact that you have a girlfriend has definitely upset her a bit."

"It can't be that bad."

Charlie Fisher said very seriously, "You're very useful. But you ran off with someone. You don't think that's a trivial matter that people with a strong desire for control can ignore, do you?"

"She won't dwell on this all the time. But if she gets the chance to cause you trouble, it's hard for her not to take the opportunity to escalate things."

Henry said helplessly, "Is it really necessary?"

"Go talk to her yourself."

"When I heard you say that, I was already trying to avoid her, but she just walked right into my doorstep."

Having heard the information he wanted to hear and received a warning, Henry couldn't sit still and wanted to run away. He finally asked, "Charlie, what you just said, does it all count?"

"You ask this kind of question because you know the answer deep down, don't you?"

"The rules are the only ones that won't change; everything else can be used as a reference, right?"

Charlie Fisher smiled but didn't reply. Henry finished his coffee in one gulp and slipped out through the side door.

A few minutes after Henry left, Mooney Fisher appeared in the hotel's coffee shop, looking around. She approached her uncle.

Question: "Where is he?"

"As always, they ran away."

"Did someone notify him?" Mooney Fisher asked sharply.

"Who would dare on your turf?" After his teasing remark, Charlie Fisher added seriously, "And ever since he stopped Tinkerer..."

Who can stop him?

"Do you think he has abilities other than invulnerability? Like being able to foresee my arrival or something."

"Whether it's luck or some other ability, if he doesn't say it himself, it's hard for others to notice. It's like the intuition of some veteran assassins; can you categorize it as some kind of Mutants ability? But undeniably, it's very useful."

"Ptooey!" Mooney Fisher left with a grim expression. Charlie Fisher, on the other hand, continued drinking his whiskey as if nothing had happened.

Henry left the Continental Hotel and drove off, shaking off those trying to follow him. He deftly reversed into a dark alley, turned off the lights, and shut off the engine.

Watching the pursuers who had caught up with them from the hotel wander aimlessly through the nearby streets.

While sitting in the car, he was certainly not idle. Henry was thinking about the information he had received from Charlie Fisher.

Unanswered bounties will not be posted for more than a month. This is not a rule of thumb for Continental Hotel, but rather a customary practice.

The only target of the bounty is yourself; you only need to worry about whether it might accidentally harm others.

A bounty of 100,000 wouldn't attract highly skilled assassins or those with special abilities, unless the person is genuinely desperate for money.

But ever since Henry started dealing with the Continental Hotel, he's never seen a hitman do poorly. If their daily clothes and food aren't anything special, it just means they're not particular about their appearance, or they have a lot of safe houses in various places.

The biggest worry for contract assassins isn't a lack of money, but the possibility of running out of money during a mission.

Do you know why it's so popular in the US to unpack warehouses with expired leases and no one to take care of them? Has anyone ever wondered where these warehouses come from?

So there's no need to worry about top-tier assassins showing up just for a pittance of 100,000. For these kinds of people, maintaining their high-class image is essential. Just like luxury goods, they'd rather rot in a warehouse than lower the price to sell.

The only variable is whether the Arden Family is willing to keep raising the stakes, just to buy their own lives?

Therefore, the so-called one-month period and the fact that the only goal is himself are both subject to change. Even so, Henry must first find a way to get through this first month.

As for the assassins who came knocking, they were optional to kill or not. This was because the contracted gunmen of the Continental Hotel usually only made one move.

They would abandon the bounty after just one uncontroversial failure. Failure would mean they were incapable of completing the task. Anyone who lacked the insight and judgment to stubbornly insist on taking it would have been long gone.

They'd only consider trying again if they were so close to success. Otherwise, there's a personal grudge or some other reason why they have to complete the task.

Real professional assassins are all shrewd and calculating, adept at maximizing their chances of survival. Killing is never their primary objective; escaping unscathed and making money while still alive is what truly matters. Those crazy individuals who would rather die than lose are extremely rare.

However, passively retaliating is not a solution. Even if Henry clears out the Los Angeles area, as long as the hotel platform remains, the contracted gunmen of the Continental Hotel will continue to emerge.

Henry hadn't forgotten who he met during his first encounter with the Continental Hotel. John Wick, known as Baba Yaga, had come from the East Coast with the entire Russian Mob to provide support.

Moreover, frequent counterattacks easily expose one's abilities. Even if no witnesses are left, with enough deaths, anyone with a modicum of common sense will know there's something fishy going on.

This is why Henry didn't move a single person in the first wave of assassinations. If he had pushed things too far when he sensed the other side's indifferent attitude, wouldn't he have been forcing them to fight to the death?

How many people would have to die to achieve the effect of killing so much that others would be afraid and stop bothering him? Or how cruelly would he have to use to frighten others?

In fact, simply increasing the difficulty can deter many assassins who want to try their luck. The method is also very simple: just hire a qualified security team.

This is also the most common and effective approach for ordinary people; otherwise, the security company industry would have been eliminated long ago. Assassins who can enter and kill their targets with impunity are extremely rare.

Simply put, this is another problem that money can solve. It's not worth risking exposing more of your abilities and spending too much time dealing with the other party.

However, it's not simply a matter of hiring any security company and having them send Bodyguards to be on duty 24/7. Security personnel and companies in this world are rated, with different ratings having different hiring prices, the highest being AAA.

This rule seems strangely familiar.

However, Henry didn't want to go to the so-called top-level Bodyguards. He had too many secrets about himself, and it would be better to go through acquaintances he could trust. With that in mind, Henry took out his mobile phone, dialed a number he had never dialed before, and contacted a group of people he hadn't been in touch with for a long time.