Would Cola Worth One Gold Coin Taste Better?

The dump truck shattered the factory's silence with extreme brutality. After knocking one man flying, it kept charging straight at Wego's underlings.

The underlings panicked and immediately abandoned their boss, diving to the side to escape. No one could stay calm when faced with a dump truck.

Wego cursed his useless men inwardly. Adrenaline gave his aged body a second spring, and he barely avoided the oncoming headlights, brushing past death.

Boom!

The dump truck smashed through the factory's rear wall and kept going. Xiao Miao had already jumped from the vehicle midway, flipping through the air and landing steadily.

While everyone's attention was drawn to the dump truck, he pulled two Beretta M92s from beneath his arms and emptied their magazines at the underlings guarding the factory.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Thirty rounds were unleashed within seconds. The Tarasov Family's underlings had never expected the Night Demon to have an accomplice. With their attention diverted, they stood in place with their guns raised, practically a group of stationary targets, and Xiao Miao picked them off one by one.

With Level 7 handgun mastery, he might not have been able to hit moving targets with perfect accuracy through night vision, but stationary targets were easy. More than a dozen underlings fell like dominoes.

Some died from a single shot. The few who survived clutched their broken ribs and wailed continuously. Wego was so frightened that he immediately hid in a corner, with the gang's dog-headed strategist following close behind him.

"Shit, I've never heard of John Wick having an accomplice." Wego drew a pistol from his waist. It had been a long time since he had personally gotten involved, and his grip on the gun was somewhat rusty. At any real distance, he probably could not even hit his target.

But that was not a problem. He had not drawn his weapon to shoot the enemy, but to maintain his intimidation. Wego's gun vaguely pointed at the strategist and the underling beside him. "You two keep an eye on John Wick."

Then, from behind cover in the corner, he shouted, "Whoever kills the intruder gets a million dollars!"

A heavy reward would always draw brave men. The surviving underlings suddenly breathed faster, poking out with their guns and firing wildly at where Xiao Miao had appeared.

Xiao Miao had already hidden in a dark corner. Countless bullets struck the concrete floor, kicking up clouds of dust. Flying gravel sprayed everywhere, making the flashbang left on the ground spin continuously.

Hm? A flashbang?

Bang!

A brief, violent flash illuminated the dim factory. The blast and shockwave arrived together. The nearby underlings were instantly left dizzy and deafened, their vision filled with white.

Those farther away fared no better. Their shooting posture had left them exposed to the bright flash, and they dropped to their knees, weeping and howling in pain.

Xiao Miao had prepared for this. The flashbang affected him very little, and with his 8 points of Physical Constitution, the negative effects vanished in an instant. Holding pistols with fresh magazines, he stepped out from cover and fired.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

After another burst of gunfire, every underling stationed in the factory had been wiped out.

On the other side, John Wick seized the opportunity to strike, tackling the underling guarding him to the ground.

Although John's hands were bound by handcuffs, his extensive experience allowed him to grapple evenly with the much larger underling.

Seeing that things were going badly, Wego thought of running. As long as the green hills remained, there would be no shortage of firewood. Seeing John locked in fierce combat, he quietly crept toward the gap the dump truck had smashed open.

The dog-headed strategist followed closely behind his boss. Then came a gunshot, and the sound of a bullet entering flesh made both men shudder. The strategist looked down at his chest as bright red blood spread across his white shirt.

"Why... me..."

The strategist fell. Knowing he could not escape, Wego raised his gun and turned to fire back. After another gunshot, the pistol in Wego's hand was shot away.

Nearby, John Wick ultimately proved more skilled. He smashed his forehead into the underling's face, breaking his nasal bone, then violently stomped on the man's throat, crushing his larynx as he fell clutching his face.

The battle came to an end, and the factory fell silent. John and Wego exchanged a look, both understanding that the moment deciding their fates had arrived.

Tap... tap... tap...

The sound of leather shoes striking the floor drew closer. Under the two men's gazes, Xiao Miao slowly emerged from the darkness.

John and Wego: ???

Such a young Asian kid. With shooting like that, had he started practicing in his mother's womb?

Wego had no impression of Xiao Miao's face at all, and he cursed loudly. "#@￥Who the fuck are you?"

That earned him a bullet. It passed through his thigh, and Wego collapsed with a cry of agony that echoed through the factory.

"Getting old really does make you forgetful. I'm your creditor. Don't you remember?"

"Impossible!" Wego immediately bared his teeth in retort. "I—hiss... I remember every debt clearly. You've got the wrong person."

Xiao Miao raised an eyebrow. "Why don't you think about it again? You could also check your ledger carefully."

Wego: ...

John had fucking burned the ledger. Had this bastard been here all along, eavesdropping until now?

Xiao Miao pressed the burning-hot barrel against Wego's face. "Take me to your home and get the money. Once I have it, I'll leave. I guarantee I won't kill you."

Wego sneered. "Do you think I'm an idiot? Kill me, then. You won't get a single cent from me."

Wego was actually terrified of death, but he knew how to negotiate. The other party only wanted money, so he absolutely could not appear weak and easy to bully. Otherwise, once the man got the money, he would immediately kill him.

"You want his money?" John suddenly interjected.

Xiao Miao looked at John. "Yeah. I've been a little short on cash lately, so I had to get some from him—ptui... He owed me money and refused to repay it. I came to collect."

Ignoring Xiao Miao's emphasis, John said in a deep voice, "I know where Wego keeps his money. I'll take you there."

Wego: ...You know too much!

"Is that so? Then he's useless." Xiao Miao nodded and raised his gun at Wego, only for John to stop him again.

"Wait. His safe requires iris authentication. It's best to keep him alive."

Wego: ...

This was bad! There was a ninety-percent chance he would not survive today!

He wanted to speak up and argue for his own value, but Xiao Miao chopped the back of his neck with one hand. His eyes rolled back, and he passed out.

After fifteen days of practice, as well as studying and exchanging tips with the Jade River Society members, Xiao Miao had finally mastered the technique of knocking out captives with a single blow.

The feel was pretty good.

John Wick freed himself from the handcuffs and held out his hand to Xiao Miao. "John Wick."

Xiao Miao sensed that John's favorability had risen to Level 2. He reached out and shook the man's hand. "Xiao Miao."

One draw cost 100 Fate Points. He would not draw for now. There might be opportunities to increase favorability later, so he would wait.

The two men dragged Wego side by side toward the factory exit.

"Did you take a contract to kill Wego?"

"No, I really came to collect a debt."

"A veteran? I've never seen you before."

"That's right. I've been registered as an assassin for over twenty-five thousand seconds!"

"...You... have talent!"

Three days later, at the New York Continental Hotel!

The lobby, ordering area.

"Waiter~ Get me a bottle of '82 cola, glass bottle, with ice."

The waiter looked troubled. "Sir, we..."

Ding!

A gold coin flew from Xiao Miao's hand and landed on the tray in the waiter's hands.

People did not get rich without windfalls. After taking down Wego, Xiao Miao's pockets were now quite full.

The waiter swiftly pocketed the coin and instantly put on a smile. "Sir, please wait a moment."

A short while later, the waiter brought over a glass of cola and set it before Xiao Miao. The ice clinked crisply against the glass as bubbles rose and burst.

Xiao Miao picked up the cola and took a huge gulp, then leaned back comfortably in his chair, lowering his eyes to browse the menu in his hand.

Would cola worth one gold coin taste better?

No!

Judging by taste alone, it was no different from the kind sold at roadside shops, but...

Cola worth one gold coin felt better to drink! It gave him the pleasure of ravaging money and trampling value beneath his feet!

"Heh, sugar-coated capitalist bullets!"

As an outstanding young man of the new era, Xiao Miao deeply despised this kind of hedonism and extravagance.

As the saying went, without investigation, one had no right to speak. Before thoroughly criticizing the corrupt tendencies of capitalism, Xiao Miao decided to offer himself to the tiger and investigate it thoroughly.

The results were terrible, and the problem was serious. He decided to extend the investigation period and not overlook a single detail.

Creak~

Charon sat across from Xiao Miao, glanced at the cola on the table, and smiled. "Mr. Smith, it seems you successfully got your money."

Xiao Miao looked away from the menu. "What do you need?"

People did not visit temples without a reason. The hotel manager was busy enough already; he would not come over just to chat, even if Xiao Miao had just saved his good friend, Master Yeah.

Charon took a document from his jacket, placed it on the table, and pushed it toward Xiao Miao. "There is an urgent contract. It is unsuitable for beginners, but I believe it meets your requirements."

"Let me see..." Xiao Miao picked up the document.

"Hmm... Leave immediately for Paris, France. Accompany the client and, within ninety-six hours, locate and rescue a hostage from an Albanian Mafia force numbering in the hundreds."

Wait, why did this plot development feel somewhat familiar?