Chapter 155 No, thank you, I'm working...
Elio happily reached a consensus with John. As long as Elio killed Santino, so that he would not have the chance to take out the blood oath and state his demands, then John would certainly not have to work for him!
John Wick, who was nearly in big trouble, was much more sincere this time and asked him again, "Would you like some tea?"
"No, thank you. I'm working."
Elio, sitting on the sofa, waved his hand, but then happily scooped up the pit bull rolling on the floor and caressed it all over in front of its owner. Whether it genuinely liked him or simply obeyed its canine nature, the pit bull licked him enthusiastically, making Elio laugh. But then, as John watched, the puppy quickly shook its head and leaped from Elio's lap into its owner's arms.
Elio casually wiped his face with his sleeve and stood up to take his leave. John, holding the dog, agreed to the assassin's move to the rooftop and quickly disappeared. Elio ignored him and remained crouched on the roof, intent on waiting for Santino to arrive.
Santino, completely oblivious to this, drove right into the assassin's waiting area. When Elio realized he only had two cars, he couldn't help but laugh from his perch on the rooftop. He wondered if those two cars would be enough for John Wick or Elio.
If he had planted a bomb in the driveway, Elio could have easily dispatched them. But since they were on someone else's doorstep, Elio decided to be more discreet, pulling out his silenced pistol. He waited patiently until the two cars were turned off, blocking John's entrance.
Dong, dong. Santino got out of the car and rang the doorbell himself.
The gentle and beautiful tones echoed throughout the house. John stood barefoot on the floor inside, slowly loading the gun in his hand; he had originally planned to bury everything in the ground, but Elio's arrival disrupted his plan, and the "Night Demon" accidentally activated his equipment.
John Wick saw Santino, his coat-draped figure patiently waiting by the door. It was true he had once generously helped John, but even a man like John knew that was the devil's generosity. Now he was coming to collect his debt. And nothing could stop John from returning to peace.
However, at that moment, a line of blood splashed on his door. There was a commotion outside the door, flashlight beams flickered, Santino's men shouted "assassin", gunshots rang out; the pit bull whimpered and growled, and John saw Santino at the door fall down like a piece of wood and fall down the stairs.
"Silence," John ordered.
The pit bull stopped barking and just stared at him eagerly.
"Stay here," John said. Then, he strode forward, rushing out of the house. Almost at the same time, Elio swooped down from the sky and killed the man closest to the rooftop. As he pulled the hidden blade out of the man's neck, the assassin was surprised to see that John was also sweeping across the Black State, killing everyone.
"What are you doing here?" Elio asked in shock.
John thought for a moment and said, "Clean up the scene."
Hei Bang climbed into the car and flicked on the headlights. For a moment, the light was blinding, as bright as daylight; he thought it would stop the two killers, or at least disrupt their rhythm. Instead, John Wick simply closed his eyes and killed three more people relying solely on his memory. Elio calmly pulled his sunglasses from his chest pocket, draped them over his face with one hand, and used the other to throw a smoke bomb.
In this white smoke, Santino's men fell one by one. A Black Gang member stumbled to the back of the car and opened the trunk. Although they came in small numbers, they were well prepared, even carrying a rocket launcher. But just as he fumbled out the rocket launcher, ready to fire it recklessly, John Wick emerged from the smoke.
The Black Gang member quickly raised his rocket launcher. But John was faster than him. He just raised his hand and flicked it, and a dagger shot out and pierced the Black Gang member's forehead.
The bazooka crashed to the ground with a thud.
John walked forward and checked the ammunition in the trunk.
Elsewhere, Elio opened Santino's suit coat and pulled out a rather refined object from his pocket. It resembled a small mirror, with skulls carved on the front and back, all in the style of the High Table. When he opened it, he could see a fingerprint condensed from blood.
"That's mine," John said. He had walked over from the car and was looking at Elio squatting beside Santino's body.
"Here." Elio tossed the thing to him. "Don't make a vow to someone like that next time, Mr. Vic."
John held the blood oath in his hand and smiled faintly. "John," he said.
Elio understood, "Elio."
The two legendary killers, now known by their Christian names, shook hands cheerfully. John generously paid for the "dinner," essentially the cleaning up after the murder. Elio didn't refuse when John asked if he wanted chocolate milk. They each enjoyed a warm drink and sat comfortably on the doorstep. The body cleaners were working outside, towing away two cars.
"Aren't you worried about offending the De Antonio family?" Elio asked him.
Elio privately speculated that the "Night Devil" would say something like, "Maybe D'Antonio is worried about offending me." In the end, John just responded calmly, "I don't think Gianna will bear a grudge against me for this."
Elio smiled. He could tell that this Gianna had a personal relationship with John in his early years, but he didn't ask any further questions. He just clinked glasses with John, just like John Wick didn't ask him if he was worried about offending the D'Antonio family.
In this respect, the High Table is probably no different from the Knights Templar. They create rules only to bend them to their will, not to constrain themselves. When the rules go against them, they act like ordinary shrews, feigning ignorance of what Santino is planning to do with the blood oath. There are only twelve seats, and they want to leave them to their children! What if one of their children uses this thing to kill their preferred heir?
Besides, it was Gianna who survived. The future head of the De Antonio family had no objection, so they could only watch with regret.
After all, Santino was killed before he could even open his mouth. Given this, the High Table could barely hold its nose and consider this a sign of respect for the rules.
As for that blood oath...
Although they all doubted that John had taken it directly from Santino, Jaina claimed that she inherited her brother's legacy and gave the Blood Oath to the Vongola. The Vongola X denied any involvement, but accepted the badge of honor that could command John Wick once, and then gave it to the Night Stalker Freedom.
What a happy ending! John Wick is free, Jaina retains her seat, the Vongola X remains virtuous, and as for the assassin named Elliot Smith...
No one knew of his involvement. Elio was content to remain anonymous, but even more so, to have finally killed off the Templars on his list.
Galahad also learned about this and called to congratulate him. "Now, I'm the only one left on your list, right?"
"Are you asking me if I'll hunt you down?" Elio asked directly.
Galahad remained silent in reply.
"You've provided me with weapons and intelligence, and even a super cool motorcycle." Elio knew he wouldn't admit it, so he answered directly, "Besides that, you've helped me a lot, Galahad. As long as you don't do anything bad, I won't kill you."
"Bad things?" Galahad repeated in a strange tone. "I'm the gang leader in Chicago, Elio, in case you forgot. My job is to do bad things."
Elio rolled his eyes. "If you're really a bad guy, Alvin will be the first one who won't forgive you. If nothing else, I'm hanging up now."
He was too busy to play games with the Templars. For example, right now, he was in Italy again. Jaina's coronation would be held at the Colosseum in Rome, and the Vongola had been invited. Of course, there was no need for the Tenth Vongola to attend in person, but it was still necessary for a few family members to make an appearance.
Elio was also included. He had been feeling resentful about not having the chance to see Willow (but there was no other way; work came first, and he and the Tenth Vongola had no personal relationship, so he had to act appropriately); but when he heard that family and friends were encouraged to bring along, Elio immediately brightened up.
After inquiring about the feasibility, he directly invited Willow to come over. He'd heard it was a great place for young people to have fun—though Elio, upon hearing that, inquired, like a brother, "Are you a fan?"—with pop singers, dancing, and cheerful Italians. Willow, at her playful age, readily agreed and said she'd bring a bunch of friends.
Elio was shocked when he learned about it: What gift should he prepare for his sister's friend?
Finally, at Rokudo Mukuro's suggestion, he prepared a set of gentle hand cream and a shiny, sharp dagger for each person. "Girls nowadays like this," Rokudo Mukuro told him firmly, "For example, my girl..."
Then Elio had to listen to him talk for a long time about how cute Chrom was.
Luckily, Willow and her friends really liked the idea. Willow got off the plane and rushed over to Elio the moment she saw him. Elio was nearly knocked off the plane. It hadn't been that long, but Willow, raised by the Avengers, had grown taller and stronger, and Elio wasn't prepared at all. Afterwards, the older brother happily picked up Willow and weighed her. Willow happily jumped a few times, "I thought you'd quietly died!"
“What else can I say?” Elio said with a smile, “Next time I die, I’ll find a way to let you know.”
Willow was furious and slammed her head against Elio's. Elio, dizzy, held his head. He almost didn't recognize that among Willow's friends were two he had met before, Cassandra and Stephanie. Another was Yelena, rumored to be the Black Widow Natasha's non-blood sister, and noticeably older than the other three. Elio, delighted, shook hands with each of them and handed out gifts: Willow had made a lot of friends, out of his sight!
Little did Willow know that she had the same idea: Elio had made a lot of friends in places where she couldn't see him!
But that feeling quickly turned to doubt after Elio readily covered all their bills, and then to fear after he slipped her a Centurion supplementary card. Centurion! Isn't that the legendary top-tier black card with its own assistant? No wonder Elio had booked a hotel for them right after landing, taking them out for a trip straight after they landed, and making sure their luggage would be safely delivered to their hotel!
Willow wanted to ask Elio what bad things he had done to make money quickly. But when she thought about it carefully, they assassins always did bad things to make money quickly!
But assassins shouldn't make money so quickly. Willow was puzzled for a long time, and finally grabbed Elio and asked, "You don't want to pay this money back, right?"
“It’s a supplementary card,” Elio said, not understanding. “Of course I paid it back.”
"Of course I know this common sense!" Willow muttered, grabbing the corner of Elio's jacket. "I'm asking you..."
Just then, Rokudo Mukuro greeted Elio and asked when they could go to Jaina's party together. Seeing the man with long, flowing hair, so beautiful and bright that his face could almost kill, Willow's eyes widened in shock: As expected, he's Italian... No, what the hell is Elio doing?!
Elio, not knowing what Willow was thinking, patted her head. "This is Rokudo Mukuro, the guardian of the Vongola Mist. He's a very powerful illusionist."
"I'm the world's number one illusionist." Rokudo Mukuro corrected his wording, then bent down and greeted Willow with a smile, "I'm a good friend of your brother!"
Elio denied, "No."
"That's too hurtful!" Rokudo Mukuro said this and walked away with a smile.
Willow greeted him politely, then looked at Elio silently.
"Elio," she asked, "have you sold yourself?"
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Author's words: Willow saw Rokudo Mukuro and said: Wow, Italians still eat better...
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