As Shiranui Hayate hung up the phone, Cross's expression shifted, turning heavy with a grim realization.
"Sloan and the others... they have officially placed a bounty on your heads?"
Hayate turned his gaze toward Cross, his eyes as cold as a frozen abyss.
"Cross, Sloan has issued a ten-million-dollar open contract through the Continental. His primary objective is to eliminate the team I dispatched to protect your son."
"I suspect they intend to use the chaos of the incoming hitmen to snatch Wesley away."
He paused, his voice hardening into a blade of killing intent.
"My subordinates do not fear those vultures, but it is an unnecessary headache. For your son's safety, we move immediately."
Cross knew Hayate spoke the truth, yet he still hesitated.
"I still need time. My bombs are not finished, and we need the rats. Thousands of them."
Hayate shook his head dismissively.
"Cross, your plan requires too much preparation. It is too slow. I possess something far more effective than your rat bombs."
"We strike tonight. Return and ready your weapons. Dragging this out serves no one but Sloan."
Cross studied Hayate's face, searching for a flicker of doubt. Finding none, he spoke solemnly.
"The Textile Mill is crawling with elite shooters, Hayate. Are you truly certain?"
"Go and prepare," Hayate replied with a thin, dangerous smile.
"Tonight, you will witness the true power of a Legendary Assassin."
Seeing that unshakable confidence, Cross did not argue further. He was terrified for Wesley's safety; if Hayate was ready to bet on tonight, he would push all his chips into the center of the table.
After the plan was finalized, Cross stood up to depart. He had firearms to prime and explosives to calibrate.
As he stepped out of Hayate's apartment and toward the elevators, he passed a delivery man—a tall man carrying a pizza box. Their eyes met for a fleeting second, but Cross gave it no thought. He pressed the elevator button and waited.
Inside the apartment, Hayate had just seen Cross out and was preparing for his daily system check-in.
Ding-dong!
The doorbell interrupted his thoughts. Hayate frowned. Had Cross forgotten something?
He walked to the door and pulled it open, only to find the delivery man standing there. Before Hayate could utter a single word, the man reached beneath the pizza box, drawing a handgun with practiced, lethal speed.
Hayate's reflexes were faster. Before the man could squeeze the trigger, Hayate's leg whipped out like a bolt of lightning.
He channeled his chakra into the strike.
THUD!
The hitman was sent flying backward, his body slamming into the corridor wall with such force that the concrete spiderwebbed. His head snapped to the side; he was dead before his body hit the floor.
As the man flew, the pizza box entered a state of free-fall. The lid flipped open, revealing the "toppings" inside.
"Damn it!"
Hayate cursed. It was no pizza—it was a sophisticated liquid explosive rigged with a leveling trigger.
Moving with explosive speed, Hayate lunged forward and snatched the box inches before it hit the carpet. With a violent heave, he hurled it toward the far end of the hallway and pivoted back into his room, pressing his back against the reinforced wall.
The entire sequence occurred in the blink of an eye. A second later—
BOOM!
A deafening roar shook the entire floor. The walls trembled, dust and plaster raining from the ceiling as the building's fire alarms began their shrill, rhythmic screaming.
Once the shockwave subsided, Hayate stepped out. The wall at the end of the corridor had been obliterated, a gaping hole letting in the cold New York wind.
"Quite the kick," he muttered, his voice low and dangerous.
Cross, still waiting for the elevator, heard the blast and came charging back. He found Hayate standing amidst the drifting smoke, unharmed.
"Hayate! Are you alright?"
Hayate's face was a mask of cold fury.
"I am fine. Cross, go. Finish your preparations. Tonight, I am burning that wretched Textile Mill to the ground and taking Sloan's head."
Seeing Hayate looking like a wounded lion ready to slaughter, Cross did not waste another word. He hurried away, his mind racing. If Hayate was being targeted here, what about Wesley?
Any hesitation he felt vanished instantly. He wanted to storm the Mill now.
As Cross disappeared into the elevator, Hayate's anger burned white-hot. It was not just Sloan's bounty; it was the sheer audacity of these Continental hitmen.
Did they believe the head of Feng Yi—now Shiranui Hayate—was so easily taken?
If that bomb had detonated in his face, even with his gear, he would have been badly wounded. Today it was a liquid bomb; what would it be tomorrow? TNT? Cluster grenades? A rocket launcher through his window?
"Sloan... you are a dead man walking."
Just as he turned to head back inside, his phone buzzed again.
"Hayate, do you need help?"
Hearing that familiar phrase, Hayate's face darkened further. The voice on the other end belonged to John Wick.
It was the exact same offer Hayate had made to John multiple times in the past. Now, the Boogeyman was returning the favor, word for word.
"It is a minor inconvenience, John. I can handle it."
"And your staff? Hotaru, Iruka, and the others?" John's voice was calm, yet persistent. "Can they weather the storm? You still hold my Blood Oath marker. Use it. Let me protect your people."
Hayate felt a surge of annoyance. John was clearly eager to clear his debt.
"John, do me a favor. Tell those Continental vultures to be careful. This is money they will not live to earn, and certainly will not live to spend."
"As for your offer... I appreciate it, but I trust my team's strength."
There was a pause. John Wick sounded almost disappointed. "Understood. If you change your mind, call me. I will have Winston spread the word."
Hayate hung up and looked at the dust-covered foyer. This place was compromised.
Time to move.
System Notification:
Check-in Successful!
Reward: 50 Gold Coins.
(Upgrade to VIP 4 to double rewards?)
He clicked the 'X' without looking, grabbed his coat, and walked out into the night.
The hunt was on.