"Didn't pay? What payment?" Ted asked in surprise.
"It's none of your business," John Wick replied coldly.
Ted was nearly speechless from frustration. He stared at John Wick for a long time, wanting to lash out, but then he remembered the video he had just watched. John Wick, armed with only two M1911 pistols, had fought his way from the third floor of the nightclub to the entrance, killing more than thirty of the Russian Mafia's henchmen in under twenty minutes. This skill made Ted hold back his anger.
He didn't think he could take down John Wick. If he were in Wick's position at that time, he would consider himself lucky just to escape alive, let alone kill his way out.
Since John Wick was a Continental Hotel assassin, the only thing he would want was money. Ted smiled slyly and asked, "What if I help Viggo pay the debt?"
"Sorry, money is only part of the payment. He owes me 120 Continental coins and..." John Wick glanced at Viggo, who was still pretending to be angry but now looked uneasy. Wick then stated an amount that made Viggo wince, "and $30 million."
"F***," Ted cursed, turning to Viggo with a vicious glare. "What the hell did you do to owe this much money?"
Viggo opened his mouth and stammered for a while before finally saying, "Five rivals and their bodyguards."
"Five rivals cost $30 million?" Ted asked, surprised. "Who were they? Do you take me for an idiot? How could killing a few people cost $30 million?"
Viggo scoffed and replied, "I have no reason to lie. A few weeks ago, some other gangs from different countries, who had grudges against us, and some politicians who were critical of us, were assassinated. You can ask around, it's not hard to verify. Two of them even tried to compete with Mr. Pushkin for the oil terminal. I had no choice but to hire assassins to complete Mr. Pushkin's task."
"Enough, no need to explain. I'm aware of the situation," a stern, menacing voice suddenly interrupted.
Viggo, Abram, and John Wick quickly realized the voice was coming from a phone placed on a nearby table.
Viggo and Abram immediately responded with respect, "Greetings, Mr. Pushkin."
"Yes, Viggo Tarasov, you did well with the oil terminal. The matter with Kosov ends here. As a reward for your loyalty, starting this month, you'll be responsible for a million barrels of oil being shipped weekly from Russia to New York. Don't disappoint me, Viggo."
"Y-Yes, Mr. Pushkin," Viggo replied, his voice trembling with excitement. But John Wick, standing behind him, suddenly had a bad feeling.
"Ted, your task now is to find Andre and his men. Those who steal from me never meet a good end. Their families will be dealt with when you return to Russia."
"Understood, Mr. Pushkin," Ted finally allowed himself a smile, which made John Wick realize that Ted was a sadist.
"Alright, that's all for today. Ted, pay off Viggo's debt with the check I gave you."
"Yes, sir," Ted nodded.
"Viggo Tarasov, continue to serve me well. From now on, your and Abram's earnings will increase by ten percent. Goodbye."
With a click, the phone disconnected. Even though Pushkin was no longer on the line, Viggo and Abram still bowed respectfully and said, "Goodbye, Mr. Pushkin."
After straightening up, Viggo smiled at Ted, "Thanks for the help, Ted."
"Heh, no problem," Ted replied with a forced smile, his expression sinister. He walked over to the table, pulled out a checkbook, and signed a $30 million check. Once signed, Ted sat back in his chair and waved John Wick over with a smile. "Since you're open to private contracts, how about working for us?"
Seeing the check, John Wick's icy expression finally softened a bit. He walked over to Ted, took the check, examined it for authenticity, and then placed it in his inner pocket. Smiling, he nodded at Ted, "Thank you."
John Wick then stepped closer and added, "Perhaps we can discuss the price and, while we're at it, I'll share some information you might want to know."
"Information I might want to know?" Ted was momentarily confused, thinking John Wick might be agreeing to his offer and was about to give him information on Andre. In that split second, while everyone was still processing what was happening, John Wick suddenly grabbed Ted by the hair and slammed his head into the table.
With a loud "bang," Ted, caught off guard by John Wick's sudden move, was knocked out cold as his head was slammed against the table corner.
As Ted lay there unconscious, John Wick said with a smirk, "Mr. Pushkin sends his regards, traitor."
What did that mean? The three Russian special forces soldiers who had just taken a few steps forward froze upon hearing this.
But that was exactly what John Wick wanted. Grabbing a pen from the table, he swiftly turned to the nearest, most unsuspecting soldier and stabbed the pen into his temple.
Without any hesitation, John Wick pulled the pen out, dodged a punch from the second soldier, and quickly stabbed the pen into the wrist of the man's right hand as he swung. Then, he delivered a low blow with his elbow.
Standing up, John Wick sidestepped a kick from the third soldier and then brutally kicked the man's supporting ankle.
With a sickening crack, the man's ankle snapped, sending him crashing to the ground. John Wick, showing no mercy, seized the moment to stab the pen into the back of his neck. As the man fell, John Wick stomped on his neck, breaking it with a crunch. The man instantly went limp, his body motionless.
Finally, John Wick took a few steps to the man he had elbowed, who was now bent over in pain, and delivered a savage kick to the back of his head. The kick was so forceful that it damaged John Wick's shoe.
Even if the man survived, he'd likely be left a vegetable.
After dealing with the three special forces soldiers, John Wick stood up, straightened his slightly disheveled hair and clothes with his blood-free left hand, and then walked towards Viggo, still holding the blood-stained pen.
Seeing the murderous intent on John Wick's face as he approached, Viggo was so terrified that he stumbled back several steps. But there was no way he could retreat faster than John Wick could advance.
When John Wick reached Viggo and didn't make any further moves, Viggo finally let out a breath of relief, though his eyes still darted nervously towards John Wick.
John Wick stood before Viggo, reached into Viggo's left breast pocket, and pulled out a white pocket square.
He unfolded the pocket square, wiped the blood off his right hand, then cleaned the blood off the pen. He capped the pen and gently placed it back in Viggo's left breast pocket.
"Thank you," John Wick said softly. "This pen is a gift to remind you of what happens to traitors. It should also remind you to pay my boss the money you owe. If even a cent is missing, I'll come for you. And don't forget the 120 Continental coins you owe me."
"F***, when did I owe you 120 coins?" Viggo cursed in rage.
"Just now," John Wick replied with a grin.
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