Chapter 19: Officially Begins
The news of the million-dollar bounty on "John Wick" was amplified by Tony Stark's considerable influence. Major newspapers splashed it across their front pages, electrifying New York City's police officers, citizens, and bounty hunters. This windfall significantly boosted Yang Xu's burgeoning "small treasury."
His reputation points steadily climbed, fueling his ambition: "If news of the mayor's kidnapping breaks, I can accelerate my progress to the Bronze Tenth Round." Unfortunately, the mayor's disappearance was deliberately hushed up over the next few days. His absence was explained away as a health issue, preventing his attendance at public events.
While ordinary citizens remained oblivious, the truth circulated among the city's elite. New York City maintained a façade of calm, masking the underlying turmoil. Yang Xu's system updates revealed numerous individuals secretly searching for the mayor, most aggressively, Kingpin, the Hell's Kitchen crime boss.
This clandestine search further increased Yang Xu's reputation, bringing him closer to his "Bronze Ten Consecutive" goal. His desire to leverage the mayor's kidnapping intensified, but he ultimately reconsidered. He knew the public's attention span was limited; revealing too much at once would cause them to forget past events, negating the reputation gained from the hotel robbery.
He waited a week, allowing the reputation boost from the robbery to diminish. Then, he contacted the Joker, and together they brought the Mayor to Times Square. With the Joker's highly-paid mercenaries, they stormed the New York Times building.
The building's security guards were easily overpowered. Yang Xu enjoyed the luxury of having god-tier teammates, leaving the heavy lifting to them. The mercenaries swiftly disabled the security system, subduing all employees.
A sharply dressed man, Murphy Johnson, the New York Times editor-in-chief, stood beside Yang Xu. He surveyed the armed mercenaries and asked, "Mr. John Wick, how can I help you?"
"Regarding that front-page bounty, we'll have it canceled immediately and ensure it doesn't happen again!" He couldn't understand why these mercenaries weren't targeting Tony Stark, the one who issued the bounty. Why the New York Times?
Yang Xu, looking at the cowering hostages, addressed the smiling Joker: "I need you to help me with a live broadcast—a shocking one!"
Murphy's blood ran cold. "A live broadcast?! The kidnappers want a shocking live broadcast? This is terrorism! Hijacking a television station is no different from crashing a plane into a tower!"
Ignoring Murphy's terror, Yang Xu ordered the mercenaries to locate broadcasting staff. Under duress, they complied.
Yang Xu then messaged the Joker, awaiting his arrival.
Meanwhile, a van carrying the New York mayor sped toward Times Square. The mayor, nervously scanning the armed mercenaries, sought an escape. He found none.
"Boss is fast! Still en route!" one mercenary said.
"Then let's have some fun…" The Joker dialed the police: "New York Police Department? Reporting a crime! The New York Times building is hijacked. The mayor's here. Send help!" He hung up and tossed the phone out the window.
The van arrived. Mercenaries dragged the resisting mayor out. Yang Xu approached the Joker: "What's the plan? Expose his scandals?"
The Joker's jovial demeanor vanished. "Scandals? No! Good drama needs proper foreshadowing. His misdeeds are boring, like garbage."
"Then what?" Yang Xu asked.
"I've planted bombs all over New York! I want explosions! To blow everything up! I want the sound of explosions echoing throughout New York!" The Joker's excitement was palpable. "Oh, I almost forgot, besides planning, the Joker's talent is… explosions! Wherever he goes, there are explosions!"
Yang Xu realized what had been a constant throughout: not the madness, blood, or deception, but the sudden, explosive transformation of stability into utter chaos.