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Smith Doyle looked at the disconnected phone and curled his lip in disdain. He knew perfectly well what old Winston was scheming.
As for the Judge who had arrived in New York, he couldn't care less.
Even if she had the nerve to act, she would never dare to ignite a full-scale war between the Assassins' Alliance and the High Table. Still, he couldn't afford to be unprepared.
He himself needed to lead a team to Monaco to negotiate with the High Table Elders. Meanwhile, Cross and the Gunsmith would take another team to Paris to negotiate with another High Table Elder—Gramont, the High Table's chief executive.
As for the Camorra, the Mechanic and the Butcher were responsible for cleaning up the aftermath, while Mr. X remained at headquarters to guard against any sudden assault.
Elsewhere.
After hanging up the phone, Winston went to Room 217 of the Continental Hotel.
The Judge looked at him and asked,"What trouble have you run into?"
Winston shook his head."It's not that I'm in trouble. I've simply located John Wick's final hiding place."
That immediately caught the Judge's attention. Her mission this time was to punish every individual and faction that had aided John Wick.
"Who is it?" she demanded."You dare violate the rules set by the High Table?"
Facing the Judge's arrogance, Winston calmly spoke a single name:"Smith Doyle."
The Judge frowned slightly. It was not a faction she recognized.
"What force stands behind him?" she asked.
Winston thought for a moment before replying,"He's neither a member of the High Table nor a registered associate of the Continental."
"But in New York, there's a name that strikes fear into African-American assassins—the Black Hunter."
"According to my intelligence, he may be a member of the Assassins' Alliance."
At first, the Judge showed little concern. But the moment she heard Assassins' Alliance, she gave Winston a long, penetrating look.
"Anything else?" she asked.
Seeing that the Judge did not press further, Winston felt satisfied. His objective had already been achieved.
"No," he said.
With that, Winston turned and left.
Watching him go, the Judge recalled everything she knew about the Assassins' Alliance. Though she was young and had never personally fought against rival powers, she was well aware of this independent force that existed beyond the High Table's control.
The Adjudicator took out her phone and called the High-Level Intelligence Bureau.
"Identity verification: 3C434A21."
"Verification complete."
"Retrieve all information on Smith Doyle."
The intelligence apparatus went into immediate motion. After entering Smith Doyle's name into the system, staff retrieved a physical file and brought it to the service desk.
The operator extracted the documents, scanned them, and transmitted everything to the Adjudicator.
The Adjudicator received the files on her laptop and opened them at once, carefully reviewing the reports.
The dossier was extremely detailed, recording everything from Smith Doyle's first appearance at the New York Continental to the present. It clearly stated that he was not a registered Continental assassin and included identity analysis along with intelligence submitted by Winston.
The intelligence was divided into two sections: one compiled by Continental intelligence officers, and another uploaded directly by Winston in his capacity as hotel manager.
Winston's report clearly identified Smith Doyle as a member of the Assassins' Alliance.
After reviewing everything, the Adjudicator realized that matters involving the Assassins' Alliance were beyond her authority. She immediately forwarded the portion of the John Wick case involving the Alliance to headquarters.
Shortly after submitting the report, she received a response: the High Table would dispatch an envoy to the Assassins' Alliance. Her task was to deal only with illegal forces operating beneath the High Table.
Winston, however, had no idea that the Judge had chosen not to strike the Assassins' Alliance directly, instead reporting the matter upward.
It rained all day in New York.
That night, after receiving further instructions, the Adjudicator acted again.
She stepped out of a taxi and arrived at a small sushi restaurant—Hiraya Sushi.
Seeing a customer enter, the owner and head chef, Zero, greeted her immediately.
"Welcome."
"How may I help you?"
The Adjudicator took a seat, produced a gold coin symbolizing her authority, and placed it on the counter.
When Zero saw the coin marking her status as an Adjudicator, his expression turned solemn.
"I didn't expect the VIP to arrive so soon," he said.
The Adjudicator fixed her gaze on him."There is a task involving someone who violated the rules and openly opposed the High Table."
Zero paused his work and looked up."You mean John Wick."
"I have no students available to take on new lessons."
The Adjudicator continued,"John Wick—and everyone who helped him."
"You've heard of him."
"In the past week alone, I killed hundreds, all for the sake of—"
Zero finished the sentence calmly,"A dog… and a car."
"I understand completely," he continued. "And I'm very interested."
At that moment, Zero picked up a slice of pufferfish.
"Fugu. Lethally poisonous."
He placed it in front of the Adjudicator."No soy sauce."
The Adjudicator picked up the fugu without expression and placed it in her mouth.
Seeing this, Zero spoke solemnly,"I have always served the High Table. I will serve it until death."
He and his two disciples bowed deeply to the Adjudicator.
Having received Zero's confirmation, the Adjudicator collected the coin and left the sushi shop together with Zero and his students.
Assassins' Alliance — Headquarters.
A black Mercedes pulled up outside a textile factory. A large man in a suit stepped out, holding a black umbrella.
He walked to the entrance, rang the bell, and passed a letter bearing a special seal through the window.
Connolly accepted it casually at first—but when he saw the seal, his expression hardened. He shut the window and ran inside.
"Mr. X—the High Table's envoy has arrived."
Mr. X was surprised. He took the letter and confirmed the sender's identity, a thought flashing through his mind: Has the High Table discovered something?
Despite his suspicions, he gave the order calmly:"Connolly, bring him to the conference room."
The factory doors opened, and Connolly escorted the envoy into the Assassins' Alliance headquarters.
The envoy walked steadily behind him, eyes forward. Soon, they reached the conference room.
The envoy pushed open the door, removed his hat, bowed, and said,"Respected Mr. X."