Chapter 6: Action
"Marcus, this is John. Now, I need your help with something..." To Castle's delight, John Wick was not a pedantic man. After understanding Castle's general plan, he promptly picked up the phone and called Marcus.
Two hours later, sitting in John's living room, Marcus listened to the backstory and Castle's plan. His first reaction was excitement: "John, I never thought I would have the honor of being ranked number one on your capable troublemaker list.
Even more surprising is that you would think to seek my help, hahaha..."
"Cut the crap, Marcus, are you in or not?" John was annoyed.
"Of course, I must join.
Just the chance to fight alongside the famed 'Night Devil', I must join!" Marcus laughed, his face creasing with joy.
At that moment, Castle said seriously, "So, our plan is this: Mr. Marcus, you will take care of Igor Tanasov, while young Tanasov will be John's target.
But there's one thing you must keep in mind, you must synchronize your actions with John's, ensuring that the Tanasov father and son are taken out simultaneously.
Because we can't afford the cost of failure! Do you both understand? Just make sure to take out both Tanasovs at the same time, so this matter can be chalked up to a 'personal vendetta,' and no one will put a bounty on our heads!"
"Understood," John and Marcus said in unison.
"Last night I had someone hack into Igor Tanasov's computer, and got his schedule for the upcoming week. According to Igor's itinerary, tonight at ten, he will be at their family's nightclub to meet with members of the Tanasov family.
And the good news is, young Tanasov will also be there, likely partying in the nightclub's underground pool.
This means, Marcus, you can pick a sniping spot on the street outside the nightclub, and try to take out Igor Tanasov while he's getting in and out of his car.
And John, you'll need to infiltrate the nightclub pool. This will also help disperse the Tanasov family's personnel after the incident.
John, can you ensure that you enter without being noticed?"
"Of course, I am the 'Night Devil'!" John Wick stated, as if it was a trivial matter!
After thinking it through one last time and not spotting any major flaws, Castle concluded, "So, the plan is set for now. I will be in a car in the back with monitors watching your actions and ensuring you can quickly escape after completing the mission. Do you have anything else to add?" To delve deeper into the story, as a writer, Castle had no choice but to participate in the action personally.
"Nothing else," the two replied.
"Then, let's end this matter." John Wick stood up, inaugurating this slaughter...
At 9:40 PM, Castle sat in the back of a GMC full-size SUV with a fake license plate.
The car was equipped with several monitors, displaying live HD camera feeds from John and Marcus, as well as surveillance footage from inside the Tanasov family nightclub. Strangely, footage from nearby street police cameras also appeared on the screens.
Castle was cursing at someone on the phone, "I asked you to hack into the nightclub, but I didn't ask you to hack into the NYPD's surveillance too!!"
A cheeky voice came through the phone, "From yesterday afternoon when you asked me to check the surveillance at that gas station, to tonight's request to hack the nightclub, plus the information you asked for last night. Uncle Rick, what are you up to? You think I don't know?"
"Kid, this isn't something you should meddle in!"
"No, Uncle Rick, I roughly understand your plan. I just want to help patch up the holes in your plan!
That includes NYPD, nearby shops, and bank ATM surveillance!"
"I know now, just back out! You can't be involved in this." Castle felt helpless, realizing he'd missed such a big flaw and needed the kid to cover for him.
"Alright then, Uncle Rick, let me say one last thing. After you leave, I'll completely erase any trace you three have left on the network. That's all I can do to help! And one more thing, you're welcome!!" The kid hung up the phone.
Marcus, who had been quietly listening to Castle's conversation through the comm earpiece, couldn't help but say, "Rick, your hacker friend is really amazing!"
Castle replied weakly, "Thanks for the compliment, Marcus.
Alright, it's 9:55 PM now. The surveillance has confirmed that young Tanasov is in the underground pool on the lower level, accompanied by four armed bodyguards, three of young Tanasov's lackeys, and several swimsuit-clad women. Only the four bodyguards pose a real threat. Also, note that Igor's car is about to arrive!"
At the sniper point diagonally opposite the nightclub, Marcus focused intently.
"John, are you ready?" Castle made his final check with John.
"Yes," John responded tersely, already in battle mode.
As several beams of light appeared, a Bentley followed by an armored Suburban slowly drove up to the front of the nightclub.
"Attention, Igor is here!" Castle alerted through the comm channel.
From the surveillance cameras, three bodyguards disembarked from the Suburban, positioning themselves at the front, rear, and rear door of the Bentley to keep watch.
The front door of the Bentley opened, and Igor Tanasov's personal secretary emerged, who then opened the rear door. The patriarch of the Tanasov family, Igor Tanasov, stepped out of the car, straightening the collar of his suit as he stood upright.
"Boom..." Suddenly, the loud report of a high-caliber sniper rifle echoed through the street. Marcus, proving his worth as John Wick's formidable ally, perfectly executed his part of the plan.
The villain Igor Tanasov, who had once forced John Wick to run amok in the original plot of "John Wick," was taken out as soon as he appeared, receiving his demise unexpectedly!
To his death, Igor Tanasov could not fathom that the reason for his head being blown off was simply because his damn son had his eyes on a car owned by someone very familiar to him, a killing machine!
Ignoring the disgusting sight of the bursting head in the monitor, Castle, suppressing the urge to vomit all over the screens, shouted, "John, now's the time..."
John, having already heard Marcus's gunshot through the comm channel, had been waiting in the nightclub's basement changing room for the right moment. As soon as the shot was fired and Castle's call came through, he began his own assault.
With a Glock 17 in each hand, John Wick, like a demon from hell, stepped out of the changing room. Within three seconds, his pistols fired four shots at the four armed bodyguards stationed in different directions. Each guard was hit with two bullets, one in the chest and one in the head.
In three seconds, all four fully-armed bodyguards were taken down by John Wick beside the pool.
Everyone else at the pool was stunned into silence.
Young Tanasov couldn't believe his eyes, completely dumbfounded: Is this the same guy I beat with a baseball bat yesterday?
With a 17-round capacity, John had no intention of changing magazines. After taking down the four bodyguards and ensuring there were no more threats in the pool, he slowly approached the four men still in shock in the water.
Several bikini-clad women, coming to their senses, began screaming in terror with their shrill voices.
The screams also snapped young Tanasov out of his daze: "You... what do you wan..."
"Bang, bang..." Again, a bullet to the chest and one to the head, John Wick, ever a man of few words and consistent with the original story, didn't let young Tanasov continue his tirade and mercilessly shot the man who tried to kill him and steal his car.
"Where is my car?" John's cold voice easily shattered the defenses of the young punk who had suggested that young Tanasov steal the car the day before.
"In... in... the alley behind..."
"Bang, bang, bang, bang..." Six consecutive gunshots ensured that apart from a few scantily clad women, there were no more living men in the bathhouse.
Eight dead bodies at the scene, all taken out by John Wick's signature double-tap shooting style.
This was part of the plan, to let the underground world know who was responsible while allowing the surviving women to spread the word about the cause of the incident.
Only by doing so, could the situation be confined to a 'personal vendetta.'
Watching through the live HD camera feed on John's person, Castle finally witnessed just how formidable his daughter's godfather was!
Barely keeping his composure after seeing people's heads blown off right in front of him, he quickly started the car, waited for Marcus to close the car door, and said into the headset, "John, mission complete, we'll meet at the safe house..."
"Received." John, finding his car keys in the changing room even after taking down eight men, remained unflappable.
As the dark GMC full-size SUV quickly disappeared into the night, Castle, who had just witnessed a series of brutal headshots, truly experienced what it meant to have the psychological makeup of a top-tier assassin for the first time.
"This guy, still as formidable as ever. I thought after resting for a few years he might have slipped a bit, but..." Marcus, having just reviewed the video playback, was also amazed by John's swift elimination of four individuals from different directions.
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