300 gems = bonus chapter
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New York Public Library.
You might find it hard to believe, but Ferdinand was beginning to think he possessed a genuine aptitude for reading. He sat in the library, engrossed in a novel he had heard originated from the East, savoring every word. Although some nuances were likely lost in translation, it was still a revelation for him, like a wild boar discovering fine bran for the first time.
"Oh my goodness, this is beautiful," Ferdinand murmured, wiping tears from his eyes with a tissue as he reached a particularly moving passage, his face a mask of emotion.
His younger brother, Roman, sat beside him, utterly speechless.
"Have you forgotten why you came here?" Roman finally interjected. Who visits a library to read novels?
Only then did Ferdinand recall his primary objective. He retrieved a book on financial management and opened it. Three minutes later, his head was swimming. Unable to concentrate, he pulled out a small bottle—his secret weapon—and surreptitiously took a deep sniff.
Half an hour later, a figure was being wheeled out of the library on a stretcher.
Ferdinand, struggling against the restraints, cried out, "No! Who called the ambulance?"
Roman, looking guilty, tried to make himself inconspicuous.
Unfortunately, Ferdinand's struggles were futile; he was still loaded into the ambulance. Upon arriving at the hospital, a doctor regarded him with a mixture of surprise and professional curiosity. "Inhaling pepper spray directly, now that is quite something. You are a resilient one."
Ferdinand looked utterly despairing. "This truly is not the ambulance I called for." The thought of treatment costs soaring into the thousands of US dollars made Ferdinand genuinely want to throttle the person who had summoned the ambulance for him. Everyone knew American medical care was notoriously expensive.
His despair deepened when a dentist approached and gravely informed him that it would be best to extract one of his teeth. Clutching his wallet protectively, Ferdinand bolted from the hospital without a backward glance. He scrambled into his dilapidated pickup truck, leaving his brother behind, slammed his foot on the accelerator, and sped away.
Finally escaping the terrifying white halls of the hospital, he remembered that his vacation seemed to be drawing to a close. He took out his mobile phone and dialed a number, only to hear a busy signal. "The number you have dialed is currently outside the service area."
"Where did the boss go on vacation?" Ferdinand mused, a suspicious glint in his eye. Could it be that with his female assistant gone, the boss had jetted off to some foreign land to drown his sorrows? To be honest, he felt the way the female assistant looked at his boss was far from innocent. There might well have been something brewing between those two.
Just as he was lost in these thoughts, he saw someone approach his car window and tap on the glass.
"There is a parking space nearby, so do not bother me, alright?" He grumbled, assuming his parking was obstructing someone else. He rolled down the window and snapped, "Stop knocking, buddy, or I will shove your head into your own rear end!"
The moment the car window was lowered, a hand shot out, grabbed Ferdinand's head, and slammed it violently onto the steering wheel. In an instant, he lost consciousness. The assailant opened the car door, pushed Ferdinand into the passenger seat, started the vehicle, and drove away from the parking spot.
*****
John's wand could not penetrate; his body was locked by the Ten Rings. A bead of cold sweat trickled down Wenwu's forehead, followed immediately by a surge of killing intent from deep within his heart. He clenched his fists and stomped his foot upon the ground. Pouring all his strength into a single punch, he relentlessly attacked the immobilized John.
John flipped his wand, and magic surged forth. "Impedimenta!"
As if striking a moving wall, Wenwu's punch was abruptly halted. His body flew backward, flipping in midair before he landed on one knee. He looked up at John, only to see John's hand, which had been restrained by the Ten Rings, break free from their metallic grip. John then proceeded to pull off the remaining rings. As more of the metal rings were removed, John regained his freedom. He stared at the glowing metal rings with undisguised curiosity.
"Where did you acquire these?"
Wenwu said nothing, merely retracting the Ten Rings, which settled back onto his arms. Confronted with the wizard's methods, Wenwu felt a distinct sense of frustration.
"You are not merely Watson Wick's child," Wenwu asked in a deep voice. "Who are you?"
"I also have a question." John's pupils gradually returned to their normal state. He twirled the wand in his hand. "Your Ten Rings are quite interesting." He paused. "But it seems you can no longer afford to display such 'mercy.'" John grasped his wand, which had trembled slightly from the earlier impact, and said easily, "Do you wish to continue, or shall we explore the second option?"
Wenwu's expression was grim. Having lived for a thousand years, he had always believed he knew many of the world's secrets, but John's appearance had overturned this conviction. The bizarre magic and the man's elusiveness, like a slippery eel, were confounding. However, John was correct about one thing: Wenwu could not crush him with absolute strength, so he could only return to a negotiation between equals. While John's strength surprised him, it also solidified his determination to have John look after his child.
"Give Shang-Chi the life he desires," Wenwu said. "His potential is far greater than mine."
"In return, the Ten Rings organization is willing to relinquish some of its business ventures." Returning to the path of equal negotiation, Wenwu laid out his terms. The Ten Rings organization was powerful and mysterious. As its leader, Wenwu's conditions directly targeted the interests of the hotel system. The Ten Rings, operating outside conventional jurisdiction, possessed abundant resources from conflict zones; their willingness to forgo profits merely for a child's well-being was indeed a generous offer.
John waved his hands dismissively after hearing this. "What does that have to do with me?"
"Hmm?" Wenwu was stunned. His investigations had indicated that John, as Watson Wick's child, had been quite active recently, primarily focusing on attracting business and generating revenue for the Wick family. Now he did not want free money?
"I do not care about these things; I do not need them," John stated. "Or perhaps your investigation was not thorough enough?" Help the hotel system? Having recently faced off against the hotel's adjudicator and with a faction of people still scheming to sideline his father, John had no interest in bestowing gifts upon such individuals.
He smiled faintly. "However, I am interested in other matters, such as the items your puppet possesses."
"What do you want?" Wenwu asked directly.
"The Ten Rings organization is cooperating with the Kingpin of Hell's Kitchen. I hope you will cease this," John said, pacing on the snow. "Family matters should not be interfered with by outsiders. As an Easterner, you should understand this principle." Kingpin, after all, was still a member of the High Table, and the involvement of an external power like the Ten Rings was highly irritating. As Wenwu had implied, the leader of the Ten Rings organization was merely a figurehead, a puppet. Regarding this puppet, Wenwu paid little attention to anything beyond business affairs.
Now, hearing John's words, he agreed. "Alright." Compared to his own son, matters concerning Kingpin and the Ten Rings organization were insignificant.
John slipped his wand into his cuff. "It seems we have reached an agreement."
"But when wrongs have been committed, someone must always bear the responsibility," John said, his eyes deep and meaningful. "Some individuals who have erred also need to witness a form of mercy." John's intention was to settle accounts with those who had collaborated with Kingpin.
Wenwu glanced at the Ten Rings on his arm and nodded in assent.
The two could finally be considered to have reached a cooperation, or perhaps more accurately, they had 'fought' their way into one. In the preceding battle, Wenwu had realized that his strength was comparable to John's. He could do nothing to overpower John. Transactions are founded on equality; they now stood as equals.
John extended his hand, and Wenwu shook it. A trace of apprehension flickered in Wenwu's eyes; the other party's strength remained a mystery. The image of John being struck earlier flashed through his mind. A fleeting glimpse of scales had conveyed a palpable sense of threat.
"By the way, a personal question," John asked curiously. "You have lived for so long; how is it that you have a fourteen-year-old son?"
"My wife and I met, and we had the fruit of our love," Wenwu said, a tender expression softening his features. His wife was his sole motivation to desire growing old.
It was originally a touching story.
However, he then saw the look of utter surprise on John's face. "You mean, you have lived for so long and found a young girl in her twenties?" John's expression was a picture; this transcended a mere grandfather-granddaughter dynamic, bordering on an ancestor-descendant liaison. It was not just robbing the cradle; it was practically plundering the seedbed. An old bull grazing on tender shoots?
Wenwu understood his meaning, and his face darkened. Do you even comprehend what love is?
John's expression was indescribable.
As the two shook hands, making peace, a roar reverberated through the snowy mountains. Both looked up simultaneously to see a creature covered in white fur sprinting towards them. The creature was incredibly powerful, its target clear: the two individuals who had disturbed its slumber.
John said in surprise, "A Yeti?" Was this not the Tibetan Yeti from Fantastic Beasts? It seemed their fight had alerted it.
Wenwu did not care what it was. The Ten Rings on his hands glowed as he took a defensive stance, ready for battle. The Yeti ran faster and faster, then leaped, descending upon them like a cannonball. The immense force sent Wenwu staggering backward, his expression hardening. The Ten Rings were poised to attack.
"That is certainly strong." John, protected by his Shield Charm, had remained unscathed. He deftly cast a Binding Curse to immobilize Wenwu and waved goodbye to the Yeti. "I hope you will still be here next time." As the Witch King, protecting the magical creatures of his world was entirely reasonable, was it not? Wenwu found himself successfully ensnared by John, his own clothes constricting him tightly.
"An avalanche is coming; I will depart first." John had no desire to protect a magical creature only to see it killed by Wenwu, so he grabbed Wenwu's hand and Apparated away.
The Yeti rushed over, beat its chest angrily, and let out a roar that triggered an avalanche. As a result, the Yeti, unable to escape in time, was buried by the cascading snow.
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