America: John Wick 1924

Chapter 45 Like a Dragon! [Bonus Chapter, Please Vote!]

Chang Lu Ningning was clearly not mentally prepared for the scale of the tattoo on Li Yu's back.

She was stunned when she saw the Yinglong tattoo covering her entire back.

"This is...a dragon?"

"To be precise, it is 'Yinglong'."

"What's the difference?"

“You can understand ‘Yinglong’ as one of the most powerful dragons in Chinese mythology, and its characteristic is that it has two wings on its back.”

Chang Lu Ningning blinked... and a strange look appeared in her eyes as she looked at Li Yu.

"Not only do you have extraordinary skills, but you also have a back full of tattoos... Are you really a priest?"

"Isn't it normal for a priest to have 'runes' on him to ward off evil spirits?"

"Which pastor uses a Chinese dragon to ward off evil spirits? A pastor from the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom?"

Chang Lu Ningning always knew how to play along with Li Yu's jokes.

Although she always has a stern face, she might actually be an interesting girl inside. Li Yu thought to himself.

Chōtsu Ningning didn't pay much attention to Li Yu's Yinglong tattoo. After glancing at it a few times, she looked away and continued:

"Alright, let's get back to the main topic. Since you've decided to participate anonymously, hurry up and come up with a catchy pseudonym. I'll register it for you later."

"A pseudonym..."

Li Yu twitched his lips, showing a troubled expression.

He's terrible at naming things; he's really bad at it. When naming small animals, he only comes up with old-fashioned names like "Little Black" or "Big Yellow" based on their fur color and size.

After pondering for a moment, he gave up and turned to Tsurugi Ningning for help:

"Ms. Hitachi, I'm not very good at naming things. Do you have any good suggestions?"

"Hmm... how about 'Super Cat'?"

"Forget it, I'll think of it myself."

Li Yu's lightning-fast rejection caused Chang Lu Ningning to puff up her cheeks like a squirrel.

She glanced at the black cat mask in Li Yu's hand and muttered:

"'Super Cat' is actually a really good song..."

Li Yu fell into deep thought again, remaining silent for a long time...

After a long while, Hitagi Nene, having lost all patience, sighed silently:

"If you really can't think of a good pseudonym, you might as well draw inspiration from your own physical characteristics. I remember a contestant who was over 2 meters tall named himself 'Tall Guy'."

"Physical characteristics?"

Upon hearing this, Li Yu suddenly thought of the tattoo on his back, and then recalled the origin of the Yinglong tattoo.

After a brief silence, he touched the tattoo on his back and said softly:

"...I've decided on my pseudonym."

……

……

Silver Key Club, the VIP section of the "Free Fighting" competition venue—

The cat sat elegantly, sipping its hot tea with a blank expression.

Suddenly, a hoarse male voice sounded behind him:
"Miss Cat, it's been a long time!"

The speaker was a well-dressed, pot-bellied, oily-faced middle-aged man.

He grinned at the cat, revealing yellowed teeth and a few shiny gold teeth.

The cat-shaped shrine tilted its head, revealing a polite yet aloof smile:

"Mr. Harrington, you're really late today."

The middle-aged, overweight man known as "Harrington" laughed a few times:

"I can't help it, my business has been so good lately! I've been so busy that I almost couldn't find the time to watch the game!" He said as he walked toward the cat house.

It is quite normal for wealthy and powerful people to be accompanied by bodyguards and servants.

But Harrington was surrounded by a particularly large entourage! There were as many as fifteen people!
The large group of people filed in, making the originally spacious private room suddenly feel crowded.

Harrington shrugged and unfolded the long coat draped over his shoulders.

Before the coat had even started to fall, a waiter behind Harrington leaned forward and caught it with lightning speed.

Harrington then sat down next to Nekoyashiki, raised his right index and middle fingers, and made a "V" sign.

He didn't say a word, and another waiter leaned forward and stuffed a cut, lit cigar between his fingers.

This series of movements was so fluid and natural... I wonder how many times they had rehearsed it.

After exhaling several smoke rings, Harrington leaned back, crossed his legs with a smug look on his face.

Faced with Harrington's blatant boasting, Nekoyashiki smiled slightly:
"In that case, I'm relieved."

Harrington looked puzzled:
"Hmm? What are you worried about?"

"Since your business has been doing so well lately, I'm sure you can come up with a $10,000 bet later, right?"

Upon hearing this, Harrington's face darkened, and he nearly snapped the cigar in his hand.

"Hmph, Miss Cat, you seem to have a lot of confidence in your contestant."

"It's not so much that I have confidence in my fighters, but rather that I have 'confidence' in you—I know that with your abilities and judgment, you simply can't find any decent fighters."

Harrington laughed in fury, his wrinkles bunching up, making his already unsightly face even more repulsive.

"Ha! I'll be watching closely! I want to see just how good your abilities and judgment are!"

As the two were talking, Chang Lu Ningning quietly returned.

She stood silently behind Nekoyashiki.

"Nekoyashiki-sama, everything is ready."

Nekoyashiki curled her lips into a smile.

"Well, thank you for your hard work."

……

……

There were an especially large audience today, with an occupancy rate of over 80%.

After the two hands of the clock pointed to "ten o'clock," a host with a slicked-back hairstyle walked onto the stage—instantly, beams of light focused on him.

"ladies and gentlemen!"

As the host's clear voice rang out, the previously slightly noisy venue instantly returned to silence.

There is no need to go into detail about the specific content of the speech.

The only thing worth mentioning is that the host was very experienced, managing to create a lively atmosphere with just a few words.

After a brief but impassioned opening speech, he suddenly switched to a high-pitched tone.

"Now, please allow me to introduce today's contestants!"
"Please hold your breath and prepare your applause and shouts!"

"First up is the blue corner—Donald Smith, who has achieved an eleven-fight winning streak in all levels of boxing in San Francisco!"

The moment the host finished speaking, the lights seemed to turn towards the blue tunnel on the west side of the ring—a muscular white man walked out of the tunnel with his arms raised, arrogantly welcoming the cheers and shouts of the audience.

After Donald Smith appeared, the host turned to look at the red channel to the east... Though barely perceptible, he did purse his lips, a hint of disdain flashing in his eyes.

Despite his disgust for the contestants who were about to appear, he still faithfully demonstrated the professionalism expected of a host, forcing out a formulaic smile.

"Next up is the red team—a Chinese player who is participating anonymously!"

"This is the first time a Chinese person has participated in the 'Free Fighting Tournament' since our club started it!"
His name is—Ryuu!

********

********

Another update in 5 minutes! Please vote with your monthly tickets!
(End of this chapter)