Chapter 2: John

"My God, are you playing with me?"

Rushing out of his apartment, Castle (henceforth referred to as Castle) ignited his bright red Ferrari 458 in the garage downstairs and zoomed out of the underground parking lot. Living in Manhattan while John lived in New Jersey, and with New York's rush hour about to start, he needed to move fast or he'd really be in a bind.

"What's going on? Wasn't it supposed to be 'Mystery Writer'? How did John come into this? And his dog killed, his car stolen? John Wick? 'John Wick'?"

Driving and pondering, Castle grew increasingly terrified the more he thought about it.

If this was really that John, then this world was not normal!

If he really was that assassin, did that mean he was his friend? Why else would his first action upon waking be to call him?

"Ah, I remember now, when writing the second Derek Storm, wasn't John introduced by Winston as the 'assassin consultant'?"

A flash of insight struck, and Castle remembered a well-mannered, polite 'uncle'—a friend of a fellow novelist and also a friend of Castle, introduced by Winston. Three years ago, while working on the second Derek Storm, Castle needed some assassin insights, and Winston had introduced him to John Wick.

At that time, John had already retired from his assassin career and married Helen. Through Winston's introduction, he became Castle's 'assassin consultant.' Although John was a stoic and formidable figure at first, as their interactions increased, and with Castle's high EQ, plus the friendship formed with John's wife Helen, John not only shared substantial knowledge about being an assassin but also taught Castle many useful and interesting tricks.

Helen loved children but had none of her own. During a party, she met the then eleven-year-old Alexis and fell in love with the clever and bright girl, insisting on becoming her godmother. Whether it was love for the whole family or something else, John, who in the movies would pull out a gun and kill a hundred people without a word, ended up inexplicably becoming Alexis's godfather.

With this in mind, Castle pulled out his phone and made a call: "Chubby, missed Uncle Rick? I need you to check the surveillance today at the gas station on xx and xx road in New Jersey, it's urgent…"

After hanging up with the endlessly chattering hacker Chubby and confirming his suspicions, Castle muttered to himself: "Just as I thought…"

"Alright, it seems this is not a simple American TV show world; it might be a blend of TV and movie worlds. I wonder if there will be any supernatural powers. Well, never mind that for now, I need to stabilize John the killing machine first. If left to his own devices, John's fate in the 'John Wick' trilogy is not exactly enviable. No matter what, he's my friend and my daughter's godfather. I can't just watch him go down a dark path, can I?"

"After all, I've watched countless TV shows and movies. If nothing else, at least I know how things are supposed to unfold. Hey, that makes me a bit like a lower-powered Sorcerer Supreme, doesn't it? Hahaha, John Wick, looks like I'm your savior! Though I can't cure Helen's cancer, I can certainly try to alter your grim future!"

Richard-egotistical-brilliant-Castle was lost in his fantasies as he sped towards a quiet, beautiful middle-class community in New Jersey and parked in front of a house with one wall made entirely of huge floor-to-ceiling windows.

"John, John, are you there?" The front door was ajar, and Castle knocked, but no one responded.

If it were anyone else, they would continue to knock or maybe call. After all, in America, walking into someone else's house uninvited could get you shot.

But who am I? I am Richard-plot-master-Castle! Not only because I'm John's friend and he knows I'm coming, but also because I know very well why John left the door slightly open for me! If he isn't in the basement being the 'floor destroyer,' I'll stream myself in drag!

What are we waiting for? To the basement, let's go…

"Bang, bang, bang…" Just as Castle walked toward the basement door, he heard the sound of a sledgehammer smashing the floor.

"I knew it…" He quickly opened the door and descended the stairs.

In the brightly lit basement, an even in his disheveled state strikingly handsome man, was vigorously swinging a large hammer.

"John, John…"

"Rick, you came!" The handsome man, John, looked up, greeting Castle with a tone of utter despair.

"John, put down the hammer first, can we talk for a moment?" Castle said, wincing as if in pain.

"What

's there to talk about? Put down what? That dog was the last gift Helen left me before she died, and that car was my favorite. For four years, since I met Helen, I've tried to be a good man, not wanting to stain my hands with blood again. But what happened? They killed Helen's dog, stole my car. Who am I? I'm the 'Boogeyman,' maybe it's time those bastards learned what 'Boogeyman' really means!" John's face, previously lifeless, began to show a hint of ferocity.

"John, we are friends, good friends, and you're Alexis's godfather. You have to believe that I am on your side, right?" Castle said.

John replied, "You said…"

Castle continued, "I know what you're thinking. You want to dig up your past, burst out of this house, and avenge yourself, killing all those involved, right? But how? Do you know who did it? You can't really kill everyone, can you?"

"Shouldn't I do it?" Emotion began to show on John's face.

"No, you should seek revenge. I'm not stopping you from that, I just hope you'll think it through first."

"Think it through? By the time I've cooled down, will I still be able to find those bastards?" John's eyes began to redden.

"John, why do you think I rushed over here right after receiving your call? Aside from because we are friends, don't you think there might be another reason? If I didn't have a solid plan, a sure thing, do you think I would just make empty promises?" A mysterious smile appeared on Castle's face.

"You bastard, aren't empty promises your trademark?" John retorted coldly.

"Shxt, put down that damned hammer, let's go up to the living room and talk! By the way, I need to tell your goddaughter, my dear daughter Alexis, that I'm here. Don't make me get physical." An increasingly frustrated Castle began to lose his temper.

Coming all this way to save your future and still getting mocked, who says novelists can't have tempers?

John looked at Castle deeply, knowing he was getting anxious, but from years of dealing with him, he began to believe that Castle might indeed have a way to handle this situation. Why? Simple, the guy is extremely narcissistic and proud, but he cares a lot about his image; he wouldn't boast so boldly without a backup.

With a clang, John dropped the hammer.

"Let's go upstairs and talk," John Wick led the way to the staircase leading to the living room.

"Beep... Plot Twist Assistance System energy charged, loading... 13%... 75%... 99%... Load complete!"

Just as he was about to follow John upstairs, Castle's mind suddenly echoed with a mechanical voice.

"I..." Castle was bewildered. What? Plot Twist Assistance System?

"Hahahaha, I knew it, I just knew it, how could there not be a catch with transmigration? Hahaha!!" Richard-peaked-Castle's face contorted with excitement, his words tumbling out incoherently...

"Rick, you told me to come upstairs, what are you still doing down there?"

"Coming, coming." Hearing John's voice, Castle, not having time to explore his newly acquired golden finger, snapped back to reality. Now was not the time.

Hurriedly climbing the stairs to the living room, John Wick was already holding a glass of whiskey, standing in front of the large floor-to-ceiling window. "Rick, before we talk, I want to ask you a question, and I hope you'll be honest with me!"

Castle: "What's the question?"

"You seem very confident. Plus, it seems like you know things that I don't, right?" John Wick's voice was somber.

"It's 4:10 PM; the first thing I did when I woke up was call you. At 5:19 PM, you entered the basement. I only told you my dog was killed and my car was stolen, yet you didn't seem surprised at all, and you gave me the impression that you had everything under control. Tell me, am I right or wrong?"

"Damn, the ruthless killer from the movies suddenly turned thoughtful? What the…"

"Right, that's more like it. Clearly, the movie version of the 'Boogeyman' was just the director dumbing him down for dramatic effect. I knew it; how could a top assassin known far and wide in the underworld be hunted down like a stray dog?"

With his mind racing, Castle quickly curbed his thoughts and said seriously, "Yes, John, you're right. I'm neither surprised nor shocked; I already know the ins and outs of this whole affair. Frankly, I know who the culprits are and

 their motives. Otherwise, why would I have stopped you?"

"Really? Tell me, who is it?" John Wick lost the calm he had just shown and turned to look directly into Castle's eyes.

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