Jimmy directly turned the car around and went back to the intersection. There was not a single vehicle on the road now. He parked the police car diagonally in the middle of the road, took out traffic cones from the trunk, and placed three on the road. The police car's lights came on, directing other vehicles to turn and take different routes so they wouldn't barge in directly.
Jimmy also pretended to wait by the roadside, preparing to put on an act whenever a car came by, as if he was looking for something on the roadside. Usually, drivers wouldn't bother him.
However, perhaps it was too early, or because this road only led to a few fixed locations, there weren't many vehicles passing by usually, and Jimmy had waited for a few minutes without seeing any car.
Only 15 minutes had passed when Justin's call came through. The job was done, and Jimmy just needed to wait another 10 minutes before he could leave.
Good grief, Justin had estimated 30 minutes required yesterday, with an additional half hour for clean-up. All of it was handled in just half an hour today—they were really efficient.
So much was considered beforehand, and this was it? If he'd known it would only take half an hour, Jimmy could have blocked the ends of the road himself, controlling traffic manually on one side and letting cars pass on the other. Maybe he would have earned more, too.
Jimmy waited a few more minutes and, seeing that still no vehicles had passed, he packed up the cones, started the police car, and prepared to leave.
Jimmy didn't go home but went straight to Justin's bar. The job was done, and it was time to collect the payment.
When Jimmy arrived at the bar, he noticed a car parked in front of the bar. Jimmy first used his "Heart Eye" to scan inside the bar and saw three silhouettes at the bar counter.
Jimmy took out his phone and called Justin.
"Hi, Justin, I'm at the entrance of the bar."
"Hold on."
Sounds of leather shoes walking echoed inside, and with a click, the bar's door was opened. Justin waved his hand in greeting, and Jimmy followed him into the bar.
Justin certainly hadn't gone home to sleep after his shift ended early this morning; he was still wearing the same bartender outfit he had on when Jimmy saw him yesterday. Why was Jimmy so sure? Because yesterday, Justin had spilled a bit of oil on his vest, and the stain could still be seen now, although it was faint.
Justin obviously hadn't noticed the small oil spot yesterday; otherwise, with his near-obsessive-compulsive style of dressing, he would have changed his vest long ago.
The bar was definitely empty early in the morning. It had been cleaned when it closed at dawn, and now the chairs were stacked on the tables, and the lights were off, leaving only the bar counter's hanging lights on.
Jimmy followed Justin to the bar counter, where the two people he had observed earlier were sitting, with glasses in front of them.
Both were dressed in suits, and Jimmy could smell gunpowder on them; it seemed they were the ones who took care of this morning's job.
Justin: "This is Jimmy, our collaborator. Jimmy, these are our clients for this operation."
Jimmy: "Nicely done, gentlemen. Justin, get me a glass too."
Justin poured a drink for Jimmy and added ice cubes, "Your Glenlivet."
"You guys chat." Jimmy raised his glass to the two, then walked to a distant table. Since Justin didn't introduce their names, it was clear he didn't intend for Jimmy to get to know them, so Jimmy opted not to mingle further.
Justin: "Mr. Wick, the last stronghold of the Mainland Gang is gone. From what we can see, the person you've been searching for is probably already taken care of. I think your personal mission might be over now."
Wick: "Thank you, Justin, I appreciate your information."
Justin: "Then, where will you be heading next? Do you need me to arrange anything?"
Wick: "No need, I'll be going to New York."
Justin: "Mr. Charn, what about you?"
Charn: "Ah, the same for me."
Justin: "Okay, then I wish both of you a smooth journey. Excuse me for a moment."
Justin left the bar counter and walked toward Jimmy.
Although there was some distance, as there were no others in the bar, Jimmy still overheard their conversation entirely.
Justin: "Jimmy, you did well today, this is for you." Justin pulled out a Gold Coin from his vest pocket and handed it to Jimmy.
Jimmy accepted the coin and asked, "Is everything taken care of over there? Even though it's the suburbs, since it's a temple, there must be other people coming."
Justin replied, "It's already been handled, we have professional collaborators."
Jimmy said, "OK, I'll head back home then, goodbye, Justin."
Jimmy finished his drink, turned around, left the bar, and drove the police car home.
Justin returned to the bar where Wick and Charn had already stood up, ready to leave.
Justin said, "Mr. Wick, Mr. Charn, have a pleasant journey!"
Wick and Charn nodded at Justin, Wick took out several Gold Coins from his pocket and handed them to Justin, and both of them left the bar.
Jimmy didn't inquire about these two men from Justin. From this case, it was clear that they were definitely in the assassin industry, and Jimmy had already remembered who one of them was.
John Wick, the character he had seen in a movie called 'John Wick', although John Wick in the movie looked quite old, this one appeared to be in his 40s, a robust and experienced age.
Considering the old age depicted in the movie, it was evident that John Wick was at the prime of his strength now, so the case at the Hindu temple and the two cars Jimmy found must be insignificant to him.
Jimmy also thought of the peculiarly designed Continental Hotel from New York. Having watched 'John Wick' only once, his memory wasn't clear. Had it not been for seeing John Wick and remembering, he wouldn't have associated the Gold Coins he held with the hotel.
The fixer profession is an ancient one; no society can entirely eliminate its darker aspects. Previously, Jimmy hadn't thought of their connection—it was only because he had been here too long, and his memory was a bit blurry. With John Wick as a lead, he still managed to recall the plot of the movie.
Now he knew the value of the Gold Coins in his hand. The team in the movie that cleaned up John's house were professional corpse disposers. It seemed that whether it was the previous case with Emil or this time with John Wick, the corpse disposers must have been involved, and he was somewhat surprised that such a team existed in Small Stone City, as there was no Continental Hotel here.
It wasn't just the corpse disposers; other activities, including staying at the Continental Hotel, buying equipment, and accessing medical services, all required Gold Coins for payment.
Speaking of which, the Continental Hotel, being such a famous location, might be worth a visit. But that meant going to New York, a place Jimmy was not familiar with. Right now, he didn't want to think about such distant matters; he might as well handle the immediate tasks at hand first.
After Jimmy got home, he picked up the phone and called Agent Harten from the FBI; he still needed to confirm the situation with Baka.
Jimmy said, "Hi, Agent Harten, this is Jimmy from the county police."
Harten responded, "Oh, Jimmy, long time no see. What's up?"
Jimmy asked, "I just wanted to ask how Baka's case is going."
Harten replied, "He has been put in prison. Why do you bring this up now?"
Jimmy was somewhat exasperated, as Harten seemed to have completely forgotten the conversation he had had before.
Jimmy reminded him, "Uh, you mentioned before that Baka is from a family, and they might come for revenge. Have you forgotten?"
Harten said, "Oh, that matter. No news yet, it's been so long with no word, it should be fine. Don't worry."
Jimmy concluded, "Alright, just make sure to keep the case details confidential. Goodbye."
Jerry hung up the phone, feeling that there probably wasn't anything to worry about anymore. Baka had been arrested almost three months ago; if something were to happen, it would have happened by now. And since he was already in prison, the news must have spread.
Prison is not an isolated place from the world, inmates also have the chance to make phone calls; for someone like Baka, if there was really a message to send out to rescue him or seek revenge, it would have surely been arranged long ago.
Now, there wasn't much else Jimmy could do. He certainly couldn't just ask Harten where exactly Baka was being held and go there to root out the problem, could he?
Life continued to return to normalcy. The next day, after Jimmy arrived at the police station, the reception informed him that someone was waiting for him at the front gate. Jimmy went to the entrance and found a familiar face sitting on the waiting area chairs, the homeless man Jerry.
Jerry looked much the same as before, except his hair had grown longer and become more disheveled. For the homeless, maintaining an appearance usually isn't a priority, many live day by day without much care for their own lives, let alone their appearance.
Jimmy raised his hand in greeting, "Hi, Jerry, long time no see."
When Jerry heard the voice, he looked towards Jimmy, suddenly stood up, and ran to grab Jimmy's arm.
Jerry pleaded, "Jimmy, please help me, save my daughter, I beg you."