America: John Wick 1924

Chapter 1 I am a Priest
April 28, 1924 —

Somewhere on the west coast of the United States, beside a highway—

Li Yu and the veteran sat under the tree, each lighting a cigarette, and gazed side by side at the hazy rainy scene outside the shade.

"Old soldier, have you seen a white male around 25 years old with a red skull tattoo on his neck?"

"A red skull tattoo on the neck..." The veteran shook his head. "No, I've never seen one. A tattoo on the neck doesn't sound like a good person."

Li Yu replied calmly:

“He is definitely not a good person. He owes me a blood debt, so I’m going to settle the score with him.”

"The United States is so big, it's not easy to find someone."

“I have reliable intelligence that the man is suspected to be in San Francisco.”

"San Francisco? Sigh, I'd like to go to San Francisco too—if I still had my left leg."

As the veteran spoke, he raised his hand to touch the base of his left leg.

Where his left leg should have been, there was only an empty trouser leg.

Li Yu glanced sideways at the veteran's broken leg:
"Old soldier, how did you lose your left leg?"

The veteran said calmly and indifferently:

"In August 1918, during the Second Battle of the Marne, a German shell blew me away. When I woke up, I couldn't find my left leg."

Li Yu shrugged:

"You're lucky to have survived being blown away by a shell and made it home alive."

The veteran smiled broadly, a smirk playing on his lips.

"Yes! It's already a miracle that we were able to get home alive! Of all the fellow countrymen who joined the army with me and made it back safely, only Tom is left!"

At this point, he turned his head and looked to his side.

Right next to the veteran lay a gaunt young man.

The other person was curled up, with their back to Li Yu and the veteran, burying their face in their arms, seemingly fast asleep.

Li Yu asked:
"Is he Tom?"

The veteran nodded:
"Yes, he was my neighbor and also my best friend. He was much luckier than me; he survived the war without losing a single part of his body."

"However... he suffered a great shock. He got drunk every day."

"Just last week, he was found dead drunk in the alley, unconscious."

At this point, the veteran sighed heavily.

“The doctor said he was beyond saving because his liver had been severely damaged from long-term consumption of counterfeit alcohol… I want to take him back to his hometown while he still has a breath left.”

Although the veteran's tone was very calm, his increasingly rapid smoking revealed that he was not at peace.

At this time, the rain outside the shade of the trees gradually weakened, and there were signs that it was about to stop.

"The rain has finally stopped. Hua Ren, I have to go now. It was a pleasure chatting with you. Hope we can meet again sometime."

Li Yu smiled and nodded:
"Veteran, have a safe journey."

The veteran turned around and shook Tom's body.

"Tom, wake up, it's time to get going, huh? Tom? Wake up! Tom! Wake up!"

The veteran's urgent cries alerted Li Yu to the situation, and he quickly moved closer.

Tom had his eyes closed and was curled up like a fetus in the womb, his pale purple lips pressed tightly together. At first glance, he looked as if he were just asleep... and really did look like he was asleep.

The old soldier reached out and touched Tom's neck, then slumped his head down in despair.

“He’s dead… Damn it, couldn’t you have held on a little longer? You survived that terrible war, but you couldn’t even last this little while? We’ll be home soon…”

His best friend died before his eyes, yet he remained remarkably calm, his face expressionless and his tone completely flat... No, this wasn't "calmness," but rather a strange kind of "numbness."

Li Yu flicked away his cigarette and patted the veteran on the shoulder.

Please accept my condolences; you have done your best.

The veteran shook his head:

“I knew this day would come. But… but… even though the war is over, I still have to lose my comrades… to die in the wilderness, without even a funeral priest… it’s so tragic…”

Li Yu patted the veteran on the shoulder again, then stood up straight and said seriously:
“Old soldier, let us see Tom off. To be honest, perhaps it’s fate, but there just happens to be a pastor here.”

As Li Yu spoke, he took out a cross necklace and a box of holy oil from his pocket—which was actually just a box of ordinary olive oil.

The veteran turned his head and looked at Li Yu with a look of astonishment.

"Are you a pastor?"

"That's right, I am a pastor, no doubt about it."

Li Yu smiled as he took off his khaki trench coat, revealing the clothes underneath—a white Roman collar, a double-breasted black robe with a cinched waist—the most common priest's attire.

"Old man, come and lend a hand, let's get Tom lying down more comfortably."

Looking at the cross and holy oil in Li Yu's hands, as well as his classic priest attire, the veteran's doubts lessened, and his demeanor became more respectful.

Although still taken aback, he obediently cooperated with Li Yu, and the two of them worked together to make Tom lie flat on the ground.

Li Yu half-squatted beside Tom, holding the cross necklace to his chest with his left hand, solemnly gazing at his face, and said in a clear, deliberate voice:
“Heavenly Father, the Savior made a promise to us: ‘I am the resurrection, I am the life, and those who believe in me will live, though they die!’”
“Merciful Heavenly Father, this person has been called by You to return to Your side from this world. Please accept him into Your Kingdom as You have promised.”

"May you be freed from sin, and rise anew in the glory of resurrection with those who are welcomed and redeemed in the eternal light!"

At this point, Li Yu dipped his right thumb into the holy oil and then used his oil-covered fingertip to make a cross on Tom's forehead.

In the name of the Lord, Amen!

[Ding! Successfully played the role of "priest" by performing the anointing ceremony for the deceased]

[Priest Progress: 98% → 101%] [Priest Level Up! Lv.2 → Lv.3]

[Current progress of "Priest": 1%]

[New Character Available: Berserker]

[Gained new skill: Lever-action Rifle Mastery Lv.A]

[Skill Description: Effortlessly master all lever-action rifles! Any target within 200 meters is guaranteed a hit!]

After completing the oiling ritual, Li Yu slowly stood up.

Seeing his incredibly professional oiling ceremony, the veteran no longer doubted his identity. Facing Tom's body, he respectfully made the sign of the cross on his chest.

"Old soldier, what are you planning to do with Tom's body... hmm?"

Before Li Yu could finish speaking, he seemed to sense something, narrowed his eyes, and turned to stare at the rain behind him:

"...Veteran, are you carrying any weapons?"

"Weapons? I'm penniless, how could I possibly have any weapons? If I had weapons, I would have sold them long ago... Hmm?"

The veteran was a beat slow to notice the anomaly.

He frowned, turned his head, and looked in the same direction as Li Yu.

Directly in front of them, four ragged, unkempt young white men strode toward them through the rain.

Coincidentally, these four people were exactly one tall, one short, one fat, and one thin, with distinct features.

If you look closely, you'll notice that their pupils have the characteristic turbidity of drug addicts... they must smoke a lot of nicotine every day.

It's obvious at a glance that these four people are definitely not here to take shelter from the rain.

But with sinister smiles on their faces and baseball bats in hand, anyone could tell they were up to no good.

The veteran's expression was solemn as he silently gripped his cane.

In contrast, Li Yu was much calmer, slowly putting away the holy oil and cross necklace in his hand and moving back to his luggage.

Before long, the four men walked into the shade of the trees and came to Li Yu and the old soldier.

The skinny man at the head of the group glanced around, and when he saw Li Yu, his expression was a mixture of joy and malice:

"Hey guys, look! There's a cricket here! And wow, this cricket is even wearing a priest's robe! A legless cripple and a cricket! What a perfect combination!"

As soon as he finished speaking, his companions burst into laughter, all casting strange glances at Li Yu—as if they were sizing up a new toy or a new prey.

The veteran's face darkened, and he stood up, leaning on his cane.
"Hey kid, show some respect! When I was killing Germans in France, you were probably playing in the mud somewhere!"

The fat man shrugged dismissively.

"So what? What are you trying to say? Do you want me to say to you, 'Oh, old soldier, you're amazing, let me kiss your big white ass'?"

The dwarf: "Alright! Stop wasting your breath on them! Hey, you legless piece of trash! And you, you worm! Quickly take out all your valuables!"

At this moment, the tall man suddenly interjected:
"Get out of the way! I can't hold back anymore! I'll kill this worm first, then I'll find the money on its corpse!"

The tall man stepped forward, making no attempt to hide the fierce glint in his eyes. He glared menacingly at Li Yu as he continued:

"It's all your fault, you damned pests! You stole my job and left me homeless! Mom was right, you're a bunch of scourges! Dead pests are the good pests!"

He said this while vigorously swinging the bat in his hand, striking a home run pose.

The skinny guy grinned slyly and patted the tall guy on the shoulder:

"Hey buddy, don't rush, there's plenty of time. Guys, it's rare to run into a Qing Bug, let's have a long-awaited 'Qing Bug home run' today! It's been ages since we've played!"

His words immediately drew unanimous approval from his companions.

With a little observation, it is not difficult to find that their baseball bats are stained with dried blood.

The four men had a uniform and very distinctive accent. As soon as they opened their mouths, Li Yu immediately identified them: Irish!
In the United States during that era, Irish Americans harbored a comprehensive and undisguised malice towards Chinese Americans—simply because the latter were hardworking, received the least pay, and did the most work, which angered the Irish Americans, who felt that the Chinese had stolen their jobs.

After unleashing overwhelming malice, the four Irishmen stared intently at Li Yu's face, seemingly trying to find expressions of fear and anxiety on his face for their amusement.

However, they were soon disappointed.

Neither Gao Lao's shouts nor the loud laughter of others could make Li Yu flinch.

He remained calm throughout, appearing completely unfazed.

Li Yu gave the four people opposite him a deep look, then slowly recited a famous verse from the Book of Job in the Bible:
"Life is bound to encounter hardships, just like a spark flying in the air."

The skinny man raised an eyebrow:

"Qingchong, you actually know the Bible? You're right! You're unlucky to have met us!"

Li Yu smiled and shook his head:

“No, I’m not talking about myself, I’m talking about you all—I am your affliction.”

As he spoke, he slowly picked up the long, narrow cloth bag at his feet.

Seeing its slender shape, the four people opposite instinctively thought it was a rifle, and their expressions changed.

"Don't worry, this isn't a gun."

As Li Yu spoke, he tore open the cloth strip, revealing what was inside—a knife.

The knife has a straight handle and a long, narrow, curved blade. Both the handle and the scabbard are a simple, antique black. The blade is about 75cm long, and the total length is nearly 1.2 meters.

The skinny man was taken aback:
"Japanese katana?"

Li Yu said calmly:
"No, this is not a Japanese samurai sword, it is a Qi family sword. Simply put, this sword combines the advantages of the Japanese samurai sword and the Chinese sword, with the curved blade of the Japanese samurai sword and the hilt of the Chinese sword. It can be used to perform the moves of the Japanese sword and also to utilize the techniques of the Chinese sword."

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(End of this chapter)