Chapter 17: Entering the World of Léon: The Professional
In the world of Léon: The Professional,
at Old Tony's place,
Jake and Tony sat facing each other at a table covered with a red and white checkered tablecloth, sizing each other up.
"What would you like to drink?" Tony asked, downing a whole glass of whiskey and raising his empty glass.
"Water's fine, thanks."
"Get him some water," Tony nodded to one of his guys.
The man quickly brought Jake a glass of water.
Jake thanked him, calmly accepted the water, and took a sip.
"So you want to learn the trade?" Old Tony continued, watching Jake drink.
"Yes," Jake nodded. He wasn't worried about what these guys might try, because the man in front of him was extremely motivated by profit, and Jake clearly had money to spend.
"Alright," Old Tony said without even asking why. He had connections throughout the city, and law enforcement would never trace anything back to him. "But normally you'd have to work for me. I don't waste my time on charity cases." He put down his glass, leaned forward slightly, and fixed Jake with an intense stare.
"We can choose a different arrangement," Jake said, unfazed by the intimidating look. Although he'd never killed anyone, he knew that professional killers often carried a certain edge in their eyes. However, having experienced so much already, that intensity only made him pause slightly before he regained his composure.
"Oh? What kind of arrangement?" Old Tony lowered his gaze, picked up his glass, and took another drink.
"I came here to learn tactical skills, but there's no one I need to eliminate right now, so..." He paused, waiting for Old Tony to look up again before continuing, "So I'll pay for instruction, you teach me or have someone teach me, and sell me equipment."
"I've never tried being an instructor before."
"You can have someone else train me; I'm a fast learner." Jake placed his hands lightly on the table. "The compensation will make it worth your while."
Old Tony raised an eyebrow but didn't speak. These types don't commit until they see what's on offer; why would they agree so readily?
"This is something I acquired recently." Jake took out a small velvet box from his pocket and placed it on the table. "Consider it payment for instruction."
The box opened, revealing a necklace made of lustrous, high-quality pearls.
Jake could clearly hear the breathing of everyone present become noticeably heavier.
"What's to stop me from just taking this and showing you the door?" Old Tony said, casually picking up the necklace. "Beautiful piece like this must be worth six figures." He held the necklace up to examine it, his expression showing clear appreciation.
Jake maintained his composure. "Because you're a businessman, and I can bring you more business."
Upon hearing this, Old Tony immediately shifted his gaze from the pearl necklace to Jake. Jake held his stare unflinchingly, and the two continued their silent confrontation.
Ten seconds, twenty seconds...
Staring down a seasoned professional who'd seen serious action, Jake's palms were now damp with sweat.
Thirty seconds, forty seconds...
His back was tense. This was no longer just about confidence, but the instinctive unease someone unfamiliar with violence felt facing a true operator.
A minute later...
"Alright, we have a deal." Old Tony nodded with satisfaction and pocketed the pearl necklace. He had enough connections to move the piece; handled properly, it could fetch $120,000 to $130,000. This was much safer and more profitable than training someone who might fail spectacularly.
Jake's tense body instantly relaxed, though from the outside it looked like he was just taking a normal breath.
After a brief pause, Old Tony spoke. "I just mapped out a training program for you. You know, even college athletes have practice schedules." His edge had completely vanished, replaced by pure business calculation. "Your training will require substantial ammunition and range time, and those things aren't cheap..."
"I believe the payment I provided covers those materials."
"Of course," Old Tony rubbed his chin. "I mean, yes. What you paid covers ammunition and range time. But the equipment is only for rental during training. If you want your own hardware..."
"If I need equipment, I'll definitely purchase from you, with cash," Jake interrupted him.
Old Tony, once a professional himself, was now primarily a businessman. Jake even wondered if that brief intensity he'd shown earlier was just an act.
"That's what I like to hear. I appreciate straightforward business. And I genuinely hope you succeed in your training."
After some further discussion, Old Tony pulled out a piece of paper, wrote two lines on it with a pen, and handed it to Jake. "I'll call ahead. Go find him and he'll train you."
"Him?" Jake took the paper. It had a New York address on it, complete with apartment number.
"Léon, my best operator." Old Tony shrugged. "He's not much of a talker, but he's solid."
A professional killer being described as solid?
Jake didn't comment on that, because he recognized the familiar name: Léon, the male protagonist of this movie.
A solitary and methodical professional.
Before Old Tony could elaborate further, Jake stood up. "I'll go find him now, but can I get the training equipment?"
"Of course." With a wave from Old Tony, one of his guys placed a large black case in front of Jake. The case was about five feet long and looked like an oversized luggage piece.
"This contains the equipment you'll need for training. Take good care of it; it needs to be returned."
"I'll keep it secure," Jake nodded, picked up the case, and headed out.
In the original film, when Léon came to get equipment from Old Tony, there was no mention of returning anything. Ultimately, it was just the businessman's greed, wanting to extract more money from Jake.
Even knowing the other party's intentions, Jake didn't care. It was just money. As long as he could quickly master these skills, there were many worlds and many opportunities waiting for him. Why waste time arguing here?
Holding the note, Jake got into a taxi and headed toward the protagonist's location.
In the taxi, the driver kept glancing nervously at the large case Jake had placed beside him. Jake tried to offer a reassuring smile, but the driver flinched and immediately looked away.
Jake, ignoring the taxi driver's anxiety, was actually quite conflicted. He hadn't intended to get involved in the original storyline when he came to this world. In the original film, Léon takes extreme action for the young girl Mathilda, going up against corrupt law enforcement—Jake didn't have that kind of courage or desire to get involved.
So his plan was simple: exploit Tony's profit motive to learn firearm skills, purchase some equipment, and then leave this world completely. Although he felt sympathy for Mathilda and Léon's situation, he couldn't change the story's trajectory, so he could only avoid it. He never expected to end up on this particular path.
"Whatever, I'll figure it out," Jake shook his head, placing his hand on the black case. To be honest, the case weighed nearly forty pounds, and he was struggling to carry it.
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