American variety show: The Godfather, the Peace Ambassador, what the heck?

Chapter 127 Gold, The Great Thief

New York Police Department.

The group came and went in a hurry. After completing the murderer's first task, they returned here to discuss how to deal with the murderer's next "difficulties" and his true purpose.

"Has the killer been watching us?"

Inside the office, McLean, now dressed, stared thoughtfully at David and the others. "He knows my location, and he also knows Ah Qiang."

“He must have planted spies to monitor us,” David shrugged. “We were being watched as soon as we arrived in Little Italy.”

McLean was puzzled: "Who is plotting against me? I really don't remember ever messing with someone named Simon."

“I’m already investigating. All the criminals you’ve arrested, anyone named Simon, regardless of skin color, even those you’ve targeted, counts.” David sat down next to McLean. “Dude, you’d better think back carefully. You were a cop in New York first, then you went to Los Angeles to arrest people. Over the years, you’ve made countless enemies.”

A nearby police officer joked, "Maybe he's an admirer of McLean? Believe me, some crazy fans will do that. There have been cases of fans trying to assassinate the president just to follow their idols."

"A fangirl/fanboy? So you mean he'll send me flowers next, instead of a bomb?"

“No, he’s trying to control you.” David shook his head. “He’s a madman who thinks he’s a music conductor and wants you to dance to his beat.”

“Striptease?” McKlain scoffed. “Making me strip naked and parade through the streets in the dead of winter? This bastard must love me to the core!”

Soon, the police compiled a complete list of all the criminals named Simon. But McLean knew at a glance that these weren't the people the police were looking for. He remembered every case he had handled clearly, and none of these Simons fit the image of a "bombing madman."

Then a bomb expert appeared in the room with a bomb he had found in Little Italy.

The bomb is a two-liquid type, a liquid-mixed bomb. A single liquid will not explode, but once they are mixed together, they will produce a violent chemical reaction.

According to the investigation, a laboratory had more than 2,000 pounds of raw material stolen.

What does it mean if two thousand pounds explode together?
Bomb expert: "Enough to raze New York's largest stadium to the ground."

Everyone's expressions turned very serious.

McLean rubbed his head. If it weren't for this, would I be willing to run naked through the streets in the dead of winter?

"Where's Old Pigeon?" McLean suddenly looked up and asked, his subconscious reliance on Old Pigeon reminding him of the most reliable man.

David gestured towards the door and saw Old Pigeon with his arm around Qiang's shoulder, talking about something.

"Ah Qiang, this is the situation. New York is currently facing an attack by a group of terrorists."

Luca is really about to break down.

Simon not only targeted the Italians, but now he's dragged Ajaccio into it too. Luca really doesn't know what to say.

Ah-Qiang didn't participate in the struggle in the Red Bronx, but instead jumped directly into the large-scale operation of "Saving New York".

In short, the big event that happened today was a meticulously planned heist—the robbers' target was the Federal Reserve's $1400 billion worth of gold.

The games McLean played during that time, or the bombs planted elsewhere—bombing schools, bombing New York, etc.—were all just smokescreens used by the robbers to divert the police's attention.

In the original storyline, the robbers successfully stole all the gold and took it out of New York. They were just one step away from taking it out of the country when McLean stopped them at the border between the United States and Canada, causing their plan to fail.

As for the gang leader Simon, he is the older brother of the villain that McLean killed in Los Angeles a few years ago.

So Simon was simultaneously annoying and toying with McClain while also trying to steal the gold, truly a two-pronged approach that didn't interfere with either task.

But what he shouldn't have done, and most importantly, was to mention his nephew's name—in the original storyline, McKlain's partner was a Black man, but now he's Asian.
Luca has already started praying for Simon.

But that 1400 billion in gold is 1400 billion! Not 1400 million!
It would be a lie to say Luca wasn't tempted. In the original storyline, Simon had already transported the gold to the Canadian border. With such a great opportunity, and a perfect scapegoat and a wedding dress candidate, all he had to do was wait until the end.
Thinking about it this way, Luca's heart skipped a beat.

If all the gold were taken, the American economy would inevitably be thrown into turmoil, and the entire country would devote all its efforts to finding the mastermind behind it. Such a monstrous heist would have extremely serious consequences, and the reward for defending peace would be impossible to settle.

Luca's heartbeat gradually slowed down.

The consequences are too severe, so Luca must be cautious. It's unrealistic to take all the gold, but he can take a small, harmless advantage.
Taking a deep breath, Luca pulled himself out of his thoughts:

"Qiang, I'm sorry to have gotten you involved in such a big incident so soon after arriving in New York. But thanks to you, not only would Officer McLean have been injured, but that bomb might have also exploded in Little Italy."

"Old Pigeon, you don't need to apologize to me. The terrorists are the ones who should apologize!"

Ah Qiang clenched his fists slightly, his eyes filled with resentment. Now that he had figured out what had happened, he couldn't help but feel a lingering fear: "That bomb wasn't far from Uncle Biao's supermarket. If it had exploded... Anyway, I won't stand idly by! Since the murderer has come after me, I'll fight him to the end!"

it is good!
Luca thought to himself, "What a brute!"

Ah Qiang is an even more reckless brute than McLean, much like Nightmare. He only needs the other party's name and address, and then he dares to go straight to their door alone.

He can single-handedly take on an entire biker gang to avenge his friend; he can also go alone to settle scores with the mafia when his friend is kidnapped.

What's even more reckless is that Ah Qiang doesn't even have a gun. He just takes them from his opponents after he's finished shooting them. He uses whatever tools are around him, emphasizing unconventionality and adaptability—he starts the game alone and relies entirely on scavenging for equipment.

The more Luca thought about it, the more incredible it seemed, and he couldn't help but gasp!
Ah Qiang, you are the true god of war!
[Ma Hanqiang: SSR]

[Bond: Familiarity]

【家具城战神：你能更迅速地适应任何地形和环境，并且能熟练地借用环境中的地形、道具进行战斗，闪避+10%~50%；战斗力+10%~50%（根据环境复杂程度和道具数量、类型判定）；身处家具城时，战斗力+100%】    【学习要求：羁绊达到伴侣及其以上；需要技能碎片X200】

[Pain Awareness Drama: When attacked or injured, you can reduce your pain and subsequent damage through comical expressions and actions. Pain -5%~50%, subsequent damage -5%~20% (based on your comedic effect);]

[Learning Requirements: Affinity level of Friends or higher; Requires 50 Skill Fragments]

[Daredevil Stunts: You are skilled in parkour and other high-risk maneuvers. When performing dangerous stunts (parkour, car crashes, jumping off buildings, etc.), your success rate is forcibly increased by 40%, and the damage caused by the stunt is reduced.]

[Learning Requirements: Parkour LV5 or higher; Bond level of Close Friend or higher; Requires 100 Skill Fragments]

[Kung Fu Master: You have integrated various martial arts styles from both the North and South of China, and combined them with Muay Thai, Taekwondo, Karate and other fighting techniques to form your own unique kung fu style.]

When learning any fighting technique, efficiency increases by 30%; for each martial art or fighting skill learned (reaching LV5 or higher), combat power permanently increases by 5%, up to a maximum of 100%.

[Learning Requirements: Bond level must be at least Partner level; Requires 500 Skill Fragments]

Descendants of the Dragon: Self-reliant and virtuous; resilient and indomitable;
Like a dragon lying in shallow waters awaiting the tide: the more dangerous and chaotic your environment, the stronger your ability to turn adversity into advantage, leverage external forces, and turn the tide in desperate situations.

[Learning Requirements: Achieve Symbiosis Bond; Requires 3000 Skill Fragments]

After reading the skill description, Luca can only say that he truly deserves to be called the ultimate cheater, and the cheat he's using is an extremely abstract and overpowered one.

The first skill combines terrain and item combat, significantly increasing combat power; the second skill is rather abstract—can humor really reduce damage and increase defense? It is indeed a bit humorous; the third is a special action skill—after learning it, can't you just casually board planes and trains?

The fourth skill is undoubtedly a must-learn, a skill that permanently increases combat power; learning it is a guaranteed gain.

Lastly, Luca can only say that this skill is ridiculously strong, almost to the point of explicitly stating "invincible" and "Ah Qiang can solve all problems".

I really envy those people who blatantly use cheat codes.
Luca decided to start with humor to reduce damage, gradually acquiring his nephew's skills.

"Old Pigeon! Ah Qiang!" David came over. "The murderer wants to talk to Ah Qiang!"

“I put a lot of effort into preparing that game for McLean, but you interfered with my pre-arranged plans.”

Simon's voice, brimming with an air of superiority and complete control, came through the phone, as if he were certain he would be the victor: "This friend from China? Or Japan? You should say hello to me before joining this game."

"I am Chinese!"

With a stern face, A-Qiang shouted righteously, "And who do you think you are? What kind of hero hides his head and hides his tail? If you have the guts, stand up and let's settle this like men!"

Simon said calmly, "Sorry, this is the game I set up, and you all have to follow my rules. I was originally thinking of letting you go back to the supermarket to continue selling those groceries, but now it seems that I should let you join in as well."

The police officers around them, including Luca, were all listening to their conversation.

Upon hearing this, the other police officers looked tense, but Luca smiled.

Simon: "Listen up, next game, McKlain will be heading to the Broadway subway station with this Chinese friend."

—Address: Broadway.

The game involves answering a public phone at the subway station entrance. No other police officers or accomplices are allowed on site within 15 minutes. Failure to answer within the time limit results in failure and the detonation of a bomb.

It was clearly a diversionary tactic, but the other police officers at the scene were not yet aware of the problem, nor did they know that Simon's target was gold.

After the rules of the game were agreed upon, Simon hung up the phone, and McClain said sarcastically, "Do you expect me to play this childish game with this lunatic?"

David said helplessly, "Dude, I know you're reluctant, but we have no other choice."

McLean looked at Old Pigeon with a pained expression, then asked, "Old Pigeon, can you help us find the murderer?"

"I can find it, but I also want the gold." Luca nodded: "I'll mobilize my people to look for it now. Give me some time. Before that, you and A-Qiang should finish the game together."

This game really needs to be made.

Except for the 2000-pound bomb at the school, which was a hoax, the other suitcase bombs were real. Although they weren't that powerful, the explosive force was enough to affect half a block, just like the bomb that exploded at the department store this morning.

Moreover, the butterfly effect has already begun; Luca has no idea what games Simon will have McClain play next, nor is he sure where the next bomb will appear.

What if there's no bomb at the school? Or what if there is a real bomb at the school?

There are too many variables.

Luca hates these sudden, major events the most. He can't make any preparations in advance and has to come up with plans on the spot, since the other side won't announce the conference months in advance like Colombo did.

Everyone immediately mobilized, while Luca went to find David.

"Bring someone over here for me, a thief your police caught a few days ago."

"What is your name?"

"Andrew."

(End of this chapter)