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

Chapter 141 The King of War
While Luca was preparing to go find Yuri, Hobbes, David, and others had already recovered more than half of the gold, most of which was Luca's "half," and the rest was Yuri's share. They also captured many of Yuri's subordinates.

However, after interrogation, these people refused to utter a single word; their mouths were as hard as steel. Death? Life imprisonment? They didn't care.

McLean went so far as to break the rules and resort to some vigilante justice, but it was all in vain.

He now believed that if they caught Simon, the guy would definitely be the same way, and they wouldn't be able to get anything out of him by interrogation. Now he could only hope that Old Pigeon could get some information from him.

"The pigeons and Simon are missing!" Hobbs found the group. "Has he contacted you? I think you should know where Luca is."

Unable to find Luca, Hobbs even suspected that Luca was deliberately lowering the police's guard so that he could escape with Simon. He admitted that he still knew too little about Luca to fully trust him.

Denham immediately understood what Hobbes was worried about; he had felt the same way before boarding Luca's ship.

“They’re in the suburbs of New York,” Denham reassured him. “He’s made some progress and gained Simon’s trust, but he’s run into some trouble. Simon’s background is quite complicated, and the mercenaries he leads are not just a simple mercenary army, but possibly a resistance army.”

“I see.” Hobbs said sternly. “Those guys in the detention cell don’t seem like people who are just working for money! I’m contacting the CIA and the people in Germany; they should have more information about them.”

The police officers present all looked quite serious. As things have developed, more and more things have been involved, and Simon's motives have become increasingly complex. Fortunately, the ultimate target is not Simon, but the gold. Everyone really didn't want to worry about those messy things in Germany.

Simon, who had committed so many crimes, and the soldiers in the detention cell, had every reason to be killed.

Death ends all problems.

Hobbs then asked, "How much longer will it take for Luca? Can he give a specific timeframe?"

David said quietly, "According to Old Pigeon, to fully gain Simon's trust, we need to give Simon hope and let him enjoy a brief period of success. Hobbs, are you willing to take the gamble?"

Upon hearing this, Hobbes braced his two thick arms on the table, and slowly turned his head, which resembled a hard-boiled egg, scanning each person's face.

“You’ve given me a huge problem. If Simon really ran away with the gold, Luca, you guys, and me—none of us can afford that responsibility. Sorry, I don’t like gambling.”

Hobbs shook his head, then nodded. "I need absolute certainty! Then let's help Luca and Simon build a bigger stage. The moment Simon appears with the gold, it will be time for us to close the net! Everyone, including Luca, don't let me down!"

Central Park, Manhattan.

Luca then realized that Yuri's luxurious penthouse was not far from his own home. Although they were close by, both near the park, and both offering panoramic views of the park from their balconies, the prices were worlds apart.

Yuri's house was clearly more luxurious and expensive.

At that moment, Luca walked into the apartment building with an air of nonchalance and then took the elevator to Yuri's doorstep.

Knock on the door and wait for a response.

A moment later, the door opened, and a sexy and beautiful mature woman appeared in front of Luca.

The panel popped up with a D card—Yuri's wife, Ava Fangtian Orlov. She used to be a star model, shooting for magazines and commercials. After failing in Hollywood, she chose to marry Yuri and became a housewife.

Facing the handsome stranger Luca, Ava looked at him with curiosity. Luca said, "I am Yuri's friend. I apologize for the intrusion."

Ava told Luca to wait a moment, then turned and called Yuri out. Upon seeing Luca, Yuri didn't immediately recall having this friend.

His immediate reaction was that Luca was one of those international police officers, and they had come looking for trouble!

Fuck! These damn bastards are like glue!

But Luca's next words brought a smile to his face: "Mr. Orlov, don't you recognize me? Luca Greco, Marigio is my uncle."

Mariggio? The Lucchese family? Yuri reacted, paused for half a second, and nodded: "Oh~~ Mariggio took me to your club, is that considered returning the favor? Why didn't you tell me in advance that you were coming to visit? That way I could have prepared wine and cigars to entertain you."

[Character Card: Yuri Orlov]

[Yuri: S]

[Source: Lord of War]

[Skills: Arms Transport; Lord of War]

[Bond: Strangers]

Yuri Orlov is one of the few top-tier private arms dealers in the world. While his personal efforts have contributed to building such a large empire, a significant reason for his success is his relative who is a general in Ukraine.

The Red Army once amassed a million troops in Ukraine, but after the fall of the Berlin Wall, many soldiers were left homeless and without pay. The anger of the soldiers and the warehouses overflowing with weapons created a strange synergy. The vast arsenal stockpiled during the Cold War was embezzled by Yuri and his general relatives and sold worldwide.

This was the most important step Yuri took on his path to becoming an arms dealer.

At this moment, Yuri led Luca to his study. He was somewhat displeased with Luca's unannounced visit—he didn't want his family to know what he was doing, especially his wife.

His smiling face quickly darkened after he entered the study and closed the door. "Luca, we can talk about things outside, like your club. You shouldn't have come to my house!"

His questioning only elicited a curt reply from Luca: "Simon mentioned you to me."

Yuri was momentarily speechless, and even a hint of panic appeared in his eyes, but he quickly realized that Luca was not there to interrogate him.

"You Mafia people actually got involved too."

"It was just me personally." The two sat down and introduced themselves. Yuri then realized that Luca had secretly helped Simon escape the police encirclement, and that Luca would also help transport the goods. They would be loaded onto Yuri's transport plane and ship and transported directly to Africa.

The military frequently assigned him to sell arms to warlords that the United States could not openly support, and they did so through a fast track, with no one able to stop him.

Yuri has strong connections within the military.

However, he dared not openly ask the military to help him transport gold, so he could only do so secretly under the guise of transporting weapons.

Luca knew very well how strong Yuri's trump card was; those two glaringly obvious skills were even related to the military.

Yuri's only weakness is his family—including his wife and children, his brother, and his parents.

In the original storyline, after his brother was killed by a warlord in Africa, all his family members abandoned him. His last remaining conscience was completely lost due to the betrayal and abandonment of everyone. In despair, he completely abandoned all his principles and humanity, and turned into a demon.

However, Yuri's family life is still quite happy now, and he hasn't reached that point yet, but his bad habit of greed has never changed, which is why he dares to reach for gold.

Yuri asked, "When can you deliver the goods?"

Luca: "And you? When can you set off?"

“I’m all set and just waiting for your gold.” Yuri spread his hands. “On the condition that you deal with those tails first, I don’t want to cause any unnecessary trouble. But once you leave the United States, I can guarantee that the United States won’t find this gold. Hiding gold in that vast and barren land of Africa is too easy.”

Luca smiled. He had to admit that the partner Simon had chosen was indeed very capable and greedy; he was simply the perfect choice.

Unfortunately, I am the mole, Luca, who is thinking about how to deal with Yuri, this variable, and cannot let Yuri ruin his actions and goals.

"Yuri, to be honest, Simon and I are in a very bad situation right now."

Luca recounted everything to Yuri, excluding the "informant," and the latter was horrified. "Damn it! You're being watched by the police, and you still come to my house looking for me? Listen, Luca, I don't want to get involved in your mess. Simon and I agreed that I would only pick up and deliver the goods at the agreed-upon location, and everything else is none of my business."

Yuri feigned ignorance: "I don't even know what's inside those crates!"

"Yuri, you don't trust your collaborators at all."

“This has nothing to do with trust.” Yuri shook his head. “I would like to help you too. If this were Africa, I could just say hello and no one would bother you. You might even have the army escorting you. But this is New York. If even your Mafia can’t handle this kind of trouble, I certainly can’t help you.”

"I'm curious, how much did Simon promise to give you?"

"What do you mean by how much? I only make money from shipping."

Yuri's feigned ignorance amused Luca, who wanted to distance himself from the situation, but Luca wouldn't have his way.

"Only a little bit of shipping money? How about I give you a bigger share?" Luca said with a grin. "We can leave Simon out of it, then there will be one less person to split the money, how about that?"

Yuri was struck dumb, looking at Luca in astonishment. "Luca, you have no right to talk to me like that. You're the one who doesn't truly trust your collaborators."

"This has nothing to do with trust."

Luca echoed Yuri's words, shaking his head as he continued, "Because from the very beginning, I never intended to cooperate with Simon. Guess why I was able to appear openly in your house? And guess how many police officers are watching this place?"

Just then, Yuri's wife knocked on the door, opened it, and said, "Yuri, a policeman just called."

Yuri opened his mouth, his scalp tingling, and he was completely dumbfounded.

After Ava left, Luca smiled slightly: "As you can see, my true partner is the Federation, and I have placed all my trust in them. The fact that you learned of this proves that the Federation has already obtained a lot of intelligence and evidence about you, which is why I came to you."

"Yuri, you have no choice. Cooperate with me, and you'll avoid being imprisoned by the Federation. I'm helping you, giving you a chance to atone. Otherwise, you can expect to go to jail with Simon."

Damn it!! That damn informant!!

Yuri's body went limp, and he leaned weakly against the leather sofa. He looked at Luca with complicated eyes and said, "Your acting is superb. You could be a star in Hollywood. And you're so handsome. I'm not kidding, I'm serious."

"Thank you for the compliment. Now we can talk about what's next."

“I regret it. I shouldn’t have answered Simon’s call! What else do you want to talk about? You and the Federation want to get the gold back, right?” Yuri raised his hand nonchalantly. “Tell me, how do you want me to cooperate!”

Three hours later, Luca left Yuri's house.

The couple saw Luca off as he left the gate.

Ava asked curiously, "Yuri, I've never heard of you having such a young and handsome friend. Oh, right, he gave me a club membership card before he left and invited us to the club."

Yuri looked at the card in his wife's hand, his emotions quite complicated. The image of that young face lingered in his mind like a shadow.

Regardless, Luca's initiative to approach him and ask for cooperation was indeed an opportunity; otherwise, he would have been finished along with Simon when the gold case was solved.

Now, at least he doesn't have to worry about being arrested. In a sense, Yuri is quite grateful to Luca, at least the latter chose to be honest with him.

It's just a pity about all that gold.
Feeling helpless, Yuri forced a smile: "Let's go for a visit sometime when we have time, we can go together."

[Bond: Follow]

(End of this chapter)