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

Chapter 171 The Boston Mafia
Manhattan, newspaper office.

Helen was chatting with a female colleague when she learned the news from her boyfriend.

Sitting next to her was a blonde, blue-eyed young woman who, seeing Helen hang up the phone, teased her with a mocking look, "Your artist boyfriend?"

Helen said helplessly, "Not every long-haired man is an artist."

In fact, Helen didn't even know what John did for a living. He claimed to work at a hotel and occasionally help with deliveries. But he would often disappear mysteriously, always acting cryptically, yet he was always very generous, as if he didn't need the money.

Her colleague had seen John a few times, and when he came to pick Helen up from get off work, the long-haired, aloof man piqued her curiosity.

Do you have a date tonight?

"correct."

"Oh, I envy women like you who have men to take care of them."

Helen smiled at her colleague's words. Her colleague was very beautiful, and countless people in the newspaper wanted to ask her out, but none of them had ever succeeded.

In the words of a colleague, they were not on the same wavelength, and there was a hint of disdain in their expression.

Helen knew that her colleague had recently been investigating issues related to teenage prostitution and intended to report on and expose these social ills. However, these matters were too deeply involved with gangs, and many reporters and photographers in the newspaper were unwilling to get involved, fearing that they would get into trouble.

But my colleague, a young and beautiful girl, showed no fear whatsoever.

In the case of the previous Detroit apartment massacre, my colleagues were very proactive, and even went to the scene of the Detroit riots to conduct interviews and investigations.

Helen admired her greatly.

SSR Club.

In the afternoon, Luca hosted Abram from the Tarasov gang in the cigar room. This guy had made a lot of money with Luca over the past year, getting rich along with the Russian brothers in the gang, and his status in the gang had also risen accordingly. Although he was only the younger brother and the second-in-command, he was showing a subtle tendency to "rebel against his older brother and take the lead."

Wherever Luca's business goes, Abramna will always follow behind with full support, but this time the situation is slightly different.

There are Russian gangs in Boston, and they are quite influential.

Although they have close ties with the Tarasov gang in New York, they are, after all, two separate gangs.

“The person in charge in Boston is named Slavi,” Abram explained. “He reports directly to Mr. Pushkin and is in charge of the Russian Brotherhood’s business and operations in Boston.”

Luca knew what was going on. Slavi seemed to be the leader who was killed by the Equalizer by having his throat slit. He barely appeared on screen before the Equalizer came to his door and killed him instantly.

They really have no influence.

His combat ability is indeed lacking, but this guy has quite a bit of power.

“Previously, Mr. Pushkin’s tankers always used ports in the southern part of Boston. After I opened up the port channels in New York, Mr. Pushkin shifted his focus to New York quite a bit.” Abram shrugged. “You can think of it as me taking away some of Slavy’s business.”

Luca immediately sensed something was wrong. "So you're going to tell me bad news? Your relationship with Slavie isn't so harmonious, and our gasoline tax business can't operate in Boston?"

Abram looked embarrassed. "My relationship with him isn't that bad, okay? Okay, it's a bit strained, though. But he controls the oil business in Boston. If you want to save costs, you have to work with him and give him a share."

If you don't want to, we can go around that.

"Slavey's territory is only in South Boston and some areas of southern Massachusetts. Don't your Mafia have influence there too? Find a local family to cooperate with. In North Boston, and throughout New England, your Mafia is the most powerful."

Hearing this, Luca felt a little embarrassed.

The family in Boston is an Italian Mafia family called "Patriciaca." This family has a large territory, with influence throughout New England in the northeastern corner of the United States, spanning six northeastern states.

Despite their large territory, the Northeast was poor, and the Patriaca family's earning power couldn't compare to that of New York and Philadelphia; they could only be considered a medium-sized family.

Just like the entire American Mafia today, few members are better at making money than Luca, whose gasoline tax business is unparalleled.

That's not the problem. The core issue is that the Patriaca family is a bit "isolated" and doesn't like other gangs doing business on their territory, even if they are also part of the Mafia.

The only families it was on good terms with were the Colombo and Genovese families. Even when these two families did business there, they had to give Patriaca a cut, a kind of "protection fee." They could make a profit even without doing anything.

In Luca's memory, the Lucchese family and the other party had never had any economic dealings.

In addition, there is a particularly powerful force in Massachusetts—the Irish gangs.

Similar to the situation with Black gangs in Detroit, the Irish had several different gangs that were concentrated in the South Side of Boston.

The Irish and the Italians were divided between the north and south of Boston.

The Irish gang in the original Infernal Affairs storyline is the Winter Mountain Gang, the strongest gang in the Southern District.

As for the Chinese gangs in Boston's Chinatown, they can only be considered a second- or third-rate force, and they can't afford to offend either the Italians or the Irish.

Luca took a closer look and realized that he didn't have a single ally in Boston. He had been hoping that Abram could get in touch with the Russian gangs in Boston, but that now seemed to be fraught with trouble.

After a moment's thought, Luca said, "Abram, go and discuss it with Slavi first, and see what conditions he offers."

“I’m sure that guy will ask for an exorbitant amount.” Abram shrugged. “When I took a share of the tanker business, I didn’t give him any face at all. He’s been wanting to get his revenge for it.”

If the situation is really that bad, then Luca will have no choice but to "ask" the petitioners for help. At that point, not only Slavie, but even Pushkin behind him won't escape—they'll fight their way through Boston and then all the way to Moscow.

One person is enough, and they can escape unscathed.

The Nightmare was skilled at causing trouble and killing, but he also created a lot of problems, like a tail that was hard to shake off. The Exonerator, on the other hand, was quite adept at dealing with the tail—he faked his death, escaped the military, and lived in seclusion in Boston, where even the CIA couldn't find him.

Luca was eager to bring this righteous and powerful guy under his wing.

The two continued to discuss relevant information and finally set a preliminary goal: to first probe Slavi and then see how things went.

Even if Slavia can't cooperate, there are other local gangs; if the Italians aren't welcoming, there are the Irish. And if even the mafia isn't an option, there's always the Boston police and the FBI, right?
Surrounded by enemies on all sides? Not at all.

Luca will give them a reason they can't refuse.

Once he gets involved in Boston's gang warfare, it won't be easy for him to pull back. At that point, Luca's hand will be hanging over Boston.

Turning hands is a cloud, covering hands is rain.

night.

Abram had barely stepped out of the club when John and his wife arrived as promised.

Now, after more than a year of treatment, Helen's condition has completely stabilized. At this point, money can truly be used to save her life and give her more time in the future.

Now she only needs to go for treatment occasionally, and her life is not much different from before.

But she still didn't mention it to John.

“I think this kind of life is great. We’re all happy together. Talking about it will only cause more trouble.” Helen always considered John’s feelings.

Luca could only say that this couple had been hiding things from each other—one from his illness, and the other from his profession. Were they the Wicks? Or the Smiths?

Helen stood at the bar counter, glanced back at her boyfriend at the table not far away, then looked back at Luca, who was mixing drinks for his own enjoyment, and said softly, "Luca, you've known John for so long, have you noticed that John is a man without a home?"

Luca smiled and said, "Aren't you his destiny?"

Helen smiled slightly: "I seem to be his only home. His inner world is too vast, like a dandelion, drifting wherever it goes. I have caught it now, but I also feel that it could scatter at any moment."

Luca asked with a gossipy look, "You mean, he makes you feel insecure?"

“He himself lacks a sense of security. Sometimes he is too numb, and I have become his lifeline.”

A hint of heartache flashed in Hailu's eyes, "That's why I dare not tell him. What if my illness is not cured? What if I disappear from his life? He won't be able to feel the existence of this world. I don't know how he has managed to get through all these years alone."

Luca handed him a glass of wine. Isn't this a common problem among lone assassins? Leon is the same way. He's extremely withdrawn. He has no sense of belonging. He once killed someone and only took a small amount of money to meet his basic needs. He has absolutely no other ambitions.

In short, they don't know why they live.

Some people live numb lives, like a cog in the machine of society, once they're in, they're stuck there for life, burdened by the "mission" of carrying on the family line, and by the responsibilities and obligations of their jobs and work. But others, after satisfying their basic material needs, care a lot about pursuing their goals for the rest of their lives and realizing their self-worth.

Some classes don't want to see too many of these people; they just want more cogs in the machine—stable and easy to control.

Lyon now has many brothers at the club, so he's not as withdrawn as before. Luca has instilled in him a fairytale-like "ambition" to plant silver queens all over the world, and now Lyon is quite proactive in everything he does.

Luca comforted Helen: "First, I need to correct you on one point: your illness won't worsen; it can definitely be cured. Also, John isn't as fragile as you think. If he's temporarily lost, you can help him more, creating more shared memories in his life, like Wangcai! Come here!"

Luca called out, and the grown-up Border Collie suddenly appeared from some corner and pounced on Luca's lap.

"Look, this is my dog. Why don't you guys consider getting one too?"

"It looks so well-behaved."

Helen's eyes sparkled as she called Wangcai to her side and lovingly rubbed the dog's head. "What you said has won me over. I'll go ask John about it later."

Luca smiled mysteriously. Night Demon is getting a dog; this is a big deal. Hopefully, the New York Animal Protection Association will be sensible.

“Luca,” Helen asked again, “I have another question. Do you know what John does for a living?”

“I told you that you are the hotel’s business manager, and the hotel has business in countries all over the world, so you sometimes need to travel to other places for business.”

Luca met John alone at the bar again. "If you don't want to tell Helen her true identity, then let's just say this from now on: Helen doesn't really want to delve into your profession, she just wants to understand you better and also wants to feel safe with you."

John nodded: "I know what to do, thank you. Pigeon, I plan to find an opportunity to leave the assassin world."

What's coming will come eventually, Luca said. "But getting out of the High Table will be difficult; you'll have to pay a price."

For example, in the original storyline, Master Ye blinded himself to be able to leave, and Night Demon only got this opportunity after destroying all the enemies of Tarasov.

Moreover, the two of them hadn't completely severed ties, and a comeback was just a matter of a high table order or a threat, forcing them to pick up the butcher's knife again.

Living an ordinary life is not so easy.

Luca had no way out; he sank deeper and deeper, unable to escape not only the High Table but also the Mafia. He could only continue climbing—but this was something Luca himself was willing to do; he had a clear goal and pursuit in life.

Luca continued, "If Vigo cannot satisfy you, you can wait until I am strong enough to shake the High Table, then I can give you your freedom."

John looked into Luca's sincere eyes, smiled, and raised his glass.

“I’ll go to Boston with you. I’ll help you achieve your goal, and that’s also for my own sake.”

[Bond: Friends]

(End of this chapter)