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

Chapter 180 White-haired Balje

SSR Club.

The phone call ended, and the huge office was so quiet you could hear your own breathing.

Luca, dressed in a black suit, sat in a spacious executive chair with his head slightly lowered, the dim light casting a large, dark shadow behind him.

The Russians, the Patriaka family of the North, and the Irish gang of the South are facing more trouble than ever before, even directly involving Luka's core interests—gasoline tax.

Luca's business has expanded too far, involving too many people and families, including not only his own family, but also the Bruno family of Philadelphia, the Detroit family, the Bufalino family, the Genovese family, and the truck drivers' union.

To prevent others from envying his business, Luca made the most of the Mafia Council's golden rule of "mutual benefit and sharing," binding so many people and forces to his cause so that everyone could make money happily together, thus avoiding a situation where the Bonanno family would be "betrayed and abandoned by everyone."

Back then, Bonano's drug business was so large, yet he refused to share it, offending the entire committee. Luca didn't want to see that happen to him.

According to the original plan, New England should also join its "alliance." It didn't matter that Slavie and Pushkin were disobedient, but the Patriaca family—that damned, internally divided, and selfish family—had actually turned around and joined Pushkin's side.

Given Pushkin's influence on both the East and West coasts, allowing them to expand their gasoline tax business to dominate the entire Northeast New England region, and even extend it to the West Coast, would definitely affect Luca's business in the future.

If you can't create a monopoly, how will you make money?

Dare to touch your own cake?
Furthermore, Luca wasn't entirely convinced that these guys could understand the business better than he did. He had nearly two years of practical experience, and his skills in the entire process were becoming increasingly proficient. As for the Patriac family, if their business ran into trouble and was disrupted by the IRS, Luca's side would also be severely affected.

The entire gasoline tax scam might collapse ahead of schedule.

"A bunch of idiots who won't listen to reason! You're allowed to sell drugs in the Bronx, but I'm not allowed to sell gasoline in your territory?"

Luca spun his chair to face the blackboard, a blackboard containing rare cards related to Boston that none of his allies could find at the moment.

But Luca knew who he could win over and who he had to get rid of.

Previously, there was a plan to let the Patriaca family survive in the northeast, but now...
A hint of murderous intent flashed in Luca's eyes.

Snowflakes were falling heavily outside the window, and at that moment, all the criminals in Little Italy felt an unusual sense of unease.

But it disappeared again the next second.

"Luca~~~" The office door was pushed open.

Only Matilda could roam freely in the club without permission and dare to barge into Luca's office.

Matilda skipped and hopped over to Luca's side, then hugged her brother's arm and giggled, "Let's go outside and build a snowman and have a snowball fight! You're always stuck in the club, you're practically turning into a moldy person."

The little boy looked at Luca's increasingly angular profile, a hint of heartache in his eyes. He felt that his older brother seemed to have lost some weight. Moreover, his older brother was getting busier and busier. Before the club opened, his older brother often accompanied him and would pick him up and drop him off at school, but now there were very few opportunities to play together.

He's only 24 years old, about the same age as college graduates, but he looks like a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties.

Sometimes it's becoming increasingly difficult to understand what my older brother is thinking.

"Where's Little Yellow Hair?" Luca ruffled Matilda's hair. "Go play with him, he's a professional at playing with people."

"The blond guy went to the airport to race cars," Matilda complained. "With such heavy snow, he still wanted to race cars. Isn't he afraid of slipping?"

Luca: "."

Matilda tugged at his arm. "Come on, stop thinking about things all the time, or you'll lose your hair."

Luca turned his head to look at the heavy snow outside the window. The night was dotted with white, as if someone was holding a paintbrush and shaking off specks of white light onto a black canvas.

Finally, Luca couldn't resist Matilda's persistent pleading and went downstairs with her, where they built a snowman on the street in front of the door.

One big and one small, snuggling together.

The club waiter also brought out carrots and some props from the restaurant to garnish the two.

Matilda took off her scarf and wrapped it around the snowman's neck.

"Luca, Christmas is coming soon, and I'll be 14 soon!"

Matilda held Luca's hand and said, "I don't want any presents for my birthday this year. I just want you to spend more time with me."

Luca felt a rare moment of peace, free from chaotic thoughts, calculations, and murderous intent.

"Let me share in Lady Luck's good fortune."

Luca lifted Matilda with one arm and placed her on his lap. Matilda stretched out her palm to shield Luca's head, and the snowflakes melted into water stains in her palm.

Even the hardest heart can be warmed and melted one day.

Next week.

The fighting in Boston's South Side is intensifying. Now, not only the Mullin and Killin gangs, but also the Winter Mountain gang, whose leader has died, has been forced into the fray, joining the battle with the other two gangs.

The three forces are engaged in a chaotic battle in the Southern District, vying for control of the district and ultimately forging a new leader.

This led to a sharp rise in the murder rate in the South, with gangs clashing and welcoming Christmas with gunfire.

This continued until Costello's funeral.

On that day, everyone agreed to suspend the fighting. The leaders of the major gangs all gave face and went to attend Costello's funeral. Even the North District Mafia came to the scene.

Peace Ambassador Luca also made an appearance, coming here to meet various rare cards.

The current temporary leader of the Winter Mountain Gang is "The Frenchman," who is Costello's second-in-command. He met Luca once when they were discussing the chip business.

However, without Costello's suppression, the Winter Mountain Gang also experienced many internal conflicts. Beset by internal and external troubles, the French hadn't had a good night's sleep during this period.

At the funeral, when the Frenchman saw Luca, he came over to greet him with a slightly haggard face. He was still unaware that Luca was the one who killed his boss, and thought it was the work of the Killing or Mullin gangs.

These two gangs seem to be the most suspicious. How could Luca, who had worked with the boss, be the murderer?

Luca: "Please accept my condolences."

The Frenchman couldn't bring himself to smile. "Thank you for coming to see Costello off on his final journey."

Luca had attended far more funerals than parties, and after expertly completing the process, he was about to leave when he ran into several acquaintances—members of the Patriaca family.

Among them was Kahn Jones, whom Luca had met briefly two years prior. This fat man had been threatened by Luca with a gun to his temple, forcing him to never set foot in New York again to traffic drugs.

That was Luca's last mission before he swore a blood oath.

Before Kahn Jones stood an elderly man, the current head of the Boston North District Mafia—Genello Angelo.

[Rare Card Discovered: Gennaro Angelo]

【Genallo: D】

[Source: Black Mass]

[Skill: None]

[Bond: Strangers]

Gennaro could be considered both the second-in-command and the head of the Patriaca family. Since the family split, he has become the de facto leader of the Boston faction, so calling him the big boss of the Angelo family wouldn't be wrong.

Local gangs, and even the FBI, all refer to the Angelo family directly.

The Patriaca faction/family, on the other hand, monopolizes the city of Providence.

They're just not in the same city and each acts independently. If they were actually brought together, the two factions would have already started fighting.

Luca glanced at the panel, a hint of disdain hidden deep in his eyes. Genaro was certainly not the main character in the original story; he only had a few scenes. It was a bit of a surprise that he got a D card.

"Mr. Angelo."

"Pigeon."

Both men smiled amicably on the surface, but Kahn, who was following behind Gennaro, dared not look Luca in the eye. He still couldn't forget the scene two years ago when Luca single-handedly wiped out all of his men—it was too violent.

Now, times have changed, Luca's status has risen, and Kahn is increasingly reluctant to look him in the eye.

Only his boss had the influence to make Luca stop and greet him.

“I never expected to meet you here.” Gennaro said with a fake smile. “Pigeon, it’s a pity we couldn’t work together. I was indeed planning to talk to you, but something came up. As you can see, Costello is dead. We were neighbors in Boston for so many years. He was younger than me, but he left us before me. His passing makes me very sad.”

“You don’t need to apologize to me.” Luca smiled, but his gaze was cold. “The person you should apologize to is Fatty Tony. You agreed to attend the symposium with him, but then canceled at the last minute. When Tony told me about it, I could tell he was furious.”

"I've made my meaning very clear: we should keep to ourselves."

“It’s quite a coincidence, Slavi said the same thing to me.”

Luca's smile grew even warmer. "I didn't expect you two could actually work together. It seems you two have a pretty good relationship? After all, we both work in Boston, so you see each other all the time. You're closer than me, an outsider, aren't you?"

Gennaro looked around at the Irish people scattered everywhere. "So what? I'm working with Slavie, and now you've chosen these Irish people? Pigeon, you're finally going to extend your reach into Boston."

"If I remember correctly, the South District is not your territory."

“But the South Side belongs to Boston. Cars traveling between the North and South can refuel in the North Side or the South Side.” Gennaro shook his head. “Pigeon, I advise you to go back to your New York. Boston is not a place for you to interfere. Everyone can still hold committee meetings peacefully.”

Luca: "You want to threaten the committee's referees?"

These words implied a willingness to tear off the mask of civility. Genaro frowned slightly, and several Mafia members behind him stepped forward in unison. Luca merely raised his head, his icy gaze sweeping over them. Under the aura of a series of Mafia titles such as "Mafia Judge" and "Anti-Drug Ambassador," everyone felt as if they had fallen into an ice cellar.

The skill "Seize Power" provides an additional deterrent effect on the big boss, making Gennaro even more pressured by Luca.

The deterrent effect is a passive aura, but it is inseparable from Luca's mood, attitude, momentum, hostility, and so on. When he goes all out, all the auras explode together, and the effect is that the entire funeral scene becomes silent for a moment. The originally solemn and mournful atmosphere is suddenly filled with a murderous aura.

“Mr. Angelo,” Luca said in a deep voice, “the Mafia Committee has never liked families that try to have it all to themselves, especially when I make a cake but someone takes my recipe and opens a shop on their own. That’s all I have to say. Today is Costello’s funeral, and I don’t want to cause any unpleasantness. Please leave.”

Luca brushed past them and left, followed only by a Night Demon, but no one present dared to stop the two.

Only after they had walked a distance were many people able to catch their breath.

Kahn was sweating profusely. This pigeon was becoming increasingly powerful.

Gennaro glanced back at Luca's retreating figure, a serious expression appearing on his aged face. Was Pigeon ultimately going to wade into the muddy waters of Boston, using the South Side as his entry point?

Can those Irish people trust an Italian like you?
Luca hadn't gone far when another group of funeral attendees appeared ahead.

—The Keeling Gang.

One of the white men with gray hair caught Luca's eye for an extra second.

[Rare Card Discovered: James Jimmy Bulger]

[James: SR]

[Source: Black Mass]

[Skills: Corruption Symbiosis; Crimson Mass; Global Wanted]

[Bond: Strangers]

Another person nicknamed Jimmy is complaining about how there are so many people with the name Jimmy.

James Bulger, nicknamed "White Hair," is an Irishman and the current leader of the Killing Gang. He is the absolute protagonist of the Black Mass storyline and the future "Winter Mountain Gang Boss," "King of Boston," and "one of the world's ten most wanted criminals."

Angelo's faction will be wiped out by the white-haired man and the FBI.

Luca glanced at the panel, a smile playing on his lips.

Boston is a really interesting place; these gangsters all like to cooperate with the FBI. However, compared to Costello, the white-haired guy directly recruited several FBI agents, turning them into his underlings, just like Denham did for Luca.

The reason why White Hair had this ability and confidence was not only because he was a notorious figure in the underworld, but also because he had a younger brother who was a senator in Massachusetts.

His brother will become the president of the Senate in the future!

Both the legitimate and criminal worlds have reached the pinnacle of their respective regions!
This protective umbrella is quite large.
(End of this chapter)