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

Chapter 57 What is meant by "cheater"?
Not far from Broadway is Wall Street, where you can go from the rat-infested sewers to the lavish luxury of the wealthy.

Luca and McLean arrived at a bar filled with white-collar workers. The sight of the latter, disheveled and with blood on his face, immediately made many of the sophisticated elites present frown.

What kind of monsters and demons can come here? When you come to a social occasion like this, can't you at least pay attention to your image?

A manager rushed over, and McLean's heart skipped a beat. He felt like he was doomed; was he going to be kicked out? He'd told her not to come to places like this.
"Sir, do you need any help?" the manager said with a smile. "We have spare clothes and a first-aid kit in the store that can help you treat your injuries."

McLean was taken aback. It wasn't him looking for trouble after all?

Luca looked at him questioningly: "Why don't you go take a shower first? Otherwise, no beautiful woman will want to get close to you later."

McLean: "."

Watching McClain walk away with the manager, Luca gave him an expectant smile. "Dude, we'll see how you do it then."

Luca knew he couldn't keep dragging the assassination mission on indefinitely—the family and the committee were getting impatient and wanted Richie and Galant dead as soon as possible. If Luca's "mission failed," they would likely send more assassins to kill the target.

Luca's delaying tactics will then fail, and Richie will face even more assassins, further worsening the situation.
In this situation, could Richie survive? Even Luca isn't necessarily confident he'll survive.

But he knew who could.

He wants to give the police an invincible SSR trump card to ensure 100% victory in this drug war!

—John McLean.

Judging from his appearance, McKlain doesn't look like a strong man at all; he's no different from those redneck uncles in bars.

But you can't judge a book by its cover, especially when it comes to people with less hair.

They're all cheaters.

Twenty minutes later, after washing up, bandaging his wounds, and changing into casual clothes, McLean sat down at the table.

“I’ve been to so many bars, and it’s rare to find a manager who didn’t laugh at me and even helped me change and apply medicine.” McLean looked at Luca with a sigh. “It must be because of you, right? They’re willing to give you face, but they won’t give me any.”

Luca didn't deny it, turning his head to look at the elite white-collar workers or sexy bar hostesses around him, "I forgot who invented business cards. They're very convenient and allow others to quickly determine your identity. Many white-collar workers on Wall Street need them."

But there is another group of people who have cultivated themselves into a calling card—merely a title—that inspires worship, admiration, or even terror!

"Luca."

"Just call me Old Pigeon, this is my business card."

Luca laughed and said, "McLean, you were originally the face of the NYPD. You solved so many major cases, even catching terrorists from Mexico. No one in the NYPD is more capable than you."

McLean: "."

Can I say that it was all just a coincidence?

McLean didn't bother with further explanation, picked up his glass and took a swig. "Thank you for what happened before."

"I still don't know what's going on. Who are those black people?" Luca asked curiously. Why is it that every time he runs into this guy, the other guy always seems to be in trouble?

McLean gave a brief explanation, then said with a troubled expression, "Those damn drug dealers have already brought drugs into the church. There's a drug rehabilitation center in the church, and there are people trying to quit drugs. Those drugs will ruin all their efforts."

They can harm Wall Street brokers who rely on drugs to stay alert, but they can't go and poison families who want to quit drugs!

I can't just stand by and do nothing!

Luca was stunned; he hadn't expected it to be like this.

Drug dealers coming to drug rehabilitation support groups to sell drugs is truly targeting their user base precisely!
It seems we went too easy on them earlier; we thought they had simply had a physical altercation with this drunk man, McKlain.
“I would have done the same, but this doesn’t address the root cause,” Luca said. “These drug dealers are arrested, but new ones will appear. The blue magic won’t disappear from New York, and your police colleagues won’t mind making money alongside drug dealers.”

"That's why I don't want to stay in the police station anymore."

McLean's hazy, drunken eyes flickered with confusion. "But once I leave there, I don't know what else I can do."

The two drank and talked, taking turns to drink, and their relationship gradually grew closer.

Taking advantage of the man's drunkenness, Luca asked him a lot of questions, including his current marital and family situation.

McLean felt a sense of trust from Luca and, fueled by alcohol, launched into a tirade.
He was a man who valued family and marriage highly, but his marriage broke down due to long-term career risks, which was one of the reasons he avoided falling into depravity.

This man's mental state is indeed a bit messed up. Compared to action movie tough guys like Tom Cruise, McKellen has more of a down-to-earth feel and realism. He gets hurt, tired, and afraid, and often relieves stress through self-deprecation and swearing. His psychological state is very rich.

This is a commoner hero who hates bureaucracy and challenges the system through his personal actions.

"Old Pigeon, do you know what the two stupidest things I've ever done in my life are?"

McLean gulped down a mouthful of cheap tequila, slammed the glass on the table, and even the ashtray jumped. "First, I thought being a cop would save the world; second, I thought marriage would save me!"

He lit a cigarette, pointed to his haggard face, and said, "Holly won't even let me see her dog now! The police station won't even let me in the door! Suspension pending investigation? I saved two hundred people in Los Angeles, and now they're saying I damaged the elevator door and can't afford to pay for it!"

Luca handed him a tissue, and McLean wiped his mouth, cursing, "The worst part is, after the terrorists bombed the building in Los Angeles, I fixed my marriage, but then I lost my wife while fixing the plumbing!"

He stood up unsteadily: "I'm leaving! If I keep drinking, I won't be able to find my way home. Thanks for the hospitality tonight, hiccup~~ Let's have another drink another day, it's on me."

[Bond: Familiarity]

【McLean: SSR】

[Misfortunes never come singly: You always seem to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and then you're forced into a series of troubles.]

[Learning Requirements: Bond level must be at least Partner level; Requires 1 Skill Fragment] [Ventilation Duct Raid: When you move through ventilation ducts, you are faster and quieter, movement speed +30%, stealth effect +30%]

[Learning Requirements: Achieve a Friendship or higher bond level: Requires 30 Skill Fragments]

[Barefoot Warrior: When barefoot, movement speed +20%, evasion rate +20%; you can use the surrounding terrain more flexibly and reduce damage to your feet, environmental interaction utilization +20%, damage to your feet -60%]

[Learning Requirements: Bond level must be close friend or higher; 30 skill fragments required]

[Heroism: You have taken individual heroism to the extreme. When you face challenges and dangers alone, your combat power increases by 100%]

[Learning Requirements: Bond level must be at least Partner level; Requires 200 Skill Fragments]

【Die hard: You can survive like an immortal, no matter how dangerous the situation you face】

[Learning Requirements: Achieve Symbiosis Bond; Requires 1500 Skill Fragments]

What does it mean to be a "cheater"?
Luca couldn't help but sigh, these SSR characters are all cheating, each one more overpowered than the last.

Especially the skill "die hard," which is also the original English name, meaning "hard to die." The translated "Tiger's Die Hard" sounds more imposing, but it lacks this intuitive information.

Without a doubt, this is a bug-level conceptual aura skill, the most abstract skill Luca has ever seen besides Matilda's lucky aura.

If Luca learns Matilda and McClain's skills, he can roam freely without fear of dying.

One of the essential skills of a Godfather is that, because he has many enemies, he is always being assassinated.

In addition, the misfortune that only requires one fragment is compounded by another.
Is the system serious about this price? Damn, is it trying to encourage me to learn this crappy skill?

He, the peace ambassador, does indeed like to meddle in other people's business, but he doesn't want to be surrounded by trouble all the time, like he's facing death.

Once I learn this awesome skill, I guess I'll never have a peaceful day again.

Apart from these two concept-based skills, the other three skills are quite good.

The ventilation duct is a bit of a limitation, but it's still quite useful for an assassin. Using the ventilation duct to sneak into the target's room and kill them in one shot is pretty good.

The Barefoot Warrior skill increases dodge chance, which Luca really likes. But if dodge is maxed out, will the bullet time effect occur?

Heroism—this skill can be described in one word: powerful.

A miraculous skill of fighting alone!

“McLean, pull yourself together, New York needs you.” Luca smiled faintly.

The following day, McLean went to the church as usual.

"Here you go." The priest suddenly pulled out a letter.

"what is this?"

"I don't know. When I checked the church mailbox this afternoon, I found a letter inside. The recipient was you."

"???"

McLean looked completely bewildered.

The priest also looked puzzled. The church only received letters from believers, and McLean, this drunkard, was clearly not a proper believer.

What believer would drink and chug bottles with God?
With a mixture of doubt and caution, McLean opened the letter.

It contained a message and an address.

—If you're seeing this letter, it means you've come to the church again. We've warned you so many times, this is the last time! If you dare to meddle again, you and your family will definitely pay the price! Want your family to taste the power of the blue magic?

The address was clearly his wife's address.

The effects of the alcohol vanished instantly, and McLean's mind cleared immediately. The veins on his fingers, gripping the letter, bulged, and his eyes were filled with anger and shock.

Looking at the time, it was already past six o'clock. McLean was very anxious and immediately called his wife, but no one answered.

Oops!

McLean quickly got up and rushed out of the church, hurrying to his wife's house.

Fortunately, his wife and children were alright. Seeing McLean's anxious expression, Holly said impatiently, "It's a weekday! John, you can only visit the children on weekends!"

McLean asked anxiously, "Why didn't you answer my call earlier?"

I don't want to answer.

"."

McLean sighed, waved his hand, and turned to leave. "Okay, okay, I just wanted to see the kids. I won't bother you anymore."

Just then, a loud bang was heard, and a red car parked on the side of the road exploded.

—That's Holly's car.

The raging flames illuminated McLean's furious face as he stared in disbelief, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked, and his whole body trembled.

Those damn drug dealers!!!
(End of this chapter)