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

Chapter 56 A Toast to Tomorrow
They played until after 9 p.m. before Luca took Matilda away.

Marigio saw the siblings to the door, and before leaving, he pulled Luca aside and whispered, "Luca, I'm so glad you have such a sweet little sister like Matilda in your life. Before, you had no interest in anything but killing and bounties, but you've changed a lot in the past year."

You've actually started a club and are doing business, that's a good thing, Luca. I hope this change will make your life less boring and make you more humane.

Killing is the final execution, meaning there's no room for negotiation. Before, that was the only method you knew; at least now you're learning to solve problems in ways other than killing.

In the car, Luca held the steering wheel with one hand and gently pressed his temple with the other, his mind still calculating how to handle this mission.

He had some ideas in his mind, concerning Richie, the drug war, himself, his promotion within the family, and even the future fate of the family.

It's not hard to drag out the task, but can't the butcher make a mistake sometimes?

The difficulty lies in whether Richie will survive. Will Dominic and the committee make other decisions, or will they question Luca's ability to deliver fish?

If the higher-ups are determined to kill Ricci, and Luca wants to protect Ricci, a conflict between the two sides is inevitable.

Short-term compliance with external agreements will not solve the problem completely; in the long run, it will only exacerbate the conflict—just like Henry's case.

Even if Richie is eliminated, will Washington stop?

Luca's fingers tapped unconsciously on the steering wheel.

The family and the committee will never know that even if they kill Richie, Luca will continue to help David, other police officers, and the federal government catch Frank.

Behind Richie is not just Washington, but also a peace ambassador.

Thinking of this, Luca's gaze gradually turned cold.

Second boss, I'm going with the times and version updates, but you insist on going against the trend!

Sang'e Wu Bichi!
But in truth, everyone is doing what they believe is right.

"Luca?" Matilda tilted her head and suddenly called out.

"Ok?"

"You seem preoccupied? I sensed you were a bit distracted when you left earlier."

"Can Lucky Matilda read minds? Yes, I'm thinking about how to improve your grades. You got all Cs on your final exams this semester. Your teacher even called me. Were you not studying hard at school?"

Luca chuckled and joked, "You're an SSR card, yet you brought back a bunch of C grades. That's not befitting your status."

Matilda rolled her eyes. "I started the semester with all Ds, but by the end of the semester I got Cs. That's a big improvement, okay?"

Luca Wan: "Then I have to buy you an ice cream as a compliment."

Matilda: "You're definitely not thinking about grades, otherwise you would have complained to Uncle Marigio about it during dinner."

"Okay, okay, you guessed right again. I am indeed a little troubled right now."

Luca stopped at a fork in the road to wait for the traffic light. He pointed to the left side of the road and said, “Let me give you an example. I want to go somewhere. There are two roads in front of me. I have studied the map beforehand and know the road conditions. The scenery along the way is beautiful, and there are many friends traveling with me on the road.”

Then, pointing to the right, he said, "I don't know the road conditions on the other road. There are some obstacles along the way, and traffic police are blocking the way. I'm not sure if I can reach the destination smoothly."

“Then let’s choose the first one.” Matilda pointed to the road on the left with her little finger. “You wanted to go this way, right?”

“The problem is, I still can’t fully control the steering wheel of this car.” Luca shrugged. “There’s a group of die-hards who insist on going right. They say there’s gold in the dirt on the road and they have to pick it up as they go, regardless of what’s at the end.”

"Haha, how could there be gold on the road? New York isn't the San Francisco of the past."

"The traffic police are here specifically to stop these people from picking up gold."

"Then kill the driver and drive yourself."

Matilda spoke as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, which surprised Luca slightly, making him feel as if he had found a kindred spirit.

He had genuinely intended to kill Dominic—the second boss was incredibly troublesome; eliminating this family drug lord would not only cripple the family's drug business but also create opportunities for promotion.

If you're already going to kill someone else's big boss, killing your own second boss is just as difficult for Luca. The difference is that killing Galant has no worries about the consequences; it's an execution by the committee.
Taking out Dominic would be a big problem.

Killing a full member without their consent will result in execution!
If word gets out, Luca will be finished. The next execution order will have his name on it—he will get to experience the Night Demon's deathbed treatment ahead of schedule.

The consequences are too severe; Luca needs to proceed with caution and devise a meticulous plan.

He hasn't yet made up his mind to kill the second boss.
“A pretty good idea.” Luca grinned and reached out to ruffle Matilda’s hair. “At such a young age, you already have some of my decisive and ruthless style from back in the day. Not bad!”

"I also want to understand you better and help you with your worries~~"

Matilda affectionately hugged Luca's arm. "Luca, although you are a pigeon, you fly in a world where you can't see the sun. Your wings have sheltered me from the wind and rain. But one day, I will grow up and fly on my own. That's what you want to see, isn't it? I'm willing to face it with you."

As soon as she finished speaking, she felt her head being rubbed a few more times.

Luca: "That's a touching statement, but that's no excuse for getting all Cs on your final exams."

Matilda: "."

Ugh! That old pigeon is so annoying! That clueless Italian!
After returning home, Luca, who couldn't sleep well late at night, got out of bed and sat at his desk to think about the incident.

According to Margio, Richie refused their bribes but instead connected with the Bonano family, forming a united front between the criminal and legitimate worlds to target Frank and destroy his drug empire.

They couldn't listen to reason, and they couldn't persuade them, which led to the current situation.

"Looking at it this way, Dominic and Frank have been driven to a dead end." Luca smiled with relief; in this respect, it was a good thing.

The more uncomfortable the second boss and Frank are, the more comfortable he feels. He's got Richie covered!

In fact, Luca didn't want Galant to die so quickly, because the Bonano family that Galant represented could do a lot for Richie and help him get Frank imprisoned.

Even if you want to kill Garant for the system rewards, it's best to wait until the drug war is over before taking action.

Maximize profits!

"The mission is in my hands now, so let's stall for time and try to buy Richie and the others some time."

Luca needs to think about how to act.

Shocking! The top assassin, Butcher, failed in his assassination attempt?!

How did you slip up?

Acting, acting, naturally requires a stage and actors. Now that the stage is almost ready, we still need to find a strong actor to cooperate with so that the performance can be more convincing.

Three days later, one evening.

Broadway, Trinity Church.

John McLean staggered toward the front door, clutching a bottle of liquor.

He was wearing a white tank top and loose shorts, his face flushed a drunken red, and a few stubborn strands of hair on his head were disheveled in the wind.

Although his mind wasn't quite clear, McLean walked steadily, as if returning here was like returning home. He walked through the church corridor with ease and sat down in the last row.

Raise the bottle, one glass to tomorrow, one glass to the past. Life is too short to dwell on the past.
The next second, McLean thought of his wife, and his son and daughter whom he hadn't seen in a long time.

Even though I no longer have guardianship, at least let me see my children!
What does it mean that they won't even open the door for me?
The priest sat down next to him. "McLean, from today onwards, there will be no more free food here."

"."

McLean said irritably, "I'm not a beggar! I just find it quiet here, and no one will bother me when I drink, understand? I'm not here for food; I'm here to seek peace of mind."

"Everyone felt that you disturbed their prayers, and you also liked to talk nonsense when you were drunk."

"Nonsense! I'm not drunk! And I wouldn't talk nonsense!"

Everyone knows your wife's name is Holly, your son's name is Jack, and your daughter's name is...

"Stop, stop, stop"

"I promise I won't get drunk next time," McLean said helplessly.

The priest sighed, "You should talk to your wife; running away won't solve the problem."

McLean shook his head silently.

There's no way to communicate with him. He has too many troubles of his own, and he doesn't want to drag his family into those troubles.

In the two previous life-or-death crises, not only did he narrowly escape death, but his wife also almost lost her life.

Maybe I really am just unlucky.

He had just left the church and hadn't gone far when a group of black thugs came up to him and started hitting him with baseball bats.

"Didn't I tell you not to come to Broadway? You still dare to show your face on my turf!"

"Damn it! Teach him a lesson!"

"A white pig that died from overeating!"

"If I ever see you again, you're dead!"

A black man snatched the bottle from McLean's hand and smashed it over McLean's head.

Drunk and intoxicated, McLean collapsed to the ground, curled up as he was beaten by several thugs.

He held his head in his hands and sighed inwardly.

An inescapable trouble.
Some time ago, he saw injustice on the street, taught a lesson to the group of street drug dealers, and then the group of drug dealers started harassing him.

Sometimes McLean felt helpless, wondering why he always seemed to run into trouble and why he always liked to meddle in other people's business.
He really wanted to change his meddlesome habit. He was already suspended from his job, so it wouldn't matter if he ignored it, right? If he chose to turn a blind eye to those troubles, would he avoid getting involved?
Just like that time in Times Square, we had agreed to buy gifts and visit the children, but because of that case, it took a long time. When we arrived at the agreed restaurant, my wife and children had already left.

If we could do it again...
McLean thought about it and realized that perhaps he would make the same choice again.

If we hadn't run into them, that would have been fine, but now that we have, we can't just ignore it and do nothing, can we?
Come here
He realized he couldn't change it.

Even if the world were to end tomorrow, he would still plant an apple tree today.

Just then, McLean suddenly felt that the world around him had become much quieter. He looked up and saw a man in a black trench coat standing in front of him, while the thugs were all lying on the ground.

Luca, hands in his pockets, looked down at him with a smile in his eyes: "McLean, drinking alone is no fun. Want to grab a drink? It's on me."

(End of this chapter)