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

Chapter 79 A Group of Men with Relationship Problems

New York Police Department.

Since the war on drugs, the atmosphere within the police station has improved considerably. The most obvious improvement is that no police officer dares to sell drugs anymore, nor do they dare to openly accept bribes from drug dealers.

Previously, anyone who did this either went to jail or got into legal trouble with the courts, ending up with a lot of problems.

In that controversy, David Mills became the biggest "beneficiary".

He was promoted and received a raise, becoming a police chief in one fell swoop. He and his pregnant wife moved out of their small apartment, which was shaken by the subway, and into a more comfortable and beautiful community.

"McLean!"

David found McLean, who was slacking off at his workstation, and said, "Come on, come with me to the Bronx, there's a case there."

Although McClain has been reinstated, his family life remains a mess, but his work has improved considerably; at least he is no longer as dejected as before.

McLean yawned. "What case?"

“A gas station got vandalized by gangsters.” David shrugged. “That’s Old Pigeon’s territory. How dare someone do this on his turf? Let’s go, and while we’re at it, let’s visit Old Pigeon at the club. He’ll definitely have a solution.”

Mike Leigh was speechless. When something like this happens, the first thing you think of is pigeons?

Do you expect the Mafia to solve cases?

"Let's go."

McLean stood up quickly. "It's been a long time since I've been to his club. I really like the atmosphere there, and the drinks are pretty good too."

"You just want to get a free drink."

"Because I have a membership."

McClain reached into his pocket, where he found an SSR card. Putting everything else aside, Old Pigeon is really generous in this respect; with this card, he can get freebies at the club at will.

McClain felt rather embarrassed for getting so much wine from Old Pigeon for free.

I always think about not going, but every time I get upset with my wife, I still have to go to the club for a while and have a couple of drinks.

It's comfortable there, and I don't feel so bad.

The two officers quickly set off with several police officers to the scene of the crime, to find out what happened from the employees and the boss, and to investigate and record the situation.

The gas station that was attacked was owned by Tim, one of the first gas station owners to buy gasoline from Russians.

Tim's previous supplier was a gasoline company called Mobil.

At first, those Russians were very domineering, going door-to-door to forcefully sell low-priced gasoline in a rather crude manner—no matter what the wholesale price of Mobil was, their Russian price would always be 10 cents lower.

Tim was tempted.

At first, he bought one truckload of gasoline a day, then five or six truckloads a day, and finally he completely abandoned Mobil and simply bought Russian gasoline. All of his chain of gas stations started using low-priced Russian gasoline.

By engaging in price wars, no other gas station in the area could compete with him. If other gas stations lowered their prices, he would lower them even more drastically!

However, unhealthy market competition always leads to conflict. And the owners of gas stations in the Bronx all have some kind of social connections behind them.

"Those shameless bastards!"

Tim, along with David and McLean, complained, "Officer, I swear, it was definitely those gas stations next door. They even sent people to threaten me, telling me to raise the prices back or they'd smash up my shop! I refused, and those bastards actually dared to do it!"

"They want you to raise prices? How cheap are you actually selling them?"

Is this really a big deal? David glanced at the gas price and was immediately stunned. "Shit! So cheap? Looks like there's a reason you got beaten up. I haven't seen gas this cheap this year."

—It has already fallen to 1.16.

McLean was also shocked. These unscrupulous gas station owners, who sell gasoline like drugs, when will they have a change of heart and lower prices so much?
Tim was speechless. "Am I wrong for lowering prices to benefit the public? What's with you police officers acting like I deserve it?"
Just then, Tim's phone rang. After answering it, he said, "Officer, I have something urgent to attend to. Call me anytime if you need my assistance."

After saying that, he drove away.

David gave McLean a look. "Let's check out other gas stations."

The two officers left a few officers to handle the aftermath, and then went to other nearby gas stations to investigate the situation. They found that although the prices had generally decreased, they were still a few cents higher than Tim's.

Just as they were about to investigate the owners of these gas stations, they found that none of them were there. Upon asking, they learned that they had all gone to the SSR Club.

David immediately understood: "It seems that Old Pigeon acted much faster than us."

McLean: "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go to the club and take a look."

SSR Club Reception Room.

Apart from Tim, the other gas station owners watched Luca, who was in the main seat, with great unease.

They probably know why they're sitting here, but they don't know how this will end—the Mafia, who don't follow legal procedures, won't play the legal game with them. If they know you did it, then you have to pay the price.

The only saving grace was that we were dealing with pigeons who valued peace above all else.
"Old Pigeon! We've been driven to the brink! Tim is recklessly disrupting market order and maliciously lowering prices. He broke the rules and started the fight!"

"How can you do business like this?"

"We all live in the same neighborhood, and gas prices are set by everyone according to established standards. Arbitrarily lowering prices is disrupting peace!"

"Old Pigeon, we're willing to prioritize peace! But Tim isn't!"

Several gas station owners banded together to accuse Tim, who, not one to back down, retorted angrily:

"Besides you! Which resident of the Bronx doesn't support my price cuts? Go ahead and cut yours if you dare! I swear, my gas prices will only be lower than yours! You sell for $1.2, I'll sell for $1.1, you sell for $1, I'll sell for only 80 cents, until you all go bankrupt!"

"What right do you have to compete with me? Either accept the current situation and stabilize your oil prices, or if you still try to compete with me, don't blame me for being impolite!"

Everyone started to quarrel again.

Luca, who had watched the show from the sidelines for a while, thought to himself, "You guys can lower your prices, but my wholesale prices won't follow suit anyway, so why bother?"
He slapped the table, the noise silencing the bosses, and all eyes turned to Luca.

"I don't care how you do business, I only have one request: don't cause trouble on my turf!"

Luca stared coldly at the troublemaking shop owners. "Who the hell gave you the guts to call other gangs to smash up your shops? Is this your first day doing business in the Bronx? Or your first time hearing about my rules?"

The bosses gave awkward smiles, and despair gradually accumulated in their hearts.

If the pigeons support Tim, then no matter how much they resist, it will be useless; sooner or later, Tim will bankrupt them.

There's no way to compete.

"I'm sorry, Pigeon. We were wrong in this matter. I'm willing to compensate Tim for his losses."

One boss bowed his head first, and the others exchanged glances, sighed, and followed suit. "But," one boss gritted his teeth, "you have to leave us a way out, right? Old Pigeon, you've always advocated for harmony, but how are we supposed to get along this time? We'll be driven bankrupt by Tim sooner or later!"

Luca smiled. "This problem is not difficult to solve. You can use the same gasoline as Tim. He can get it from the Russians, so why can't you?"

“If we could do that, we would have done it already,” one business owner shook his head. “We have an agreement with ExxonMobil.”

He explained a long list of relevant regulations, basically that they all used ExxonMobil gasoline, their prices fluctuated together, and regulations were implemented synchronously. Tim's smuggling of gasoline from the Russians, strictly speaking, violated the ExxonMobil agreement.

Mobil Luca nodded and asked curiously, "Were those gangsters who attacked the gas station hired by Mobil, or did you call them?"

Luca isn't afraid of gas station owners calling in trouble because he's more violent; if it's a wholesale company like Mobil that instigates trouble, then Luca will have to find time to have John or Lyon visit those big bosses.

My Mafia hasn't even used these violent methods yet, we've only been waging a price war, and you big companies are already making your move?

The bosses looked troubled.

Luca didn't ask any more questions; the answer was obvious. Both the gas station and Mobil were implicated.

"I will give you an explanation for this matter, but today I only want to see peace and harmony."

Luca's gaze swept over the crowd. "You know what to do about the damage to Tim's gas station and the injured."

The bosses nodded, feeling frustrated and helpless.

In the end, they shook hands and made peace with Tim, and he compensated them for their losses.

You mediated the conflict between the gas stations. You upheld the peace among the gas stations.

[Gain Skill Points +5]

[Gain Skill Fragment +1]

But this matter is not over yet, and the conflict has not been completely resolved.

When David and McLean arrived at the club, all they found was a group of bar owners having a good time drinking.

Tim himself has decided not to prosecute, choosing to settle the matter amicably, which makes David and McLean feel like they've wasted their time.

The victims have all forgiven them, so what are these police officers still busy with?

"Old Pigeon, why don't you just become a prosecutor in the future!"

McLean also ordered a drink and jokingly complained to Luca, "With your peace-loving approach, I bet you can mediate any case."

David chimed in with a joke: "I think it's really worth it. Richie went to be a lawyer, so Old Pigeon could too."

Luca was speechless.

Come on, do you think I passed the Mafia's "political vetting"? Having even one official in your family isn't enough; you have to be purely corrupt, the kind that can't be washed away.

Luca smiled and said, "McLean, actually I'm better at mediating family and marital relationships and repairing the feelings between husbands and wives. Would you like to consider it?"

McLean: "."

To be honest, it sounds quite appealing. At the very least, it would allow me to see my child more often.

McLean: "You really can do it?"

"Dude, are you serious?" Luca said with a smile. "Perhaps you could bring your family to the club another day, and I can have a chat with your wife."

When in doubt, the Silver Queen's magic touch!

McLean considered it seriously for a moment, "Dude, I'm serious about this! You better keep your word."

"necessary."

[Bond: Friends]

[Ventilator Raid] Unlocked.

Luca raised his eyebrows.

First Nightmare, then McKlain. Damn it, most of the men in this pile of rare cards I have have relationship problems.

Take Richie, for example. While he was waging the war on drugs, he also managed to get a divorce.

A bunch of grown men who wield great power and influence outside the home, but their family lives are a complete mess.

Luca thought to himself, "Why do I always have to meddle in other people's family matters?"

The next day.

A neighborhood in Queens.

The head of ExxonMobil in New York State was named Carey, and he lived here.

Recently, a new gasoline wholesale company has suddenly emerged in New York State, aggressively attracting major gas stations in New York with extremely low prices.

In less than a month, the number of chain gas stations it partners with has expanded to over a hundred.

Kerry investigated very thoroughly.

Given the same quality at a lower price, profit-driven gas stations naturally know which to choose.

Faced with this situation, Carey found that he didn't actually have a good solution.

In addition to following the price reduction.

A straightforward price war can only be waged by burning money.

Damn, a business that used to make money is going to turn into a money-burning business. Who would want to do that?

"Damn Russians!"

Those Russians left no room for negotiation. They lowered their prices with Mobil, and the Russians lowered theirs too, all in an effort to rapidly expand their influence through low prices and attract more gas stations to join them.

"A bunch of uncivilized beasts!"

Kerry grumbled as he walked out the door, "A bunch of barbarians!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than, before he even reached the roadside, his beloved Mercedes-Benz was engulfed in flames with a deafening roar, the fire illuminating his ugly and horrifying face.

(End of this chapter)