Shortly after, downstairs at the apartment building, a team of plainclothes narcotics officers entered quietly and moved up the stairwell to Mathilda's Family Apartment.
They stopped at Mr. Lando's door.
The lead officer knocked hard.
"Open up! It's Machi!"
Inside the apartment, Mathilda's father was midway through his dinner when a chill crawled down his spine. His fork froze mid-air.
His face drained of color.
Damn it.
Stansfield's people are at the door.
Don't panic. Don't panic.
They have no solid evidence. Just rumors. Hearsay.
They can't touch me.
They won't dare.
At Luca's Apartment—
Matilda was squeezing a packet of ketchup onto a bowl of pasta. The red sauce curved into a bright, childish smiley face.
"Baby brother, look. Isn't it cute?"
"Cute."
Her four-year-old brother grinned up at her with foolish innocence. Matilda laughed softly and ruffled his fluffy hair.
At that moment, Luca stepped out of the kitchen carrying his own bowl.
Bright red chili oil floated over the noodles like spilled blood.
Matilda frowned immediately.
Luca smiled. "Chili sauce is better than tomato sauce. You want some?"
"No. It's too spicy."
She shook her head quickly. The memory of nearly crying from Spicy food last time was still vivid in her mind.
These past few days, she had been spending more and more time at Luca's apartment.
Ever since her father beat her again, the thought of running away had rooted itself deep in her heart.
Luca's place had quietly become her refuge.
They were just about to begin dinner—
When a gunshot tore through the hallway.
The warmth in the room shattered instantly.
Matilda froze.
Then turned slowly toward the door.
Luca's eyes sharpened.
They came faster than expected.
He calmly put down his fork, walked to the coffee table, and retrieved a pistol from beneath it.
Matilda wasn't surprised.
This was America.
And Luca… was never look like an ordinary guy.
"Luca…"
"Shh."
He raised a finger.
"Take your brother inside. Lock the room. Don't come out."
Matilda nodded, her heart pounding. She pulled her little brother into the bedroom and shut the door.
Luca approached the entrance and looked through the peephole.
An armed officer was posted outside Mathilda's apartment.
Inside—
Gunfire erupted violently.
Shotguns.
Submachine guns.
Pistols.
The sound echoed like fireworks in a steel corridor.
Luca watched carefully, but the angle was limited.
Was Stansfield here?
Then—
The opposite door burst open.
A blood-soaked figure stumbled out.
Mathilda's father.
But before he could take two steps—
BANG.
The officer outside fired point-blank.
The bullet punched into Norman's chest.
He collapsed heavily onto the corridor floor.
Another officer stepped out, grabbed the corpse by the collar, and dragged it back inside.
"Find the stash. Quickly."
Minutes later, the narcotics officer exited swiftly.
Luca counted.
One by one.
Stansfield wasn't among them.
A flicker of disappointment passed through his eyes.
So the hoarding finally alerted him.
What a pity, that bastard didn't come.
For now, Luca abandoned the idea of intervening.
Matilda was here, her brother too. and a fight could cause some unnecessary accidents, so for their safety, it was best to avoid it.
A gunfight would risk everything, Matilda cannot afford mistakes.
Once the officers were gone, Luca crossed the corridor and entered Lando's Family apartment.
The place was unrecognizable, furniture overturned, drawers gutted, cabinets smashed open, tt looked like a typhoon had swept through.
He found Mathilda's father body, but not Matilda's mother nor her sister.
Oh?
Butterfly effect?
They survived?
"Luca? Are you in there?"
Matilda's voice came from the doorway, she stepped carefully through the wreckage—
Then saw the body.
Her face turned pale instantly, her fingers clutched Luca's arm, she hadn't expected this ending.
For a moment, words deserted her, she simply stared at her father's corpse—
Refusing to let go of Luca's sleeve, her fingers trembled.
No matter how much she hated him—she was still a child who had just seen death.
---
Back in Luca's apartment, Matilda sat at the table in silence, like a statue.
Only when her little brother climbed onto her lap did she force a numb smile.
Looking at his innocent face—she felt overwhelming relief.
If she hadn't accepted Luca's invitation tonight—
If she hadn't brought him—
He would be lying on that floor too.
A glass of warm milk appeared before her.
She looked up.
Luca's expression was calm. Gentle.
"It's unfortunate your father died."he said, "If they didn't kill him, I would have."
Her eyes were red, Not with sorrow, but more of confusion.
"I just… don't know what happens now. This family can't continue."
"And your mother?"
"She's not my mother."
Her voice carried exhaustion beyond her age.
"And my sister wasn't even related to me by blood. Besides, all she does is aerobics but still built like a sow."
The bitterness came out raw.
Ugly.
Honest.
She hugged him tighter. "In that house… only my little brother liked me."
"He never hits me. Never curses at me. He hugs me when I'm sad."
Finally— A tear slipped down.
"Luca… I hate that family. I'm so tired."
"This isn't your fault." Luca glanced at the untouched smiley-face pasta. "Matilda, you're stronger than anyone I know."
She looked at the bowl that her brother pushed toward her.
"Don't cry, tilda. You can eat mine."
She laughed through tears.
Cried mixed with laughed, and held him tightly.
Luca's voice lowered.
"Matilda."
"Those killers would pay the price."
She looked up.
"I'll kill them."
"That's my promise."
---
Soon, police arrived.
Neighbors had reported the gunfire.
Officers canvassed the floor one by one.
Matilda's mother and sister returned later that night.
One had work and the other one had school.
Both had survived by coincidence.
They were frightened—but not heartbroken.
All of them were taken to the station for statements.
Before leaving, Matilda hugged Luca tightly.
"Luca… can I come back to you?"
"You still haven't finished your pasta."
"Wait for me. You have to wait."
She pressed her forehead against his abdomen.
Then followed the police.
A handsome young officer lingered nearby asked.
"Your relation to the deceased? Family?"
"Neighbor. I treated his daughter like a younger sister."
The officer nodded naturally.
Perhaps because of how close they seemed.
Or perhaps instinct.
"She was lucky. At that time she was in your apartment . Otherwise… she'd be dead too."
He muttered, "New York's insane. Just transferred here and already got this."
An older Black officer stepped out from the apartment. "Mills. Let's move."
The younger officer straightened, as the older man passed Luca, he gave him a meaningful glance and said nothing.
Luca watched them leave then rubbed his temples.
So he really transferred here.
That's not good.
Because once David Mills arrives in New York—The Seven Deadly Sins begin.
__________________________________________________________________________
[Character Card Discovered: David Mills (Unlocked)]
Rank: B
Source: Se7en
Skill: Sin of Wrath
Bond: Strangers
[Character Card Discovered: William Somerset (Unlocked)]
Rank: B
Source: Se7en
Skill: Crime Reconstruction
Bond: Attention
__________________________________________________________________________
William Somerset was a veteran NYPD detective. Luca had encountered him more than once over the years. And Somerset knew exactly what kind of man Luca Greco was.
But this—the first time Luca has met David Mills. Luca watched the young policeman's retreating figure and couldn't help but rub his temples. "Was this guy transferred to New York?" This is not good.
Luca stared at the young detective's back and exhaled slowly, because he know after Mills come to New York, a series of horrific religious murders occurred in the city.
The Catholic Church's seven deadly sins are wrath, greed, lust, sloth, pride, envy, and gluttony.
The murderer used these seven deadly sins as logic to commit a series of murders, packaging them as cautionary performance art, and ultimately sacrificing his own life to complete this "great art."
That's quite perverse.
David, an impulsive and eager-to-make-a-merit young officer, was completely outmaneuvered by the murderer and ultimately paid a terrible price.
His wife was beheaded by the murderer, which completely shattered his mental defenses.
He became consumed by sin of wrath, and was tormented to the point of wishing he were dead. In some ways, David was way worse than Matilda.
But now, David has meet Luca, who loves to meddle. Luca is good at nothing but ruining those plot points that make viewers scream "Oh my god!" —Luca Greco, the Plot Destroyer.
"Because I'm the kind of person who likes to defend peace."
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You know, as always on:
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the collection in 2 days ago is 5 advance chapter, yesterday 10 advance chapter, today 15 advance chapter.
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