Luca glanced at the photograph. It was a candid shot taken during his interview with reporters in Times Square that day.
So I was already on John Doe's list back then? Was it because of a few sarcastic remarks?
The thought genuinely puzzled him. Why give me more attention than anyone else? Does John know I'm in the Mafia? Does he know I'm a top hitman at the Continental Hotel? If John had truly decided to assassinate him, the events of Seven might have ended long ago. The so-called Seven Deadly Sins would never have unfolded across New York.
Luca's eyes turned cold. He would show this self-righteous lunatic exactly how foolish it was to mark a killer you had no ability to touch.
Still, a trace of unease surfaced. The butterfly effect in this world was not caused solely by his interference. There were also strange, inexplicable interactions between different character cards.
"This guy marked so many people… which ones has he already killed?" Luca muttered.
John often committed crimes in advance, then released them to the media one by one in chronological order, manipulating the police like puppets. Luca remembered one victim who had been tortured for more than a year.
Has the Wolf of Wall Street already been killed?
He frowned. He had originally hoped to extract some money from that man.
After finishing his inspection of the photographs, Luca returned to the hall, dragged the blood-soaked John into the darkroom, tore the rag from his mouth, pointed at the hanging photos, and said calmly:
"I'm giving you two choices. First: cooperate. Answer every question honestly. Don't try to mislead me or lie. If you do, I'll kill you right now and leave your body here to rot until someone smells it half a month later."
"Second: stay silent. If you choose that, we'll have this conversation in the next life."
John's expression remained strangely composed, as if he still believed the situation was under his control.
"Do I really have a choice?" he asked quietly. "Go ahead. What do you want to know?"
Luca's voice was flat. "Which of the people in these photos have you killed?"
John was slightly stunned. He had assumed Luca and Leon were burglars. That question changed everything.
These two aren't simple thieves. Who are they? Police? Relatives of the deceased? Avenging angels?
Facing the cold muzzle of the gun, John took a slow breath and began reciting names one by one. Some were real victims. Others were fabricated. After each name, he paused deliberately, staring into Luca's eyes, attempting to detect any emotional fluctuation that might reveal a connection.
More than a dozen names passed.
Luca remained indifferent to most of them. He did not recognize many.
Until one name.
"Rugrat."
A flicker of surprise crossed Luca's eyes.
Rugrat was one of the Wolf of Wall Street's partners—essentially the company's third-in-command.
John caught it instantly.
So that's it. He's connected to Rugrat .
He killed Rugrat only earlier that day. Exposure in such a short time should have been impossible.
Perhaps I still have room to negotiate.
"Are you one of Rugrat's men?" John asked carefully.
"Where is he now?" Luca's tone sharpened. "Speak."
John smiled faintly. "Rugrat's disappearance must have caused you problems. I can tell you this—he's in my hands. Not dead yet. Locked up somewhere safe. If you want him alive, you'll have to release me first."
A gunshot answered him.
The bullet shattered his arm.
John's composure cracked for the first time. Pain twisted his face. Confusion filled his eyes.
How can he shoot so decisively?
Luca crouched down and grabbed John's mutilated hand, gently stroking the fingertip where the skin had been deliberately removed.
"John Doe. Mastermind behind New York's recent religious murders. You're intelligent. Cautious. You left no evidence at your crime scenes. You even peeled off your own fingerprints to eliminate identification."
He smiled faintly.
"That way, even if the police catch you, you still have options. Plead insanity. Your crimes are grotesque enough that a lawyer could argue mental instability. It wouldn't be difficult."
Luca found it almost laughable. American criminals had truly mastered the loophole of escaping punishment through mental illness.
This time, John's eyes finally revealed genuine horror.
How does he know all this? Even my contingency plans?
He understood now. Luca was not Rugrat's subordinate.
"You know me well," John whispered. "Who are you? What's your purpose? Some kind of urban Robin Hood? If you came to expose my crimes, congratulations—you've succeeded. But you cannot punish me with the law."
"Who said I was going to use the law?" Luca replied softly. "People like you—wealthy elites, corrupt officials, perverted zealots—you're not afraid of the law. What you fear is when someone puts the law aside."
He pulled a gleaming gold coin from his pocket.
"Do you recognize this?"
John's pupils contracted.
A Continental gold coin.
So they were assassins from the Continental Hotel.
He let out a self-mocking laugh. Discussing legality with professional killers was absurd.
"If you truly intended to kill me," John said calmly, "I would already be dead. You haven't. So what do you want? Let's negotiate."
"Negotiate?" Luca's voice turned cold.
This man was still trying to steer the conversation, to regain control.
Luca had no intention of indulging him.
He took out his phone and dialed Jimmy. Alive.
Then William. Fine.
Then he called the Ocmont brokerage hotline. The Wolf of Wall Street was alive and well.
Watching this, John's heart sank into the abyss. For the first time, despair surfaced in his eyes.
How does he know all these people?
No… impossible. My Seven Deadly Sins masterpiece isn't complete yet. I am chosen. I cannot fail like this.
"Wait—perhaps we can—"
"Oh my God," Luca cut him off quietly. "We'll talk in the next life."
A single suppressed shot.
The bullet entered cleanly between John's eyebrows.
Even in death, confusion lingered in his eyes. He never understood who these two men were.
He took down his own photograph, called Leon, "Withdraw," Luca said. And they left swiftly.
__________________________________________________________________________
Ding! You killed the perpetrator of a religious murder, preventing future victims.
You upheld the peace of New York.
[Gain Skill Points ×20]
[Gain Skill Fragments ×10]
[Neural Reaction Speed +5%]
[Remaining Skill Fragments: 57]
__________________________________________________________________________
Neural reaction speed.
Luca was deeply satisfied. It was a rare enhancement that significantly boosted combat performance. If he continued accumulating such rewards, one day he might surpass even the Night Demon—and perhaps even his own uncle.
That evening, at the police station, William Somerset and David Mills compared their findings.
"I checked," David said irritably. "Most bookstores don't even sell those books."
"I didn't find anything useful either," William admitted.
David ran his hands through his hair. "Maybe we're on the wrong track. Maybe it's just a college student writing a research paper on twentieth-century crime."
William fell into thought.
Just then, a deliveryman entered.
"William Somerset? Urgent letter."
William accepted it. "Sender?"
"No idea."
Inside was a single sheet of paper. An address.
He recognized it immediately—one of the borrowers.
Half an hour later, police surrounded John Doe's apartment.
They discovered overwhelming evidence: photographs, journals, detailed confessions. Though no fingerprints existed, the documentation alone was sufficient for conviction.
But John Doe was already dead.
He would never claim insanity in court. He would never finish his Seven Deadly Sins. He would never drag David Mills into wrath.
William stared at the corpse for a long time.
He knew who had sent the anonymous letter. He knew who had pulled the trigger.
He had no proof.
He stepped outside and called Luca.
"John Doe should have been punished by law, not executed."
"You couldn't have punished him."
"?"
At that moment, David stormed over.
"Some lawyer just came claiming to represent John Doe! Says Doe is mentally ill and committed those crimes during episodes of instability!"
David was furious. "He even wants to accuse us of abusing authority and killing a mental patient! That's bullshit! We didn't kill Doe!"
William froze.
If the insanity defense succeeded, John might have escaped punishment entirely.
For a man like that, freedom was catastrophic.
Luca's bullets had eliminated the threat permanently—and spared the police from legal disaster.
The law might be delayed.
A killer's bullet is not.
Perhaps… this outcome was preferable.
William's frown slowly eased.
"Alright," he said into the phone quietly. "I understand. Thank you."
"It was nothing," Luca replied calmly. "I hope you retire peacefully. New York will remember you as an outstanding detective. Give Detective Mills my regards. If you visit the Bronx someday, dinner's on me."
"I'd like that."
[Bond: Familiar]
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As Always, $3 for 15 Advance Chapter
And please give me the power stones, 100 Power Stones = 2 Bonuses Chapters, and so on