After the discussion ended, everyone said their goodbyes and left.
At the main entrance, Luca stepped forward, approached Paulie, and handed him a membership card.
"Paulie, you left in such a hurry when the club opened last time that I forgot to give you a gift. Come visit the SSR Club sometime."
Paulie accepted the gift and calmly said thank you, seemingly just to give Luca face, without making any promise about whether he would actually show up later.
Luca smiled and said, "Paulie, I can guarantee you won't see any drugs at the SSR Club. Maybe we can call up Mariggio, have a nice drink, and play a few rounds of cards."
Paulie's gaze flickered slightly.
He turned to look at Mariggio not far away, who simply smiled faintly.
Want to join forces?
[Bond: Familiar]
---
"Dove."
Outside the interrogation room, a group of police officers, including Richie, David, and McClane, stood scattered about, striking casual poses.
When Luca arrived, they all looked up.
"Where's Frank?" Luca asked.
"Inside."
"Rich, I'd like to talk to you first."
Luca gave Richie a look.
It was rare to have an opportunity to interact openly and legitimately with the police.
The two walked to the stairwell.
Richie frowned, unsure how to face the Dove of Peace.
He was one of Dominic's men, and the deceased Dominic had been an ally of Frank.
Which side was the Dove on this time?
Would he try to get Frank out of trouble?
Or would he try to smooth things over and maintain peace?
"Dove, we have sufficient evidence. I have witnesses who saw him commit murder, records of his overseas bank accounts, proof of his drug trafficking business, and we've found his drug factory. There's no doubt about it. This time, he will not escape the punishment of the law!"
Richie spoke first, giving Luca a heads-up and making his stance clear.
"You know how much I've sacrificed for this. This is serious. It matters to me. If you want to get him out of here, I advise you not to ask me. I don't want us to lose even our friendship."
"Don't be so silly, why would I rescue him?" Luca said with a smile.
"After knowing me this long, don't you understand me? I won't force a friend to do something they don't want to do."
Richie secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
"So," Luca changed the subject, "I hope you can also consider my perspective as a friend. I don't just represent myself, but also the people behind me whose appetites still haven't been satisfied."
Luca bared his fangs.
"How about we figure out a way for Frank to satisfy both of our demands at the same time? What do you think?"
A chill ran down Richie's spine.
This group of Mafia didn't care about Frank at all.
They only cared about how much money he could bring them.
Now that Frank had fallen from power, these people were even faster than vultures to strip him clean, trying to squeeze every last dollar out of him.
"What do you want?" Richie took a deep breath.
"That depends on what you want." Luca gave a friendly smile.
"Once you make your choice, we'll take everything else."
"You're behaving terribly, Dove!" Richie frowned.
"Dove, whether you interfere or not, Frank won't escape this time! I'll make him plead guilty sooner or later! When you asked me to get help from the Bonanno family, did you ever imagine this day would come? With the Bonanno family's help, Frank wouldn't win agains me in court!"
"But I have the Five Families behind me."
"..."
Richie's eyes widened in shock.
Dove, are you kidding me?
You gave me all that advice back then… just waiting for this day?
"But!" Luca smiled slightly and extended his hand.
"Rich! You can always trust me. Because I consider you a true friend. And I'm the only one who has always stood firmly on your side."
Richie suddenly felt a sense of dread.
"How can I still consider you a friend? You used to say that doves don't touch drugs, but now you represent the Five Families."
"I am me. And the Five Families are the Five Families."
"Dove…" Richie's expression was complicated.
"You did help me a lot before, but this time—"
Luca interrupted him.
"Rich, have you ever wondered who knows so much about Frank's shipping channels and distributors? Who knows so much about Frank's family situation? Who knew there were drugs hidden in that GTR?"
"The real question is—who would write all of that down?"
Each word struck Richie like a hammer.
His heart started racing.
His breathing drowned out the faint whistle of air through the stairwell.
His eyelids suddenly felt heavy.
The sunlight streaming through the corridor illuminated only half of Luca's body, leaving the rest of his figure hidden in shadow.
So it had been that long ago.
"Dove… was it you who contacted the FBI?"
"It doesn't matter anymore who that person was," Luca said calmly.
"Who cares who it was? It's done now. There are no surprises left. Frank only has one path forward: plead guilty and go to prison."
"Richie, the Five Families I represent are on your side."
Luca shrugged.
"But I'd rather say we're good friends. And I'd be happy to help you."
Richie felt completely numb.
How exactly had the Dove transmitted intelligence to the FBI?
He didn't know.
Some things were classified.
He didn't even know about certain undercover operations.
But compared to that mystery, Richie was more focused on the present.
How could he ever repay such a huge favor?
Without that intelligence, there would be no victory today.
Just because the Dove didn't admit it didn't mean Richie could pretend it never happened.
No wonder.
Looking back over the past few months, Richie realized the Dove had appeared at almost every crucial moment.
From beginning to end, it had always been him.
This dove truly didn't touch drugs.
"Dove… you really are the strangest mafia member I've ever met."
Richie sighed.
His smile was both helpless and wistful.
"Many people in the major families are getting old. Their traditions and rules inevitably clash with the progress of the times. That's why people like Frank end up becoming victims."
"The people wanted a change," Luca said with a smile. "And so do I."
"Richie, I'm not strange. I just really like peace."
"Your nickname truly fits," Richie said, shaking his head in amused resignation as he clasped Luca's hand.
"Richie, if the peace you want is the downfall of drug lords like Frank, then I'm willing to help you."
"Not only that."
Luca stared into Richie's eyes.
"If the peace you want is for every drug-dealing cop in the NYPD to be punished… then I'm willing to help you too."
Richie paused.
Luca added casually:
"If I ever find money and have to turn it in, I'll only give it to you. Not to a bastard like Trupo."
Richie stared at Luca for a long time.
Speechless.
Today Luca seemed strangely charming.
His words carried a warmth and trustworthiness that was hard to ignore.
With a long sigh, Richie patted Luca on the shoulder.
"Let's go, buddy," he said.
"Let's go divide up Frank."
[Bond: Close Friend]
Ding! New Skill Unlocked -- [Honesty in Returning Lost Property]
From that moment on, nothing could stop Luca and Richie from openly joining forces.
---
When Frank saw that the Mafia had sided with the police and were preparing to send him to prison, he felt utterly hopeless.
Damn the Mafia.
These bastards were ruthless and completely heartless!
He had helped them make so much money. He had even handed over huge shipments for them to distribute.
And now they wanted him dead.
It was over.
Everything was finished.
"Dove… my wife said you went to my estate to protect them."
Frank's voice carried the last shred of hope he had left. That was the only reason he had asked to see the Dove of Peace.
"But why can't you protect me now?"
Luca smiled.
I went there to collect money.
Protect you?
Even without you, protecting them was important to me.
"Frank, I'm sorry," Luca sighed.
"I really wanted to help you. I tried my best to persuade my people. But I couldn't convince them."
"They even refused to let me get involved in these matters because I don't deal drugs."
"Now the only thing I can do… is try my best to mediate the conflict between us."
Frank looked defeated.
He knew he had no power to resist the Five Families.
The political and business connections he had cultivated were insignificant compared to the resources of the Five Families.
If the Mafia had stayed out of it, he might have had a chance to fight the police.
But now the Mafia had stepped in—and they were determined to send him to prison.
There was no way for him to resist.
The drug market in New York was about to return to the rule of the Mafia.
Now that he had lost all value, Frank knew what he had to do for his own benefit.
He just couldn't accept it.
They had built such a massive empire in only a few years.
And now it was all gone.
Luca asked quietly,
"Is there anything else you wish for? I'll do my best to help you fulfill it."
Frank lowered his head.
"I don't want my mother and my wife to be harassed."
"Leave them some money so they can live the rest of their lives peacefully."
"If possible, I hope my brothers can stay safe as well."
"I have a younger brother who's very talented at baseball."
"His biggest dream is to become a baseball star."
"But because of me… I wasn't a good role model."
"Can he… get another chance?"
Richie spoke up.
"If you plead guilty, I can promise—on the Dove's behalf—that your brother will be released sooner."
Frank looked at the two men standing before him.
One in black.
One in white.
He suddenly chuckled.
"Thank you."
"But I have one more condition."
Frank stared at Richie.
He remembered the humiliation his wife had suffered.
His eyes darkened.
Every year he spent enormous amounts of money bribing corrupt cops.
Was it all just so those filthy officers could take advantage of his downfall and wanna plunder his family?
"I want you to catch those cops."
"Richie… you must catch them."
"I promise you!" Richie nodded firmly.
He had joined the anti-drug unit precisely for this day.
With memories of the past still fresh in their minds—and under the watchful gaze of the Peace Ambassador—the former drug lord and the police officer shook hands.
They made peace.
Frank confessed his crimes and agreed to plead guilty, emphasizing reconciliation.
__________________________________________________________________________
[Ding! You resolved the conflict between Frank, the police, and the Mafia, leading to Frank's confession and prosecution. You upheld justice and the peace of New York]
[Gain Skill Points ×30]
[Gain Skill Fragments ×20]
Hearing +5%
[Remaining Skill Fragments: 30]
__________________________________________________________________________
The rewards were generous.
But that wasn't the end of it.
This was only the beginning of the reward harvest.
Next, hundreds—or even thousands—of corrupt police officers would be convicted.
And a steady stream of rewards would follow.
Richie wasted no time.
He immediately brought out the evidence and photographs of corrupt officers he had collected.
Frank quickly identified them one by one.
The police suddenly became extremely busy.
When Luca stepped out of the interrogation room, a group of officers immediately surrounded him, greeting him with wide smiles.
"Dove! I knew we'd have to rely on you for this!" David stepped forward and gave Luca a big hug.
The other officers were equally thrilled.
The case was finally closed.
Luca patted David on the back.
"Thank you for your hard work, officers."
Among the crowd, McClane, a bandage stuck to his face, watched the officers celebrating around a Mafia member with a rather strange expression.
He still hadn't interacted much with the Dove of Peace.
But Luca had no intention of letting this opportunity slip by.
He walked over and greeted him.
"Hey, buddy. Remember you said you'd buy me a drink?"
"Now that we've won big, shouldn't we celebrate a little?"
McClane laughed.
"I'm not the kind of guy who forgets a promise."
[Bond: Familiar]
David chimed in immediately.
"You're treating, right?"
"Mind if we join?"
A swarm of police officers instantly gathered around them.
McClane: "…"
I said I'd buy you a drink.
I never said I was rich enough to buy drinks for the entire NYPD.
================================================================================
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