Intimidation, threats, explosions, murder, and dismemberment—the Mafia conducts this kind of business more skillfully than any other gang in New York.
In the following days, several cars blown completely beyond recognition appeared at the Lucchese family junkyard.
A body, frozen solid, was discovered inside the cargo compartment of a refrigerated truck.
In a parking lot, a gang member and his lover were secretly meeting when both of them were shot dead inside their car.
Next to a small cabin in the suburbs, Jimmy ordered his men to throw several corpses into a wood shredder.
The sprayed red fragments scattered across the forest floor and became nutrients for the soil.
Holding a cigar, Jimmy slowly exhaled a thick cloud of smoke.
Then he took out his phone and called Luca.
"Dove, it was a gang called the Metal Gang that made the move."
"Mm. Baba Yaga already handled them."
"He's incredibly efficient. I've never seen anyone kill faster than him."
"Alright, I understand."
"I'll return as soon as I finish cleaning up here."
After hanging up, John Wick, who was standing nearby, asked coldly,
"Any other targets?"
"That's all for now."
Jimmy shook his head.
"If someone refuses to listen, we might add a few extra later."
"Who knows?"
"Thanks for the help."
"Let's head back to the club."
---
At the SSR Club
The meeting room was so quiet that the sound of everyone's breathing felt unusually heavy.
This time, besides several gas station owners, Carey and a few Russians were also present.
Carey waited anxiously for the club owner to arrive.
Waiters occasionally brought coffee and snacks, politely asking whether anyone wanted tea or alcohol.
But no one had the mood to enjoy such luxuries.
Only a few Russians and Tim looked relatively relaxed.
Because they knew that today the Dove of Peace would bring this matter to an end.
But Luca still hadn't appeared.
The oppressive atmosphere became unbearable.
Finally, one gas station owner stared at the Russians and spoke in a low voice.
"I hope we can reach a solution that everyone agrees on."
"Gas prices must have a fair and reasonable standard."
Once someone started talking, the others quickly joined in.
"I suggest we adopt a unified pricing standard!"
"Otherwise, customers will benefit from the discounts while none of us make any money!"
Several Russians were happily drinking vodka, seemingly ignoring the discussion entirely.
As scapegoats, they didn't understand the details of the business anyway.
They simply followed orders.
At that moment, the door opened.
Luca walked in late, his expression calm.
"Sorry to keep everyone waiting."
He sat at the head of the table and glanced around the room.
Several nervous businessmen subconsciously shrank back.
Even the Russians quietly set down their glasses.
"Recently, a very serious act of vandalism occurred in the Bronx."
Luca's expression turned serious.
"Tim is my good friend."
"I am deeply saddened that his gas station was threatened and intimidated."
"Those bastards smashed shops and injured employees and drivers."
"These animals disrupted the order of the market."
"They dared to sabotage a gas station that was operating normally."
Luca paused briefly.
"I can promise you this."
"No one will vandalize your gas stations again."
"You can run your businesses peacefully."
"Those who harass you…"
"Will never appear in front of you again."
"This is my promise."
"As the Dove of Peace."
"No one is allowed to cause trouble here."
---
The business owners exchanged uneasy glances.
Their hearts sank.
They could no longer contact the Metal Gang.
That alone was proof of the outcome.
Carey's eyes briefly flashed with horror.
That morning, his car had exploded.
Several other company executives had also received threats.
Without evidence, the police couldn't do anything.
Carey didn't know exactly who did it.
But he knew one thing clearly.
If he refused to compromise, the next explosion might happen while he was sitting inside the car.
One gas station owner forced himself to speak.
"Dove, we trust you."
"As long as you're here in the Bronx, something like this won't happen again."
"But regarding gas prices…"
"Could everyone…"
"I've already said this."
Luca smiled lightly.
"Tim is my friend."
"He competes fairly to gain market share."
"And customers willingly choose his gas stations."
"High quality gasoline at a lower price wins customers."
"I think that's a good thing."
"But then we won't survive."
"That's exactly why all of you are sitting here today."
Luca pointed toward the Russians.
"I've found suppliers for you."
"Tim buys gasoline from them."
"You can buy from them as well."
"We can establish a unified selling price together."
Several gas station owners were speechless.
Of course they wanted cheap gasoline.
If cooperating with the Russians were that easy, they would have done it already.
Did Luca think ExxonMobil was easy to deal with?
After all, Carey was still sitting right there.
Carey, who had been ignored the entire time, finally spoke.
"I agree with the Dove's proposal."
"You are free to purchase gasoline from Mobil or any other supplier."
"We are willing to amend our previous agreements."
The gas station owners were stunned.
???
How did you kneel down faster than we did?
Carey looked at Luca meaningfully.
His heart was full of helplessness.
"I'm serious."
"I've already prepared the revised contract."
He placed the new agreement on the table.
After carefully reviewing it and discussing it with Carey, everyone finally confirmed that ExxonMobil had truly compromised.
The bosses were shocked.
You surrendered this quickly?
Then why did you smash Tim's gas station earlier?
Once Mobil had compromised, the remaining gas station owners had no reason to resist.
Wherever profit existed, that was where they would go.
Finally, Luca proposed a new rule.
Everyone present would jointly set gasoline prices slightly lower than the market price.
All participating stations would follow this standard together.
That way, they could all make money while targeting other brands and wholesalers in the market.
This solution benefited everyone in the room.
No one objected.
Peace came first.
__________________________________________________________________________
[Ding! You commissioned John Wick and Jimmy to eliminate 21 notorious gang members and mediate the conflict between gas stations and suppliers. You defended the peace of gasoline prices]
[Gain Skill Points +20]
[Gain Skill Fragment +10]
[Hearing +5%]
[Current Skill Fragment: 194]
__________________________________________________________________________
After a lively discussion, the gas station owners gradually left.
Only Tim remained in the meeting room.
He took out a contract and handed it to Luca.
"Dove, thank you for standing up for me this time."
"According to our agreement, this includes three gas stations."
"You will receive a 20% share."
This was the condition for Luca becoming his protector.
Luca smiled and accepted the contract.
"Trust me."
"This is the smartest decision you've ever made."
"The gasoline you buy from the Russians will always be cheaper than everyone else's."
"You're getting the lowest price."
That was exactly what Tim wanted to hear.
"Haha!"
"Dove of Peace, thank you!"
"It's been a pleasure doing business with you!"
"Let's keep the peace and make money together."
After seeing Tim off, Luca slowly returned to his office upstairs.
When he opened the door, Carey was already waiting inside.
Luca walked over.
"Mr. Carey."
"Now we can discuss our next cooperation."
"There are many gasoline suppliers in New York State."
"But I trust only you."
"I believe our partnership will make the entire market submit to us."
Carey looked at Luca's young face and sighed quietly.
Cooperating with Luca was like making a deal with a tiger.
But he had very few alternatives.
No one could defeat the Russians in a price war.
Working with a tiger was still better than being eaten by one.
After ExxonMobil joined the operation, Luca's gasoline tax business expanded even further.
---
From late September to early October.
Weekly profits reached 2.3 million dollars.
And the number continued to rise.
Such an absurd speed of wealth accumulation was bound to create conflicts with other gas stations and suppliers.
But after the first experience, Luca no longer needed to personally handle everything.
Jimmy and the others had become very skilled at dealing with these problems.
The rules were simple.
Either become allies and follow the new rules.
Or go bankrupt in a price war.
And if anyone dared to use violence—
Jimmy and John Wick would demonstrate what real violence looked like.
The gas station dispute temporarily came to an end.
---
October 7th
Luca left New York alone and traveled to Boston.
His destination was a cancer treatment center.
Inside a hospital room, he saw Helen, who looked noticeably pale.
John was not there.
Because Helen had chosen not to tell him.
In mid-September, Helen had frequently visited the club to shoot promotional materials.
During that time, she had grown quite familiar with Luca.
Noticing that she didn't look well, Luca had casually suggested she go to the hospital for a check-up.
That examination revealed the truth.
Cancer.
Stage III breast cancer.
Luca became very serious when he heard the diagnosis.
Stage III was already considered mid-to-late stage.
The survival rate was significantly lower, especially in the 1990s, when medical technology was far less advanced.
In the original timeline, Helen died from illness five years after marrying John.
Luca didn't know exactly how long John and Helen had known each other before marrying.
But it definitely wasn't a whirlwind romance.
Before their marriage, John had worked as an assassin for some time.
Eventually he decided to retire for Helen.
Before they could marry, he completed one final mission.
During that time…
Were they already dating?
Standing by the hospital window, Luca sighed quietly.
When did the two of you finally discover this illness?
Fortunately, you met me first.
Otherwise the same tragedy would repeat itself.
Stage III still offered a small chance.
But if the illness progressed to Stage IV…
In that era, hope would become extremely limited.
"Luca."
Seeing him enter with a bag of fruit, Helen forced a weak smile.
In just a few days, her condition had already changed noticeably.
She hadn't deteriorated dramatically yet.
But she clearly wasn't the energetic woman she used to be.
Luca glanced at the hospital bed.
He couldn't help thinking how strangely "magical" it was.
Just lying in it for a while could turn a lively person into someone exhausted and fragile.
He sat down beside the bed.
After asking a few questions about her condition, Luca deliberately brought up John.
"John came to the club looking for you recently."
"He asked me where you were."
"Helen… have you decided whether to tell him yet?"
Helen became nervous.
"You didn't already tell him, did you?"
"I respect your decision."
"But he will find out eventually."
"You can't stop someone who loves you from coming to you."
"I just…"
Helen gripped the blanket tightly.
"I haven't figured out how to face him."
"I don't want him to see me like this."
Her fragile expression made Luca sigh internally.
He opened his system panel briefly.
His Bond with John Wick was still at Attention.
Despite John doing plenty of work for him recently, raising that bond level was incredibly difficult.
But Luca wasn't worried.
Helen was his strongest card.
At the right moment…
One emotional moment could easily push that bond several levels higher.
Maybe even directly to Close Friend.
Who told me to be such a meddling person?
Luca thought to himself.
He gently comforted her.
"I can help explain things to John."
"I'll tell him you're working on an important project."
"For now, your only job is to focus on treatment."
"I'll contact the best doctors in the world."
"We'll use the best medicine available."
"Trust me."
"Your condition will gradually improve."
"You still have a beautiful life ahead of you."
"One that you can spend with John."
Helen's voice trembled.
"Luca… thank you."
"You've helped me so much."
"I don't even know how to repay you."
"You and John are both my friends."
"And I don't want to see either of you crying in front of me."
"Why?"
"Well…"
Luca smiled.
"I do have one request."
"I'm not that selfless."
Helen froze for a moment.
So even kindness had a price?
Then Luca said calmly,
"I only want one thing."
"An invitation to your wedding."
Helen's eyes became moist.
But she smiled.
"Alright."
================================================================================
Thx to Grant Lee for your support and become my P Knight, i could grant my cats Tuna Slices. (You like the pun?)
You could support me on P Site/OrbisTranslate, for three bucks you get 15 advance chapters.
As Always, Each 100 Stones = 2 bonus chapters