The American Mafia Commission is the highest adjudicating body of the Mafia in the United States. Like the High Table, it has twelve seats, composed of twelve Mafia branch families.
The Commission has the power to approve the appointment of family heads, authorize the execution of members from other families, and handle conflicts between families.
Although there are twelve seats, the Five Families of New York hold the greatest influence. Other Mafia families outside New York usually follow their lead, such as the Philadelphia Mafia and the Chicago Outfit.
The position of referee is closely tied to the High Table and the adjudication process.
The adjudication process oversees disputes involving global criminal organizations as well as Mafia families in the United States. However, the adjudicators themselves are considered "special off-the-job personnel" appointed with the approval of the High Table.
These adjudicators are Mafia members. Usually, the Commission delegates adjudication authority to a specific person within one of the Five Families—most often a family boss, though occasionally a powerful capo.
Luca had a premonition that if he became a referee, New York would no longer be able to restrain him. He would lead his team to extend their reach throughout the entire United States.
Even so, Luca still had some doubts about Gambino's decision.
As chairman of the Commission, Gambino indeed had the authority to appoint referees. But Luca wondered why he was the one chosen.
Just because someone liked meddling in other people's business, did that suddenly qualify them to become a referee?
He had a strong feeling that Gambino was plotting something again.
Still, this opportunity was extremely rare for Luca. It could greatly expand his influence.
Suppressing his doubts, Luca asked,
"Thank you for your trust. How do you hope this civil war will end?"
"The Camorra's reach has grown too long," Gambino said calmly. "I've already spoken with the Camorra family. They apologized for Santino's interference and promised to teach that kid a lesson and send him out of America."
"As for Joe Gallo and Joseph Yacovelli, the two factions inside the Colombo family—you can handle them however you see fit."
"I only have one request."
"Joe Gallo must not take control of the Colombo family."
The old man did not explicitly say whether Gallo should be killed, which gave Luca plenty of room to maneuver.
Luca understood immediately.
"I get it."
"Peace cannot be obtained through prayer," Gambino continued slowly. "Hands clasped in prayer cannot hold a gun."
His eyes carried a trace of expectation.
"Luca, I believe you can handle this well and end this mess as soon as possible."
That very evening, news that Luca had become the interim Commission referee spread throughout the Five Families of New York.
Everyone was stunned.
No one had expected Gambino to make such a decision—granting Luca enormous authority to handle the Colombo civil war.
In simple terms, Luca now had the official right to execute Joe Gallo and Joseph Yacovelli openly and legally under Commission authority, rather than through assassination.
Anyone participating in the civil war who refused to obey orders could be executed.
---
That night, David Mills and John McClane arrived at the SSR Club.
The shooting incident had occurred on a busy street and caused quite a stir. The victim had been Carlo Gambino, which made the situation even more complicated.
David and McClane both felt the case was extremely tricky.
The police had already gone to the hospital to inquire about Gambino's condition, but they received no real response. Someone of Gambino's stature simply wasn't someone the police could casually interfere with.
David had a strong feeling that the assassin probably wouldn't live more than a few days. By then, another homicide case would likely appear.
After discussing it for a while, he and McClane decided to talk with Luca to learn more details.
After meeting Luca in the club's cigar room, David's expression was somewhat complicated.
"Dove, the killer's identity can basically be confirmed. If someone were willing to testify in court, the law would definitely punish them severely."
"But I'm sure you already have your own ideas. How do you want us to cooperate?"
When McClane saw David instantly deciding to help the Dove of Peace, he already knew what would happen next.
It would probably end up just like the White Tiger incident last time.
He stepped forward and said,
"Ole Greco, all I can say is that if there's anything I can help with, I will."
Luca shook his head.
"You're my friends. I won't make my friends do anything difficult."
"Who are the police investigating right now?"
"The main targets are Joe Gallo and Joseph Yacovelli," David said with a shrug. "Our mission is to bring those two leaders to justice. Only by arresting them can the chaos in New York truly end."
Just as Luca expected, every faction was currently watching those two.
"The problem is we still don't know where they are," McClane said helplessly. "Even the small fry we captured have no idea where they're hiding."
What they didn't say out loud was that even if they found them, they still might not have enough evidence to convict them.
This case involved far too many assassins, many of whom were bounty hunters chasing the reward.
The police had no effective way to deal with such elusive people.
David asked,
"Dove, do you have any ideas? Maybe we can cooperate this time and solve the case together."
In the world of assassins, there was only killing, never arrest.
Luca thought the police probably wouldn't be able to help much in this matter.
Perhaps only an SSR-level character like McClane could interfere, relying entirely on his immortal protagonist aura to cause chaos.
McClane might not be able to defeat elite assassins, but those same assassins would have an equally hard time killing him.
"Wait for my news," Luca said. "Once I find them, I'll tell you what to do."
---
At the FBI New York Office.
Denham was facing the exact same mission: capturing the leaders of the two major factions.
However, compared to the police, the FBI had access to far greater manpower and resources.
Technically, they could even mobilize the police with a single order.
But this time, Denham felt like he was the one being mobilized.
At the conference table, Denham looked up at the giant screen displaying a large photograph.
It was an old acquaintance.
Luca the Dove of Peace.
Denham felt a headache coming on.
Of all possible targets, why did it have to be him?
According to the operation plan, the ultimate targets were Joe Gallo and Joseph Yacovelli.
However, there was currently no direct evidence against them, and no one knew where they were hiding.
Therefore, the only strategy was indirect infiltration.
Luca, who was deeply involved in the civil war, naturally became one of the investigation targets.
Agents would infiltrate through the club.
Denham didn't know what identities they would use when approaching Luca. In fact, he didn't even know who the undercover agents were.
All he knew was that they were high-level agents transferred from other regions, and their identities were strictly confidential.
Denham had a bad feeling about the mission.
Infiltrating the Mafia was notoriously difficult.
So far, he only knew of three undercover agents who had successfully infiltrated the Mafia. Their identities were completely classified.
This time, the operation aimed to gain Luca's trust quickly and use him to reach the core of the civil war.
Denham honestly had no idea how they planned to pull it off.
He asked his supervisor,
"Under what identity will our people approach Luca?"
The supervisor looked back at him.
"Do you have any suggestions?"
"I heard you dealt with Luca many times during previous cases. You know him better than anyone here."
Denham thought for a moment.
"He's a businessman. Luca likes making money."
The director fell silent.
That sounded… extremely unreliable.
What were they supposed to do?
Offer money to the Mafia?
The organization's budget was already tight.
Finally, he shook his head.
"We don't need to worry about that. They already have their own arrangements. Our job is simply to receive them, collect intelligence, and cooperate with the operation."
Denham nodded slowly.
He silently decided he should find a chance to warn the Dove that an undercover agent would soon appear.
Unfortunately, since he didn't know the agent's identity either, Luca would have to rely on his own judgment.
---
Noon the Next Day
William walked around the reception hall with a watering can, patiently watering the Silver Queen (Aglaonema) plants.
(TN: BTW guys, do you like Silver Queen name or want me to use Aglaonema instead? Let me know in the comment)
After doing it long enough, it had gradually become a habit.
To his own surprise, someone who once disliked plants had begun to enjoy caring for them.
Every time he looked at the silver-green leaves, he felt strangely calm.
He had even tried growing one at home, but the results were terrible.
Was it because he didn't keep enough pets at home?
At that moment, a man wearing sunglasses and a suit walked straight toward the front desk.
He had an incredibly muscular build. The tailored suit could barely contain the explosive muscles underneath it, and the fabric looked like it might burst at any moment.
William had never seen anyone so massive.
This guy could easily compete in a bodybuilding contest.
A stranger.
William walked to the front desk and was about to speak when the man cut straight to the point.
"I'm looking for your boss. I want to discuss a business deal."
William froze.
Why were there suddenly so many people trying to do business with the Dove of Peace lately?
And all of them were showing up at a club bar, of all places.
Luca looked at the muscular monster standing before him and felt a little confused.
It was one thing for a dog trainer to show up.
But now even a spy had appeared?
And he was an SSR.
__________________________________________________________________________
[Character Card Discovered: Harry Tasker (Unlocked)]
Rank: SSR
Source: True Lies
Skills:
- Role-Playing
- Passionate Tango
- Flying Horse
- Mr. Universe
- True Lies
Bond: Stranger
__________________________________________________________________________
Looking at the man's skills and muscles, and then at the sunglasses on his face, Luca felt slightly annoyed.
Brian's undercover agent had been a complete idiot who was prone to betrayal.
But the spy standing in front of him was clearly no pushover.
This guy was a monster capable of riding a horse into an elevator and crashing a fighter jet into a building.
Harry was also observing the young man in front of him.
He was extremely skilled at disguising himself and offered a polite smile.
"My name is Harry Drizzt. You may not have heard of me. I mainly worked in South America and Europe."
Luca: "…"
Don't think I don't know your real last name.
Harry continued,
"Mr. Greco, I came here to discuss a business deal with you."
Luca suddenly felt a strange sense of déjà vu.
Hadn't he heard this exact line not long ago?
Why would I cooperate with someone who clearly isn't a spy like you?
Still, for the sake of the man's skills, Luca patiently asked,
"Tell me. What kind of business?"
"I'm a professional assassin."
Luca blinked.
These days, do even governors have to become assassins?
(TN: For those who may not know, Harry Trask was played by Arnold Schwarzenegger, the former Governor of California.)
"I've assassinated many drug lords in South America and warlords in Southeast Asia," Harry said confidently. "I've never failed a mission. As long as you give me the target's name and information, I can eliminate anyone for you."
Luca smiled.
The other day, that black guy only provided information and didn't kill anyone.
Now this guy only killed people but lacked information.
Why didn't the two of them just team up and form a business partnership?
================================================================================
Support me on P Site/OrbisTranslate, three bucks for 15 advance chapter
Each 100 Stones = 2 bonus chapters
i forgot to set the timer.