It wasn't until evening that a passing car discovered Gallo's body and called the police.
After receiving the report, local police immediately notified the New York Police Department and the FBI.
When David and his team arrived at the scene, they all frowned the moment they saw Gallo's gruesome death.
A powerful Mafia boss… killed in a car accident?
Who would believe something like that?
David spoke with a look of regret.
"Joe Gallo was hit and killed by a car. The vehicle involved is still missing."
Denham nodded.
"He was indeed run over by a car. I didn't expect Gallo to escape our capture… only to end up dying in a car accident."
John McClane sighed.
"Oh well, why he bother ran away? It would've been better if we'd just arrested him. At least we wouldn't have accidentally run him over with police cars."
Harry: "…"
Dude… are you three really going to label this as a traffic accident that quickly?
Even if it looks like a car accident, shouldn't there at least be some kind of investigation?
Harry glanced around.
The place was desolate—an absolute godforsaken stretch of road. Even if someone killed five Joe Gallos here, they probably still wouldn't find the culprit.
But everyone present knew the truth.
Joe Gallo had absolutely been murdered.
With Gallo dead, his faction had lost its leader, and the Colombo family's civil war was about to end.
Denham turned around.
"Let's go. We still have a lot of work to do."
---
The Next Day
Thanks to a deliberate leak by officials, the news of Joe Gallo's death in a car accident quickly made headlines across major New York media outlets.
[A Bloody Cycle! "Crazy Joe" Dies in Bizarre Car Accident — Echo of His Former Boss's Public Assassination]
[Mafia Execution! Colombo's New Godfather Dies in Car Crash Just Three Days After Taking Power!]
(TN: I'm not making this up. That's exactly how it is in the source material.)
From barbershops to taxi drivers, everyone in New York was talking about it.
Joe Gallo's final car accident seemed to complete a thirty-year blood feud within the Colombo family.
Both Joe Colombo and Joe Gallo were legendary figures known even to ordinary civilians.
One had organized massive public rallies.
The other had openly mingled with celebrities and maintained close ties with New York's art circles.
Gallo was a madman who possessed both insanity and artistic talent, once proclaiming that "capital inevitably leads to crime."
His bizarre death sent shockwaves through New York's artistic community.
Some people were shocked.
Some felt regret.
Others quietly believed that Gallo's death would only make his artwork far more valuable to collectors.
A small number of Gallo's "fans" even gathered at the Brooklyn Museum to view his posthumous works.
Some collectors even tried to purchase them at outrageous prices.
Behind this surreal reality lay a castle in the air built upon lies… and the lives of countless dead men.
---
Gallo's death triggered an immediate chain reaction.
Without their leader, the remaining members of his faction quickly fell apart.
Under the combined pressure and incentives offered by Persico, no one dared step forward to take Gallo's place.
Many surrendered.
Many pledged loyalty again.
Many quietly returned to the family.
Others were executed by Persico.
Some were killed.
Some were spared.
Persico desperately needed manpower, so he didn't wipe them out entirely. However, those spared would never again hold real power. At best, they could only serve as expendable labor—working endlessly and paying tribute to the family.
Didn't want to be treated like a workhorse?
Wanted to quit?
Sorry.
In the Mafia, you don't simply walk away.
The only exit is death.
Just before Christmas Eve, the Colombo civil war—after more than a month of bloodshed—finally came to a complete end.
__________________________________________________________________________
[Ding! By contracting a specialist to assassinate a brutal Mafia don and covertly feeding intelligence to the authorities, you have effectively dismantled the old guard. Through your strategic recruitment, arrest, or elimination of key syndicate members, you paved the way for a new king to ascend the throne. With the Colombo civil war now officially over, you have successfully safeguarded the 'peace' of the family.]
[Gain Skill Points ×50]
[Gained Skill Fragments ×25]
[Muscle Nerve Recruitment Ability +10%]
[Remaining Skill Fragments: 40]
__________________________________________________________________________
SSR Club - Rooftop Office
Luca removed the photographs of the deceased from the blackboard.
One civil war had killed dozens of made members of the Colombo family and destroyed most of their assets.
Among the Five Families, they had now become the weakest.
And it still wasn't over.
The real blow was yet to come.
"One general's success is built upon the bones of ten thousand soldiers… but sadly, only ten thousand bones remain."
Luca glanced at the dark night sky outside the window before turning and leaving the office.
Downstairs, the club staff had already begun decorating in preparation for Christmas events.
Christmas trees were being placed throughout the hall.
Colorful lights stretched along the corridor all the way to the main entrance.
---
Night time on Long Island was far quieter than Manhattan.
Carlo Gambino liked to sit by the fireplace wrapped in a blanket.
Leaning back in his chaise lounge, he half-dozed while reflecting on the decisions he had made.
If the results of a decision were bad, he would avoid making the same mistake again.
If the results were good, he would keep the reason to himself—never allowing others to understand why he made that choice.
His wrinkled eyelids drooped slightly as he heard footsteps.
Paul was already standing in front of him.
Paul spoke helplessly.
"I'm sorry. I didn't find anything suspicious."
"I only confirmed that Luca and Persico reached an agreement that night, and that Luca was the one who rescued Persico from the clothing factory. That information came from Persico himself."
"Besides… Gallo's situation is complicated. Someone rescued him from the FBI, then killed him outside."
"I suspect the Dove arranged it."
Gambino frowned.
A faint sense of unease lingered in his heart.
Looking back at everything that had happened recently, Luca had technically fulfilled every request Gambino had made.
He stopped the civil war.
He squeezed massive benefits out of the Colombo family.
He distributed those benefits to the other families.
That was exactly what Gambino wanted.
He had originally incited Gallo to assassinate Colombo and trigger a civil war for two reasons:
First — eliminate Joe Colombo, a high-profile nuisance.
Second — weaken the Colombo family and profit from the chaos.
However, the involvement of outside assassins had pushed events slightly beyond his control.
Now the ending seemed perfectly logical:
Gallo was dead ... Persico had taken power.
The Colombo family had sacrificed its own interests to survive.
Everything made sense ... But something still felt wrong.
Gambino frowned slightly.
Originally, he thought Luca would eventually force both sides to negotiate.
"What has Luca been doing since the war ended?"
Paul replied.
"Nothing unusual. He seems busy with club matters. The SSR Club is planning a Christmas party."
"…."
Gambino chuckled quietly.
That kid certainly seemed to have plenty of free time.
"Keep watching the Colombo family," Gambino said.
"Let's see what they do next."
---
At a Law Firm in Brooklyn.
Persico was meeting with lawyers, dealing with the growing number of lawsuits involving his family members.
Too many of his brothers had been arrested recently.
Unsurprisingly, they had all been charged.
Although they hadn't been sentenced yet, once the trials ended, prison was inevitable.
Persico had no choice but to spend large sums of money.
Bribes, Lawyers, Influence ... Everything.
He hoped to secure probation, bail, or at least lighter sentences.
That was how things usually worked.
But this time there was a problem.
The damn FBI was behind it.
The police could be bribed.
The FBI could not.
After leaving the law firm, Persico's driver took him home.
Just as they arrived, several FBI agents approached.
Denham showed his badge.
"Mr. Persico, do you have a moment to talk?"
Persico's face instantly darkened.
"Get away. I don't have time."
Denham calmly produced a court summons.
"How about now?"
"You can keep refusing. We can keep coming back."
"Why not have an honest conversation now?"
"Don't forget—you're still out on bail."
Persico cursed under his breath.
Through clenched teeth he replied.
"You'd better have good news."
---
Inside the house, Persico soon heard a request that he found utterly ridiculous.
"You want me to confess?"
"You want me to betray my brothers?"
Persico sneered.
"Officer… do you think this place is a brothel?"
"Do you think this is some kind of cash summons where money solves everything?"
"You think I'll do anything just because you ask?"
"You keep saying I'm guilty. Fine."
"Where's the evidence?"
"Where are the witnesses?"
"Since when did the FBI start solving cases by talking?"
"Trying to lick my boots?"
Denham's expression remained unchanged.
Still sour.
Through Scarpa, he had gathered evidence against many Colombo members.
But very little directly connected to Persico.
This man had always stayed behind layers of intermediaries—buffers upon buffers protecting him.
Convicting him directly was extremely difficult.
Denham would love nothing more than to throw Persico in prison.
But evidence was evidence.
"Voluntary confession could help you receive a reduced sentence," Denham said calmly.
"If we handle it ourselves, the outcome may not be something you like."
Persico burst out laughing.
"Ha! Fuck!"
"It's Christmas, not April Fool's Day."
"If you want to give me a gift, try something better."
"I wouldn't even use those court summons to wipe my ass."
Seeing his attitude, Denham gave up arguing.
He left with the other agents.
---
That evening, Scarpa—who had previously been arrested at the estate—was released on bail.
Although court proceedings still awaited him, he had regained temporary freedom.
He left alongside several others.
Among them was Yacovelli.
They had once been enemies in opposing factions.
Now things were different.
"Yacovelli," Scarpa said calmly.
"Gallo is dead."
"I'm willing to submit to Persico."
Yacovelli sighed.
"Come with me first."
"We'll see if the boss is willing to accept you."
Later, Yacovelli brought Scarpa to meet Persico.
In exchange for surrender, the two reached a cooperation agreement.
Persico handed Scarpa a list.
Execute several former members of Gallo's faction.
The moment Scarpa saw the list, he realized something.
Persico was doomed.
Instigating murder?
The FBI might even remove the word "instigation."
At that moment, Scarpa felt that this dark reality show had become even more entertaining.
He held a kill list in his hands.
While he killed people…
The FBI would arrest him.
Scarpa lowered his head respectfully.
"Persico…You'll hear about these deaths soon."
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