American variety show: The Godfather, the Peace Ambassador, what the heck?

Chapter 81 Oreo

The next few days were calm, but as the day of the public rally drew closer, undercurrents were quietly flowing throughout New York.

In the SSR Club's rooftop office, Luca started putting photos on the blackboard again.

The public assembly will involve more characters than the drug war, including major mafia groups, police, the FBI, and the SSR club.

Even the Continental Hotel might be involved—after all, the American Mafia has its high table, and for something this big, the New York Continental Hotel would probably give them some face and get involved.

The hotel manager, "Winston," will most likely be present.

"It should be quite lively then."

Luca posted an ordinary picture of a Black man on the blackboard.

This guy is the assassin "Jerome" from the original storyline. He's the one who killed the big boss and shot Joe Colombo in the head, which will throw the entire New York Mafia into chaos.

Unfortunately, this guy only has one shot, so he probably won't get any character cards.

Luca's dilemma is: given the magnitude of this mess, should he go with the flow and follow the plot, or step in to rescue Joe Colombo?

If they are saved, there should be a system reward for upholding peace, but this will have a huge butterfly effect, and who knows what will happen next.

Even if he doesn't intervene, Luca can still make a vague prediction.

Luca fell into thought.

The direct cause of Joe Colombo's assassination was internal family struggle; a gangster wanted to rise to power, so he sent someone to kill the big boss.

This gangster's name is Joe Gallo.

This was a good start for John Gaudi.

The "Assassinate the Boss" series has begun airing, and rebellion is gradually being promoted as a "traditional virtue" of the Mafia.

But the consequences were also severe. Killing the big boss would inevitably lead to execution by the committee. Fortunately, Gallo was eventually killed.

"This matter involves far too many forces."

Luca was carefully considering how to gain some advantage.

"So many new rare cards, and they're all Mafia members, even big bosses. Those skills should be a great help to me."

While pondering, Luca posted photos of rare cards on the blackboard.
That afternoon, in Queens.

In a villa.

John Gaudi of the Gambino family, holding a wine glass and sipping his wine, sat opposite Pauli Cicero, his gaze filled with wistful emotion:
"Before you came to me, I never thought that the two of us could sit together peacefully. Do you remember the days when we fought each other for territory? Back then, we were just soldiers, and we could even argue over a woman."

"Life is unpredictable, and so many years have passed."

"But after all this time, you're still selling grilled sausages."

"."

Paul glanced at Gao Di and thought, "I just love selling sausages! Is that bothering you?"

Seeing Paul's gloomy gaze, Gaudi chuckled, "But that won't be the case in the future. Once you become the second-in-command of the Lucchese family, you can sell whatever you want, just don't forget your promise to share the drug business with me."

This was the condition for the exchange of benefits reached between Poly and Gaudi.

Gotti extended a helping hand, helping Pauli clear away some of the troubles he might encounter in taking over.

“I’ve always been a man of my word.” Poly’s gaze at the villa grew even more sinister. “As long as you can help me get rid of the White Tiger!”

"I've disliked this guy for a long time. He was alright before, but now this bastard's business is getting bigger and bigger, and he's stealing a lot of my customers!"

Gaudi scoffed, "Besides White Tiger, what about Marigio? If that guy hadn't handed over the drug business, would White Tiger be where he is today? Do you need me to help you take out Marigio again?"

As a madman who dared to kill his own boss, Gotti always believed that bullets were the only truth, and whoever got in his way would be killed.

This time, there's not much to worry about facing an execution order. Firstly, he's always careful when he kills people, leaving no evidence. Secondly, once Paulie takes over, he'll handle the Lucchese family's retaliation.

Having committed numerous murders and employed a group of assassins, Gotti was extremely experienced in dealing with such matters.

“Marigio.” When Pauli heard this name, the first thing that came to mind was that guy Pigeon.

Pauli was furious at the thought of the cowardly deeds of those two bastards, Pigeon and Mariggio. He had been hoping that Mariggio and the White Tiger would fight to the death, but instead they just slid to their knees? Had they sided with the White Tiger?

"Are you sure you can do it?" Pauli asked skeptically. "Putting aside Marigio, Pigeon is the Continental Hotel's top assassin. Can your men really kill him?"

"So what if he's personally very strong? Can his head withstand a bullet?"

Gaudi said calmly, "I've killed countless assassins. Pigeon isn't the first, nor will he be the last. But just in case, if I'm going to kill Pigeon, I need to make several preparations. If he gets away, he'll become a big problem."

By the end, Gaudi's expression had become somewhat serious.

He had no doubt about the pigeon's killing ability, so if he was going to take action, he had to eliminate it completely!

If he could, he really didn't want to provoke the pigeons; if he didn't take them down, the consequences would be too great.

The same concerns also existed in Pauli's mind, but Mariggio and Pigeon had lost their most important source of income, so they probably wouldn't have much strength to compete for the top position.
He frowned and said, "Get rid of the white tiger first."

Gaudi laughed and said, "You'll soon find out about his death."

"John, do you know how the Mafia likes to kill people?"

"I do not know."

At this moment, inside the SSR Club, two men in suits are leisurely drinking beer.

Luca explained, "The Mafia likes to plant bombs in other people's cars, and when you turn the key, bang! Besides that, they also drive around with submachine guns, spraying bullets."

John found it rather boring listening to Luca recount these tactics.

The only thing that interested him was the Mafia's ruthlessness; one second they would happily invite a friend to their home, and the enthusiastic host would secretly pull out a gun and execute the friend when they weren't looking.

It is quite simple and unpretentious, yet very practical.

Who would be wary of their best friend?
—The Mafia always arranges internal executions, giving them to the best friends of the person being executed.

"Have you ever done something like that?" John asked curiously.

Recently, when I was talking to Helen on the phone, she occasionally mentioned Luca and praised him as a very good friend, hoping that John would get along well with him.

John has seriously considered this proposal.

Almost all of his friends are assassins, so he doesn't care how many people Luca has killed; he only cares about whether he can truly trust the other person during their time together.

“No.” Luca shook his head.

"You don't want to kill your friend."

"No, I didn't have any friends before."

"."

A hint of melancholy flashed in Luca's eyes. When he was a butcher, he really had no friends; it was only after becoming a pigeon that he had many friends around him.

He countered with a fatal question: "If the High Table gave you a mission to kill your friend, would you remain loyal to the High Table and kill your friend to defend its authority?"

John Wick fell silent; he suddenly began to understand the Mafia's execution tactics.

This is a heartbreaking and difficult choice.

Luca didn't care about getting an answer; he just wanted to avoid putting John in those messed-up situations for the rest of his life.

The two continued drinking and chatting. John wasn't good at talking, so Luca talked about Helen's work, and John became more talkative.

Love-struck
Then Abram called Pigeon, "Pigeon, my men arrested two people at the casino, one named Mike and the other named Bug. They say they know you. Is that true?"

Arrested? Luca was taken aback. Had these two kids been caught cheating again?
"What happened?" Luca asked.

"He not only owes money but also cheats."

"."

An hour later, a bruised and battered Mike and Bug appeared before Luca, accompanied by the Russian casino manager.

—A big beard and a bald head. The standard Russian look.

[Character Card Discovered: Teddy KGB]

[Teddy: C]

[Source: The King of Gamblers]

[Skill: Oreo]

[Bond: Strangers]

Oreo. What the hell are these skills?
Luca looked at him strangely.

This bearded man named Teddy is the villainous gambling king that Mike faces in the original storyline. He is the one who initially gambled away all of Mike's money, forcing Mike to give up gambling and turn to literature.

But in the end, Mike took a desperate gamble, saw through Teddy's weakness, defeated him, and won back all the money.

As for what the flaw is?
—I like to eat Oreos while playing cards.

Twist it a little, lick it a little.
Mike's keen observation revealed his inner thoughts.

"Hello, pigeon."

Teddy, who was just a small-time gang leader, was very polite when facing his boss's friends. "Abram told me to hand them over to you."

Even a small skill is still a skill. Luca noticed Teddy's somewhat distant attitude and asked, "How much money do these two people owe you?"

"Twenty-five thousand." Teddy remembered it very clearly.

Luca immediately understood that Teddy really wanted the money, but because of his boss Abram, he didn't dare to ask the peace ambassador for it directly.

“Abram is my friend, and you are his man. I won’t let my friend’s man suffer.”

Luca's gaze swept over Mike's swollen face and turned to Teddy. "I'll give you a satisfactory explanation."

Teddy felt a surge of goodwill; he really couldn't bear to part with the 25,000. But he still politely said, "It's no trouble at all. Since Mike knows you, he's also my friend. We're all friends, so let's not worry about such a small thing as money."

Wow, so perceptive? Luca chuckled, “Teddy, I’ve heard Abram mention you before. He said you’re a loyal friend, and he certainly wasn’t wrong about you. I’ve heard you’re good at cards? Why don’t you come to my casino and experience our club’s casino?”

"Okay, Old Pigeon, you go first."

"Jimmy, take Teddy to the casino."

Luca gave Jimmy a look, and the latter understood, then took Teddy to the casino.

As Teddy walked into the casino, he was observing his surroundings when Jimmy approached him with a box and handed it to him. "Teddy, here's 3 in chips. Old Pigeon told me to give them to you. Have fun."

Teddy paused slightly, watching Jimmy's departing figure, then looking at the colorful chips in his hand, and thought to himself, "Old Pigeon is truly generous." Mike and Bug had gotten incredibly lucky, befriending someone like Old Pigeon.

[Bond: Familiarity]

You resolved the conflict between Teddy, Mike, and the bug; you upheld the peace of the casino.

[Gain Skill Points +3]

Mike and Bug breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Teddy leave, but their hearts jumped again when they saw Luca's smiling face.

Mike had a premonition that he was about to incur a huge debt this time.

“Mike,” Luca looked at Mike with a half-smile, “I remember, it was you who was to keep your promise, not to ask me to help you again.”

Mike's heart skipped a beat: "Pigeon, consider it one more time I owe you. I can play two cards for you."

"That's not how you do it."

"Then I'll consider it as me owing you 25,000 yuan. I'll definitely pay you back when I have the money."

"Last time you left the door with empty pockets, and this time you came in penniless again. Where are you going to get the money to pay me back?"

"."

Mike was devastated. He had won a lot of money recently, but the bug cheated and got caught, and all the money was confiscated by the casino.

Insects are such a scourge!

Damn, he only has his left hand left, yet he can still cheat with all sorts of tricks!

"So what do you want me to do?" Mike said helplessly. "Just tell me, I'll do my best as long as it's within my power."

The insect slyly sized up Luka. Since it had been brought here, it meant it was mostly safe, and at least it didn't have to worry about retaliation from the Russians.

Pigeons are better than Russians!
He asked Luca with a grin, "Old Pigeon, just tell me what you need! I'll listen to you from now on! Besides playing cards, my hands can also help you water the flowers."

Luca: "."

[Bond: Familiarity]

[Insect: B]

[The Master of Deception: You have mastered sophisticated cheating techniques, making you harder to detect. Your cheating concealment is increased by an additional 40%.]

[Learning Requirements: Gambling Skills LV5 or higher; Friendship or higher; 50 Skill Fragments required]

Luca seriously suspected that there was something wrong with the bug's skill. Either the bug's own skills were too bad, or it was just too unlucky. Even with the aura, it was still frequently caught.

This skill is passable, but it's not Luca's first choice or a must-have.

Perhaps we'll need it someday in the future?

For example, in a high-table duel, there's a card selection process. Is it possible to cheat?
Looking at the sly smile on the bug's face, Luca thought to himself, "You two gambling addicts, don't even think about leaving the club until you hand over your skills to the Peace Ambassador."

"My casino is still missing a few poker players to keep things under control."

Luca thought for a moment and said, "Mike, you go be a poker player and help me watch the games."

"Okay. I promise you." Mike realized that this was the only value he had that made Pigeon interested in him; at least it was something he was good at and something he was willing to do.

[Bond: Familiarity]

"What about me?" Bug excitedly volunteered, "I can be a player too, Old Pigeon, I can help you."

Luca: "Don't you know how to water flowers?"

Insect: "Watering flowers and playing cards can go hand in hand."

This gambler is absolutely awful; Luca has only ever seen one like Bug. He doesn't want Bug to get caught cheating as the dealer; that would be a huge disgrace to the casino.

“Go water the flowers at the casino,” Luca joked. “And while you’re at it, help me catch those cheaters. If you catch even one, you can have a share of their chips.”

The insect looked around at the Silver Queens scattered everywhere, and nodded with a grin: "Alright! Leave it to me!"

He's incredibly good at catching con artists; he's a fellow con artist.

After the two left, John, who had witnessed the whole thing without saying a word, finally spoke up, "Pigeon, you're very willing to help others; you don't seem like someone who has no friends."

Returning to the previous topic, Luca smiled faintly, "That was before. Back then, I was called The Butcher, and I liked to fight alone. Now I'm called Pigeon, and Pigeon is John, a social animal. I believe we can become good friends too."

Luca picked up his wine glass.

Recalling what he had just witnessed, and the overflowing gratitude in Helen's voice when she mentioned the pigeons, John could tell that his girlfriend was very grateful to Luca, although he didn't yet understand why.

Why was Helen so trusting of pigeons?
John chose to believe Helen, raised his glass to toast her, and said, "Peace is the best policy."

[Bond: Familiarity]

Luca smiled broadly; Helen hadn't made a mistake playing that card.

“John, do you know how to play cards?” Luca stood up and invited, “Let’s go to the casino and play a couple of rounds.”

There's even a rare card inside that says someone likes to eat Oreos.

That little skill is quite interesting.

(End of this chapter)