Chapter 2: This Killer Is Not So Cold

At this moment, Luca looked at the two grinning fellows before him and felt utterly speechless. These two really had no sense of shame and were troublemakers through and through.

In the original storyline, Henry was caught by the police for drug trafficking. To avoid being thrown into jail, he turned state’s witness, betraying his boss and all his brothers. Jimmy, on the other hand, led a crew to rob the airport. Greedy as he was, he didn’t want to share the spoils, and when his accomplices became too flashy, he eliminated every single one of them. There was also a fellow called Tommy, a hothead who killed a made man and was eventually executed by the family.

Together, these three were the infamous Goodfellas.

But why were there only two present?

“Come, let me introduce you.” Maligio called the two Goodfellas over to sit, then introduced them to Luca. Afterward, he pointed to the photo in Luca’s hand and added, “Luca, Henry and Jimmy know quite a bit about Karn. They know his usual haunts, so if you need any specific information, you can reach out to them.”

He then turned to the two men, saying, “You two are to cooperate fully with Luca and follow his lead in all things.”

Jimmy was already over forty, much older than Luca, yet he acted with great humility in Luca’s presence. “I’ve long heard of Luca’s reputation. Who in the Bronx doesn’t know the Peace Ambassador? I’d be honored to be of service to him.” He narrowed his eyes, smiling slyly like an old fox.

Unlike himself, Luca was pure-blood Sicilian. At this rate, it was only a matter of time before he became a made man. If Jimmy could establish a good relationship with him… With this thought, Jimmy’s gaze toward Luca grew even more “affectionate.”

Henry quickly chimed in, raising a glass to Luca. “It’s an honor to serve you, sir.”

Luca clinked glasses politely, though inwardly he couldn’t help but grumble. If only he could rely on your loyalty—just don’t sell me out, that’s all I ask.

As the group chatted and laughed, Luca discreetly opened his panel to check the two men’s skills.

At least they were C-level cards.

[Character Card: Henry]
[Shameless: When communicating with police, police trust +10%; when betraying and providing testimony, police trust +40%]
[Learning requirements: 1. Bond must reach 'friend' or higher; 2. 20 skill fragments]

Luca: “...”
Why would a mafioso have such an ability?

[Character Card: Jimmy]
[Greedy: Each time illegal income is earned, dirty money conversion rate +5%, and police search trigger probability -10%; after cleaning out teammates, conversion rate +15%]
[Learning requirements: 1. Bond must reach 'friend' or higher; 2. 20 skill fragments]

Luca: “...”
Good lord! Luca could only marvel at these so-called Goodfellas.

Though he’d expected neither man to be a good egg, their abilities still took him aback—both were specialized in stabbing their teammates in the back.

No wonder the moniker fit them so well.

Not a bad set of abilities—Luca was determined to learn them.

...

After a few bottles of wine, the three men’s relationship had grown much closer. They were all associates on the fringes of the same family, and since Luca was a pure-blood Sicilian, his father a “fallen hero,” and he himself both capable and favored by Maligio, it was only a matter of time before he became a made man.

Without Luca even needing to make overtures, Jimmy and Henry were both eager to cozy up to him, hoping to make him “one of their own.” If they had an ally within the family in the future, their own prospects would certainly improve.

“I’ve heard about you two before—you used to run with Paulie, right?” Luca said, almost casually. “Paulie’s a good boss, treats his men well.”

Paulie was another capo in the family, based on a different turf from Maligio, so Luca had rarely interacted with these Goodfellas before. Besides, he hadn’t awakened his memories of his past life back then, so he hadn’t known what made them special.

But now, things were different.

At Luca’s words, Henry forced a dry laugh. Paulie was indeed a decent guy, but too timid—he wouldn’t let his men deal drugs. Remembering this, Henry shot a furtive glance at Jimmy, who was smoking beside him. He recalled Paulie warning him not to deal drugs and to keep his distance from Jimmy... Jimmy was a money-maker, but he was reckless and restless, not someone easy to manage.

Jimmy took a drag of his cigarette, his eyes flickering. He’d been with Paulie for over twenty years, had handed over plenty of money, but what did it amount to? Because of his bloodline, he was still just an associate, never able to become a made man.

Luca’s casual mention of Paulie left both men lost in thought.

“By the way, didn’t you have another partner?” Luca feigned a hazy memory. “What was his name... Tommy? Didn’t he come with you?”

Three Goodfellas—why were there only two?

“Tommy... passed away, just last week.” Jimmy’s expression was hard to describe. When he’d heard, he’d nearly smashed up his car in anger.

He’d thought he’d found someone powerful to rely on, only for that hope to be dashed.

Luca froze for a second—so Tommy had already been executed by the family? That was the price for killing a made man.

A shame—Tommy was probably a C-level card too, possibly with a skill worth learning.

Now, of the three Goodfellas, only two remained.

“That’s truly unfortunate news,” said Luca, raising his glass. “May he rest in peace.”

The other two followed suit.

Luca then turned the conversation to the current task—information about Karn Jones.

Jimmy and Henry, having worked together dealing drugs for a long time, naturally knew that a new player had moved in on their territory, stealing much of their business. They’d tried every means to drive him out, but to no avail.

Karn had a team of skilled gunmen. Jimmy and Henry were nothing special in a fight—how could they take on such a drug lord?

“Every Tuesday, he brings product into the Bronx...” Jimmy rambled on, sharing everything he knew about Karn’s transactions—Russian gangs, Japanese gangs, and so on.

Luca’s gaze, however, grew distant. Staring at Karn’s photo, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d seen this man before. In some movie, perhaps?

...

The following Tuesday, inside a hotel in the Bronx.

“Glad to see you again, Mr. Jones.”

With the waiter’s enthusiastic greeting, the rotund Karn Jones entered the elevator surrounded by his armed guards, leaving a few men downstairs while the rest accompanied him upstairs.

Meanwhile, across the street from the hotel, a black car sat idling. In the back seat, Luca quietly watched the hotel entrance, a thoughtful look on his face.

Seeing that fat man in person, the sense of familiarity grew stronger. Yet, oddly, no character card appeared on his panel.

Not an important character?

In the Peace Ambassador system, only key figures tended to have character cards.

From the front seat, Jimmy glanced back. “What’s the plan now?”

Luca pulled out a silencer and began attaching it to his weapon with deliberate calm. “You guys keep watch downstairs. Leave the rest to me.”

Henry was stunned. “You’re going up alone? They have so many men...”

“So what?” Luca smiled. “Harmony brings wealth, after all. I’m sure Mr. Jones won’t give me any trouble.”

Henry: “...” Harmony brings wealth? Then why are you so adept at screwing on that silencer?

Jimmy, ever the risk-taker, was eager to ingratiate himself. “Let me go with you. I can help.”

You’re useless in a fight—good for intimidating civilians, maybe. Luca had no intention of letting him die, not until he’d acquired their skills.

“No need. You’d only get in the way. Just keep watch, and call me if the police show up.”

With that, Luca donned a pair of tinted sunglasses, concealed his gun and knife, stepped out of the car, and vanished from sight.

Henry swallowed nervously. “Jimmy, you think Luca will be okay?”

They’d finally found someone to rely on—it would be a shame to lose him so soon.

Jimmy shook his head. “With Luca’s skills, I doubt he’ll have trouble. Do you know his reputation in the underworld?”

“Peace Ambassador?”

“...” Jimmy’s mouth twitched. “I meant before he got that nickname. He was a hitman, known as the Butcher—ask around, everyone’s heard of him.”

...

Half an hour later.

Outside the hotel suite, corpses littered the ground—every gunman dead.

Luca stood beside Karn, one hand pressing a gun to his temple, the other dialing the boss’s number.

Karn raised his hands high, trembling. “Hey man, calm down, will you? There’s a crate of uncut product in this room—pure stuff! It’s all yours if you let me go.”

Luca’s tone was gentle. “Mr. Jones, you fired first. I told you, I’m just here to deliver a message. We could have sat down and talked—why resort to violence? Harmony brings wealth, don’t you think?”

Karn was speechless—he wanted to curse. You’ve killed all my men... and you’re still talking about harmony? Could you maybe put the gun down first?

“Who sent you?” Karn demanded.

Just then, the call connected.

Luca held the phone to Karn’s ear. “You talk.”

“Hello?” Karn was confused.

“This is Maligio. Remember me?” Maligio spoke slowly, confident in Luca’s abilities. “Didn’t I warn you to leave New York? I see you’ve come back.”

So it was the Luchese family? Karn remembered at once and hastened to explain, “No, no, I was just passing through New York today, that’s all.”

“Oh? So does that mean today is your last day here? That I’ll never see your fat pig face in New York again?”

“Yes, yes.” Feeling the cold metal against his head, Karn agreed without hesitation.

Maligio wasn’t reassured, but he couldn’t kill Karn—Karn was a family boss, albeit from another city. At the top, all families belonged to a commission that set a series of peacekeeping rules... In short, you could kill unimportant associates, but killing a boss like Karn would cause major trouble.

That would escalate things from a dispute between two bosses to a war between entire families.

“Luca,” Maligio instructed, “take all his product. Teach him a lesson so he understands the consequences of trespassing in New York—then let him go.”

Luca glanced at the bodies, then at Karn’s shaking form, and smiled amiably.

He hung up the phone and beamed. “Did you hear all that? Mr. Jones, let’s keep things peaceful, shall we?”

“Peaceful, peaceful!” Karn agreed at once. “I promise never to set foot in New York again!”

“I hope you mean that—I hate pointless conflict.” Luca lowered his gun, waved, and walked away.

Karn turned to find Luca gone. He rushed into the room, searched everywhere, and discovered that the crate of drugs had vanished.

“Fuck!”

Karn, powerless and furious, kicked over a table.

But when he remembered Luca’s ghostlike presence, an overwhelming fear crept over him.

Fine, he thought. Best to stay away from New York from now on.

...

[You have killed nine vicious drug dealers and struck fear into their boss’s heart, preventing him from ever selling drugs in New York again... You have defended the peace of the city.]
[You gain 15 skill points.]
[You gain 5 skill fragments.]

Luca invested all the points in Firearms Mastery.

[Firearms Mastery: LV5 (72/100)]

“Twenty-three skill fragments now—I can exchange them for a skill.” Luca smiled with satisfaction. As soon as he raised those two Goodfellas’ favorability to ‘friend’ or above, he could unlock their hidden abilities.

He carried the crate down the fire escape to the second floor, when his phone began to vibrate.

“Luca!” Jimmy’s anxious voice came over the line. “DEA’s here! Get out, now!”

“???”

DEA?

Luca hurried to the corridor, peered out the second-floor window, and saw several police cars parked below. The doors opened, and out stepped a man with blond hair, a gray suit, and wired headphones.

The panel popped up.

[Character card detected: Stansfield (locked)]
[Stan: S]
[Source: ‘Léon: The Professional’]
[Skills: Beethoven’s Madness, Wolf’s Scent]
[Bond: Stranger]

Luca’s face changed slightly.

Léon: The Professional?!

Shit! It’s that psycho cop!