Chapter 27: If You Find Money, Turn It Over to the Police

That night, the police worked through the night, using the evidence and clues left in Joe’s home to quickly locate the other victims.

There were five in total.

In addition to the obese man and the starlet, there was Robbie, representing "Greed"; a drug dealer representing "Sloth"; and a prostitute representing "Lust."

Of these three, Robbie and the prostitute were already dead.

Robbie’s death was relatively clean; he had been throat-slit and drained of a significant amount of blood. The prostitute’s scene, however, was far more harrowing—a man had used a makeshift device equipped with a metal bayonet to literally kill her through sexual violence.

The drug dealer was still alive, having been tied to a bed and tortured by Joe for a year. His body was covered in festering sores, his tongue had been severed, and he had been injected with various drugs, leaving him mentally shattered.

The methods of death Joe designed were all filled with a twisted sense of ritual, corresponding to the seven deadly sins.

After surveying these crime scenes, William felt all the more grateful that Luca had finished off Joe. If such a perverted serial killer had truly evaded justice, an endless nightmare would have awaited New York.

"Damn it! That lunatic actually wanted to target me!"

Back at the precinct after a sleepless night, David complained to William with great indignation. "He actually had a photo of me and labeled it 'Wrath'? What the hell? He actually thought I possessed the sin of wrath!"

William: "..."

Looking at the evidence bag containing the photo in David’s hand, and then at David’s furious expression, William felt that Joe’s judgment in some areas wasn't entirely off-base.

David did indeed have a bit of a short fuse.

After grumbling for a while, David’s emotions gradually cooled, and he asked curiously, "Somerset, who do you think actually killed John Doe? And who sent that letter to you?"

William shook his head. "I don’t know. We couldn't even find Doe; how could we possibly find the person who killed him?"

"I suspect it was Greco," David said. "That guy has a keen sense for sniffing out clues. He’s a brilliant detective! He can easily find leads we miss, and he knows this case inside and out. I think..."

"Don't speculate on things without evidence," William said, looking at him. "Mills, assuming it was him, what would you do?"

David suddenly grinned. "I’d buy a bottle of the finest whiskey and treat him to a meal! He helped us catch the killer... more importantly, the killer is dead! I can only say, well done! I truly cannot imagine what kind of disastrous consequences would have followed if that damn son-of-a-bitch lawyer had used an insanity plea to get Doe off the hook! Fuck, Doe was targeting me—he even had photos of my wife and my home address! He had all my information! My privacy was completely compromised!"

The more David thought about it, the more he felt a lingering fear. After witnessing those gruesome crime scenes, he couldn't bear the thought of such things happening to him or his wife... he felt he would have gone insane.

Fortunately, the killer was dead.

Thank God, and thank the "Pigeon," Luca!

David’s panicked expression also sent a jolt of anxiety through William. Although his own photo hadn't appeared in Doe’s home, regarding the issue of privacy... William felt he was also being laid bare.

It wasn't just the FBI; the police department was doing the same thing.

"Some media outlets pay the police for information, or even pay high prices to purchase private details," William sighed. "This country’s laws emphasize privacy, but in reality, we have none."

David held his head in his hands and cursed a few more times.

Sighing, William continued: "Mills, this case is over. I’m retiring in a few days."

David nodded. "It’s a real shame. I’ve only worked with you for a short time; your departure will make me sad."

"I’m just retiring, not dying." William smiled. "As someone who has been through it all, let me give you a piece of advice: don’t be so impulsive in your work, and stay rational."

"I’ll remember that."

"Also, don't offend people lightly, or your end will be the same as Roberts'."

"Roberts?" David paused. That officer who had returned the money he found was now being ostracized by the entire department; no one wanted to partner with him, and no one wanted to offer a helping hand.

That guy would likely never see a promotion again.

David sighed softly; he felt that Roberts was a man of integrity and didn't deserve such an end.

...

Richie Roberts was well aware of his situation. During a mission, when no other officers came to his support, he realized just how dire his circumstances were.

Because of this, he was on the verge of giving up on being a police officer.

He was currently living on his meager police salary while studying for the bar exam, planning to resign and become a lawyer once he passed.

If this place didn't want him, he would find somewhere that did.

It wasn't until three days later that a senior official claiming to be from the Washington D.C. DEA found him.

...

"The greatest city in the world has now turned into a dirty, chaotic sewer!"

The high-ranking official from Washington looked at the skyscrapers of New York and sighed. "Petty theft is everywhere, the drug trade is rampant, and the air in this city is disgustingly foul!"

The official turned back to Richie and smiled. "I heard Times Square recently got a new nickname: 'The Shithole Square'?"

Richie was noncommittal. "That’s the most fitting description I’ve heard."

The official sighed. "It’s a pity. You were loyal to your duty and ended up like this... The good news is that New York still has a few honest cops like you. Come work for me. The Washington DEA isn't just going through the motions this time; they mean business!"

The official was blunt: "They sent me to New York to plan a crackdown on drug crime, and I need you to lead the charge! You can bypass the local police and report directly to me and the federal prosecutor!"

"You don't even have to go to the precinct; you can decide your own office space, choose your own partners, and pick your own subordinates!"

"I have only one requirement: find the kind of person who would turn in money to the police if they found it on the side of the road!"

Richie shook his head and chuckled.

Where on earth was he supposed to find someone like that?

I found a million dollars, for God's sake, not a hundred!

...

It was also on this day that the New York Police Department, having finished organizing the evidence and closing the case, held a press conference to publicly respond to the religious-themed murders that had caused such an uproar over the past few days.

They announced the case was closed, the killer was dead, and released the relevant evidence.

They then made a point to praise the veteran-rookie detective duo of David and William.

Although the two felt that they hadn't really played much of a part in solving the case, they had to bite the bullet to help the department project a positive image.

If Times Square was a shithole, at least the NYPD shouldn't be.

Old William also used the conference to formally announce his retirement at his advanced age.

Many New York citizens expressed their regret, noting that the department had lost a sharp-eyed detective.

After the conference, his superior found William and gave the old detective a firm hug. "Somerset! I knew you could do it! Hahaha! Our NYPD can finally present a perfect result! This honor was brought by you; believe me, even after many years, people won't forget the contribution you made to New York!"

William felt a bit awkward. Truth be told, he hadn't really done much; the clues were provided by Luca, and the man was caught and killed by Luca. Luca had directed everything from start to finish.

He felt a bit undeserving of the credit...

He had intended to explain this to the reporters at the conference, but realizing it involved "homicide"—methods that couldn't see the light of day—doing so would only harm Luca, so he omitted Luca's involvement.

But now, speaking in private, it didn't matter.

"Actually, you should be thanking a concerned citizen; he provided the police with a lot of help."

"A concerned citizen?" The superior immediately thought of that mobster. "Wait, you don't mean..."

"Yes, the Mafia helped us again."

"..."

Holy crap! Did the Mafia really become an ambassador for peace??

The superior was stunned. The damn Mafia was really going to stick that "shithole" label onto the police department for good, weren't they?

Or did the Mafia now want to get their hands on law enforcement power?

"And the killer was also...?"

"Who knows? We don't have any evidence to prove it."

"..."

...

[You assisted the NYPD in solving the major "Seven Deadly Sins" murder case, quelled the panic of New York citizens, and maintained peace in New York.]

[Skill points earned: 20]

[Skill shards earned: 10]

[Cellular lifespan extended, physiological theoretical lifespan +6 months]

[Current skill shards: 67]

Receiving the follow-up rewards, Luca felt quite satisfied. Earning a haul for killing the murderer and then earning another on top of that—the profits were immense.

Extending his lifespan directly—this reward was a good thing!

He was truly happy; he had lived for another half a year.

He hoped that when he grew old, he would still be as handsome and dashing as he was now!

That night, retired detective William Somerset and the precinct’s rising star, David Mills, came to the Bronx to have dinner with Luca.

Luca brought Mathilda along and introduced her to the two.

"This is my sister, Mathilda. You two should have met."

"Detective Somerset, Detective Mills, you helped me when my father was murdered last time. I haven't had a chance to thank you yet."

Looking at this "brother and sister" pair, William and David both revealed kind smiles.

They naturally knew Mathilda, but they hadn't expected these two, who were not related by blood, to be so close now.

William even harbored suspicions that Stansfield's death had something to do with Luca. If Luca had killed Stansfield and his group of corrupt drug-enforcement officers to avenge Mathilda, it made perfect sense.

But it didn't matter now. Stansfield was clearly not a normal cop, and William didn't care about the feud between him and the mob.

Besides, he was retired now.

The four of them enjoyed their dinner together.

Because of the Seven Deadly Sins case, David’s impression of Luca had improved significantly. He even felt that Luca had saved his and his wife’s lives, preventing them from being killed by Joe.

He couldn't say it out loud, but he enthusiastically expressed that if Luca ever needed any help in the future, he could come to him.

He was even calling him "Luca" and "Pigeon" affectionately, rather than Greco.

[Bond: Friends]

Luca glanced at the panel and found that his bond with David had progressed from "Attention" to "Acquaintances."

The progress was good.

Although David was impulsive and hot-tempered, it also meant he was straightforward and lacked hidden agendas.

Luca liked people like that.

With the bond requirements met, David’s skill could now be learned.

[Do you wish to spend 50 skill shards to redeem "Sin of Wrath"?]

[Yes/No]

Yes!

[Redemption successful, skill added.]

[Sin of Wrath: The higher the anger, the stronger the combat power, increasing combat effectiveness by up to 20%.]

[Remaining skill shards: 17]

The new skill was his! The "Berserker Luca" form was unlocked!

And the best part was, he wouldn't turn green when he got angry.

...

The group ate and chatted, moving from home to life, and then to work.

Luca casually asked about the situation with Richie Roberts and McClain, but the answer he received surprised him.

"Roberts is having a hard time right now. Everyone calls him 'The Honest Man' as a nickname. You know, it’s not a compliment; it’s mockery." William sighed. This was a situation he couldn't change; the most he could do was not join in the ridicule or kick a man while he was down.

Luca paused for a moment... mocking him for that was a bad move; they had no idea how powerful the [Honesty] skill was!

That was a god-tier skill!

However, looking at it this way, Richie being ostracized meant he was likely nearing the point where his unprecedented act of "turning it over to the state" would catch the attention of the right people.

Once Richie joined the DEA and formed his drug task force, the drug war would officially begin.