That evening, Luca declined Marigio's invitation to a weekend party and brought the little brat home. After an entire day of running around, Matilda was completely worn out. She yawned, waved lazily at him, and muttered, "Good night, Luca," before dragging herself back to her room.
Once the apartment fell quiet, Luca returned to his study.
He sat down, switched on the desk lamp, and opened the file labeled "Joe Doe."
Inside were dozens of profiles—different faces, different ages, different backgrounds.
"I can't recognize him from the photos…" Luca frowned slightly.
Many people in this world didn't look exactly like the movie versions he remembered. He usually identified key characters by name, by the character cards displayed on the system panel, or by special contextual clues—like that pretentious sniper in the phone booth.
"After eliminating those too young or too old… twelve left."
He tapped the desk lightly. "Looks like I'll have to visit them one by one."
He clearly remembered that the killer's residence had been distinctive in the original storyline. The man had kept evidence of every crime in his apartment—including photographs of each victim. Back then, the two detectives had located him through library borrowing records, with assistance from the FBI. Getting a library card required ID and a phone bill. That bureaucratic trail had exposed him.
"There may already be victims," Luca murmured.
He remembered one of them had been tortured for over a year.
Still, he wasn't worried.
The case had nothing to do with him directly. The murderer was a psychopath, not a combat specialist. In terms of fighting capability, he posed no threat.
Luca's only concern was whether the man would damage David's rare character card before he could claim it.
"Once I confirm the identity, I'll eliminate him. Claim the system reward. Avoid future complications."
Simple.
He closed the file and the system panel unfolded before his eyes.
__________________________________________________________________________
Luca Greco
Skills:
Firearms Proficiency LV6
Assassination Proficiency LV6
Melee Proficiency LV6
Driving Proficiency LV4
Shameless
Greedy
Harmless Disguise
Current Skill Points: 0
Current Skill Fragments: 45
__________________________________________________________________________
During this period, both Firearms and Melee had increased by one level. Luca's strategy was straightforward—prioritize maxing out core combat skills first.
However, progression was becoming expensive. From LV6 to LV7 alone required 200 skill points. The higher the level, the steeper the cost.
"No rush," Luca muttered. "Base skills can grow slowly."
What truly mattered were the unique abilities granted by rare character cards. Each one was abstract, powerful, and often bizarre. Those were the real game-changers.
He closed the panel and began reviewing his priorities.
First: Promotion within the family.
To become a made soldier, an associate member needed recommendation from a caporegime or multiple soldiers, along with sufficient criminal records and loyalty pledges. Advancement to capo required guarantees from higher-ups and measurable contributions—either profitable business management or successful operations.
Within the family, people generally fell into two categories: "money trees" and "fighters."
Money trees generated profit by any means necessary. Fighters handled violent enforcement and intimidation. Few could do both effectively.
After regaining his memories, Luca found himself increasingly tired of endless bloodshed. He preferred making money—building influence quietly—and only stepping in personally when problems became intractable.
His plan was clear:
Leverage family connections. Accumulate capital. Win allies. Remove dissidents. Climb steadily upward.
Step by step.
Until he became the godfather of the underworld.
The club was central to this ambition. Through it, he could recruit talent, build interconnected interest chains, and expand into high-profit industries. It wouldn't just be an economic hub—it would be a community of shared interests, extending even into politics.
Of course, the system and rare cards remained his secret.
Recently, Luca had identified a nightclub in the Bronx on the brink of bankruptcy. He intended to acquire and transform it.
The only obstacle?
Funding.
Second: Matilda and Leon.
His bond with Leon progressed slowly, almost stubbornly. Matilda's, on the other hand, advanced rapidly. The child was far too precocious. Today it was a cheek kiss—tomorrow who knew?
According to the system, "Close Friend" required mutual sharing of life details, values, and emotional experiences. The "Partner" stage required mutual vulnerability, acceptance of flaws, and deep trust.
Luca noticed one key word: mutual.
Bonds were never one-sided.
If he wanted to deepen his connection with Matilda, he would need to reveal more of himself—his thoughts, his flaws, the colorful and darker corners of his personality.
Replace sincerity with sincerity.
Third: Blue Magic.
The drug market in New York was exploding. A federal crackdown was inevitable.
Such a large-scale anti-drug operation would offer enormous rewards—money, influence, system benefits.
As a "peace ambassador," it was his duty to defend peace.
Fourth: Uncle Bill.
Get married already.
And that nephew—hurry up and come to New York.
Maybe Luca didn't need to wait for the wedding. Perhaps he could subtly inquire whether the nephew had plans to study abroad.
As long as the excuse was good, he could arrive early.
Fifth: John McClane.
The unluckiest man alive. Comparable to Conan in disaster attraction.
Exploding buildings. Hijacked planes. City-wide crises.
That level of chaos wasn't something ordinary people could handle.
Luca did not possess a "Die Hard" protagonist aura skill.
Best to observe cautiously.
Sixth: The Night Demon — John Wick.
Still working for the Russian mob. Not retired. Not married. No dog.
At peak combat strength.
Give him a suit and sufficient ammunition, and he could probably sweep half of New York alone.
The relationship between Russian and Italian factions remained outwardly calm but internally tense. Both sides had killed members of the other. However, assassins operated under rules—personal grudges rarely escalated directly.
It was said John Wick valued loyalty deeply.
But how did one approach him?
Give him a dog?
Seventh: Jordan Belfort.
Currently under FBI investigation and drowning in legal trouble.
Perhaps there was an opportunity to "borrow" some funds.
Monday morning.
Luca drove Matilda to school. Afterwards, he stopped at a nearby coffee shop.
Just as he was about to call Leon to begin screening the Joe Does, fragments of nearby conversation caught his attention.
"Murder case—"
"Fat guy—"
"Stuffed to death—"
Luca's eyes narrowed.
He grabbed a newspaper from the rack.
Breaking News: A morbidly obese man had been found dead in a residential apartment. Official cause—forced overconsumption.
Luca raised an eyebrow.
"That was fast."
David had only just been transferred to New York.
Around him, patrons read silently. In this era without mobile internet, newspapers and television remained primary news sources.
A white-collar worker beside him complained loudly, "People are dying every day. I hear sirens every night in Manhattan. New York is a disaster!"
"The media only reports this one case," her colleague added. "An entire family was murdered in our community last week."
"Stupid media. They just pick sensational stories. A several-hundred-pound man eating himself to death? Of course people are curious. Watch—donut shops will run promotions tomorrow."
Luca smiled faintly and folded the paper.
The media might be shallow.
But this time, they were unfairly accused.
It wasn't that they wanted sensationalism.
It was that the killer wanted publicity.
He wanted to display his "art" to the world.
To preach about sin.
To demonstrate how corrupt humanity was.
And this…
Was the first of the Seven Deadly Sins.
================================================================================
As Always, Support me on: P site/OrbisTranslate
$3 for 15 Advance chapters