A month before the public rally, New York's nights were already buzzing with activity.
That night, Brian and Leon accompanied the police and the FBI to cooperate with statements and investigations. This was Luca's order.
Leon, acting under Luca's instructions, knew exactly what he could say and what he couldn't.
Besides, he had indeed been secretly watching the situation. But the so-called "protecting the White Tiger" had really just been surveillance—watching the White Tiger get killed.
That no longer mattered.
Leon had plenty of useful clues that could help the police track down the real mastermind.
As for Brian…
David was currently taking his statement.
"Brian, did you ram the criminal's car again this time?"
"What do you mean again?" Brian said speechlessly.
"Well… yeah, it was me. My boss, the Dove, told me to do it."
"You said the same thing at the airport last time."
"..."
"Well done, though. Without you, it would've been much harder for us to catch them."
David patted Brian on the shoulder with admiration.
"No wonder you follow the Dove of Peace. You've got a strong sense of justice. I think you could become a Peace Ambassador yourself someday."
Brian felt a little depressed.
I'm not that kind of guy…
I'm actually an FBI agent gathering evidence against the Dove of Peace.
So why do I keep helping the police solve cases?
The undercover agent sighed.
"Officer… could you maybe cancel the red-light tickets I got? I mean, I was chasing murderers."
David nodded immediately.
"Of course. No problem."
Brian brightened.
"Then… could the repair costs for my car be reimbursed?"
David: "..."
---
After collecting statements, the police and the FBI quickly identified the mastermind.
John Gotti.
Those assassins were members of the Gambino family and worked directly under Gotti.
However, they insisted that Gotti had not ordered the killing—that it had been their own decision.
The Mafia's code of silence.
It was extremely effective when dealing with law enforcement.
Since the killers refused to testify against Gotti, the police couldn't directly arrest him yet.
But inviting him in for questioning?
That was perfectly legal.
Before doing that, David made a suggestion to Denham.
"Let's bring Richie in first," David said with a grin.
"Didn't the Dove of Peace tell us earlier that if the killers refuse to talk, Richie could 'persuade' them?"
Richie Roberts.
Once a key figure in the War on Drugs who helped bring down the legendary drug lord Frank Lucas.
After leaving law enforcement, he had reinvented himself as a lawyer.
Thanks to his silver tongue and extraordinary persuasion skills, he was already gaining fame.
Rumor had it he was even helping Frank Lucas fight his current case.
Quite impressive.
He had personally sent the man to prison.
Then quit his job and became the man's lawyer.
No wonder Frank trusted Richie completely.
Denham and McClane thought about it.
And surprisingly…
They agreed.
Richie was a genius at negotiations.
David immediately called him.
"Richie, I've got a case for you."
Richie shouted on the phone.
"It's already ten at night!"
David remained calm.
"This case involves the Dove. I promised him we'd give him an explanation."
Richie paused.
"…Alright. I'm coming."
Before David could explain anything further, he heard a woman on the other end begging Richie to stay.
Richie refused.
David felt a little awkward.
That bastard Richie… divorced and already found someone new?
Less than half an hour later, Richie arrived at the police station looking slightly travel-worn.
After hearing the full story and the Dove of Peace's request, he nodded.
"I'll help handle this. But I need to know your bottom line. If I'm negotiating with the killers, I need something to bargain with."
Denham replied quietly.
"Talk however you want. First figure out what the Dove wants. We'll deal with the rest."
Richie nodded.
"I need three interrogation rooms."
His strategy was simple.
Three suspects.
Divide them.
Create distrust.
Make them believe the others had already confessed.
The three assassins were separated and had no idea what the others were saying.
When Richie told them their accomplices had already confessed everything, panic immediately appeared in their eyes.
But they still refused to talk.
Anyone who betrays the boss dies.
Better prison than execution.
"I'm not saying anything."
"So what if I go to prison? At least I'll live."
Richie leaned forward.
"You'll die even if you don't confess."
He knew the code of silence very well.
"If you dared to kill the White Tiger, the Dove of Peace will never let you go. Prison will only speed up your death."
Without the constraints of being a police officer, Richie spoke far more bluntly.
Seeing the assassin's ugly expression, he continued.
"You know the Dove of Peace's methods better than I do."
"Butcher, remember?"
"That nickname didn't come from the police."
"It came from your own Mafia."
The assassin shivered slightly.
But he still shook his head.
"Don't waste your time. If I talk, my family dies."
"My wife. My children."
"They'll all be executed."
Richie tilted his head.
"And you think the Dove won't kill them?"
"..."
The assassin looked desperate.
"At least my family will protect them. They still have a chance."
"If I betray the boss… neither my family nor the Dove of Peace will spare me."
He had thought this through carefully.
Silence meant protection.
Confession meant total isolation.
Richie smiled slightly.
"I can persuade the Dove to spare you."
"You'll get police protection."
"You and your family can enter witness protection, change your identities, and leave New York."
"Tell me honestly…"
"Which matters more to you?"
"Loyalty… or survival?"
Silence filled the room.
Then a spark of hope appeared in the assassin's eyes.
"You're telling the truth?"
"The Dove would really let me go?"
"Of course."
Richie shrugged.
"Your accomplices already cooperated. They all received the Dove's forgiveness."
"The Dove believes you were manipulated."
"What he really wants… is the man behind you."
The assassin lowered his head.
Richie pressed harder.
"You know Frank Lucas, right? I'm his lawyer now."
"He had seventy-five years."
"I already reduced it by ten."
"Listen. I'm not a cop."
"I'm a lawyer."
"I'm here to get you the best possible deal."
"If you cooperate, your family will be protected tomorrow."
The assassin finally looked up.
"How do I know I can trust you?"
---
Soon Denham, David, and even Jimmy appeared in the room.
Richie gestured toward them.
"Is that enough proof?"
The assassin sighed.
"Fine… I'll cooperate."
The same strategy was used on the other two assassins.
Two eventually cooperated.
One stubbornly refused to speak.
But once the three of them were allowed to compare notes…
The last man finally broke.
All three agreed to testify.
John Gotti.
---
Meanwhile, the next three days were chaos for New York media.
Major newspapers ran headline after headline.
The police and FBI—normally tight-lipped—were surprisingly cooperative with reporters.
Photos.
Statements.
Even interviews.
The story exploded across the city.
[Exclusive Report: John Gotti Ordered the Murder of a Lucchese Family Capo— FBI Claims Conclusive Evidence]
[Mafia Bloodshed Escalates! Gambino Family Assassinates "White Tiger" — Police Promise Life Sentence]
[Gambino vs Lucchese — FBI Claims Assassination Order Came From Gambino Leadership]
Public opinion spread like wildfire.
In an instant, Gotti became the main target of criticism across New York.
The Gambino family's already bloody reputation grew even darker.
Meanwhile, the Lucchese family gained public sympathy.
The killers had been arrested the same night.
Evidence quickly pointed toward Gotti.
The case seemed practically solved.
Within a week, Gotti had become the most criticized figure in New York.
This was the city's answer to the Dove of Peace.
Luca was very satisfied with the performance of these rare "cards."
The rest…
He would handle personally.
Inside a villa in Queens, John Gotti shredded a newspaper in fury.
"Useless! A bunch of useless piece of shit!"
"How dare they betray me?!"
What angered Gotti most wasn't that his men had been captured.
It was that his own name had been dragged into the spotlight.
Now everyone in New York knew.
John Gotti.
The man who ordered the assassination of the Lucchese family's White Tiger.
He had never imagined becoming famous like this.
For the past few days, the police and FBI had been harassing him nonstop.
The courts had already begun preparing charges.
And he knew perfectly well—
His chances of winning were extremely low.
Those three bastards.
They had betrayed him completely.
Gotti rubbed his temples.
Bribe the judge?
Bribe witnesses?
Reduce the sentence?
None of that mattered right now.
The real problem was the Lucchese family.
They would want him dead.
Even prison wouldn't protect him.
For the first time in years…
John Gotti considered running away.
Seven days after the White Tiger's death, the Lucchese family held a funeral.
The Boss himself, Victor, attended.
Pauli Cicero stood quietly among the crowd, dressed in black and staring at the tombstone.
The White Tiger was dead.
His biggest obstacle was gone.
No one in the family could stop him from rising to power now.
But things had not gone exactly as planned.
Damn it, Gotti.
How did that idiot get caught?
Now the entire city knew.
The Lucchese family had been forced to respond publicly.
Pauli's eyes flashed with killing intent.
But killing Gotti himself would not be easy.
Otherwise he wouldn't have asked Gotti to eliminate the White Tiger in the first place.
So what now?
"Pauli."
A voice suddenly spoke beside him.
Pauli turned his head.
Luca stood there, staring at the tombstone.
"These past few days have been… turbulent," Luca said softly.
"You were right about one thing."
"Staying away from drugs is the correct path."
"Drugs are like a curse on this family."
"First Dominic."
"Now the White Tiger."
"It's almost like whoever touches them ends up dead."
Pauli nodded.
"Drugs are a curse—physically and mentally."
"If you want to live longer, stay away from them."
Luca asked quietly,
"Do you think it's possible to eliminate drugs from the family entirely?"
Pauli replied,
"How would you know if you never try?"
---
The funeral was solemn.
Two men.
Both murderers.
One responsible for Dominic's death.
The other responsible for the White Tiger's.
Discussing ideals beside a grave.
Then Luca suddenly spoke.
"Pauli… if the White Tiger knew you were the one who convinced Gotti to kill him…"
"Do you think he'd climb out of that grave just to strangle you?"
The casual sentence struck Pauli like lightning.
His heart skipped a beat.
Damn it.
How does this kid know that?
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