At this moment, the mass rally had completely descended into chaos. People screamed in terror and shouted angrily at the sudden murder, their voices blending into a deafening wave of panic.
The assassin was immediately killed by nearby security guards and Mafia members. Disguised as a photographer, he had quietly moved to a position not far from Joe Colombo, pulled out a revolver, and fired several shots without hesitation.
(TN: For people who don't know, the shooter was a guy named Jerome A. Johnson)
A gunshot to the head.
The bloody scene instantly threw the entire square into turmoil.
David Mills and John McClane were equally shocked.
Holy crap.
Assassinating a Mafia boss?
In broad daylight?
In front of tens of thousands of people?
"Quick!" David roared. "Call for backup! This place is about to explode!"
McClane stood frozen for a moment.
What the hell?
He had just come back from vacation and this was already happening?
He quickly gathered his officers to restore order, suppress the panic, and arrange for an ambulance to transport the severely injured Colombo away.
Despite suffering multiple gunshot wounds to the head, Colombo was not completely dead yet.
Even John F. Kennedy would have called it a miracle.
Meanwhile, somewhere else near the rally site.
Surrounded by his subordinates, Pro hurriedly tried to leave the area.
"Fuck! It must be Joe Gallo! It's definitely that lunatic Gallo!"
Pro hid behind his human shield of bodyguards as he quickly retreated, his eyes filled with naked fear.
"Damn it! He dared to kill Colombo! That madman is finished this time! No one can save him!"
A lunatic like Gallo, who kept stirring chaos within the Mafia, deserved to die already.
Pro absolutely did not want someone as unpredictable and insane as Gallo continuing to exist.
The group hurried away from the rally area and finally reached the roadside.
Just as Pro was about to get into his car, a Black man suddenly emerged from the chaotic crowd and raised a gun at him.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Screams erupted again.
Pro's hand froze on the car door.
He clutched his chest and collapsed onto the ground, his eyes full of disbelief and despair.
Didn't we agree to value peace…?
Pro never understood it before his death. Unlike Colombo, he didn't possess the stubborn willpower to cling to life, and his life rapidly faded away.
In the final moments of his consciousness, he saw a tanker truck driving past on the road nearby.
The transportation industry would not stop just because its chairman died.
If one man fell, another would simply replace him.
__________________________________________________________________________
[Ding! You instigated Carlo to eliminate a notorious Mafia boss. You defended the peace of the union]
[Skill Points +5]
[Skill Fragments Obtained ×2]
[Remaining Skill Fragments: 54]
__________________________________________________________________________
Inside the club, chaos erupted.
Many Mafia members stared at the giant screen in disbelief while shocked exclamations echoed throughout the hall.
According to incomplete statistics, at least a dozen people shouted the name of God in surprise.
Luca slammed his fist onto the table in shock, his pupils dilated as he stared at the screen with an Oscar-worthy performance.
However, Carlo Gambino and Victor were even more surprised than he was.
They had predicted the outcome.
But they had not predicted the method.
"Luca! Prepare a quiet room for us," Victor ordered.
"Of course. This way."
Luca led the two big bosses upstairs to a cigar room before politely excusing himself.
Victor frowned the moment the door closed.
"This went too far. Even if Colombo had to die, it should never have happened in a place like that."
A shooting in front of tens of thousands of people, in full view of police and media—
It was guaranteed to dominate headlines tonight and remain a topic of discussion for years.
As the mastermind who had secretly supported Joe Gallo's rebellion, Gambino spoke calmly.
"There's no point discussing the method after it's already happened. What matters now is how we deal with what comes next."
"The shooting of Colombo is only the beginning."
"It's far from over."
Just then, the phone rang.
Victor answered it.
His eyelids twitched violently.
"Gallo… that bastard even killed Pro!"
Gambino's eyes flashed.
"How did Pro get involved?"
"This is going to be interesting."
"The Genovese family will never let Gallo escape this time."
Back in the banquet hall, Luca returned to maintain order and calm the gang members.
With the help of the Silver Queen, the tense atmosphere gradually settled, though several impatient guests had already left the club.
Tonight's Mafia gathering—originally meant to celebrate the Civil Rights Alliance—was completely ruined.
After all, how could anyone enjoy a banquet when the leader's life or death was still uncertain?
Luca personally escorted the guests out one by one.
Now every Mafia family faced a series of troublesome developments.
According to the original timeline, the next event would be a civil war within the Colombo family.
While Colombo remained in a coma, Gallo would gather followers and attempt to seize power.
Meanwhile, another faction of the Colombo family would accuse Gallo of murdering the boss.
The two sides would clash repeatedly with assassinations, bombings, and street fights.
More than ten made members would die.
Several other powerful families would sit back, quietly fueling the conflict while harvesting the benefits.
The conflict would only end when Joe Gallo himself was killed.
---
Ironically, the man who killed him would not even belong to the Colombo family.
It would be Frank, an Irishman from Philadelphia.
The Colombo family had tried to assassinate Gallo countless times without success.
Yet Frank, a man in his fifties, would easily eliminate him with just two pistols.
As expected from a professional assassin.
His SR-level rare card was terrifyingly powerful.
He specialized in killing Mafia leaders and federal officials.
Every assassination succeeded.
And he always cleaned up the aftermath perfectly.
Inside the top-floor office, Luca removed Colombo's photograph and placed Joe Gallo at the center of the conflict board.
"The Colombo family civil war…"
"We can't interfere recklessly."
"Let's observe the situation first."
A conflict of this scale should yield excellent rewards for defending peace.
But Luca needed to be cautious.
Perhaps a civil war was exactly what Carlo Gambino wanted.
Gambino was using others to do his dirty work.
The thought of the old man with sharp eyes made Luca feel a chill down his spine.
This man truly deserved his reputation as the most cunning Mafia strategist of the era.
Gambino was skilled in politics and business.
He maintained deep relationships with every sector of society.
His network stretched everywhere.
Until his death, the federal government had been powerless against him.
Flawless from every angle.
A true chairman of the Commission.
If Gambino had not suffered from heart disease, the golden age of the Mafia might have lasted another twenty years.
The government would never have defeated them so easily.
Thinking about this, Luca looked at Gambino's photograph at the top of the board and smiled faintly.
Don… after you leave, I will continue the glory of the Mafia.
Then he removed Pro's photograph and moved Frank Fitzsimmons and Frank Sheeran's photos to the center.
"With Pro dead, the Genovese family's control over the truck drivers' union has weakened significantly."
"Our family can take the opportunity to place our own people inside, expand our influence, and maybe even learn some of Frank's skills."
Luca smiled faintly.
His dream of becoming president was getting closer.
They could insert Brian into the union first.
Later, if the opportunity appeared, they could even recruit that group of bald family man from Los Angeles.
The Peace Ambassador certainly wouldn't mind giving halo-bearing criminals jobs as truck drivers.
Recruit them.
Strengthen the family.
Spread peace.
---
That evening, the Lucchese family held a high-level internal meeting at SSR Club.
Victor kept his promise and officially announced that Mariggio would be promoted to Underboss, becoming his acting deputy and overseeing the family's public operations.
At the same time, it was announced that Luca had been promoted to Caporegime.
He would become the youngest crew leader in the history of the Lucchese family.
Thirty to forty soldiers would now report directly to him, carrying out his orders and delivering earnings.
Of course, Luca also gained the authority to recommend new members.
If someone had the proper background and lineage, they could be formally inducted.
Meanwhile, Luca's territory expanded dramatically.
All of Mariggio's former territory now belonged to him, covering most of The Bronx.
Combined with properties in other districts, Luca could collect a considerable amount of protection money every month.
But compared to the gasoline-tax business…
It was nothing.
Luca had already stopped personally handling low-level protection rackets.
Those tasks were left to subordinates.
The same went for loan-sharking and violent debt collection.
He had larger businesses now.
And those businesses required reliable partners.
"I originally planned to announce this at the banquet," Victor said with regret.
"No one expected such an accident to happen to Colombo."
The uncle and nephew did not mind.
The decision had already been made after the deaths of White Tiger and Pauli.
Today was simply a formal announcement.
With the Peace Ambassador position secured, Luca had taken another step toward becoming the Godfather.
Currently, besides him and Anthony "Gaspipe" Casso, there were only two capos in the family.
More positions would soon be opened.
Competition would determine who rose next.
Whoever contributed the most.
Whoever earned the most money.
Whoever commanded the most respect.
That person would rise.
"There are many opportunities now," Victor said.
"I hope every soldati in the family works hard."
"Who knows?"
"Maybe the next Luca will be sitting among you."
---
Then the conversation turned to Colombo.
Victor sighed while holding his cigar.
"Unfortunately… Colombo died in the hospital despite all rescue efforts."
Everyone expressed regret.
Except Luca.
His pupils shrank slightly in surprise.
Damn.
The butterfly effect had struck again.
Colombo didn't even get the chance to live as a vegetable.
He simply died.
At that moment, Luca suddenly thought about the Female Bruce Lee and her skill called Resurrection.
A headshot wouldn't kill her.
Instead, she would fall into a long coma and awaken months or even years later.
An incredibly useful ability.
Unless someone's head was completely blown apart, death could be avoided.
The President of the United States… and people like Colombo…
They really need a skill like that.
"In addition, Pro from the Genovese family was also killed," Victor continued solemnly.
"The two assassins were shot dead at the scene."
"Police claim they acted alone."
"That's complete nonsense!"
"Without someone backing them, they wouldn't dare touch the Mafia even if they had ten lives."
These were polite words.
Everyone present understood the truth.
Joe Gallo was almost certainly behind it.
Luca sighed.
"When things get serious, Gallo really delivers."
"He'll kill anyone."
"And he doesn't fear consequences."
The money Luca had invested had not been wasted.
He even received a system reward as the instigator.
Originally Luca had prepared Léon as a backup.
If Gallo had not killed Pro, Léon would have done it and pinned the blame on Gallo.
Now that plan was completely unnecessary.
Gallo was a man of action.
A true madman.
---
"Do not interfere in the Colombo family's affairs," Victor ordered.
"Everyone should return to their own business."
"If problems arise, talk to Bartolo, Mariggio… or Luca."
"With his ability as a peace ambassador, I believe he can solve whatever trouble you encounter."
"Right, Luca?"
Luca smiled and raised his glass.
"Defending peace is my duty."
Everyone laughed and raised their glasses with him.
Celebrating the rise of the Peace Ambassador.
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Tomorrow is my usual day off. Peace out.