Luca had expected to be targeted by U.S. intelligence agencies, but he never imagined it would happen so soon.
Holding a wine glass, he looked at the burly man sitting across from him and quickly processed the information about him in his mind.
Harry Tasker.
A senior agent in the United States Omega Sector, an organization affiliated with the CIA but operating with a high degree of independence while conducting global espionage operations.
Without a doubt, Harry was one of Omega's elite operatives.
He had single-handedly taken on terrorist organizations and even intercepted a nuclear bomb that detonated on U.S. soil.
His ferocity was comparable to John McClane's.
But Luca couldn't help feeling amused.
Harry's spy identity was extremely secretive, so he had lived under a false identity for more than a decade. His life was practically built on lies.
In front of his family, he pretended to be a traveling salesman. During that long charade, he had even nearly caused his wife to cheat on him.
Another SSR with family problems.
It seemed every powerful person had a weakness.
Luca just didn't know whether this guy had finally told the truth to his wife yet.
At that moment, Luca listened as Harry proudly listed his past achievements, and the situation felt increasingly ridiculous.
Harry had come fully prepared. He even got some gold coins from the Continental Hotel to prove his credentials.
"I believe in your abilities," Luca said, raising his hand to interrupt him.
Luca had absolutely no doubts about the man's professional capabilities.
But the fact that the other party had chosen to disguise himself like this made the whole situation feel absurd.
He had actually pretended to be an assassin just to get close to him.
And honestly… he really did look like an assassin.
What kind of salesman had a body like that?
"I'm just curious," Luca said. "There's no shortage of bounty missions in New York right now. Why come to me? I'm not the one who posted those bounties. Even if you come to me, you won't get paid."
"Mr. Greco," Harry said calmly, "let's not beat around the bush. You're an assassin too. Aren't you interested in those bounties?"
"I'm not a killer," Luca replied seriously. "I'm just an ordinary club owner."
"…"
Harry smiled faintly.
Luca's reaction was exactly what he expected.
He immediately continued.
"Mr. Greco, hear me out first. The Colombo family civil war is currently raging, and many assassins want a share of it. But you're one of the people who understands this conflict best."
"You have an advantage that most assassins don't."
"You don't even have to lift a finger. I can handle the dirty work for you, and I'm willing to share the bounty."
"All you need to do is provide a little intelligence support, and your enemies and rivals will disappear from this world."
So he wanted intelligence from me.
Luca actually felt a little tempted.
If Harry were truly an assassin and not a secret agent, Luca would have happily cooperated with him.
Unfortunately, Harry could fool almost everyone else—because very few people knew his real identity.
But he couldn't fool Luca.
Why pretend to be an assassin?
Still, this was an SSR card, and it would be a shame to simply turn him away.
Since the other party was deliberately disguising himself to approach him, Luca began thinking about how to take advantage of the opportunity and obtain some of Harry's skills.
Five skills.
At the very least, Luca planned to keep one or two of them before Harry eventually left New York.
After thinking for a moment, Luca said,
"How much intelligence do you currently have? I'm not sure I can help you much, since I don't have much information either."
'Trying to get information out of me?' Harry sighed with mock regret. 'If I had known, I wouldn't have come to you.'
He briefly explained the information he had gathered.
Most of it was widely circulated news that had already passed through countless hands.
Luca was certain he was hiding something.
Given Harry's abilities, there was no way this was all he knew.
"Let me think about it," Luca said, looking interested.
"Let's exchange contact information. If I need anything, I'll contact you."
"Let's not talk about business today. Would you like to try our club's cocktails? I guarantee you'll like them."
Harry smiled politely.
"Thank you. I've actually heard that the drinks at the SSR Club are excellent, and that people tend to linger here."
Harry had told countless lies in his life, but this time he was actually telling the truth.
Among the many pieces of intelligence he had gathered, numerous guests had described the SSR Club as a place where people felt relaxed and happy—a place where mental exhaustion could melt away.
Harry had originally assumed it was just exaggerated praise.
But after sitting down and taking a sip of his drink, he realized it was absolutely true.
Suddenly, he thought of his wife and daughter.
This time, he had told them he was traveling overseas to promote products for a company.
He had used that excuse for more than ten years.
Whenever he received a mission, he simply claimed he was going on a business trip.
His wife and daughter had long grown accustomed to a house without a man.
Harry felt guilty toward them.
His profession made it impossible for him to tell them the truth, and many promises he had made had been broken because of sudden missions.
Too many promises.
Too many disappointments.
His wife had gradually grown cold toward him.
His daughter had also started drifting down the wrong path, spending all her time hanging out with rebellious teenagers.
After living a life built on lies for over a decade, Harry felt deeply exhausted.
Sometimes, he wanted to tell the truth.
Harry, holding his wine glass, suddenly froze.
Why had he suddenly thought about all this?
He looked at Luca, who was smiling across the table, then glanced at the Silver Queen (Aglaonema) plant beside him.
The mellow liquor left a lingering and unforgettable aftertaste.
This club really was incredible.
Maybe I should get a membership.
I'll be staying in New York for a while during this mission anyway.
[Bond: Attention]
---
By the time Harry left the club, evening had already fallen.
Without realizing it, he had spent the entire afternoon there.
He had even gone to the dance floor and danced with several female guests, enjoying himself thoroughly.
After leaving the club, he crossed the main street and passed through several alleys.
Once he confirmed that no one was following him, he climbed into a small pickup truck parked beside an empty lot.
Inside the truck, several colleagues from Omega Sector were analyzing the intelligence they had just gathered.
Harry had been wearing a listening device the whole time.
"Harry! You're inside the bar drinking wine and dancing while we're stuck in the car collecting intelligence for you!" one colleague complained. "Damn it, next time I'm going in too."
Another voice mocked theatrically.
"Madam, would you like to dance a tango with me?"
"Oh my… tango~~"
"Was that woman really that hot?"
Listening to the teasing from his colleagues, Harry snapped back,
"You bastards. What about your side? Did you find anything useful?"
"Nothing useful," someone replied. "It was just you and the Dove of Peace discussing which wines taste better and which women are the sexiest."
"Honestly, I didn't expect the Dove of Peace to have a leg fetish. Aren't Italians stereotype to prefer big butts and big breasts?"
"Harry, next time try gathering something more useful—like hacking the club's network."
"Let's talk about that next time," Harry said, nodding. "Anyway, I already got a membership. I can visit the club anytime."
"Holy shit! You actually got a membership? I bet you're going there for the women!"
"It's all for the mission," Harry said with a shrug. "I love my wife very much. Everything else is just part of the act."
Still, he couldn't help recalling the atmosphere inside the club.
"If you ever get the chance," he added, "you should try it. The wine there is actually very good."
Over the next two days, Luca began using his authority as Commission referee to search the entire city for members of the Joe Gallo faction.
As the arbitrator of the Colombo civil war, Luca wielded enormous power.
Aside from the Commission bosses themselves, members of all Five Families had to cooperate with him.
No one dared openly object.
However, his authority had limits—similar to a special police task force.
In matters related to the civil war, his power was absolute.
But in unrelated matters, the other families would never allow him to abuse his authority.
Many people privately mocked the situation.
Wasn't he's just basking in the reflected glory of a name that isn't even his?
A clever little fox—and a sick tiger.
But even a sick tiger remained the king of the jungle as long as it wasn't dead.
Not to mention that Luca also had the backing of the Lucchese family.
For a time, the entire New York Mafia became extremely wary of him.
No one knew what Luca might do with this newfound power.
---
On Private Island in New Jersey
After receiving the news, Joe Gallo and Santino both looked grim.
Their two factions had previously been evenly matched.
But now that the Commission had officially intervened—and had appointed a referee who clearly favored one side—Santino felt his investment might soon collapse.
The biggest problem was that this was no longer just a Colombo family matter.
Luca now represented the will of the Commission.
And he would never allow Joe Gallo to become the new boss.
To make matters worse, the Camorra family had already sent word telling Santino to return to Italy.
This left Santino in an awkward position.
"I told you countless times not to touch Carlo Gambino!" Santino roared, pointing at Gallo's nose. "Are you crazy?"
"You attacked that old bastard. He'll never let you go—even if it kills him!"
Compared to Santino, Joe Gallo remained surprisingly calm.
"Santino," he said coldly, "you still think you'll inherit the Camorra?"
"Don't you understand the situation?"
"Gambino never intended to spare me—or Joseph Yacovelli."
"He's targeting the entire Colombo family."
"If I don't get rid of Gambino, the Colombo family is finished."
Santino frowned.
"Then what about Luca? Why did Gambino choose him?"
Gallo sneered.
"The Lucchese family has been colluding with the Gambino family for years. Gambino's son even married Lucchese's daughter."
"Lucchese may be dead, but Gambino is still alive."
"The two families are obviously working together, and Luca is their spokesman."
"Just wait and see—Luca will definitely seize this opportunity to suppress the Colombo family and benefit both the Lucchese and Gambino families."
"That bastard is a master at using other people to do his dirty work."
Joe Gallo was furious.
Only now did he realize he had probably been manipulated by Luca during the truck drivers' union incident.
Luca switched sides faster than flipping a page in a book.
Santino's eyes flickered slightly.
Maybe… he should start considering other options.
Often, your enemy know you the most.
Joe Gallo believed he knew Luca very well.
Meanwhile, Joseph Yacovelli—leader of the opposing Colombo faction—was becoming increasingly uncertain about Luca's true intentions.
At that moment, Joseph Yacovelli was hiding inside a secret base.
One of his men brought him a message from Luca.
"Boss, Luca refused to issue a formal execution order against Joe Gallo."
"What the hell is this guy trying to do?"
Yacovelli looked confused.
Shouldn't Luca and the Lucchese family be on his side?
As soon as he heard Luca had become the referee, Yacovelli had immediately sent a list of more than a dozen names, hoping Luca would authorize their execution.
Killing someone only required bullets.
But an official execution order provided legitimacy.
It would allow Iacovelli to claim the Commission's support and completely eliminate Joe Gallo.
But Luca had refused.
And that frightened him.
What exactly was Luca planning?
Confused and uneasy, he walked into an inner room where a middle-aged man known as "The Snake" was sitting on a sofa watching television.
This man was the real mastermind behind the Yacovelli.
Yacovelli was merely the public figure pushed to the front.
This strategy had worked extremely well.
Yacovelli attracted most of the outside attention, while almost no one targeted the middle-aged man.
"Luca refused to issue a formal execution order against Joe Gallo," Yacovelli said. "What should we do now?"
"Luca…" the middle-aged man muttered.
"No one does anything without a reason."
"He must be acting in his own interest."
"I think he wants both sides to suffer heavy losses before stepping in to reap the benefits."
"That possibility cannot be ruled out."
What the man couldn't understand was why Luca wouldn't simply cooperate with them.
Wouldn't that also bring huge benefits?
Or had Joe Gallo promised him something even better?
A referee was supposed to mediate conflicts.
Surely Luca wouldn't just crush both sides outright?
After Luca officially assumed the role of referee, the struggle between the two factions didn't change much.
Many people still couldn't figure out what he was planning.
Until the end of November.
---
Inside his office, Luca received a phone call from the Nameless tracker.
"Dove," the man said with a laugh, "I've got good news for you."
"I found Gregory 'The Grim Reaper' Scarpa."
Luca nearly laughed.
Impressive.
He really was a master tracker.
Even with all the manpower Luca had mobilized as referee—including resources from other families—he still hadn't found Scarpa.
Yet the Nameless tracker had located him.
Was this guy using some kind of cheat code?
Full-map vision? Wall Hack?
"That really is good news," Luca said with satisfaction.
The man then gave him a detailed address.
A villa in the suburbs of New York.
"From my observation," the Nameless tracker said, "there are about thirty or forty heavily armed men there. If you plan to attack directly, you'd better bring more manpower."
Luca nodded.
That wouldn't be a problem.
After all, he had Harry Tasker, the ace spy.
Luca took Scarpa's photograph and pinned it to the blackboard.
Scarpa was actually a fairly important supporting character.
In the original storyline, he eventually became an FBI informant, betraying the Colombo family in exchange for a reduced sentence.
He avoided long prison time.
But later he contracted AIDS and died painfully.
"Death," Luca muttered.
The man had far too much blood on his hands.
Who knew where he had come into contact with HIV-infected blood?
Luca loved dealing with rebellious, loose-lipped types like this.
Whether the Colombo family could be destroyed this time might depend entirely on informants like him.
Sometimes murder couldn't solve everything.
The mouth of an informant could be far more lethal than a bullet.
Joe Gallo had guessed correctly.
Luca truly intended to cripple the Colombo family—or at least leave it half-dead.
He and Gambino would be the biggest beneficiaries.
And when Carlo Gambino eventually died of old age in a few years…
Everything would fall into Luca's hands.
"If you're going to make me the judge," Luca muttered to himself, "then don't blame me for rigging the game."
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