Chapter 11: The Sin of Wrath

Shortly after, downstairs at the apartment building.

A team of plainclothes narcotics officers filed in, moving swiftly up the stairs until they reached Norman’s door.

The lead officer knocked loudly: "Open up! It’s Micky!"

Inside the room, Norman, who had been eating, felt a chill run through him. His face turned deathly pale.

*It’s over. Stan’s people have caught up to me.*

*Don't panic, don't panic. They don't have any evidence. It’s just talk, they can’t do anything to me...*

...

Just across the hall.

Mathilda was holding a packet of ketchup, squeezing it onto a bowl of pasta; she had drawn a bright smiley face with the red sauce.

٩(๑❛ᴗ❛๑)۶

"Little brother, look, isn't it pretty?"

"Cute."

Her four-year-old brother flashed a goofy, innocent smile at his big sister, prompting Mathilda to grab his fuzzy head and ruffle his hair.

Just then, Luca walked out with a bowl of noodles. Mathilda wrinkled her nose at the sight of his deep red, spicy sauce.

Luca smiled and said, "Chili sauce is much more fragrant than ketchup. Do you want some?"

"No way, it’s too spicy."

Mathilda shook her head quickly; the memory of nearly being brought to tears by Sichuan cuisine the last time was still fresh in her mind.

She had been spending more and more time at Luca's place lately. Ever since Norman had hit her again, she had been desperate to escape that miserable home, and Luca’s apartment across the hall had become her temporary sanctuary.

Just as they were about to enjoy their dinner, a sudden gunshot shattered the pleasant atmosphere.

Mathilda froze, turning her head toward the front door.

Luca was slightly surprised—that was faster than expected.

He immediately set down his fork, stood up, and pulled a handgun from under the coffee table.

Seeing a gun in Luca's home didn't surprise Mathilda; there were plenty of gun owners in America, and she already knew Luca’s identity wasn't simple.

"Luca..." Mathilda followed him cautiously.

"Shh!" Luca held up a finger. "Take your brother into the room. Both of you, hide quickly."

Mathilda nodded nervously and hurried to usher her brother into the back bedroom.

Luca went to the door and peered through the peephole at the apartment across the hall.

An armed officer was keeping watch outside the door, while inside, a succession of different gunshots—shotguns, submachine guns, and pistols—erupted like a string of firecrackers.

Luca observed for a moment, but due to the limited view, he couldn't see the situation inside, nor could he tell if Stan was there.

Just then, a blood-soaked figure burst out of the door: it was Norman. But the moment he rushed out, the police officer who had been waiting outside for a long time pulled the trigger, hitting him squarely in the chest.

The body fell heavily to the floor of the hallway.

A police officer walked out, dragged Norman’s body back inside, and ordered his partner to quickly find the drugs Norman had hidden.

Not long after, the group found the drugs and quickly cleared the scene.

Luca counted the men; seeing that Stan wasn't among them left him feeling somewhat regretful.

It seemed his act of hijacking the goods had put Stan on high alert.

It was a real pity that the bastard didn't show up.

This made Luca abandon his plan to intervene for the time being.

Mathilda and her brother were in the house, and a chaotic shootout could lead to unnecessary accidents. For their safety, he decided against it.

Nothing could happen to Mathilda!

Once everyone had left, Luca finally opened his door and stepped into the crime scene across the hall.

The interior was in shambles. The police had ransacked the place in their search for the drugs, turning it into a dump that looked like it had been swept by a typhoon.

Luca found Norman’s body inside, but Mathilda’s mother and sister were nowhere to be found.

*Oh? The butterfly effect? Did they manage to escape this disaster?*

"Luca, are you in there?"

Just then, Mathilda’s voice came from the doorway. She stepped through the wreckage and into the living room.

Upon seeing the corpse on the floor, her small face turned deathly pale, and she instinctively grabbed Luca’s arm.

She hadn't expected this to be the outcome. For a moment, she didn't know what to say; she simply stared blankly at her father’s body, refusing to let go of Luca’s hand.

Luca could feel her anxiety through her trembling fingers.

No matter how much she resented her father, she was still just a child who had never experienced the death of a family member.

...

Back in his apartment.

Mathilda sat at the table like a statue, lost in thought. Only when her little brother ran over to lean against her would she squeeze out a numb, hollow smile.

Looking at her brother’s innocent, smiling face, Mathilda suddenly felt extremely fortunate that she had accepted Luca’s dinner invitation and brought her brother over, avoiding the disaster.

Otherwise, she and her brother would have ended up as corpses on the floor, too.

A glass of milk was placed in front of her. Mathilda looked up and saw Luca’s kind face.

"I’m sorry about your father."

"Even if they hadn't killed him, one day, I would have done it myself."

Mathilda’s eyes were red; though her gaze still held traces of panic, there wasn't much sorrow.

She took the warm milk and whispered, "I just haven't figured out how to face this. My father is dead; this family can't go on like this."

"And your mother..."

"She’s not my mother." Mathilda shook her head, her tone filled with deep helplessness and pain. "And Eisa, she’s not my real sister either, just my half-sister. All she knows how to do is her weight-loss exercises, but she still looks terrible. She’s like a sow that just wiggles its butt, attracting nothing but annoying flies."

*That’s some serious filial disrespect...* Luca listened to her venting and couldn't help but sigh. Living in such a dysfunctional family was truly a headache.

"In that house, the only one who likes me is my little brother."

Mathilda hugged her brother, burying his little head in her chest. "Only he doesn't scold me, doesn't hit me, and gives me a hug when I’m unhappy... Compared to that old sow, I’m more like his mother."

Her eyes finally couldn't hold back a stream of desolate, mournful tears. "Luca, I hate that house. I’m really sick of all of this."

"It’s not your fault."

Luca looked at the bowl of pasta on the table that they hadn't gotten to eat. "Mathilda, you’ve done great. You are stronger than any child I’ve ever met. After life has dealt you so much pain, you can still face it all with a smile."

Mathilda looked at the bowl of pasta with the smiley face. Her little brother, oblivious to the situation, thought his sister wanted to eat and pushed the bowl toward her. "Don't cry, big sister. I’ll give you my noodles."

The tears flowed even more freely, but Mathilda smiled. She cried while laughing and laughed while crying, pulling her brother into her arms to vent all her suppressed emotions.

Luca said softly, "Mathilda, those killers will pay with their lives."

Mathilda looked at him through tear-blurred eyes.

Luca: "I will kill those murderers. That is my promise."

...

Not long after, the police arrived to seal off the crime scene.

It wasn't Luca or Leon who called the police, but other neighbors in the building.

The police went door-to-door, interviewing the neighbors.

Mathilda’s mother and sister returned as well. One had been at work and the other at university, so they had luckily escaped the ordeal.

Upon learning of Norman’s death, the two women didn't show much grief; they were simply terrified, unable to figure out who had killed Norman and fearing they might be implicated.

The police placed them under protection and took them, along with Mathilda and her little brother, to the police station to make statements.

Before being taken away by the police, Mathilda found Luca. "Luca, can I still come see you?"

"Of course. You haven't finished your pasta yet."

"Wait for me, Luca. You have to wait for me."

Mathilda hugged Luca quite solemnly, resting her head against his stomach for a long time before reluctantly turning to follow the police.

After they left, a handsome officer asked Luca curiously, "Who were you to the deceased? A relative?"

Luca: "A neighbor. I have a good relationship with his daughter; I’ve always treated her like my own younger sister."

After hearing this, the handsome officer didn't doubt him. Perhaps it was because of how close Luca and Mathilda had appeared, or perhaps a subtle psychological reaction, but he naturally believed Luca’s words.

The officer sighed, "She’s really lucky to have been at your place when it happened, or the killers might have killed her too."

He muttered to himself, "New York is really chaotic. I just transferred here and I’m already hitting cases like this."

Just then, an older Black officer walked out of the crime scene and called to the younger one, "Mills, let’s go."

As he passed by Luca, the older officer gave him a meaningful look but didn't say anything.

Watching their retreating backs, Luca couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle.

[Character Card Discovered: David Mills (Locked)]

[David: B]

[Source: Seven]

[Skill: Sin of Wrath]

[Bond: Stranger]

...

[Character Card: William Somerset (Unlocked)]

[William: B]

[Source: Seven]

[Skill: Crime Reconstruction]

[Bond: Attentive]

William Somerset was a veteran of the NYPD. Luca had lived in New York for many years and had seen William many times; William knew who Luca was.

But David Mills—this was the first time Luca had seen him.

Luca looked at the young officer’s back and couldn't help but rub his temples. "Has this guy been transferred to New York?"

This was not a good sign. After David Mills transferred to New York, the city would become the stage for gruesome, ritualistic serial murders.

The Seven Deadly Sins of Catholicism: Wrath, Greed, Lust, Envy, Pride, Gluttony, and Sloth... The killer used the Seven Deadly Sins as a logic to complete a series of murders, packaging them as warning-based performance art. In the end, he would even sacrifice his own life to complete this "great art."

It was truly deranged.

David, the impulsive young cop desperate to make a name for himself, had been played like a fiddle by the killer and had paid a horrific price in the end.

His wife was decapitated, causing his internal defenses to collapse completely, turning him into the embodiment of the Sin of Wrath, tortured beyond endurance.

In a sense, David was even more miserable than Mathilda.

But now, David had run into the meddlesome Luca.

Luca wasn't good at much, but he was great at ruining plots that made people want to scream "motherf***er."

—Luca, the Plot-Breaker Greco.

"Who else but me loves to defend the peace?"