Chapter 62: Grand Opening and the Final Curtain

The next day, the SSR Club officially opened.

This was a momentous day for Luca. Early in the morning, he arrived at the club to oversee the arrangements and welcome the arriving guests.

Many of the club's employees, along with Matilda, were also there to help, working alongside the servers to carry and arrange pots of Chinese Evergreens. Following Luca's instructions, they were placed all around the main entrance corridor so that everyone entering would see them immediately.

As a result, many of the guests felt a subtle sense of ease and delight wash over them the moment they stepped through the doors.

"So many Chinese Evergreens..."

"The atmosphere here is wonderful. It reminds me of the time I took my wife on vacation to the Maldives. The beach there and the air here give me the exact same peace of mind."

"I feel it too. Just a moment ago, I was thinking about complaining to my buddy, but now all I want is to pour a drink right here."

"It seems we have a brand new gathering spot."

Luxury cars pulled up one after another in front of the hotel entrance, and many familiar faces began to arrive.

Dressed in a sharp suit, Luca stood in the ground-floor lobby, greeting guests from all walks of life, from high society to the underworld.

Jimmy stood close by, accompanying him.

"Here is the finalized guest list for the opening ceremony."

Jimmy handed Luca a clipboard. It contained the names of many familiar figures within the family, such as Marligio, Dominic, White Tiger, and others, as well as members of other prominent families who would also be in attendance.

In addition, various political and business figures tied to the family were coming to show their support and give face to the Lucchese family.

After all, this was a club with an investment of tens of millions.

Initially, the Lucchese family hadn't expected Luca to make such a grand gesture. They thought he was just opening a regular tavern or nightclub, but no one anticipated that Luca would pull off something on this scale.

It could be considered the largest club venue belonging to the family in all of New York.

Was this kid Luca trying to turn himself into a cash cow? Many within the family reached this conclusion and decided to show up to support their young brother, bringing along friends and acquaintances to help prop him up.

In the future, this place would become the new gathering ground for family members.

Luca welcomed everyone with open arms, even though the crowd consisted entirely of mafias.

His club was open for business and had to cater to a crowd of ghosts and monsters rather than targeting the world's top billionaires.

Though the SSR Club had cost tens of millions to set up, every penny had gone into hardware, which wasn't actually all that significant for a top-tier private club.

Those top-tier clubs had ridiculously high thresholds; they didn't do public business, maintained a shroud of absolute secrecy and discretion, required internal referrals, and demanded proof of multi-million dollar assets through the purchase of shares, land, yachts, or car fleets just to get through the door.

How could Leon, Blondie, and the rest of the SSR crew possibly have that kind of money and resources to join?

Could they honestly expect a broke old timer like Old Zuo to cough up a six-figure annual membership fee?

Luca never intended to make it ultra-exclusive from the start. Upper-middle-class was just fine. Once the club accumulated some impressive high-end connections down the line, and his own status rose, he could gradually integrate those resources and steer it toward the ultra-luxury tier when the time was right.

First, hook them in.

"Hmm..." Scanning the names on the list, Luca quickly located the name of the Underboss, Dominic.

His gaze lingered deeply on the name for a long time, until Matilda, wearing a princess dress, trotted up to his side. "Luca, the Chinese Evergreens are all set up. Is there anything else I can help with?"

"Thank you for your hard work, Lady Lucky Matilda." Luca smiled and handed her a piece of candy. "Go find Brother Brian and Sister Nancy to play. They should be inside the bar. You're the leader of the motorcycle gang after all; you have to look after your subordinates."

"I'm looking for Leon."

Matilda glanced around. "Where is he? I didn't see him when we were moving the plants earlier. I wanted to ask him for his secret to growing Chinese Evergreens."

Luca chuckled and shook his head. "He has other work. He's our head of security, responsible for keeping every guest safe today."

"Oh, alright."

Matilda patted the lapel of Luca's suit to smooth down a wrinkle and praised, "Keep it up, Luca! Today's Ambassador of Peace looks very handsome, just like a prince on a white horse!"

...

From afternoon until dusk, the guests arrived one by one.

Among them were Jordan and his friends, as well as the retired William Somerset.

The veteran detective had been personally invited by Luca over the phone.

"Oh, I didn't expect your club to be this vast." William walked through the front doors alongside Luca, saying half-jokingly, "I made the wrong decision that night. I should have accepted your invitation."

"It's not too late now," Luca said with a smile. "I happen to need a mature and steady front-desk manager. William, you'd be a great fit for the position."

William was momentarily stunned. He had only been joking, never expecting Luca to be serious.

This was the second time he had been invited.

"I need to discuss it with my family," William replied more cautiously this time. "I'll give you an answer as soon as possible."

...

Shortly after, Donnie and Old Zuo arrived at the club.

"I actually invited Sonny too, but I can't reach him."

Old Zuo hugged Luca, looking baffled. "We even went to his house to look for him, but nobody was home... Damn it, I swear, the moment I get in touch with him, I'm going to give him a piece of my mind! Missing the opening ceremony of the Best Friends Club, such an important event!"

"He probably had some important matters to attend to."

Luca turned his gaze to the young undercover cop standing nearby, Donnie. "Did you bring enough cash today? The casino has plenty of guests waiting to clean you out."

Donnie's heart tightened. *Gambling again? Just how much of our operational funds has your club won from me?! That bastard Jimmy definitely cheated!*

"Let's hope my luck is a bit better today," Donnie forced a smile. "Just soaking up the festive energy of your grand opening."

...

Not long after the two of them went inside, Marligio arrived.

With a complicated expression, he pulled Luca aside. "I really didn't want to bring up bad news on your opening day, but last night's events have made Dominic very unhappy."

"The family hiring the Deadly Vipers—I had no knowledge of that whatsoever."

Luca's expression darkened as well. "Their appearance completely disrupted my plan. Originally, I only needed to quietly walk into the venue and silently take care of Richie and Gallante, but they turned an assassination into a full-blown gang war!"

"You took too long to make a move, and Dominic grew impatient," Marligio sighed. "He was the one who went behind the scenes to hire the Deadly Vipers organization."

Luca narrowed his eyes slightly.

*Underboss, oh Underboss, do you really want to protect your drug business that badly?*

*Do you seriously have to resort to bloodshed to solve every problem?*

"Uncle Marligio," Luca murmured softly. "I suddenly remembered something. When I was a kid, I was once caught red-handed by the cops while committing a robbery, and I spent a few months locked up before they let me out."

"I remember. That was your first time in jail."

"Back then, when I got out, you told me not to hate the cops, because the game we play with them is cat-and-mouse. Everyone serves their master and does their duty, as long as the cops play by the rules, arrest us according to the law, don't fabricate evidence, and don't frame us... getting caught is simply on us for not being good enough."

"Yes... I said that." Marligio caught the subtext in Luca's words, and his expression grew even more conflicted.

He knew very well that Dominic wanting to execute Gallante was understandable; that guy had betrayed the Commission's interests. But executing Richie went against certain unwritten rules of the mafia.

When the National Commission was first established, there was a strict rule: never casually murder law enforcement officers unless they stepped completely outside the bounds and went rogue, like Stan and Truby.

The reason behind this was much like the rule against drug trafficking—killing law enforcement officials would provoke fierce retaliation from the federal government, drastically increasing police budgets to hunt down and crush the mafia.

Luca couldn't help but recall the original storyline. No matter how thoroughly Richie investigated, it never triggered a mafia execution order, nor did he face assassination. Both the underworld and law enforcement played the game within the rules, leaving victory or defeat to individual capability, rather than outright murdering the players.

Even the authorities were still sending undercover agents to slowly gather evidence rather than deploying the military to wipe out the mafia directly.

If both sides degenerated into a game of straight-up murdering players, the situation would become unimaginably brutal, and the city would descend into absolute chaos.

"If Dominic keeps pulling stunts like this, our family won't last long," Luca said.

Marligio let out a dry, bitter laugh. "Is that why you kept delaying your move?"

"I'm not against killing, but I want peace even more."

Luca shrugged, then leaned in close to Marligio's ear. "Uncle, I suddenly realized something. The Commission only ever passed an execution order for Carmine Gallante. Assassinating Richie Roberts wasn't the will of the other families, was it? That was entirely Dominic's own idea, right?"

Marligio's body stiffened slightly, his expression turning uncertain and suspicious as the realization dawned on him belatedly. "Luca, you mean... I'm not sure. That's just how Dominic phrased it when he called me; I don't know the specifics of the council meeting."

"Uncle Marligio, I'm not blaming you. I just felt this execution order was a bit strange."

Luca recalled his conversation with O-Ren Ishii and Gogo Yubari the previous night. The Deadly Vipers organization had only communicated with Dominic, not the Commission.

Even at the time, he had felt something was amiss.

"We have no right to question orders from above," Marligio said helplessly. "Luca, you know the family rules. We can't afford to make things too messy."

"I understand."

Luca embraced Marligio once more, whispering softly, "Uncle, go on inside. Today is a day worth celebrating. Let's not talk about such a mood-killer."

...

In a scenic corner of New Jersey sat a classical estate.

Dominic and his wife walked out of the front doors together, got into a car, and headed toward the club.

He held a mobile phone in his hand.

"Frank, relax. The situation isn't as terrible as all that... We'll talk it over once I get to the club."

Frank's voice was stern. "Right now, I just want to know when those problems are going to disappear."

"I want to know that too. When is your next shipment arriving? Nothing can stop our business."

Curiosity stirred deep within Dominic.

Up until now, he knew Frank's cargo originated from Asia, but he remained in the dark about the man's specific pipeline.

How on earth did this guy manage to openly ship such massive quantities of drugs from Asia all the way to New York?

The Bonanno family had been in the drug trade for decades, managing a vast network of import and export channels, yet they had never been able to pull that off.

If he could get his hands on Frank's pipeline...

Dominic's heart blazed with excitement. With it, he would lead the Lucchese family toward a new era of glory, sweeping away the drug trade that the Bonanno family had dominated for years in one fell swoop.

When that happened, he would command a much greater voice within the family, proving to the old, stubborn Big Boss that the drug trade they refused to touch was actually white gold—capable of bringing unimaginable wealth to the family!

By then, the Big Boss could finally retire, and he, Dominic, would rule the Lucchese family!

As for Frank?

The New York drug market didn't need a black man as its boss!

Nor did Italians need to bow down to a black man! Once the pipeline was in his hands, Frank would naturally become dust in history.

Come to think of it, Dominic truly admired that old fossil Gallante. His drug business was practically on the verge of collapse, yet he stubbornly refused to stoop down and partner with Frank... That old man was a textbook conservative and a stubborn mule. Motherfucker, how was a remnant like that even still alive?!

Old man, times have changed!

Dominic flashed a cold, cruel smile.

*Bang!*

...

Ceremonial cannons boomed, colorful ribbons fluttered through the air, and Luca, bathed in the joyous atmosphere, stepped forward to warmly embrace Uncle Piao.

"Luca, congratulations, wishing you a grand opening and great prosperity!"

Uncle Piao held a party popper in his hand, followed by a troupe of gongs, drums, and lion dancers—all skilled performers hired specifically from Chinatown.

This bustling, lively scene caught the attention of many Westerners present. Seeing the yellow-skinned middle-aged man chatting so warmly with Luca, many couldn't help but wonder which mafia boss this was.

Could he be the head of some Asian gang?

"Uncle Piao, Aunt Piao, welcome!" Luca led the two of them through the gates.

"Luca, this club of yours is far more luxurious than I imagined!" Uncle Piao looked around, marveling as he took in the sights. "I've never been to such a high-end place before."

"Uncle Piao, do you remember what you told Matilda before? Treat the supermarket like your own home! The club is your home too. We're all family here, and harmony is what matters most!"

"Hahaha, harmony is what matters most~~ Harmony is what matters most~~~ In that case, I won't stand on ceremony!"

Amidst the laughter and cheer, a system interface unfolded before Luca's eyes.

[You teamed up with Leon to eliminate a mafia drug lord... You have defended the peace of the family and New York!]

[Received Skill Points x20]

[Received Skill Fragment x10]

[Muscle Endurance +5%]

[Remaining Skill Fragments: 75]

The SSR sign gleamed brilliantly beneath the warm sunlight, and the young man's straight posture cut through the air like a cold gun barrel.

The colorful lion heads leaped and spun dynamically, the thunderous drumbeats thudded against everyone's chests, and the majestic lions shook their manes, blinked, and probed forward, drawing wave after wave of cheers from the crowd.

Club employees shuttled back and forth—parking cars, guiding guests, and handling receptions. A crimson carpet stretched all the way from the roadside right to Luca's feet at the front entrance.

Guests arrived in a steady stream, stepping forward to offer their congratulations to Luca before tossing out the Ambassador of Peace's catchphrase:

"Old Pigeon~~ Harmony is what matters most!"

There was never such a thing as a good slaughter, nor was there ever a bad peace.