Chapter 68 Anti-Drug Ambassador

For the next period, official news reports followed one after another:

【Police today arrested four officers suspected of accepting bribes from drug lords... The investigation into police corruption is sweeping across the entire New York City narcotics division...】

【Another 19 officers were arrested today...】

【Reportedly, this is the largest police bribery scandal in New York City's history... More than 32 officers will face charges in federal court today for accepting bribes, and these officers will face prison time...】

【More than half of the municipal officials responsible for narcotics enforcement have been implicated in corruption... Allegations of widespread bribery within the elite anti-narcotics squad of the Narcotics Division have led to the arrest of even more of New York's backbone detectives...】

【They have been proven guilty of extortion. Members of the New York Special Narcotics Unit will face sentencing in federal court today...】

【Federal prosecutors believe these officers are guilty!】

Behind Richie stood Washington and the top federal prosecutors!

With solid evidence and Frank stepping forward as a witness, not a single corrupt cop would escape!

This storm turned the entire New York Police Department into the laughingstock of the nation.

However, police departments in other places couldn't laugh too easily. Everyone was cut from the same cloth; New York was finished this time, and next time it might just be their turn.

......

"Well done, Frank!"

In a room plastered with evidentiary photographs, Richie clapped for Frank. The disgust toward the drug lord in his eyes had vanished, replaced by sheer satisfaction and admiration.

During the course of their cooperation, a strange sense of mutual respect had even developed.

Frank was truly cooperative! Extremely cooperative!

Those scumbag cops who used to curse him for keeping and reporting found money were all going to prison now.

"What would you like to drink to celebrate?" Richie asked with a smile.

"Do you have holy water?"

The two exchanged a smile.

Richie knew that Frank considered himself a religious man.

Frank asked again, "I've actually never understood, how did you and the Dove end up teaming up?"

"I'm also on very close terms with Gallante," Richie replied, shaking his head. "Whoever can help me deal with you, I will unite with their forces."

"Without the Mafia, you wouldn't necessarily have made me admit defeat. I have entertainment stars, sports stars; I control Harlem, I protect the whole of Harlem, so Harlem will support me!"

"But the Mafia protects the whole of New York."

"......"

Frank sighed. Damn it, those unquenchable wolves.

"Yet I only trust the Dove," Richie smiled. "He is the only Mafia member who has ever convinced me."

"Oh? You trust him just like that? What on earth did he do to earn your trust?"

"He's my friend. You won't get anything out of me," Richie shook his head. "He helped your family too, didn't he?"

Frank didn't know what to say. He and the Dove had barely met a few times... and at their last meeting, the Dove brought him terrible news, though he knew that wasn't solely the Dove's intention.

Yet compared to the will of the entire Mafia, that guy the Dove...

Coo~~ Coo~~

Frank turned his head as a white dove flew past the window.

【Bond: Familiar】

.......

It wasn't until the end of August that this massive turmoil slowly drew to a close.

Frank Lucas was sentenced to 70 years, and 30 members of his family were sent to prison for drug trafficking!

Federal agencies confiscated hundreds of millions of dollars of Frank's assets in U.S. and overseas banks!

More than three-quarters of New York's narcotics detectives were found guilty!

Yet the Mafia, hidden behind the scenes, made a "graceful exit" without causing a single ripple. Both Frank and Richie maintained silence.

The Ambassador of Peace had won the recognition of the Commission!

As expected of a gold-medal mediator, it was one thing to persuade Frank, but to have the police side cooperate to this extent was remarkable. The Commission had initially thought the Mafia would be somewhat implicated, but in the end, absolutely nothing happened—far exceeding everyone's expectations.

The boss of the Lucchese family even met with Luca in person. After showering him with praise, he encouraged him to continue maintaining "peace" with all walks of life.

Harmony is precious!

The Mafia needed talent like the Ambassador of Peace!

......

【You helped the police win the New York drug war and purged official circles of narcotics-related officials... You defended the peace of New York!】

【Received Skill Points X300】

【Received Skill Fragments X150】

【Theoretical Lifespan +1 Year】

【Acquired Title Skill: Anti-Narcotics Ambassador】

【Anti-Narcotics Ambassador: When facing drug addicts/drug dealers/drug lords, combat effectiveness +20%, with added fear suppression: target combat effectiveness -20%, rebellious psychology -20%;】

【Official members related to narcotics enforcement will have trust +20%;】

Your immunity to all toxins +20%;】

【With you as the center, reduces the craving for drug consumption of all addicts in the surrounding area, craving reduction 0%~100% (determined by distance, maximum diameter: 1 kilometer)】

Looking at the newly appeared skill in his title list, Luca was completely stunned.

Holy crap, as expected of the rewards from a major war!

A free skill dropped out of nowhere!

My Ambassador of Peace title has turned into an Anti-Narcotics Ambassador!

Luca was slightly dazed. With this skill hanging on him, wouldn't every drug addict wherever he went obediently quit drugs?

He could open a rehabilitation center inside the SSR Club.

The anti-addiction effect was simply heaven-defying, not to mention the combat bonuses and fear suppression against drug addicts and dealers... Could those drug traffickers in the family even hold their heads up in front of him anymore?

The White Tiger would turn into a little kitten in front of him...

And Uncle Marzullio.

"Looks like I, the Ambassador of Peace, finally have a divine skill too."

Feeling a bit excited, Luca immediately got into his car and headed straight for Wall Street, intending to test out the skill's effects.

That bastard Jordan!

He was at least his cash cow; the bastard had better quit drugs from now on and live a few more years.

......

Stratton Oakmont.

Business here was a bit more restrained than before—this was an agreement Jordan had reached with the authorities.

However, the company's corporate culture was getting wilder and wilder.

Working while partying, afternoon tea at cat cafés ordered by the boss, the boss occasionally roaring into a microphone to pump everyone up, popping pills, playing poker—they were in a state of extreme euphoria every day.

They sounded even more passionate when making sales calls!

Allowing clients to fully feel the brokers' enthusiasm!

There was no company on Wall Street more abstract than this.

At this moment, Jordan was in his office preparing to get high.

Then, the next second, he suddenly went limp.

"Wait..."

Jordan retreated from the battlefield with a puzzled expression, sitting dazed on the sofa, his eyes somewhat vacant, as if his soul had left his body.

"Get out," Jordan waved his hand lifelessly, motioning for the female employee to leave.

"Donnie, there's suddenly a hollow spot in my chest..." Jordan pointed at the flour on the coffee table, swallowing with difficulty as his throat bobbed. "Now when I look at it, I'm reminded of the damn white plaster on the walls when the office was being renovated. Can you believe it? I couldn't possibly lick that dust!"

Jordan clutched his head. "Holy crab! What is wrong with me! My mind has never been this clear! Donnie, am I crazy?!"

Donnie was also sitting on the floor, looking like his soul had left his body. "I haven't even busted a nut yet, why do I feel that post-nut clarity..."

The two sat there blankly like old monks, staring into space as if they had instantly lost all purpose in life.

Donnie pulled out a bottle of Quaaludes. "Do you want to try one?"

"Why don't you try it?"

"I don't want to take any."

"Me neither, damn it."

Jordan slumped on the sofa in a state of utter limpness, until the door was knocked.

The two looked up.

The Dove had arrived.

"Old Dove."

"Could you please put your pants on first."

"......"

After sitting down, Jordan looked at the unchanged Old Dove, and a sudden sense of terror—like a mouse seeing a cat—rose in his heart. He had a lingering feeling that the other person would suddenly rush over and beat him up.

Wait a minute, why would Old Dove beat me up?!

I already pulled my pants up!

"Old Dove, are you in a bad mood today?" Jordan asked with a forced smile.

"I'm in a great mood today," Luca said with a beaming smile.

"Why do I keep feeling like you're about to blow a fuse at any second?"

"Are you hallucinating from taking too many drugs?"

"This is definitely not a hallucination, you today... Alright, maybe I really am too high."

Jordan clutched his head with a constipated expression. "Go to hell! Let's not talk about that stuff. My mind is exceptionally clear right now, and I don't want to look at them at all! I just want to drink some alcohol, I'm still not used to this mental state."

Luca feigned astonishment: "Oh, really? Jordan, you quit drugs? That's even harder than you quitting sex."

Jordan: "......"

Although... it did seem like there was a sense of clarity he had never experienced before.

Clear as it was, it wasn't euphoric enough; he always felt a bit lacking in passion.

Massaging his aching head, Jordan asked, "Forget it, let's drop it. What brings you here, Old Dove? You came all the way over without even a phone call."

Luca casually asked about the registration status of those offshore shell companies.

Now that the drug war was over, he could launch his cash tree plan—taking advantage of the Anti-Narcotics Ambassador halo to help Marzullio rise to power, allowing himself to eventually sit in the caporegime's seat.

That was the preliminary plan; even if Marzullio couldn't make it up, he could still use this to gain more recognition from the family, carving out a path to the caporegime position or even higher.

Making money was essential.

.......

September 2nd.

On the very day Frank Lucas was officially imprisoned, Luca and Richie met at the prison to jointly fulfill their respective promises to Frank.

Luca settled Frank's mother and wife, who left New York to live in Puerto Rico; Richie granted a certain degree of leniency to Frank's brothers who had pleaded guilty, in accordance with legal sentencing guidelines.

Thus, Frank smiled and expressed his gratitude to the two, leaving them with a weathered and weary back.

The Blue Magic era had come to a complete end.

Having completed his "mission," Richie Roberts set down the burden on his shoulders. Walking down the path out of the prison, he said to Luca, "I've already submitted my resignation to the prosecutor's office, Dove. In a few days, I won't be a cop anymore."

"Then what do you plan to do in the future?"

"A lawyer."

Richie looked back at the cold prison cages beside him, at those prisoners trapped behind iron wire. "Frank will be my first client."

He was very grateful for Frank's cooperation. Without Frank, it would have been difficult to convict those corrupt cops.

Luca smiled. You rascal of a lawyer are far too competent; Frank's 70-year sentence was reduced by you until he'll be released after just 15 years...

不过你现在还算是个警察吧，而且是缉毒警察。

【是否耗费80技能碎片，兑换“拾金不昧”】

【是/否】

Yes!

【Exchange successful, skill added】

【Virtuous Finder: Your character has been recognized by the federal government, federal government trust +10%; when you hand over illegally obtained dirty money to the state, additional trust +5%~30% (determined by the amount and source of the illegal proceeds);

At the same time, corrupt cops' trust -10%~50% (determined by the amount handed over and the degree of corruption of the cop)】

【Remaining skill fragments: 178】

Both of Richie's skills were now in his hands!

.......

At the moment he withdrew his gaze, Richie looked at the pigeon in front of him and found that the more he looked at this young man, the more pleasing to the eye he became.

Without any warning or hesitation, a wave of sentimental emotion suddenly rose in Richie's heart, and he wanted to share his thoughts with his good friend beside him:

"Old Dove, do you think putting Frank in prison will change all of this? With so many addicts in New York, they're still going to do drugs. They'll steal, rob, sell themselves, and even be willing to die for drugs. Locking away one Frank doesn't seem to change anything."

Richie pointed at the prisoners inside the recreation yard nearby. "There are a lot of addicts and dealers locked up in here, and when they get out, they're just going to go right back to dealing."

"That's just the reality of it," Luca nodded, just as the Five Families would undoubtedly continue drug trafficking in the future despite this heavy blow.

The most he could do was persuade Marzullio to stand on his side; as for the White Tiger, he didn't even have the urge to communicate with that idiot.

Someone like Paulie Cicero, who refused to deal drugs, was the kind of friend Luca needed.

"But at least you put in the effort for it," Luca comforted. "You saved dozens or hundreds of families from losing relatives to drug addiction, and you sent all those corrupt cops who traded with drug dealers away... For a long time to come, New York's drug market won't recover, and perhaps it will never surpass the era of Blue Magic again.

Richie, you made this city a better place, even if just by a little bit."

Luca's words brought a trace of comfort to Richie.

"Dove, you played a part in this too. Your name won't appear on the federal case report, but I will remember everything you've done."

"Hahaha, then I'd rather live in other people's memories than have my name appear on a federal official's desk. Besides..."

Luca walked over to the wire fence, gazing at the prisoners on the playground. An invisible wave of mental pressure radiated outward, causing all the addicts and dealers present to instantly feel a chill down their spines, striking them mute with terror.

The previously noisy playground quieted down considerably in an instant.

Many people looked toward Luca with a mix of uncertainty and suspicion; those who didn't recognize him looked puzzled, while those who did quietly stepped back a few paces.

Luca raised an eyebrow and shot Richie a "rest assured" look. "See that? Wherever the Ambassador of Peace appears, drug dealers must keep their distance."

This scene shocked Richie immensely. He realized that he had still underestimated the deterrent power of the Ambassador of Peace; this guy was simply the nemesis of underground criminals.

"It looks like if New York wants to ban drugs in the future, it'll have to rely on you, the Ambassador of Peace."

"If this brings peace, I wouldn't mind putting in the effort. The Dove also needs a better blue sky instead of a smoke-filled city."

"Let's hope everyone can value harmony from now on."

"Haha, harmony is precious. That day will come."

Once I become the Godfather, that is.

The two walked side by side out of the prison gates.

The iron gate closed behind them. Inside were men who had wielded knives; outside stood a man who polished his gun.