Chapter 120
Shi Lei glanced at the numerous assassins lying in pools of blood not far away, knowing that they had been drawn into a troublesome family feud today, and urged everyone to leave:
"Alright, La Signora. If there's nothing else, we'll be going now. We have to travel tomorrow. Goodbye."
"Hey, wait a minute!"
The veiled woman called out to him, bowed deeply, and said:
"Sir, thank you so much for saving my daughter. I will never forget your kindness. But, could I trouble you with one more thing?"
Shi Lei did not immediately agree, but cautiously asked:
"Tell me your thoughts first, and I'll think about it."
"It's like this, after killing the core members of the Konobo family, the Bruno family will try to take over the Konobo Family's assets as soon as possible. I hope to entrust my daughter to your care for the time being. This will allow me to take some time to inform the other elders to counter the Bruno family."
Shi Lei shrank back, his expression strange:
"You want me to look after you? I'm sorry, La Signora, we won't be staying here for long and will be leaving tomorrow morning."
"I know that the name of the Saluzzo family's White Wolf and the last descendant of Texas will soon spread throughout Syracuse. When that time comes, finding you will not be difficult. I need to travel around, and entrusting Lisa to you is the best option for now."
"Well..."
Shi Lei didn't mind; bringing one more girl just meant one more pair of chopsticks. Besides, with him there, he could ensure her safety. He just didn't know what his three colleagues thought.
As he cast his gaze, Croissant, Exusiai, and Texas nodded in agreement in turn. Shi Lei didn't care about Lappland's opinion and immediately agreed.
"Okay, we can take care of her for a few days. But if, and I mean if, something unexpected happens to you, or you can't be there for a while, where should I send the child?"
Shi Lei was considerate of the child's feelings, avoiding the word "death" and instead using gentler descriptions.
The masked woman immediately understood and gave her a grateful look.
"Lisa's father is a priest in the Higashi. Here is his contact information and address. If I am unable to attend to something, please contact him."
Shi Lei took out his phone and wrote down the emergency contact's phone number and address in the memo app:
"From this moment on, I enter into a contract with you."
The masked woman knelt down in front of Lisa, pressing her forehead against hers. With gentle eyes, she reached out her right hand and smoothed her daughter's slightly disheveled hair.
"Sweetie, Mommy has something urgent to take care of. Can you stay with them for a while?"
Lisa's eyes were brimming with tears, which she tried hard to hold back. She seemed to already know that her mother was about to do something she might never return to:
"Okay, Lisa will be good. Mom, are they trustworthy people?"
Upon hearing this, the masked woman pointed at Lappland:
"She is not."
The latter was about to get angry when he heard this, but was immediately silenced by warning glances from Shi Lei and Texas.
"Tch, who wants to play with kids?"
The veiled woman realized that pointing at people was impolite, so she leaned close to her daughter's ear and whispered:
"I can trust this older brother and the older sister with the sword, but I'm not sure about the other two."
Lisa's eyes were red and swollen, and she nodded through her sobs.
"Yes, Lisa will take good care of herself."
She knew she was weak and that following her mother would only be a burden, so she agreed to the decision.
The veiled woman was very reluctant to part with her daughter. After taking off her mask, she kissed her daughter on the forehead and then put her mask back on.
She stood up and bowed to Shi Lei again:
"Thank you so much for agreeing to help take care of my daughter Lisa. I'm sorry to trouble you. I will repay you if I have the chance."
"It's alright, these are all minor matters. But I need to remind you, when doing certain..."
Don't put yourself in danger when things get complicated. I don't want to take the little girl to find her father, you understand what I mean?"
"Understood, I'll leave Lisa in your care."
The masked woman thanked everyone solemnly and turned to leave. Her black clothes quickly disappeared into the distance, blending into the shadows cast by the eaves.
"Alright, let's hurry up and find a hotel. I'm exhausted after traveling all day."
Shi Lei uttered complaints, trying to dilute the little girl's sadness at being separated from her mother.
But Lisa seemed more sensible than he had imagined. Clutching his sleeve, she said in a soft, sweet voice:
"Big brother, I promise I'll be good and won't cause you any trouble. I usually sleep with my mom, but can I sleep in the same room with you today? The sofa is fine too."
Haha, are you trying to make me the one who carries out the execution?
Shi Lei smiled and gently stroked Lisa's fluffy hair, feeling a sensation as comfortable as petting a cat.
The child is young and doesn't understand.
But as an adult, he couldn't be naive, pointing to Texas's habitually cold expression:
"You can sleep with her tonight."
Lisa glanced at it and said in a low voice:
"She looks so fierce, I'm scared..."
Texas heard it anyway, and her face darkened.
Am I really that scary?
182 My rules are the rules (4K)
April 24, 9:30 pm
Like the Lower City of Lungmen, the Outer City of Lakmawati City is only lit by a few scattered lights at night.
The central core area of the city is also brightly lit, just like the Core City of Lungmen, resembling a city that never sleeps.
At this moment, a distinguished guest arrived at the Bruno family's stronghold.
Aitubello, who is over fifty years old, is the mediator responsible for resolving the power struggles among the various families.
In his youth, he was renowned for his bravery and was known as the "Gale Wolf." After the powerful family he relied on perished, he became a middleman and mediator. People, remembering his former reputation, were willing to give him face.
However, now that he's older, fewer and fewer people are willing to follow him, so he's basically in a semi-retired state.
Upon receiving news tonight that the Bruno family had wiped out the Konobo family, he sensed an opportunity based on his years of experience in struggle. He then led a dozen or so men to the Bruno family's residence, hoping to gain some benefits.
The twenty-five-year-old young patriarch of the Bruno family, codenamed 'Greedy Wolf', Soloso Bruno, sat at the head of a rectangular table made of walnut wood.
He was dressed in a sharp, dark blue suit, with a cigar dangling from his lips, an air incongruous with his age. The mature air about him gave him an awkward, almost childlike appearance.
"Aitubello, what brings you here? You seem quite angry. Could it be that one of my men has caused a major disaster?"
Aitubello snorted coldly, ignoring whether Soloso was feigning ignorance or not, and said sharply:
"I really didn't expect that you would take advantage of the Konobo family's family gathering, with all the core members present, to wipe out the entire family. After something like this happened, shouldn't you at least do something about it?"
Although the Konobo family is one of the weakest of the Twelve Families, and many families, large and small, covet its position, it's rare to see someone as blatantly brazen as you.
Soloso exhaled a smoke ring, frowning upon hearing this:
"Uncle, are you kidding me? What right do I have to wipe out the entire Konobo family?"
Aitubello realized that this greedy wolf cub was determined to fight to the death. He leaned forward slightly and said in a warning tone:
"Do you know that what you're doing breaks the rules, the rules between families! If everyone killed an entire family like you, wouldn't Syracuse be thrown into chaos?"
"Things have come to this point, and the dead cannot be brought back to life. Now we can only try to salvage the situation. You must return seventy percent of the Konobo family's assets. I'll take that to Madam Sicily and put in a good word for you, and this matter will be over. As payment, I'll only take three mines from you. Is that too much to ask?"
Soloso chuckled, stubbed out his cigar in the ashtray, and slumped slightly.
"Aitubello, you shouldn't be the kind of person who lacks judgment. I'm very curious, who exactly told you that the Bruno family was the murderer who wiped out your entire family?"
Aitubello's intelligence source is Gold Medal Killer escaped from the Konobo family. Tonight, she visited everyone in the city who had dealings with the Konobo family, hoping they would bring the matter of the massacre out of Lakmawati City.
Only by informing more family patriarchs can the Bruno family be punished as soon as possible. Otherwise, traditional methods of revenge such as assassination will be the only option. Doing so is extremely risky; a slight misstep could result in death.
The Konobo Family had been burned to the ground, and Aitubello's trip yielded no useful clues. He had heard from the female assassin that there were ten corpses on Golden Avenue, but when he arrived, he found nothing but bloodstains.
This made Aitubello unsure, and he prepared to probe the other party's reaction, his gaze suddenly turning icy:
"You should know perfectly well whether you were involved in the planning or not. Instead of a man's face-to-face confrontation, you resorted to such despicable means as a sneak attack. Do you think Syracuse has no laws? Or are you trying to challenge the authority of the Madam Sicily?"
Since 55 years ago, Madam Sicily established the Grey Hall, the institution representing the highest real power in Syracuse.
Her name is a symbol of power.
Upon hearing this, Soloso stood up and paced back and forth in the room. His face clearly showed anxiety. After a moment, he stopped and replied:
"Aitubello, I've risen to this position; I wouldn't be ignorant of such basic rules. If it really was my subordinates who did something so outrageous behind my back, I will certainly punish them according to the family rules!"
The Bruno family members present had serious expressions, each with a tense face and not daring to utter a sound.
Such a confident tone made Aitubello waver in her beliefs. According to the Gold Medal Killer's description, there were no other witnesses besides her. Relying solely on her testimony was indeed somewhat arbitrary:
"You really didn't do it?"
Soloso, utterly helpless, forced a wry smile:
"Aitubello, I'm sure there's some misunderstanding here. Maybe it's a setup by other families to kill the Konobo family first and then frame me. You can think about it carefully: if both the Bruno family and Konobo Family fall, who will benefit in this city?"
Aitubello followed this line of thought, frowning as he fell into deep thought. What he said seemed to make some sense. Rushing here today probably wouldn't have yielded any benefits. Perhaps he should wait until he found the Gold Medal Killer and bring her out for a confrontation in court.
Since the founding of the Grey Hall, Syracuse has maintained a system of Twelve Families. If any family perishes, a new family will rise to take its place. If the Bruno family were to be purged for breaking the rules, many families within the city would benefit.
Seeing that the other party did not refute, a smile gradually appeared on Soloso's face, and he comforted her:
"Aitubello, don't worry. I will definitely get to the bottom of this! I will give you and Madam Sicily an explanation."
Also, I recently acquired some fine items from some old nobles in Sargon. If you don't mind, come with me to take a look; if you like them, feel free to take them home."
Hearing about the potential rewards, Aitubello perked up immediately. He secretly rejoiced that this trip hadn't been in vain; if he could make enough money, he could retire early and enjoy his later years.
What kind of goods?
Soloso deliberately kept him in suspense, got up, walked to the door, and waved to him:
"Why don't you go and see for yourself?"
He summoned his trusted men and bodyguards, and led the other party and his men away from the stronghold, heading north.
More than ten minutes later, seeing that the direction they were heading was becoming increasingly remote, Aitubello became increasingly alert:
Where are you going?
Soloso, with a smile on her face, walked over and put her arm around his shoulder, explaining:
"Aitubello, what's the rush? Some things can't be brought into the light, so it's normal to hide them in secluded places, right? You used to be my father's friend. If I wanted to kill you, I would have done so already. Why would I bring you out here?"
Seeing that things had come to this point, Aitubello felt embarrassed to ask any further questions. The group continued walking for nearly twenty minutes until they arrived at an abandoned church.
He looked at the building in front of him and nodded in satisfaction. Hiding things here would indeed be difficult to detect.
"Not bad, Soloso. You're a careful and quick-witted guy. Unlike your old man, who's as stubborn and unyielding as a rock in a mine. If he were as sensible as you, he would have been in the Grey Hall long ago."
Upon hearing Aitubello mention his father, a murderous glint flashed in Soloso's eyes. He gave his trusted aide a look, who immediately understood and deliberately slowed his pace.
After exchanging hand signals with the other bodyguards, the group attacked simultaneously, killing all of Aitubello's men.
Before he could mount an effective resistance, he was pinned down by members of the Bruno family, his face pressed tightly to the ground.
Soloso was familiar with the area and gave the instructions:
"Go to the cemetery behind the church, find a shovel stuck in a mound of earth, and bring it to me."
"Yes, clan chief."
The thought that he had been deceived by a young man filled Aitubello with deep regret.
"You acted so well! So you were the one who orchestrated the massacre of the Konobo family!"
Soloso walked up to him, his gaze looking down at him:
"So what if it is, and so what if it isn't? Times have changed. This is the era of young people. It's time for you old folks to step down."
Aitubello was pinned down by several burly men, completely unable to break free. He was now old and had neglected his training. His fighting ability was far inferior to what it once was, leaving him no room for resistance.