Chapter 123
The Konobo Family's Gold Medal Killer is rumored to have married a clergyman from the Higashi. However, there is no specific information about this man's physical appearance.
Because Lisa was well protected by her mother and was not a major character, information about her is also scarce.
The man looked very young, almost the same age as me at first glance. However, it's possible he was actually older than he appeared. And most importantly, there was a Red-haired Sarkaz in the group.
Everyone in Syracuse knows that Madam Sicily had a loyal follower Father Agnil.
He is Sarkaz, who hails from Laterano and is one of the founders of the Syracuse's ''Guns and Order''.
Connecting all the clues, it's not hard to conclude that the man is the biological father of the Nine-tailed Vulpine.
During the massacre, the Konobo family's Gold Medal Killer, carrying his daughter, forced his way out of the encirclement. Now that the child has been handed over to her father, it means the two sides have met.
That very night, ten family members who had been sent out died in the street. The reconnaissance team discovered the bodies and notified the Scavenger to remove them. The penetrating wounds on their bodies resembled those inflicted by the White Wolf's weapon.
It matches perfectly, it matches perfectly!
After escaping the Konobo family's stronghold, the Gold Medal Killer encountered Texas and her group. Knowing she was carrying a huge burden, she chose to hide alone and entrust the child to her husband so as not to be a burden to everyone.
Judging from Texas's attitude towards her, they seemed unaware of the truth of what happened that night.
At the same time, Torey ended the call. He hung up and reported to Soloso:
"Chief, I've already had someone check. There were only five of them when they entered the city. Except for the White Wolf from the Saluzzo family, who didn't fill in anything in the occupation column, the others all wrote that they worked for a logistics company."
Hmph, a logistics company.
Using this as a pretext is too low-level. But I have to admit, it does work.
Lakmawati City is Soloso's home ground, and now that the intelligence has been gathered, it's time to make a decision.
The problem now isn't Nine-tailed Vulpine and her father, but the Twin Wolves.
If we were to attack them rashly with a sneak attack, regardless of whether we succeeded, the consequences of failure would be unimaginable.
First, there's Giovanna Rossetti, the patriarch of the Rossetti Family, who is a close friend of Chelinina Texas. If the affair comes to light, it would be tantamount to declaring war on the Rossetti Family.
Secondly, there's Alberto Saluzzo, the patriarch of the Saluzzo family. Don't be fooled by his expulsion of the White Wolf from the family. Alberto has no sons, only this one daughter. Blood ties are strong, and they can't be severed so easily. Who knows how old he might be...
When it grows up, it will call the White Wolf home and become the next successor.
If the attack were exposed, it would be tantamount to making enemies of the Saluzzo family. Who could bear the cost of provoking conflict with two of the Twelve Families with just one failure?
The clues to the Konobo Family massacre were burned to ashes in a fire, and the traces were dealt with quite cleanly.
Soloso wasn't afraid of the gold medalist spreading the word that the Bruno family were the murderers. She was afraid she'd make too much noise and the guys in the Grey Hall would get wind of it and change their minds.
Although they will not be punished, they will not be able to replace the Konobo Family as one of the Twelve Families.
The Twin Wolves are not to be trifled with, but the man must be killed.
This is a really tricky problem...
Soloso sat in the car, biting his fingers in deep thought for a long time. Then a phone call broke the silence.
He pulled out his phone and saw it was his trusted aide's number. He pressed the answer button and brought it to his ear:
"How's the matter going?"
"Gambino Ricci, the patriarch of the Gambino family, refused our request, stating that he would not cooperate in the operation to eliminate anyone. However, his relative contacted me privately, seemingly aware of the matter. He said he could help send people to take care of the target, but would require a substantial reward."
Richie's behavior was beyond Soloso's expectations, prompting him to reassess their alliance.
Richie knew about dealing with the Konobo family. For the sake of their 20% share of the family business, the Gambino family could cooperate and provide cover.
They agreed on something, but suddenly changed their minds. They wanted to reap the benefits without taking any responsibility.
Where in the world is there such a good thing?
The confidant, sensing something was wrong as there was no sound from the receiver, tentatively asked:
"Clan leader?"
"Yes, I'm here."
Soloso responded and gave the order:
"Just ask him how much he wants. I can pay the fee readily, but there's an extra condition. When the Gold Medal Killer's husband and children arrive in their territory, they also need to be dealt with. This matter must be kept secret. Gambino Richie must never find out. Also, don't leave any evidence of your communication with this man."
You were heartless first, so don't blame me for being ruthless too.
186 Hunting Time (3K)
"Slap, slap, slap."
The actors stood in a row and bowed to the audience to express their gratitude, while the audience responded with enthusiastic applause.
"Golden Wind's chapter has come to a temporary end. If any guests would like to know more about Giorno's story, please remember to tune in tomorrow night at 7 PM."
Goodness, the stage play has turned into a TV series.
The performance lasted from 7 p. m. to 9:30 p. m., almost as long as a movie. Lisa got a little sleepy and fell asleep with her head on Shi Lei's lap.
After the performance ended and everyone had drunk enough, they left and returned to their hotel to rest.
The assignments were the same as yesterday: Lisa slept with Texas again, while the others each had their own room.
During this time, she did not find Soloso. After Texas clearly rejected him, he really did not reappear or continue to pester her.
Exusiai felt unsatisfied, but considering there were children in the team, she had no choice but to head back home.
April 26, 8:30 am
The sun wasn't out today; the sky was overcast. A light drizzle hung in the air, casting a huge curtain of rain over the Mobile Cities of Lakmawati City.
The continuous rainy weather made everyone feel sleepy. No one wanted to go out and just stay in their rooms.
Although both are Mobile Cities, Lakmawati City much smaller than Lungmen. Yesterday, I visited all the famous attractions in just a few hours, and then spent the rest of the time bored in my hotel room playing board games.
With Texas joining, the number of participants expanded to four. Shi Lei made a mahjong set with his bare hands, and although Lisa was surprised, she still moved a stool over to watch.
Lappland seemed to be neglected; neither adults nor children wanted to play with her.
After lunch, Lappland, bored out of her mind, suggested to the others:
"You guys are so lazy, all you do is stay inside playing cards all day. Why don't you take advantage of the lockdown and do something more meaningful?"
Exusiai, not understanding what she meant, asked:
"For example?"
"We could find out where the Bruno family's stronghold is and go there to vent our anger."
"Hey, wasn't Syracuse supposed to be controlled by twelve families? We can just leave it to them or the local police; we don't need to get involved, right?"
Seeing that neither Shi Lei, Texas, Croissant refuted Exusiai's answer, Lappland smiled:
"Do you think this is a country that values fairness and justice? As a native Syracuse, I can tell you with certainty that only traditional, old-fashioned families place great importance on friendship and rules. How can a newly established family join the ranks of the Twelve Families without shedding blood?"
The Bruno family's annihilation of the Konobo family seems extremely serious. However, as long as they are not greedy, hand over at least 70% of their assets to the Twelve Families, and fabricate a reason such as revenge, they can ensure their safety and avoid any punishment afterward.
This outdated family system opened Shi Lei's eyes and he found it utterly unbelievable.
"Is this even possible? Even the police aren't working?"
For the past six months, he has been learning about the customs and culture of Syracuse through geography books and food magazines. But when it comes to institutional matters...
This will not be recorded in the book.
"Ha, where did Syracuse get its police?"
Lappland gave a dismissive laugh and quipped:
"The government of Syracuse was founded by Twelve Families. Most of the high-ranking officials are family members, and very few ordinary people hold management positions. In Syracuse, maintaining order is the family's responsibility—isn't that ridiculous?"
If there's no deep-seated hatred between the two sides, then the mastermind is simply someone who will stop at nothing to achieve their goals. Keeping him around will only harm more innocent people. Getting rid of these parasites sooner rather than later is like ridding the people of Syracuse of a scourge."
Her words were very persuasive; at least on the surface, there seemed to be no problem. Exusiai sensed Lappland's true intentions and grinned:
"I find it hard to believe you would be so kind. I'm afraid you just want to find a place to vent your frustrations."
"Hey-hey."
Lappland grinned, revealing her wolf fangs, making no attempt to conceal her purpose, and frankly admitted:
"Yes, but upholding justice and venting violence are not always contradictory. Why not fight and punish the bad guys at the same time?"
To put it bluntly, she didn't get enough of it last time.
I still want to use Shi Lei's Jade Shield to charge into the stronghold and have a good time. I want to experience the exhilarating feeling of not needing to worry about defense and being completely immersed in the battle.
Exusiai's expression shifted, seemingly convinced. She hadn't had enough last time either, and wanted to ejaculate again:
"That sounds like a good suggestion."
After saying that, she raised her hand in agreement.
After observing the team for some time, Lappland has figured out who the core member is. Now, all she needs to do is convince one person, and the deal will be done:
"Mister Shi Lei, I know you are a very traditional man."
The "tradition" here does not refer to conservative thinking, but rather to the importance he places on established rules, much like an old-fashioned family.
"I proposed this plan, so even if it blows up, I'll take the blame and you won't be implicated in the slightest. You just need to provide the shield, and we'll handle the rest."
The implication was that he shouldn't participate in the war. Otherwise, there wouldn't be enough to go around if there were too many wolves and not enough meat.
Before Shi Lei could speak, Texas, who had been silent all along, offered his opinion:
"My return to Syracuse this time is not just to send Lappland home, but also to ensure I never return to this place again. I will not get involved in any conflicts between local families. If you want to make trouble, go ahead and make trouble."
Shi Lei glanced over, sharing a similar thought with Texas. Even though he possessed the abilities of the Rex Lapis, he wasn't inherently a bloodthirsty person.
The hundreds of Feline killed by Lungmen were all people who went looking for trouble. Responding passively and carrying out a massacre are clearly two completely different choices.
"Fine, then I won't participate."
Croissant, who hadn't yet spoken, decided to go with Exusiai after a moment's thought. Wasn't the whole point of coming to Syracuse to have a good fight? They felt no qualms about attacking their own family members.
There's no need to ask Lisa; Shi Lei will wait with her on the perimeter and won't get involved in the matter.
Once the plan was finalized, we got right to it.
Everyone packed up and left the hotel.
Since they didn't know where the Bruno family's stronghold was, they asked around at the shops along the street.
According to Lappland, the family would charge a protection fee called a 'fee' to the merchants in their territory.
They might not know the details of the family business, but they certainly knew where to deposit money. The place where money is deposited is often the headquarters of a family.
The six of them would ask around every fifty meters, continuing on their way, believing they would eventually find someone.
The common people of Syracuse have long suffered persecution from their families.
Some shop owners were very reserved and didn't talk much. When they heard them asking about the Bruno family's address, their eyes immediately showed disgust.
Some shop owners, who had been accumulating fees for a long time, poured out their grievances to Shi Lei and others. For example, they had just paid the fees to the Konobo Family a week ago, and this week the Bruno family came to collect again.
Syracuse has no law enforcement agencies; maintaining order is the responsibility of local clans. Even if ordinary citizens are dissatisfied with a clan, they cannot file a complaint against the clan itself.
Without a channel for feedback, it's like having your eyes covered by a thick, dark cloth, unable to see a single ray of light.
You either have to go through layers of screening to join the family, or you have to swallow your pride and bear it.
In this country without a police force, there's a widespread belief that order trumps law. The so-called order they speak of is merely a set of terms that benefit their own families. To put it bluntly, family interests far outweigh societal interests.
After investigation, it can be confirmed that the Konobo family and the Bruno family have no Blood Sea Deep Grudge. Perhaps, as Lappland said, their relationship is merely one of mutual benefit.
The more Shi Lei learned, the more disappointed he became with Syracuse. Most of the families operated like warlords, entrenched in their territories and amassed wealth at will. The common people were powerless to resist and could only endure the oppression.
This country is rotten to the core.
If the stubborn cancer of 'family' is not eradicated and a nation without families is not created, the future of Syracuse will be visibly chaotic.
It is like a rotten swamp.
Families eager to rise quickly will accumulate power by exploiting the people and annexing other families. Can a family patriarch who rises to the Grey Hall in this way be a good leader?
Shi Lei felt absolutely no liking for the Syracuse family. Sending Texas back to such a place would truly be torture.