Make Our Family Great Again – Chapter 27

I decided to leave the contact with the Rat Hole to Giovanni.

He was the one who brought it up and, compared to other Wolves, he had more time to spare.

On the other hand, Sarina was expected to be busy with the upcoming events, and Carso was tied up helping Elena, as well as managing the Wolves at the port.

“But is it true that we have to buy everything related to the Five Families?”

“Well, our informants aren’t that different anyway.”

“…Brother, but isn’t the Rat Hole a bit more well-known on that side?”

Amid my conversation with Sarina, Kambara interjected. It seemed he had wrapped up his call with Vanella quickly.

Sarina shot Kambara a glare as if to say “stay out of this,” but I told her not to be so harsh.

“It is somewhat recognized, even if most of it is just hearsay. They’re spread all over the city.”

In some ways, their information was mostly just witness reports.

Conversely, our informants gathered intel through members or associates of the Five Families, so it was the complete opposite of the Rat Hole.

The problem was that due to the recent chaos, even our informants couldn’t salvage good information.

Even if they did manage to get some information, it wasn’t rare for a district’s owner to change within days.

“Still, it’s the Rat Hole. Don’t you think we could snag something?”

“If that’s the case, I wouldn’t ask for anything more.”

The brief exchange came to an end.

After relaying my orders to Giovanni, Sarina began preparing to move with the Wolves and Wolf Trainees.

While Sarina and I stepped away, the Academy would be left to Kambara.

“….”

“Sarina, it’s written all over your face. Is Kambara that untrustworthy?”

“Well, I just feel like he’s too soft for this kind of work.”

“Who’s really good at this kind of thing from the get-go?”

You don’t get accustomed to killing just by taking one or two lives. You can get used to it without having to kill someone, actually.

Especially experiencing a death, whether friend or foe, up close is valuable.

The indescribable emotions tied to the border between life and death gradually wear away at the basic human aspects.

You have to go through that process to really pull your own weight in the underworld.

The rest of the Wolves and I had already undergone that process once.

“Luke, then I’ll head out right away.”

“Sure.”

Typically, Sarina would be glued to me, but now she was itching to leave the office. That craving to stretch her legs must be intense.

“Brother, should I tell my older brother as well?”

“No, tell Gollyman to stay put for now.”

Gollyman had become part of the Felini Family, and the Boss was a Caporegime of the Family.

Still, he was seen as a newcomer from the outskirts, so it seemed sufficient for now to have him guarding the northeast of Greenbug.

As long as I didn’t break off my political marriage with Felicita, there was little chance of Marinelli launching an attack.

*

As the bosses of the Families, as mentioned to Elena, Sarina and Vanella started to set out in different directions from the Academy.

Sarina and the Wolves’ approach was highly efficient and thorough.

As I had said, they targeted the heads of other organizations in South Woodron.

Compared to Sanchez, who gathered large forces to engage in street battles with the police, this way was much better.

The attention from the police and other authorities would be minimal, and the underlings would simply be absorbed.

“Gang boss killed in a shooting outside his home.”

“Shot six times outside his residence.”

“A bar owner was found dead in front of his house located in River West.”

It had only been two days since we set our plans in motion, but the newspapers were already overflowing with headlines like these.

I was checking the papers in the Union Office inside the Academy.

“Brother, my sister is saying we should take the opportunity to advance to North Woodron. What should we do?”

“…Alright, let her proceed.”

Of course, I wasn’t planning to leave everything to Sarina and the Wolves. We needed more numbers to overpower and seize North Woodron.

Since Vanella and his crew were currently cleaning up River West, they couldn’t assist Sarina.

“Kambara, tell Sarina to hold off on moving for a bit.”

“Yes, understood.”

While Kambara conveyed my message to Sarina over the phone, I used my desk phone to call someone. I asked the operator to connect me with someone.

“Yes, Under Boss.”

“Rimini.”

The person who picked up my call was Vincent Lumini.

The port was continuously being managed by our Family. Thanks to that, Lumini, who had the northern port as his territory, wouldn’t have to deal with the troubles Gollyman was facing in Greenbug.

I happened to ask him how things were going in his area these days, and Lumini mentioned that while there were some trying to covet the port from the north… it was quite peaceful.

“Well, then it seems you’ve got some leeway.”

“Yes?”

“I was hoping you could help out a bit with Sarina and the Wolves in cleaning up North Woodron.”

“….”

Lumini didn’t respond immediately. He was likely thinking it through even at this moment.

“Yes, that’s doable.”

After a brief wait, his answer came out.

Then Lumini said he’d send over all the men he could immediately. The number was around 40.

Considering that even with the troops needed to guard the northern port excluded, that was quite a sizable force, hinting that even though his territory had changed, his strength hadn’t diminished.

Although he was the first Caporegime to join us after my father’s death, he was still not someone to underestimate.

Citing the help he provided in handling North Woodron, I planned to leave the northern port under the care of a suitable subordinate of Elena’s while granting Lumini control over North Woodron.

North Woodron was much bigger than the northern port, so it didn’t seem too shabby. However, it was an area that required more stabilization compared to the northern port.

Most importantly, keeping Lumini a bit farther away from the port and Elena was my biggest gain.

“Alright, then I’ll let Sarina know, and let you handle the rest.”

“Yes.”

After finishing the call with Lumini, I also checked with Kambara if the conversation with Sarina went well.

He mentioned that they were waiting to move following my orders.

“Brother, does that mean we’re moving on to the city center right after North Woodron?”

“No, that’s too soon.”

We needed to act before the other Five Families took control of the city center.

But looking at the situation each Family was in, there were no signs they were gearing up to move on the city center right away.

‘….’


Thinking back to the Russo Family and the Carmen Family’s approach toward the Academy, I couldn’t let my guard down. Well, like everything, if we start considering the possible contingencies, it would never end.

“Then I guess it’s going to take some time.”

At Kambara’s words, I nodded, as if it were obvious.

No matter how much the concept of crime syndicates’ territory might be based on lines rather than surfaces, expanding to three districts when combining River West, South Woodron, and North Woodron meant time was needed for stabilization.

I had some ideas concerning the allocation of the newly acquired districts, so all that remained was to obtain Elena’s approval.

*

Meanwhile, while Sarina and Vanella were off causing a ruckus, Giovanni was making contact with the Rat Hole, as he had proposed, gathering information related to the Five Families.

To verify that information, I left the Academy after work and headed toward the Lupus Carlton Hotel.

Today was Thursday, and like two days ago, it was the day I would be spending with Felicita.

Though it might not be great for her, I first needed to confirm the information Giovanni had collected in Elena’s room located on the top floor.

“….”

What I hadn’t anticipated was the sight of Elena and Felicita quietly waiting for me in the room.

“Nothing happened, right?”

“Yep. Nothing happened.”

Even I thought it was a dumb question. It was unlikely that Elena and Felicita would confess anything just because I asked.

“More importantly, I want to confirm things and get back to my room.”

“Just wait a bit. You’re so impatient.”

“Well, I just want to be alone with Luke in my room quickly.”

“….”

It seemed the earlier situation had just been my imagination. Seeing the two back to their usual selves filled me with relief.

Ding Dong―!

A loud sound echoed through the room. It was the sound indicating the elevator had reached the top floor.

“Looks like Giovanni has arrived.”

I headed back to the entrance to let Giovanni in instead of Elena and Felicita.

“Brother.”

“How did it go? Did you get anything?”

“Yes, a bit.”

Giovanni’s demeanor was more serious than usual.

He was typically a balanced mix of aggression and laid-backness, but he could quickly turn serious when needed.

If Sarina was the extremist and Carso was moderate, Giovanni felt like he was right in the middle.

“Miss, I’ve arrived.”

“Yep, come on in, Giovanni.”

I instructed Giovanni to share the information he had gathered from the Rat Hole right away.

“Um….”

“Oh, don’t mind Felicita.”

Even though she was my wife, Felicita was one of the significant figures in the Marinelli Family. Giovanni seemed uncertain or uncomfortable sharing his findings with her.

“Miss, is it okay?”

“…Well, what difference does it make if I know? Just go ahead and tell me.”

“Yes, then I will. Understood.”

Elena didn’t hesitate for a moment after hearing my words.

Of course, the wariness toward Felicita was still present.