The area of Haywoods, controlled by the Russo Family, has turned into a situation where the north is occupied by the Russo Family and the south by the Felini Family after fierce clashes.
In this situation, Damar Russo made his appearance in the southern part of Haywoods.
Damar Russo. He is the brother of Darius Russo, the boss of the Russo Family, and a Consigliere.
Unlike his hot-headed brother, whose reason tends to fly out the window when anger flares up, Damar is a pillar of the Russo Family, embodying both reason and intelligence.
“…Is the Wolf not around?”
He was greeted by several caporegimes, including Giovanni and Sarina.
“Yeah, he just stepped out.”
“What a shame. I’ve come to deliver my brother’s message.”
As Damar said this, he couldn’t tear his gaze away from Viola Carmen among the various caporegimes.
“Our family doesn’t want any more unrest.”
“And?”
“We want peace.”
“If you wanted peace, you shouldn’t have made the first move!”
“Sarina.”
Giovanni suddenly raised his voice, trying to reign in Sarina.
Damar had something to say regarding Sarina’s comment, especially concerning the woman he still gazed at.
Viola Carmen had defected to the Felini Family. However, there was no evidence that the Wolf orchestrated her betrayal. It remained mere suspicion.
“Don’t forget that you attacked that guy’s territory at night and sent a killer to the Academy.”
Giovanni continued Sarina’s interrupted thought. Unlike Sarina, his tone was not emotional.
Meanwhile, Lumini, the victim Giovanni pointed at, cleared his throat.
“Yeah, we missed our chances twice. That’s why I want to end this war here.”
It’s common in mafia wars for situations like this to arise.
When an assassination attempt fails, they usually cleanly give up.
“What we want is peace.”
“And what are the terms?”
“Those are not for us to decide. You all are the ones winning the war right now.”
Damar did his best not to provoke the opponent.
“So, I want you to relay my message to the Wolf. Set the terms you want and tell us. If they’re something we can manage, we’ll gladly accept.”
“Giovanni, wait a second.”
Viola, who had been silent until now, approached Giovanni and whispered something in his ear.
“Hold on, I need to inform the boss about this.”
Damar let them do as they wish. Even though the Wolf was absent, it would not hurt to confirm the black wolf’s reaction.
Giovanni immediately called the family boss, Elena Felini.
He then explained Damar Russo’s visit and what Viola had whispered to him.
“It’s dangerous. It could backfire and provoke those guys unnecessarily.”
“Still, it’s definitely an opportunity.”
“….”
“Miss.”
Giovanni emphasized that time was not abundant.
“Alright, but don’t make mistakes.”
“Yes.”
As soon as the call ended, Giovanni gestured to Viola.
Suddenly, Viola, Armo, and Lumini, three caporegimes, pointed their guns at Damar.
“Wait, what’s going on…?”
“Sorry, Damar. I just couldn’t let this opportunity slip by.”
Viola whispered to Giovanni, and Giovanni conveyed it to Elena.
The plan was to capture and detain Damar Russo right here. There’s no stronger card in this war than holding the pillar of the Russo Family hostage.
Damar immediately protested against this situation.
“Shut up, you mosquito bastard.”
But what awaited him was Sarina’s precise violence.
She knocked Damar out in an instant. Hitting someone hard on the back of the head usually results in either serious injury or death, not merely fainting.
Yet Sarina accomplished what would typically only happen in movies.
“…I wonder if this is a smart thing to do.”
Giovanni remarked as he watched Damar being dragged away. Meanwhile, Sarina and Viola wore very satisfied expressions.
*
While Damar was captured after coming to talk about peace, I was busy organizing the northern part of downtown. In fact, Elena and Salmo had already laid some groundwork, and with the support of the Solomon Family, there wasn’t much left for me to do.
However, it was crucial to wrap up downtown as quickly as possible. Moreover, my sudden appearance alongside my pack of wolves was a disaster for the smaller organizations in downtown.
“Avoid the places where they’re gathered, and focus on eliminating those scattered around and the weak businesses.”
“Yes, brother.”
There was no need for long explanations for my wolves. I had spent quite some time with these guys, even if they weren’t as established as Giovanni, Sarina, and Carso, who led their own packs.
“Brother, it’s a call for you, Miss.”
“Oh, I’ll take it from here.”
I was just using a suitable restaurant as a base.
As soon as I answered Elena’s call on a nearby phone, my sister delivered some very good news.
“Luke, Giovanni and Sarina have captured Damar Russo.”
“That guy?”
I hadn’t yet heard the full details, but this was excellent news. Damar, a high-ranking official of the Russo Family and the brother of Boss Darius Russo.
Darius may be hot-headed, but he is warmer towards his people than anyone else. Our father had exploited this weakness to subdue him back then.
“…I think we captured Damar once before.”
“Yeah, Dad took Damar hostage too.”
Once by Father and then by us, it seemed Damar didn’t get along well with my wolves.
“How did they manage to catch him?”
“They were planning to capture him when Damar came to deliver a message from the Russo, and Giovanni handled it on the spot.”
Viola was well aware of Damar’s significance, so it was clear why she suggested this. I didn’t know how Darius would react, but it seemed like quite a spectacle.
“I’m glad things are running smoothly even without me.”
“Yeah, they aren’t exactly easy opponents. By the way, how’s things on your end?”
“It’s taking some time, but eventually, they’ll kneel to us. With the Solomon guys around, it won’t take too long.”
In a way, the smaller organizations in downtown were now surrounded by me to the north, Elena to the east, and Dom Solomon to the west.
“Alright.”
After listening to Elena, I was about to hang up.
“Luke.”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t push yourself unnecessarily. Your safety is the most important thing.”
“…Got it.”
The boss prioritizing the safety of the underboss.
It felt like the situation had flipped, but it sounded great. I wondered if this was really the same Elena I knew.
After that, I helped organize downtown but didn’t take matters into my own hands. After all, the boss had given me orders. And honestly, I didn’t think it was necessary.
The organizations that had tasted the prowess of the wolves were the first to lose their will to fight and submit to our family. But fear is like a contagion, so one organization’s surrender led to another’s.
With the ongoing chain reaction, our control over downtown noticeably expanded.
“Still no word from Giovanni and Sarina?”
“Yes, brother. No news yet.”
In the meantime, I kept checking on the affairs in the northern part of downtown.
Though Giovanni, Sarina, Armo, and Viola were holding their ground, anything could happen.
[No news is good news.]
Amidst this, unusual writing appeared above the espresso I was sipping. It was a phrase I was quite familiar with.
Of course, it seemed a bit out of place to use in this situation.
“If anything happens, just let me know right away.”
“Yes.”
Honestly, even without saying this, I would naturally know if something was going on. There’s a difference between the boss directly intervening and the Consigliere Salmo handling things.
Meanwhile, one of the wolves under my command continued to catch my attention.
Maximilian Harper, known as the “hole man,” was a guy gifted to me by Vanella during the process of cleaning up organizations in River West.
Compared to the metal man with a similar background, Harper’s performance was quite impressive.
It might be due to the fact that the hole man was less known, but despite being forced into the role of a wolf, he was just as enthusiastic as the other wolves.
“Ranon, have you done anything to Harper?”
“Uh? No. We haven’t done anything to him.”
I asked Ranon, the most senior among my wolves. He was an unusual rhino-human who towered over me, making me, an elf, look like a baby in comparison.
“Brother, it seems that guy just enjoys killing people.”
“…Really?”
In any city, those types tended to have high job satisfaction in the underworld.
But they often had short lifespans compared to their high satisfaction.
“Should we give him some training before he causes an accident?”
“No, that’s unnecessary. Just keep a close watch on him.”
“Yes, understood.”
Ranon seemed a bit disappointed with my answer, which wasn’t what he expected.
That’s right. This rhino man is overly concerned about trivial things despite being a big guy, and he has a tendency to overdo it.
Of course, in the underworld, such a fault isn’t really a fault.
As soon as the commotion in downtown reached its limit, a piece of news arrived from the northern districts.
“….”
“Brother, is something wrong?”
“Uh, I expected this would happen… but actually seeing it become a reality is quite surprising.”
Giovanni delivered the good news over the phone. Darius Russo expressed his willingness to bow his head to us directly.
With cooperation agreements now with the Marinelli Family and Solomon Family, we were on the verge of bringing the Russo Family to its knees.
