Chapter 187: Don Luciano Vanezzi’s Plea
The Donovans, the Alberts, every mid-tier faction present, and even surprisingly some of the slightly bigger players were extremely eager to hear more details on the second day of the Summit.
They were the first to sign up for this elite academy/force that Uhtred was building. Donovan Jr. was recommended by his father immediately. The same went for Sophie, Albert’s daughter. Even though Uhtred had said he could only guarantee a chance, and that entry to the academy was only by skill alone, they still joined eagerly.
Sofia, Black Sun’s daughter, also made her interest public, joining the rising number of young ascenders who applied. In total, eleven people present in the Summit — heirs of the mid-tier factions who had been brought along to the Summit to gain experience — signed up to follow Uhtred back to his territory where the first screening would take place. For these mid-tier factions, this was the most fortuitous encounter of the entire Summit!
Of course, Uhtred personally had no time to think of the applicants or play babysitter for any of them. That task fell onto Dennis. In fact, not long after the applicants were finalized, one of the three array-powered jets was made ready to take them straight to Capitol of the Elite. They took off under the gazes of their family heads, hopeful and full of ambition.
Black Sun was particularly solemn as he watched them go. He had fought to have his daughter by his side, yet she was already spreading her wings to fly out of his reach again...
Or maybe she was already an unfettered bird and he wasn’t willing to see it.
As he watched her wave at him from the window of the ascending jet, he realized that perhaps he had underestimated his daughter. Up until when he found her, she had survived in the Trial of Ages where millions had died en masse, all on her own.
"Maybe this is for the best," he muttered, and Uhtred heard.
"It’s a dangerous new world, Mateo. You have to let her learn how to protect and fend for herself while things are still relatively peaceful," Uhtred said from the side, his expression turning distant. "Because, trust me... this peace won’t last for long."
His words were ominous, causing Mateo to frown. What did Uhtred know?
Thinking about it more carefully now, Uhtred’s series of actions over the past month were kind of odd. Black Sun Mateo didn’t see Uhtred as an overly generous or a "for the good of all peoples" kind of guy. Even with the tensions and turmoil around the world, Uhtred struck him as a person who would have simply just remained purposefully uninvolved, doing his own thing.
Yet, he had done the exact opposite of that. Was this some sense of responsibility as the most powerful human on the planet sprouting up within him? Or, more likely, was there something he secretly knew that drove his series of actions?
Mateo was about to ask Uhtred about it when Don Luciano Vanezzi, head of La Familia La Suprema, suddenly stepped up to them.
Before the bewildered eyes of everyone present — the World Government, the Free Ascenders’ Guild, the Castiglione family, King Alexei, and the rest of the factions gathered to watch the applicants leave for the Capitol of the Elite — Don Luciano dropped to his knees.
He knelt at Uhtred’s feet. His face was strangely calm and his eyes flat, yet he looked up at Uhtred with a conflicted expression.
Everyone was taken aback by what was happening. But at the same time, they weren’t. They all knew the Vanezzis had intruded into Uhtred’s territory. And while rumors had muddled the exact details, the main powerhouses knew the true story, and even the mid-tier factions could clearly see there was serious bad blood between Uhtred and the Vanezzis.
How he hadn’t reacted to their presence here since the previous day was already a surprise to many parties present. Perhaps he had been taking his time with them, making them walk on eggshells the entire Summit, unable to speak or voice any opinions even though they were present as a major player.
Now, though, it seemed the mafia family head had had enough.
"I underestimated you, Uhtred," Don Luciano started, his tone hard. "I knew you would retaliate... but I never took you as a man who would go to such an extent."
People began to whisper among themselves, trying to figure out what Don Luciano was talking about. Had Uhtred already retaliated? When did this happen?
"To employ such vile methods," a flicker of agony broke across the Don’s face for a brief moment before he caught himself, his jaw clenching. "To slaughter my familia. To make me sit here and listen to grand talks of what could have been..."
"So you’ve finally received a report," Uhtred said, looking at the man coldly. "Also. You make it sound like I’m a heartless monster who killed off your entire family when I did not. Your wives and children are just fine, are they not?"
"My sons are dead!" Don Luciano growled, his voice filled with hate, not able to contain himself any longer.
"—Because they refused to give up your lands and dungeons. Of course I killed them," Uhtred corrected. "They could’ve lived if they were willing to relinquish the name ’La Familia La Suprema’ and every resource tied to that name."
"I promised to wipe your force off the face of the planet. And I presented the easiest, non-violent way to do it," Uhtred shrugged. "But your sons were... uncooperative, just like my crew member Minh Quan was when you tried doing the same."
"Curse you, Uhtred," the Don seethed through his teeth.
The familia men standing behind him also gritted their teeth in anger. But that was all they could do. They understood the situation. Over the night, Uhtred had headed to the Vanezzi territories and killed the familia’s major forces. He made overbearing demands just like they had in his territory when he wasn’t around.
But unlike the Vanezzis who only took Minh Quan’s hand, he took the lives of those who put up a fight. And in a family of hot-blooded mafia men, that number was a lot. Sons, uncles, grandfathers... There were even fiery women among them who attacked viciously, thinking Uhtred would go easy on them. He didn’t.
By the time dawn arrived, the ascenders who constituted the fighting force of the La Familia La Suprema were all gone. Exterminated.
Uhtred and his crew returned before the Summit for the second day could commence. They continued the Summit without the slightest change to their expressions. As if what had happened overnight wasn’t even worth mentioning.
Don Luciano Vanezzi and the few familia who followed him to the Summit didn’t find out anything until just moments ago.
Of course, they had known something was wrong after repeated failed attempts to contact the main family base through their own means. They had even tried sending some of their people back after smelling something fishy, but the Vanezzi family teleportation circles were usually closed to other public teleportation circles most of the time.
Still, something as big as that couldn’t be hidden for long.
"It pains me that I cannot get to enjoy this new era," the Don’s voice was still shaky with pained rage, but he had reined in most of it to form coherent words. "As the Don, I cannot beg for my life when my sons and familia have done their duty and given up theirs to uphold our name..."
He looked up suddenly at Uhtred, who was still looking down at him with a flat look.
"...But I can beg for the future of my bloodline!" He pointed at a brown-haired, freckled-faced boy shielded in the midst of the Vanezzi men remaining. "My youngest son! He is only sixteen! He hasn’t been integrated yet by the System! He has done no wrong!"
"Uhtred, you have made true on your words! You have erased the La Familia La Suprema and Vanezzi name already! I know my life is forfeit here! But let the boy live! He should not suffer for the sins of his father! He will take on a new name if he has to!"
Don Luciano paused, and in his eyes, a deep, pained yearning was evident. He swallowed every last bit of pride he had left and lowered his head to the ground.
As a Don of a mafia family, he could have gone out in many more glorious ways. Even though Uhtred was much, much more powerful than he was, that didn’t mean anything to someone of his stature. This was a fully-fledged Don. Someone who lived and breathed violence even before the integration ever happened.
Facing an immovable wall like Uhtred, knowing he was sure to die, he still would have done so without the slightest hesitation, especially considering that he had just lost most of his familia. His older sons had recognized this fact too, taking the more difficult choice even though they knew they stood no chance against Uhtred.
This was simply the way. They had done the same to many fathers, sons and entire families. They knew their end would also likely be the same. It was a hazard of their dangerous lifestyle.
But despite knowing all of this, Don Luciano had chosen to kneel.
Instead of going out in blazing glory in a fight against Uhtred, he had chosen to bow his head and beg for the life of his last son.
"Please, let the boy live. Let my bloodline carry on among the stars in this glorious new era!"