chapter 1
Dusk, Chicago’s Little Italy district.
The street was amber. The moisture of the afternoon rainstorm, mixed with the burnt smell of bread and the bitterness of coffee, circled in the evening wind.
Leon stood under the bronze plaque of the “Holy Cross Church”, with the shadow cast by the church spire just covering his face, as if this could conceal the turmoil in his heart.
The black priest’s robe he was wearing was very wide.
Because there are two things hidden in the robe: a short barreled shotgun behind the left waist and a Swiss knife under the right rib.
This street is the busiest place in the district.
The bread seller pushed the tin cart, steam coming out from the cracks of the cart, wrapped in the fragrance of cinnamon; The woman in a floral dress held her son and squatted in front of the fruit stand, picking tomatoes; The jazz music from Tony’s Bar on the street corner wafted out, with a soft tune.
Leon’s gaze passed through the crowded crowd and landed on the bright yellow ice cream truck across the street.
The ice cream seller is Reikoba, who has a strong physique, bulging muscles, but also has a pair of very delicate hands.
At this moment, he is using a small spoon to scoop vanilla ice cream for a child, moving slowly and awkwardly, with the tip of the spoon always falling down.
Because he usually uses a flying knife hidden in a hidden compartment under the car instead of a spoon.
Those flying knives are brighter and faster than the spoon in his hand.
Tony’s Bar “is located diagonally across from the ice cream truck, with a somewhat dilapidated storefront and crooked symbols carved on the wooden door frame. The drinkers sat around the table made of large wine barrels, drinking and smoking cigars while chatting recklessly about women.
Only Butler sitting in the corner did not drink.
His body is short and strong, like a legendary dwarf warrior, with messy black hair, messy beard, and always chewing gum in his mouth.
No one dares to ask about Butler’s background, nor does anyone know. He always hides a four foot long machete in his arms, with a thick back and a thin blade that can directly cut open bones.
At the shoe shining booth outside the bar, Anthony was chatting and laughing with a man in a suit.
He is in his early twenties this year, with a smile on his face and the shoe cloth making a popping sound, looking like a heartless kid.
But Leon had seen his ruthlessness when he killed someone.
Last time at the dock, an enemy wanted to launch a surprise attack from behind. Anthony pulled out a thin sword from the shoe shining box, and the flash of the sword made a hole in the enemy’s throat, bleeding profusely.
Now in his shoeshine box, except for shoe polish and cloth, there is the sword hidden. The scabbard is sewn with old leather, which is exactly the same color as the box. If you don’t look closely, you can’t find it.
About ten steps towards the end of the street, a dark retro truck parked under the shade of trees, with the small lights on the front of the car, like two sleepy eyes.
Lucas leaned against the driver’s seat, his hat brim pressed very low, covering most of his face, and the iron chain in his hand was placed on the steering wheel.
That iron chain is his weapon, his partner, and his life.
Once there was a robber who wanted to steal his car. He shook the iron chain, and the robber’s neck was strangled with blood marks. Then his entire head fell off his neck, and no one dared to provoke him again.
The truck’s compartment is filled with explosives bought from the black market, and the fuse is hidden under the driver’s seat. With just the press of a button, at least half of the street will be turned into a pile of ruins.
They came together - Leon, Recoba, Butler, Anthony, Lucas.
Tonight, I’m going to do something big on this street, something bloody.
They are a group of assassins belonging to the Saints’ Night organization.
As long as the employer gives enough money, they don’t care whether the goal is good or bad, but this time it’s different, the goal this time is Salvador Rossi.
Salvador is the leader of the ‘Rossi family’, unlike the mafia who only know how to fight and kill.
He wants to unite the Costa, Bruno, and Rossi families who are at odds with each other, stop smuggling and casino business, and turn to legitimate wineries and transportation companies.
He came here this time to discuss cooperation with the leaders of two other families.
If the cooperation is negotiated, the people on this street who rely on smuggling and gambling to make a living will have a difficult time.
So, someone paid a high price and asked ‘Saint’s Night’ to send assassins to kill Salvador.
The dusk grew darker and darker, and street lamps lit up one by one, casting a clear yellow light on the damp street surface.
Leon knows that El Salvador is coming soon.
According to intelligence, Salvador will pass through this street at exactly 7 o’clock and go to the “Bella Restaurant” next to the church to make an appointment, but in the “Saints’ Night” plan, he cannot go to the restaurant.
Six days ago, they practiced on this street at least sixty times, with each step engraved in their bones:
The first step is to use the crossbow arrow from the ice cream truck to shoot through Salvador’s tire and force the car to stop;
The second step is for Lucas to drive a truck from the side and separate the Salvadoran car from the entourage;
Step three, Butler rushed over and used a knife to open the car door;
Step four, Anthony circled behind the car and blocked the back door;
Step five, Leon rushed forward and shot El Salvador with a shotgun;
Step six, Recoba is responsible for repairing the knife to ensure that El Salvador is out of gas;
Step seven, Lucas detonated the explosives in the truck and took advantage of the chaos to evacuate the scene.
They calculated that as long as they cooperate properly, they can complete these seven steps in just ten seconds at the fastest.
By the time they reached their 40th practice session, they were already able to finish within ten seconds, but the organization still allowed them to practice an additional twenty times.
Leon clenched his fists as the wind blew from the end of the street, carrying the scent of bread and making him feel cold all over. However, his heart kept silently murmuring:
Salvador cannot die!
Three years ago, Leon was still working in New York because he owed high interest loans and was chased by three debt collectors. In the end, he hid behind a trash can.
And El Salvador happened to be driving by, lowering the car window and saying to the debt collector, ‘This is my person.’.
The debt collector was so scared that he turned around and ran away when he saw that it was the leader of the Rossi family.
Before leaving, Salvador gave Leon a silver pocket watch and said, ‘If you’re at your wit’s end, come find me in Chicago!’.
Now, the silver pocket watch is still in Leon’s pocket, and the metal case has been heated by body temperature.
He knows the rules of ‘Saint’s Night’, and those who betray will not have a good ending.
Last year, an accomplice wanted to withdraw, but when he was finally discovered, his hands and feet were broken and he was thrown into the Michigan River, leaving his entire body intact.
Leon cannot watch Salvador die. The person who saved him and wanted to make this street better cannot die at the hands of ‘Night of the Saints’!
At this moment, a low engine sound came from the street corner, and Salvador’s black Lincoln sedan slowly turned in, its body shining so brightly that it could reflect a figure.
Leon’s heart suddenly quickened.
He saw the bodyguard in the passenger seat scanning around, and then the window in the back seat lowered a bit, revealing a face.
Slender eyes, towering nose, gray hair, but neatly combed, wearing a dark gray suit, tie is wine red, just like three years ago.
It’s Salvador Rossi.
The flower seller across the street suddenly raised a bouquet of red roses.
That’s the signal, the signal agreed upon by the organization. With one stroke of the red rose, it means El Salvador has arrived.
Rekoba’s hand immediately stopped, no longer digging ice cream for the child, but quietly touching the bottom of the car; Butler spat out his gum, reached into his arms, and tightly grasped the handle of the knife; Anthony put away his smile, threw the shoe cleaning cloth onto his shoulder, and touched the shoe cleaning box with his hand; Lucas sat up straight and pressed his finger on the explosive button under the steering wheel.
The assassination operation has begun.
Leon’s palms were covered in sweat.
His hand slowly reached into his robe, not to retrieve the shotgun, but to touch the pocket watch.
He has to shout out loud and remind El Salvador that even if he dies, he cannot let El Salvador die here.
The sedan is getting closer and closer to him, with 20 meters, 10 meters, and 5 meters left!
Leon took a deep breath and was about to shout out ‘be careful’, but before he could speak, a chill suddenly surged in his neck!
A hard, cold object pressed against the back of his head, a gun barrel with a metallic chill.
Don’t move around, Father, “a sharp voice whispered in his ear.” The organization has long known that you have a relationship with that old Salvadoran, and specifically asked me to keep an eye on you. Someone has already done your job for you
Leon’s muscles tightened instantly, and his hand under the priest’s robe quietly clenched the Swiss knife.
He could feel the person behind him breathing lightly, with their fingers on the trigger, clearly an experienced hand.
The ‘Night of the Saints’ was not that simple. They never believed him from the beginning, and this assassination even included their own people.
Suddenly, there was a crisp sound on the street, not gunshots, but the sound of a tire bursting.
As soon as the Lincoln sedan in El Salvador turned its head, the left rear tire was pierced by something, and the body suddenly tilted and came to a stop on the street.
