chapter 195 part 1
Chapter 194: The Telephone
Relying on the bootleg liquor business, Lucky Luciano successfully expanded the Mafia's influence throughout New York.
However, it was clear that Lucky Luciano's ambition didn't stop there.
At the recently concluded First Global Mafia Congress, Lucky Luciano gathered 24 families, persuaded them to form and elect The Commission, laid out the next phase of their overall operational strategy, and established a new Mafia Code: first, no Drug Trafficking; second, the Murder of Law Enforcement Officials was strictly forbidden, unless The Commission unanimously voted to approve it.
The establishment of these two laws wasn't due to any kindness on the part of Lucky Luciano and the Mafia families. Rather, it was because drug trafficking and murdering police officers would incite public outrage, leading the Council to increase police funding. Investigating crimes was a costly affair; without additional funding, the police could only watch helplessly as one Mafioso after another was acquitted.
The formation of The Commission signified the Mafia's move toward a more organized structure.
And Lucky Luciano, as the convener of the congress, had certainly stolen the show.
"Hmph..."
Taking a drag from the Cigar in his hand, Lucky Luciano drew his gaze back from the semi-finished Four-Color Duplex Sheet-fed Offset Press on the Assembly Line. His eyes fell upon Colin inside the factory. "I wonder, what are the results of Mr. Colin Luper's investigation into Tammany Hall?"
Not long ago, Lucky Luciano had received an inquiry from Tammany Hall.
Colin's *Daily Messenger* seemed to have no intention of backing down. On the contrary, it had recently used its pages to get involved in the General Election, which made Tammany Hall question Lucky Luciano's capabilities.
"It's still ongoing."
After their meeting at the Polo Grounds, Colin hadn't paid much mind to the Tammany Hall matter at all, so naturally, there was no investigation to speak of.
"Perhaps I can help a little."
Hearing Colin's reply, Lucky Luciano's gaze lingered on him for a long while, but Colin met it with a calm expression.
Slowly retracting his gaze, Lucky Luciano stated the purpose of his visit. "Mr. Hynes, the chairman of Tammany Hall, would be very pleased to meet with Mr. Colin Luper to resolve any misunderstandings."
Currently, Tammany Hall's political power in New York City was still immense.
Even Lucky Luciano was unwilling to offend them lightly.
Especially with the General Election approaching, Tammany Hall's importance as the Democratic Party's Political Machine became all the more prominent.
Even though the Democratic Party itself was aware of Tammany Hall's numerous internal problems, as the party out of power, they still needed to leverage Tammany Hall's strength to unseat the ruling Republican Party. This was also why Jimmy Walker, a key figure in New York's corruption, was merely forced to step down.
"I don't believe there are any misunderstandings."
Colin calmly refused.
He wasn't in the habit of meeting people under threat, and moreover, as someone from the future, Colin knew very well that Tammany Hall's glory days wouldn't last much longer.
After refusing the invitation, Colin's gaze fell on the Mafia leader, pondering. If Lucky Luciano or Tammany Hall didn't know what was good for them, he wouldn't mind using some special methods to take care of them.
In the Main World, his Super Strength wasn't enough to confront an army head-on.
However, it was more than enough to deal with the Mafia.
Besides, in this society, there was more than one way to deal with an opponent. Armed with his foreknowledge, Colin could easily use the influence he had built in New York to subtly resolve these troubles.
This time, Lucky Luciano's gaze lingered on Colin for far longer than ever before.
Just as Colin thought the other man was about to make a move and was mentally preparing to act...
Lucky Luciano suddenly withdrew his gaze. "I understand. I will relay your attitude, Mr. Colin Luper, to Tammany Hall."
"From now on, I will no longer be involved in this matter."
Lucky Luciano seemed intent on extricating himself from the affair between Colin and Tammany Hall, preventing himself from getting too deeply embroiled in their conflict.
Hearing this, Colin couldn't help but give Lucky Luciano a second look.
In a way, the man's ability to become the commanding Mafia leader of New York's Underworld was truly due to his unique qualities.
This was perhaps why Lucky Luciano was able to remain at the helm of his Mafia enterprise, unscathed, even after the fall of Tammany Hall.
With that, Lucky Luciano took out his wallet, pulled out a 100-dollar bill, and handed it to Colin, saying, "This is compensation for disrupting your factory's production."
Colin took the 100-dollar bill from Lucky Luciano's hand with a clear conscience.
The man's actions had indeed affected his Messenger Factory.
After handing the compensation to Colin, Lucky Luciano didn't linger any longer and quickly left with his men.
Watching Lucky Luciano's departing figure, Colin glanced down at the bill in his hand.
"Mr. Luper..."
As Lucky Luciano and his men left, Langge and the workers returned to the factory.
"Have the workers get back to it."
Putting the bill away, Colin instructed Langge, who nodded and called out to the workers behind him.
Hearing Langge's call, the still somewhat anxious workers collectively breathed a sigh of relief and returned to the familiar Assembly Line to continue assembling the offset presses.
"What's the factory's current progress?"
Watching the diligent workers on the Assembly Line, Colin shifted the topic to production.
"The first Four-Color Duplex Sheet-fed Offset Press is almost fully assembled..."
Noticing that Colin didn't want to elaborate on the issue with Lucky Luciano and his men, Langge cooperatively replied, "The offset press just went on the line not long ago, so the workers are still in the learning phase. Their speed will increase once they become more proficient."
"What about orders?"
"I've contacted a printing factory. They are very interested in the Printing Technology of the Four-Color Duplex Sheet-fed Offset Press, but they need to see the actual printing results before making a decision. In addition, I've also reached out to some newspaper offices." At this point, Langge couldn't help but glance at Colin, who was also a member of the press. "Both *World Daily News* and *The New York Times* have expressed interest in this new technology."
Aside from the interruption caused by Lucky Luciano, production at the Messenger Mechanical Factory was steadily getting on the right track.
After leaving the factory in Brooklyn, Colin didn't go directly back to the Newspaper Office. Instead, he made a call from a public Telephone Booth.