The hotel where Luke and his group stayed was in one of Sicily's major attractions, the Town of Taormina.
The climate here felt like spring all year round, and the scenery was exquisite.
Cliffs lay on one side, the sea on the other.
The city's buildings were piled like stones along the terraced, rolling mountains.
It had to be said that Alessandro truly knew how to get things done.
Or, more accurately, he knew exactly how to please those above him.
When Luke arrived at the inn called the Peashooter, he learned that Alessandro had already rented out the entire third floor to accommodate him and his entourage.
Moreover, the reason he had chosen this obscure little inn—
On one hand, it had few guests and would not attract too much attention;
On the other hand, the Peashooter Inn stood at the highest point of the Town of Taormina.
From a room on the third floor, all one had to do was open the window to overlook the entire town, feel the damp sea breeze, and hear the waves that brought peace to the heart.
Many people enjoyed that feeling—and Luke was no exception.
According to the plan, Alessandro needed to recruit twenty well-trained gunmen and obtain passes into Rome.
By his calculations, Luke would probably have to remain in the Town of Taormina for four or five days.
Having comfortable accommodations was a good thing.
Luke and the team chose their rooms. By protocol, either Dum Dum Dugan or Dinu Manelli should have shared a room with the commander.
That would provide protection and make it easier to deal with any unexpected incidents.
However, after witnessing Luke's own overwhelming strength,
The members of the Howling Commandos all said that they were the ones who needed protecting.
Thus, the two rooms beside Luke's became highly coveted within the team.
In the end, the two veterans, Dum Dum Dugan and Manelli, received the privilege of being "protected by a Super Soldier."
"For the next few days, Dugan and Manelli, take turns keeping an eye on Alessandro. He looks like a smart man, but we still need to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid!"
Inside Luke's room, the members of the Howling Commandos gathered to formulate the next stage of their mission.
This team dispatched by the Strategic Scientific Reserve had five members besides Luke, their commander.
Dum Dum Dugan, the assault trooper, was the most respected leader in the group.
Quiet and reticent, Dinu Manelli served as a scout and disguised himself to gather intelligence.
The remaining members were Jimmy, the sniper known as "America's Varisian," an unerring marksman.
Gelf, who handled assaults, and Kenneth, the machine gunner and driver.
"Dugan and I will pose as envoys sent from Berlin. The letters needed to verify our identities and the necessary props are all ready. The Allied Nations did capture a Berlin Envoy two weeks ago, thanks to reliable intelligence the Strategic Scientific Reserve extracted from a Hydra assassin!"
Luke spread out a map of Rome, marked with clear troop deployments.
"The others will follow Alessandro's gunmen into Rome. On the day of the operation, Jimmy, you will seize the high ground—this position here! Gelf and Kenneth will lead the gunmen in creating chaos at Venice Square!"
"The highest-ranking officer guarding Sicily is the Italian general Guzonilau. He has eleven local divisions under his command, as well as two German army armored divisions. During this time, the Allied Nations will conduct irregular bombing raids and move their fleet into the Strait of Tunisia, using Pantelleria Island as a base to create the illusion of an imminent landing and divert Guzonilau's attention."
"Our mission is to break into Venice Palace! We will force Mussolini to become our hostage. Within twenty-four hours, I believe the King of Italy will announce the dismissal of the Prime Minister! Anyone with foresight can see that the Axis Powers are finished."
"Then all we need to do is hand the dictator over to the Allied Nations. Whether it's Britain, America, the Army, or the Navy... it doesn't matter! But personally, I suggest we show some goodwill toward General Eisenhower."
After Luke finished his lengthy speech, the members of the Howling Commandos looked at one another before suddenly breaking into smiles.
It was as though a great weight had been lifted from their hearts, and they all let out a sigh of relief.
Although this young commander had previously dismissed the Italian army as worthless, infiltrating enemy territory with a single team and capturing its leader alive—
It sounded like a legendary tale from a third-rate novel, completely lacking in credibility.
The Howling Commandos had agreed to follow Luke not because of his charisma as a leader, but because they had no other choice.
They were already on the ship, so what else could they do but follow the captain's orders?
However, after seeing Luke's plan and the confidence he displayed, the Howling Commandos no longer harbored any other thoughts.
They felt that they could trust this young commander!
"Dismissed."
Sensing the change in the team's atmosphere, a faint smile appeared on Luke's lips.
Perhaps only now had he truly been accepted and gained command of this team.
After resting for a while, Luke enjoyed a seafood feast alone, then stood on the balcony as the sky gradually darkened.
The afterglow of the setting sun sank beneath the horizon. Pedestrians played on the silver beach, while rows of palm trees swayed in the night breeze like dancers.
Farther away were a few seagulls skimming the water, along with churning waves and rising tides.
Luke relaxed, and a trace of anticipation appeared in his eyes.
A few days from now, whether the Axis Powers or the Allied Nations, everyone would hear his name and his near-legendary deeds.
"Even without following the plot, without trailing behind Captain America, I can still become a 'hero' in the eyes of the world."
Luke smiled.
Leading fewer than thirty men to conquer a nation.
That was a staggering achievement worthy of being recorded in history.
Just as Pizarro had conquered the Inca Empire, with a population of roughly six million, using fewer than two hundred men.
Reining in his wandering thoughts, Luke went out alone to take a stroll during this rare moment of leisure.
He walked down the street and came upon a magnificent theater, where crowds surged and the atmosphere was lively.
Beneath the noisy, boiling night sky, if he stopped and listened, he could faintly hear chants from "Oedipus" or "Antigone."
Naturally, he also encountered quite a few Italian girls with captivating charm.
Unfortunately, Luke had no intention of having a romantic encounter, disappointing the fiery enthusiasm of those beautiful women.
After wandering aimlessly for forty minutes, he returned to the inn.
"Hmm!"
As Luke prepared to open the door, his eyes narrowed, flashing with a cold gleam.
With his keen senses, he could clearly hear another person's breathing inside the room. It was faint and intermittent, difficult to notice without listening carefully.
Did Cosa really betray me and reject the olive branch extended by the Allied Nations? Or had Hydra discovered the plan?
A flurry of thoughts raced through Luke's mind.
He gently pushed open the door, his feet landing on the soft carpet without making the slightest sound.
The sea breeze blew in through the half-open window as Luke slowly approached the large bed in the master bedroom.
He was confident that if the intruder showed even the slightest abnormal movement, he could snap their neck in less than a second.
"Come out..."
"Ah!"
Luke abruptly threw back the blanket and lunged forward, his right hand pressing against the "intruder's" throat.
"A woman?"
Luke, pinning the other person beneath him, wore a stunned expression.
A woman in a silk nightgown lay on the bed. She had a cascade of wavy black hair, long legs slightly curled up, and beautiful eyes brimming with tears, like a pitiful lost lamb.
"Who are you?"
It took Luke a long while to force out those words.
This woman, overflowing with mature allure like a ripe, enticing peach, did not look like a Hydra assassin no matter how he looked at her.
Her muscles showed no signs of training, firm but lacking strength.
And beneath the silk nightgown, everything was plainly visible. There was nowhere she could have hidden a weapon.
"My name is... Marlena."
The woman's voice was weak, just like her appearance.
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