Sicily, Beautiful Legend

The hotel where Luke and his team were staying was an important attraction in Sicily: the town of Taormina.

The climate here was always spring-like, with beautiful scenery.

One side faced a cliff, and the other faced the sea.

The city's buildings were piled up like stones on the continuous, terraced peaks.

It had to be said that Alessandro was very good at handling things.

Or, to be more precise, he knew exactly how to please those in power.

Luke arrived at the hotel named "Peashooter" and learned that Alessandro had already booked an entire floor on the third level to host him and his accompanying personnel.

Furthermore, the reason for choosing this lesser-known small hotel was twofold.

On one hand, there were fewer guests, so it wouldn't attract too much attention.

On the other hand, the Peashooter hotel was located at the highest point of the town of Taormina.

If one stayed in a room on the third floor, simply opening the window would allow them to overlook the entire town, feel the humid sea breeze, and hear the calming sound of the waves.

Many people enjoyed this feeling—Luke was no exception.

According to the plan, he needed Alessandro to recruit twenty well-trained gunmen and obtain a pass to enter Rome.

Calculating the time, Luke estimated he might have to stay in the town of Taormina for about four to five days.

Having a comfortable place to stay was a good thing.

Luke and his team members chose their rooms. By regulation, either Dum Dum Dugan or Dino Manelli was supposed to share a room with the commander.

This would serve as protection and also facilitate dealing with any potential unexpected situations.

However, after witnessing Luke's own formidable strength.

The members of the Howling Commandos all expressed that they were the ones who needed protection.

Therefore, the two rooms next to Luke's became highly sought after within the team.

In the end, Dum Dum Dugan and Manelli, the two veterans, received the "benefit of being protected by a Super Soldier."

"For the next few days, Dugan and Manelli, you two will take turns keeping an eye on Alessandro. Although he seems like a smart person, we must also prevent him from making any foolish mistakes!"

In Luke's room, the members of the Howling Commandos gathered to formulate the upcoming mission plan.

This team, dispatched by the Strategic Scientific Reserve, consisted of five people besides Luke, who served as the commander.

Dum Dum Dugan, the assault man, was the most respected leader in the team.

Dino Manelli, who was always taciturn and not talkative, served as the scout and also as a disguised operative for gathering intelligence.

The remaining team members were sniper Jimmy, known as "America's Varisian," a sharpshooter who never missed;

Gelf, responsible for the assault, and Kenneth, the machine gunner and veteran driver.

"Dugan and I will be posing as secret envoys sent from Berlin. The letters of identification and necessary props are all prepared. The Allies did indeed capture a Berlin envoy two weeks ago, thanks to the reliable intelligence that the Strategic Scientific Reserve extracted from the mouths of Hydra assassins!"

Luke spread out a map of Rome, which clearly showed the troop deployments.

"The others will follow Alessandro's team of gunmen to Rome. On the day of the operation, Jimmy, you will seize the high ground—this position right here! Gelf and Kenneth will be responsible for leading the gunmen and creating chaos in Venice Square!"

"The highest-ranking officer guarding Sicily is Italian General Guzonilau, who commands eleven local divisions and two German armored divisions. During this period, the Allies will conduct intermittent bombings and move their fleet into the Strait of Tunisia, using Pantelleria Island as a base to create the illusion of an impending landing, thereby diverting Guzonilau's attention."

"Our mission is to infiltrate Venice Palace! We will take Mussolini hostage. In less than twenty-four hours, I believe the King of Italy will issue a decree to dismiss the Prime Minister! Anyone with foresight can see that the Axis Powers' dominance is waning."

"Then, we just need to hand over the dictator to the Allies. Whether it's Britain or America, the Army or the Navy... it doesn't matter! However, I personally suggest showing goodwill towards General Eisenhower."

After Luke finished his lengthy speech, the members of the Howling Commandos looked at each other and then broke into smiles.

It was as if a heavy weight had been lifted from their hearts, and they all breathed a sigh of relief.

Although the young commander had previously dismissed the Italian army as worthless, the idea of a single team infiltrating enemy territory to capture the leader sounded like a legendary tale from a third-rate novel, completely lacking in realism.

The Howling Commandos followed Luke not because of his charismatic leadership, but simply because they had no other choice.

Since they were already on board, what else could they do but follow the captain's orders?

However, seeing the plan Luke had devised and the confidence he exuded, the Howling Commandos no longer had any reservations.

They felt they could trust this young commander!

"Dismissed."

Sensing the change in the team's atmosphere, a smile touched Luke's lips.

Perhaps only now had he truly been recognized and gained command of this team.

After a brief rest, Luke enjoyed a seafood feast alone and stood on the balcony, watching the sky darken.

The afterglow of the sunset sank into the horizon. Pedestrians played on the silver beach. Rows of palm trees swayed in the night breeze, performing a graceful dance.

Further in the distance, a few seagulls skimmed the water, accompanied by the surging waves and tides.

Luke's mind relaxed, and a sense of longing arose in his eyes.

In a few days, regardless of whether they were Axis or Allies, everyone would hear his name and learn of his almost legendary deeds.

"Even if I don't follow the script, even if I don't trail behind Captain America, I can still become the 'hero' in the eyes of the world."

Luke smiled.

Leading fewer than thirty men to conquer a country.

This was an astonishing feat that would be recorded in history.

Just like Pizarro, who conquered the Inca Empire, with a population of about six million, using fewer than two hundred men.

He reined in his wandering thoughts and took advantage of the rare leisure time to go out for a walk alone.

He walked along the street and arrived at a magnificent theater, bustling with people and buzzing with excitement.

Under the noisy night sky, he stood still, faintly hearing the chanting of "Oedipus" or "Antigone."

Of course, he also encountered many Italian girls with charming dispositions along the way.

Unfortunately, Luke had no intention of having a romantic encounter, thus disappointing the passionate enthusiasm of those beautiful ladies.

After walking aimlessly for forty minutes, he returned to the inn.

"Hmph!"

As Luke prepared to push open the door, his eyes narrowed, and a cold glint shot out.

With his keen senses, he could clearly hear another person's breathing in the room, faint and almost imperceptible. If one didn't listen carefully, it would be difficult to detect.

"Is Cosa really so stupid as to betray me and reject the olive branch offered by the Allies? Or has Hydra discovered the plan?"

Many thoughts raced through Luke's mind at once.

He gently pushed open the door and stepped onto the soft carpet, making no sound at all.

The sea breeze blew through the half-open window, and Luke slowly walked towards the large bed in the master bedroom.

He was confident that if the intruder showed the slightest sign of movement, he could break their neck in less than a second.

"Come out..."

"Ah!"

Luke suddenly threw back the covers and pounced, his right hand pressing down on the "intruder's" neck.

"It's a woman?"

Luke, pinning her down, looked astonished.

A woman in a silk nightgown lay on the bed. She had wavy, raven-black hair, her slender legs were slightly curled, and her beautiful eyes were filled with tears, like a pitiful, lost lamb.

"Who are you?"

It took Luke a while to manage that question.

This woman, exuding an aura of maturity, like a plump and alluring peach, didn't look like a Hydra assassin at all.

Her muscles showed no signs of training; they were firm but lacked strength.

Moreover, her silk nightgown revealed everything, and there was no place to hide a weapon.

"My name is... Marlena."

The woman's voice was soft, just like her appearance.

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