Self-Strategy, Family Name

The next day, early morning.

A pale white light appeared on the horizon, and the golden sun leaped above the sea level, awakening the sleeping Sicily.

Luke opened his eyes and got out of the large bed in the second bedroom.

He pulled open the billowing curtains and took a deep breath of the morning sun.

He was like a plant undergoing photosynthesis, feeling the warm light seep into his cells bit by bit, slowly transforming his body.

"Another energetic day."

Luke stretched his limbs and walked into the washroom.

After he finished washing up, a sumptuous breakfast was already laid out on the table.

"I wonder if Cosa's mission is completed yet?"

Luke twirled his seafood pasta with a fork, thinking as he ate.

On this beautiful island, which was almost isolated from the rest of the world, the administrative officials were divided into the Governor, the District Chief, and the lowest-ranking Magistrate.

Taking out the Magistrate of the town of Taormina, and taking advantage of the vacancy period before a successor was chosen, the Mafia could operate more conveniently.

"I wonder what Rogers is doing now? Is he still performing on stage?"

A moment later, Luke heard sounds coming from the master bedroom.

Marlena, who had finally enjoyed a peaceful sleep, carefully opened the bedroom door.

Seeing Luke sitting at the dining table, efficiently enjoying his food.

She was like a startled fawn, and quickly retracted her head that had peeked out.

"You're awake? I had someone prepare some clean clothes for you. Come and eat something."

Luke smiled and said softly, "Marlena, if you're staying under the same roof as me, we'll have to meet eventually. What's the point of hiding from me?"

After hearing this, Marlena silently walked out, draped in her silk pajamas.

She bent down, picked up the brand-new clothes placed on the sofa, and then returned to her room.

Ten minutes later, the master bedroom door was opened, and Marlena, dressed in casual home wear, sat down at the dining table somewhat awkwardly.

"The noodles have gone cold. There's only a sandwich and juice."

Luke looked up and saw that they fit perfectly.

He was probably the first person to apply super vision to guess a woman's measurements.

"I've already told Cosa that I'll let you go back in a few days—don't misunderstand, Marlena. I came to Sicily to handle some business and won't be staying long. I'll probably leave tomorrow or the day after. For the sake of secrecy, I'll have to trouble you to stay here for two days."

Luke's polite demeanor slightly relaxed Marlena's taut nerves.

Just as Alessandro had said, she was now jobless and had no source of income. Coupled with the food rationing during wartime, she had become a sweet cake coveted by the men of Sicily, with everyone wanting a taste.

If she hadn't met Luke, Marlena would have eventually had to abandon her principles and descend into depravity with despair and numbness in her heart.

"Thank you, Mr. Corleone!"

Thinking of this, Marlena felt a sense of gratitude towards the young man sitting opposite her.

She took small bites of her sandwich while observing Luke, who was reading a newspaper.

His neat short black hair, his sharply defined facial features, his slightly sharp gaze...

On Sicily, he would surely captivate many passionate and beautiful girls!

"Marlena, I'm going out for a while. If you need anything, you can contact the hotel staff, and they'll provide it for you."

Luke put down the newspaper and glanced at the time.

He thought it was time to meet Alessandro and the twenty gunmen he had recruited.

"Okay, okay. Mr. Corleone."

Marlena leaned against the doorframe, watching Luke's retreating figure, and felt an inexplicable sense of peace.

She had already resigned herself to becoming a plaything, but her gloomy life seemed to have a glimmer of hope.

With mixed feelings, Marlena returned to the dining table. She inadvertently saw the open newspaper, and on the bold, eye-catching headline, it read—

Shocking! Magistrate Falls Off a Cliff While Driving, the Truth Behind It Is This!

"The Magistrate is dead?"

Marlena stared blankly, unsure of what to say.

Had the heaviest stone pressing down on her disappeared just like that?

Wait...

It was Mr. Corleone!

Marlena thought of how Alessandro, who was domineering and feared by all on Sicily, bowed and showed deference to that young man.

"Is it really him?"

Experiencing a dramatic emotional rollercoaster, Marlena looked out at the clear blue sky and white clouds, her heart churning like a stormy sea, no longer able to find peace.

Luke had no idea that Marlena, back in her room, had begun to strategize for herself.

He led the Howling Commandos out of town, circling the coastline for a few laps.

After mapping out the guard posts and defensive forces of the surrounding military camps, he returned to the Copper Bell Tavern.

In the backyard stood dozens of young, strong men.

"These are the finest warriors in the family! Every one of them is a sharpshooter, willing to sacrifice for the family!"

Alessandro didn't bring up the Magistrate's "accident" on his own; it was a trivial matter.

The Mafia had always been skilled in this kind of business.

That Magistrate, who looked like a fat pig, visited his mistress once a week.

Alessandro had simply ordered someone to tamper with his car, making it look like brake failure and a skid, which unfortunately sent him and the vehicle tumbling off a cliff.

After all, there were no surveillance cameras back then, making it impossible to find any clues or the culprit.

"Are they the Camorra Family's 'legion,' or yours?" Luke asked calmly.

"Of course they're mine! But now, they belong to you, Mr. Corleone!"

Alessandro seemed to have anticipated the question. He shouted, "This is Mr. Vito Corleone! His father's generation were Sicilians who were brutally persecuted by that dictator, that executioner Mussolini, forcing them to leave their homeland and wander!"

"And now, Mr. Corleone has achieved success! He has returned to his homeland with bread and wine, guns and bullets!"

"From today onwards! We are no longer members of the Camorra family! We have only one allegiance, and that is to Mr. Corleone!"

Luke quietly admired Alessandro's performance, seeing him claim to be Sicilian with a straight face, vividly portraying the helplessness and anger of being persecuted and driven from his home.

He could only think that the Oscars of the future owed this Mafia boss a statuette!

"As expected, acting and lying are skills any superior must master," Luke mused.

Although Alessandro was fawning before him like a jester, humble as a sycophant.

It was because Luke represented the Allied Nations behind him, coupled with several subtle displays of power, that forced the Mafia boss to lower his head and bend his back.

Luke wouldn't truly look down on Alessandro because of this; even the most docile wolf could still bite.

If one let their guard down, they might get bitten at any moment.

"You are not standing here today to pledge allegiance to me. The name Vito Corleone is just a stranger to you..."

Luke's gaze swept over the men in the backyard, some of whom were gunmen recruited by Alessandro, others were Mafia enforcers.

These young men he'd never met likely had no loyalty to him.

But they obeyed the family leader, obeyed power and status.

This was a tradition of the Mafia for hundreds of years: loyalty to the family, never betraying it.

Although the Mafia rooted in North America had almost forgotten these outdated traditions.

In Sicily, however, this approach was still very effective.

When Mussolini launched his crackdown on the Mafia, he arrested thousands of suspects and subjected them to torture.

Whipping, nail removal, even electroshock torture – various cruel punishments were inflicted, yet few dared to betray the family.

Even in defiance of the Fascists and Mussolini, The Mafia, organized by different gangs and families, specifically formed assassination squads composed of core members.

These individuals called themselves the "Glorious Society," and their targets were Fascist officials and police officers.

The Strategic Scientific Reserve chose the Mafia as informants precisely because these violent men weren't afraid of the Mussolini government and were easily manipulated and bought.

ps: Another energetic day, the author presents a steaming hot update, please give a quality three-hit combo~