Copper Bell Tavern, backyard.
Luke swept his gaze around. Although he was younger than many of the people in the backyard,
the powerful aura brought by the Superman Template created a palpable sense of oppression, like a mountain weighing on everyone's hearts.
The entire place fell silent. No one spoke.
"The reason you pledged loyalty to me is for the honor of the Mafia families, for a better life for your families, and even more so, for your own futures!"
"Before Mussolini came to power, those police officers had to bow and scrape before you. Even the sheriffs had to watch their attitudes around you. But now? They can arbitrarily drag any one of you into prison as a suspect, then haul you to the square and shoot you..."
"The fascists have ruthlessly trampled on the dignity of every Mafia member and insulted the honor of each and every one of your families! It is time to rise up and fight like real men! Even if you bleed and die, at least you will earn glory and dignity!"
Luke's voice was calm. He did not speak with the fiery passion of a speech, and his tone was no different from the way he usually talked.
Yet when his words reached everyone's ears, every single one seemed to be filled with strength.
They could not help but feel their blood boil and their veins throb!
Even Alessandro, standing nearby, felt the same way!
That fierce face covered in a thick beard was filled with excitement, as though he had rediscovered his lost youth.
"Constantine's 'Hustle Expert' really is quite useful. I can redeem a few more cards later, just in case."
Luke used the prestige points he had accumulated over the past few days to redeem Constantine's skill card from the shop.
That exorcist who screwed over demons with his left hand, deceived angels with his right, and had specialized in backstabbing teammates for ten thousand years—the man people called "Zha Kang."
From the Justice League to supervillains, quite a few people had been screwed over by that guy.
When Constantine became your teammate, you had better be careful. It usually meant the Death Star above your head was shining!
Still, for all his habit of screwing people over, his ability to talk people into things was truly first-rate.
In later generations, he could practically become a top lecturer for some hope project!
When it came to stirring emotions and fooling people into dying, perhaps only the Fuhrer of the Axis Powers was slightly better!
"Today, I am not asking you to fight for me. You are fighting for your families, for honor, and for yourselves!"
"Go overturn the Apennine Peninsula! Let the names of the Mafia and the Corleone family once again resound throughout Sicily! Prove that you are not cowards, but brave warriors!"
Luke continued his persuasive speech. As soon as he finished, a chorus of agreement erupted from the backyard.
The scene resembled a later-generation success seminar. When successful entrepreneurs and famous tycoons carefully brewed bowl after bowl of inspirational chicken soup, the audience below would grow so worked up that they could hardly wait to run off and start businesses.
The young, strong, hot-blooded Mafia members in the backyard were the same.
Every one of them looked agitated, as though they were about to charge into the barracks and hang those damned fascists in the square!
"We are willing to follow Lord Corleone and obey every command!"
A somewhat clever young man stepped forward from the crowd and shouted first.
Then voices of support rose one after another.
These fresh recruits Alessandro had brought in all offered up their loyalty.
At that moment, Luke had practically transformed into Sicily's Mafia Godfather.
On the character panel, his prestige points continued to soar!
"This skill card was well worth the exchange!"
Luke felt secretly satisfied.
He had poured all the prestige points he had painstakingly saved into Constantine's skill card.
Not only had he earned back his investment, he had even made a slight profit.
"Too bad it only lasts twenty-four hours—damn greedy developers! All they know is how to trick people into spending money!"
Luke thought regretfully.
After completing the pre-battle mobilization, he made some preparations and got ready to head for Rome.
According to the plan, they would split into two groups. He and Dum Dum Dugan would pose as Berlin Envoys, while the others would infiltrate through Alessandro's channels.
After the two sides met up, they would head straight for Venice Palace!
Before that, however, they still had one task.
They would launch a surprise attack on the nearby naval camp and create an opportunity for the Allied Nations to land ashore.
"Hand out the food and weapons to them. Do not give them the bullets until the very end. Keep a close watch on them and do not let any trouble arise!"
After delivering that rousing speech, Luke handed the remaining matters over to Alessandro.
"Also, did the Mafia members from the other families you contacted earlier give you an answer?"
"As you instructed, I got Don Carlo out of his cell. He is willing to side with the Allied Nations! The other families agreed as well. They can be counted on for the raid on the naval camp!"
Alessandro lowered his head as he spoke.
He had not been idle these past few days. Aside from sending women to Luke, he had also contacted several major Mafia families.
When those gang bosses heard that Alessandro had established ties with the Allied Nations and become an informant for the Strategic Scientific Reserve, they all eagerly declared their loyalty. They wanted to provide men and resources, hoping to earn the status of anti-fascist Freedom Fighters and avoid trouble after the war.
"Good."
Luke nodded. As a "smuggler," the shipment he had brought in contained bread, cigarettes, and red wine for cover, while everything else was weapons and ammunition.
At first, Luke had not told Alessandro about their plan to raid the naval camp. He only revealed it now.
Because by this point, the Mafia boss had no way to abandon ship and could only obediently follow orders.
After repeatedly emphasizing several details, Luke returned to his room at the inn. The Howling Commandos held their breaths as they waited for their commander's orders.
"Alessandro got in touch with the camp commander. He is a high-ranking officer in the logistics department. His mistress happened to be having an affair with some Mafia thug, and then his wife was involved with a painter... Anyway, it is a very tangled mess."
As Luke spoke of the naval camp officer with a whole grassland growing atop his head, he could not help observing a moment of silence for him.
There was no such thing as peaceful years; someone was simply carrying the burden for you.
"In short, through that connection, Alessandro has dealings with him. They have already agreed that I will sneak in disguised as a smuggler, selling cheap cigarettes and liquor under the pretense of doing business. Cosa will also bring a group of strippers over to comfort those naval soldiers..."
Luke had arranged everything meticulously. If they provoked the German army armored division stationed on Sicily, that would be downright idiotic.
But with the strength of the Howling Commandos, raiding an Italian naval camp would not be a problem.
After all, everyone knew that Italy's military was rotten with corruption from top to bottom.
You could say it had decayed from the roots.
A senior officer openly colluding with smugglers and allowing strippers into a military camp?
If that happened among the Allied Nations, he would have been sent before a court-martial long ago!
What was more, Luke had a secret weapon!
Scarecrow's Fear Toxin!
"First, destroy their radio station and prevent any intelligence from leaking out. Then..."
Luke issued command after command, and the Howling Commandos all nodded.
They had long recognized the exceptional ability of this young captain. So long as they returned safely this time, even if they did not capture Mussolini alive,
they would have crossed the long front lines, infiltrated Italy itself, and taken a naval camp on Sicily!
That honor alone would be enough to make the Howling Commandos War Heroes and earn them lavish commendation from the Allied Nations!
"Get some rest. Prepare to move at 8:10!"
Luke waved his hand to dismiss the team members. When he turned around, he saw Marlena emerge from the bedroom.
She wore a long black velvet dress, with knitted floral decorations at the collar and cuffs. It was elegant without losing its splendor.
The soft fabric clung gently to her body, outlining her voluptuous curves.
"Mr. Corleone... come back safely."
This mature, stunning woman seemed to know something. Her red lips moved slightly before she spoke softly.
P.S. Thanks to ZHY Technology for the 100-point reward~
P.S. 2: Let me explain something. Personally, I do not really like following the group through the plot. For this World War II segment, the conventional approach would be to follow Captain America around, fight Hydra, show off a few times, and raise the favorability of plot characters like Howard and Carter... But I still hope to keep the focus on the protagonist. Of course, I will not neglect the appearances of plot characters either. The reason I have explained so much is mainly to say that if a fanfiction author truly wanted to pad word count, they would not painstakingly open up side plots that offer little reward. Setting aside the movie's original plot is both mentally taxing and not particularly beneficial.
P.S. 3: Of course, some esteemed readers may have had a poor impression because of the update schedule. But I need to make something clear: during the new-book period, updates cannot be pushed too hard. That is the rule. After all, I have not even gotten any recommendations yet, and I am still completely unsupported~
P.S. 4: Sometimes, authors reading comments can really affect their mindset, so from now on, "Sentry" will basically not read them anymore. This time, I was just too bored staying at home. I will not make that mistake again.
Before you continue