Redeeming Skill Cards, Overturning the Apennines

The Copper Bell Tavern, backyard.

Luke scanned the area, though he was younger than many in the backyard.

However, the powerful aura brought by the Superman Template created a palpable pressure, like a mountain weighing down on everyone's hearts.

The entire place fell silent, no one spoke.

"You are loyal to me for the honor of the Mafia family, for the good life of your families, and even more for your own future!"

"Before Mussolini took power, those police officers had to bow and scrape to you, even the magistrates had to look at your faces. But now? They can arbitrarily drag any one of you to prison as a suspect, and then drag you to the square to be shot..."

"The Fascists are brutally trampling on the dignity of every Mafia member, insulting the family honor of each and every one of you! It's time to rise up and resist, to fight like real men, even if you bleed to death, at least you'll gain glory and dignity!"

Luke's voice was calm, not impassioned or rousing like a speech; it was completely the same as how he normally spoke.

But when it reached everyone's ears, it felt as if every word carried immense power.

It made their blood boil and their veins throb!

Even Alessandro, standing beside him, felt the same!

His fierce, full-bearded face was filled with excitement, as if he had rediscovered his lost youth.

"Constantine's 'Hustle Expert' is really quite useful. I should redeem more of them in the future, just in case."

Luke had used the reputation points he'd accumulated over the past few days to redeem Constantine's skill card from the store.

That exorcist who tricked devils with his left hand and angels with his right, specializing in backstabbing teammates for eternity, nicknamed "Scummy Con."

From the Justice League to supervillains, many had been tricked by this guy.

When Constantine becomes your teammate, you must be extremely careful, as it often means your death omen is shining brightly!

However, despite his tendency to trick people, his persuasion ability was truly top-notch.

In later generations, he could easily become a gold medal lecturer for some Hope Project!

When it came to stirring up emotions and tricking people into dying, he was probably only slightly inferior to the Axis Powers' Fuhrer!

"Today, I'm not asking you to fight for me, but for the family, for honor! And even more for yourselves!"

"Go and overturn the Apennine Peninsula! Let the name of the Mafia, the Corleone family, resound throughout Sicily once more! Prove that you are not cowards, but brave warriors!"

Luke continued his persuasion. As soon as he finished speaking, the backyard erupted in cheers.

The scene was like a success seminar in later generations, where successful entrepreneurs and famous tycoons meticulously brewed bowls of spiritual chicken soup, and the audience below became incredibly excited, eager to go start their own businesses immediately.

The young, strong, and vigorous Mafia members in the backyard were just like that.

Each of them was filled with excitement, as if they were about to charge into the barracks the next moment and hang those damned Fascists in the square!

"We are willing to follow Mr. Corleone and obey all commands!"

A slightly clever young man stepped out from the crowd and shouted, leading the charge.

Then, responding voices rose one after another.

These fresh recruits, brought in by Alessandro, all pledged their loyalty.

At this very moment, Luke had transformed into the Godfather of Sicily's underworld.

On his character panel, his reputation points were soaring!

"Redeeming this skill card was definitely worth it!"

Luke felt secretly satisfied.

He had painstakingly saved his reputation points, and all of them were spent on Constantine's skill card.

Now, not only had he recouped his investment, but he even had a slight surplus.

"It's a shame it only has a twenty-four-hour usage limit – damn greedy developers! All they know is how to trick people into spending money!"

Luke thought regretfully.

After completing the pre-battle mobilization, he prepared himself and was ready to depart 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 meeting up, they would head straight for Venice Palace!

However, before that, they had one more task.

To raid a nearby naval camp and create an opportunity for the Allies to land.

"Distribute the food and firearms to them, but only hand out the bullets at the very last moment. Keep a close eye on them, and don't cause any trouble!"

After delivering his rousing speech, Luke handed over the remaining matters to Alessandro.

"Also, did those other Mafia families you contacted earlier give you their replies?"

"As you instructed, I got Don Carlo out of prison, and he's willing to defect to the Allies! The other families have also agreed, and they'll participate in the raid on the naval camp!"

Alessandro said, lowering his head.

He hadn't been idle these past few days. Besides bringing women to Luke, he had also contacted several major Mafia families.

Upon hearing that Alessandro had established ties with the Allies and become an informant for the Strategic Scientific Reserve, those gang bosses all pledged their loyalty, wanting to contribute manpower and resources to obtain the status of anti-Fascist freedom fighters and avoid trouble after the war.

"That's good."

Luke nodded. As a "smuggler," the goods he brought, besides bread, cigarettes, and red wine for cover, were all firearms and ammunition.

Initially, Luke hadn't told Alessandro about their plan to raid the naval base, only revealing the news now.

Because at this point, the Mafia boss had no way to back out and could only obediently follow orders.

After repeatedly emphasizing some details, Luke returned to his room at the inn. The members of the Howling Commandos held their breath, awaiting their commander's orders.

"Alessandro has made contact with the base commander. He's a high-ranking official in the quartermaster department. His mistress happens to be involved with a Mafia enforcer, and his wife is involved with a painter... it's a very messy situation."

Luke couldn't help but offer a moment of silent prayer for the naval base officer whose head was clearly in a very compromising situation.

There are no peaceful times, only people bravely carrying the burden for you.

"In short, using these connections, Alessandro is in contact with him, and they've reached an agreement. I'll go in disguised as a smuggler, ostensibly to do business and sell some cigarettes and wine at a low price. Cosa will also bring a group of strippers to entertain these naval soldiers..."

Luke meticulously planned everything. Provoking the German Panzer division stationed on Sicily would be an idiotic move.

However, with the strength of the Howling Commandos, raiding an Italian naval base was no problem.

After all, everyone knew that the Italian military, from top to bottom, was rife with corruption.

You could say the rot went all the way to the core.

Senior military officers colluding with smugglers and allowing strippers into the barracks?

Such an act would have landed them in a military court-martial if it happened within the Allies!

What's more, Luke had a secret weapon!

Scarecrow's Fear Toxin!

"First, we'll destroy their radio to prevent any intelligence leaks, and then..."

Luke issued a series of commands, and the Howling Commandos nodded in agreement.

They had already witnessed the young captain's exceptional abilities. If they could successfully return this time, even if they didn't capture Mussolini alive.

But to traverse the long front lines, infiltrate mainland Italy, and capture the naval base on Sicily!

This honor alone would be enough to make the Howling Commandos war heroes, receiving great commendation from the Allied Nations!

"Rest up, everyone. We move out at 8:10!"

Luke waved his team away and turned to see Marlena emerge from the bedroom.

She was wearing a black velvet gown, with knitted patterns decorating the neckline and cuffs, elegant yet luxurious.

The soft fabric clung to her body, outlining her voluptuous curves.

"Mr. Corleone... welcome back safely."

The mature and beautiful woman seemed to know something. Her red lips moved slightly as she spoke softly.

ps: Thanks to [ZHY Technology] for the 100-point reward~

ps2: To be honest, I'm not a big fan of following the main plotline. For the World War II segment, the common approach is to follow Captain America, fight Hydra, gain some spotlight, and improve favorability with characters like Howard and Carter. However, I prefer to keep the focus on the protagonist, though I won't neglect the appearance of plot-relevant characters. I'm explaining this because a fanfiction author who wants to pad the word count wouldn't bother with difficult side quests that offer no benefit, deviating from the original movie's plot.

ps3: Of course, some readers might have a negative viewing experience due to the update schedule. But I must clarify that during the new book period, updates cannot be too frequent due to regulations. I haven't even been recommended yet and am currently operating without any promotion.

ps4: Sometimes, an author's mindset can be affected by reading comments. Therefore, I basically stopped reading comments for "Sentinel." This time, I was just bored at home and won't make that mistake again.