Dark clouds hung low, blotting out the dim stars and moon.
At 8:20 p.m., Luke led the disguised Howling Commandos brazenly into the naval camp, warmly greeting the soldiers.
Crate after crate of cigarettes, liquor, and food was delivered to the officers' quarters as though they cost nothing.
There were also those sultry strippers, dressed in revealing outfits and posing provocatively onstage, drawing wolf whistles from the crowd below.
"Captain Davie, just a small token of my appreciation."
In the quartermaster department's reception room, Luke, wearing a black bowler hat, overcoat, and suit, sat across from the desk.
With a smile, he took out a palm-sized rectangular gift box. Inside was a gleaming pearl necklace, obviously expensive judging by its luster and size.
"I came in a hurry and did not have much time to prepare a gift. This necklace is for your wife, Captain."
Captain Davie, his beer belly protruding, nodded in satisfaction and calmly pocketed the gift box.
It was wartime. The currency system had long since collapsed, and banknotes were no different from wastepaper. Only gold and jewelry counted as hard currency.
"Oh, and there is another one... ahem, Captain Davie can give this one to a friend."
Luke then took out another gift box containing an even more valuable green agate necklace.
Captain Davie's eyes lit up. This smuggler really knew his way around; he even knew about his mistress.
He did not notice Luke's pitying gaze at all, nor did he know that the color of the hat on his head, like that green agate necklace, was full of forgiveness.
"To be honest, Mr. Corleone, I have heard Lieutenant Cirio mention you. Since you are his friend, you are my friend as well. If you want to run a smuggling business, the navy will welcome it wholeheartedly and guarantee your ships unimpeded passage!"
Captain Davie was a straightforward man. Having accepted the gifts, he pounded his chest and promised, "From now on, whenever it is one of your smuggling ships, I can have Lieutenant Cirio assign warships to escort it!"
"Then I should thank you in advance, Captain Davie. This is only a small gift. The real surprise is yet to come."
Luke's eyes flickered as he spoke meaningfully.
"However, we have our conditions... as long as Mr. Corleone is willing to let the navy take half of every smuggling run, we will certainly have a very pleasant partnership."
Captain Davie's eyes were filled with greed as he finally laid out the official terms.
The navy could not openly engage in smuggling for huge profits, so they wanted to treat Mr. Corleone as a cash machine.
Taking half from every shipment would surely let these senior naval officers feast until their mouths dripped with oil.
With the domestic situation so tense and the war growing fiercer by the day, making money while they could was the only way!
That was what Captain Davie thought.
"You know that covering for smugglers means taking enormous risks. We could even end up before a military tribunal..."
Though Captain Davie looked utterly insatiable, Luke still wore a smile, as though he was not angry in the least.
He suddenly stood up, raised his hand to check the time, and said softly, "It is time."
"Mr. Corleone, what are you talking about?"
Captain Davie looked baffled. He had no idea why the smuggler had suddenly stood up in the middle of a perfectly good business discussion.
And that downward gaze from the other man made him deeply uncomfortable!
It was as though his very existence had suddenly become insignificant!
"Sit down! Mr. Corleone!"
Captain Davie raised his voice angrily.
"Have you not realized it yet, Captain? You are no longer qualified to give orders."
Luke smiled as he heard the commotion outside.
Scarecrow's Fear Toxin, made in Gotham City, was more than enough to deal with these Italian soldiers.
The Howling Commandos only needed to wear gas masks themselves before releasing the gas.
Before long, the entire camp would be paralyzed.
The naval soldiers whose hearts had been gripped tightly by fear were like lambs awaiting slaughter, utterly incapable of resistance.
"What is going on? What happened? What do you want? I am warning you, do not come any closer!"
Captain Davie finally realized something was wrong as terrified screams outside reached the room.
He hurriedly drew the automatic pistol from his belt, but before he could pull the trigger, that arm was twisted like a pretzel.
Jagged white bone tore through his skin, spraying blood everywhere.
A wave of agonizing pain struck him, and Captain Davie collapsed to his knees, howling as loudly as he could in an attempt to alert the guards outside.
"Sorry, I did not control my strength very well."
Luke apologized without a shred of sincerity.
Watching Captain Davie drag his bloated body backward, Luke felt nothing at all.
Thanks to the experience he had gained renovating houses with Uncle Frank, Luke no longer had much psychological burden when it came to blood and death.
"Do not waste your strength. The soldiers in the camp are either watching the strip show or crying for their mothers... and the guards on duty have already been dealt with."
He spoke calmly.
The entire camp, including its subordinate water patrol district, repair bureau, quartermaster bureau, medical bureau, harbor affairs bureau, warehouses, and other facilities, had long since collapsed under the sudden assault of the Howling Commandos and Mafia members.
Even the units operating patrol boats, minesweepers, and logistical support vessels had been dealt with by the brazenly invading Mafia under the pretext of Captain Davie rewarding the soldiers.
It was not only Scarecrow's Fear Toxin. The delivered liquor had also been mixed with a special drug; even an elephant would lose all ability to move after drinking it.
All that could be said was that the Italian military had absolutely no vigilance. They were so lax that a group of Mafia members could take them down.
"Spare me! Please, Lord Corleone!"
Captain Davie begged, even changing the way he addressed him.
"Of course I will spare you. Killing prisoners is inhumane."
Luke shrugged. He had only failed to control his strength earlier, which was why the unlucky captain looked so miserable.
"Do not be so afraid, Captain Davie. It is not as though I am some demon."
Captain Davie's eyes were filled with terror.
In truth, Luke was no different from a demon in his mind.
How could any normal person twist someone's arm apart as easily as snapping a chopstick?
And he had felt that the other man had barely exerted any strength at all!
"Stay here and behave. Do not try anything stupid. The radio has been destroyed, and the telephone lines have been cut. You cannot notify the garrison troops at the other camps."
Luke gave Captain Davie a long look, then walked over and took back the pearl necklace.
As for the other green agate necklace?
That was a fake Alessandro had prepared.
Luke pushed open the door to the quartermaster department's conference room. Faint, terrified cries could be heard outside.
The Italian naval soldiers had become fragile infants in an instant. Fear Toxin dragged them all into darkness, filling their minds with the illusions they feared most and crushing their wills.
Screams of terror echoed beneath the night sky.
Yet the faint, indistinct sounds had barely arisen before they were swallowed by the sound of waves crashing against the reefs.
Squad after squad of surging Mafia members used axes and pistols to mercilessly kill every patrolling guard they encountered, swift and decisive.
It was a silent raid. Standing on high ground, Luke looked down at the bloody flowers blooming in the night and smiled in satisfaction.
By tomorrow, when the sun rose over the horizon, half of Sicily would effectively be in his hands.
P.S. Thanks to the man who shines at work on time for the 500-point donation, **Death Emperor for the 500-point donation, and Dark Nether Ghost Emperor for the 100-point donation. Love you~
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