To Luke's surprise, notifications of completed tasks kept popping up.
Each reward he had obtained glowed softly in his inventory.
This armed operation, leading a raid on Rome and capturing Mussolini alive, was preliminarily estimated to bring him over four hundred thousand Reputation points!
Depending on how the event developed and the strength of the later publicity campaign, breaking through the one-million mark should not be a problem!
It was foreseeable that when Luke's name spread throughout the world and he was regarded as a legendary figure of the Allied Nations, his reputation would experience another massive surge.
Compared to grinding through tasks and slowly accumulating Reputation, Luke preferred this far more efficient method.
"What a bountiful harvest."
That was what he thought.
The next time he visited the shop, he would be able to exchange for skill cards and items without restraint. Just thinking about it made him a little happy.
"Right, there are also the task rewards."
Luke focused his mind. The five "War Hero" side quests had now all been completed.
The rewards they provided, aside from Scarecrow's Fear Toxin that had already been used, included Bane's skill card, Backbreaker Master, "one chance to draw a Superman Template," Poison Ivy's Pheromone Perfume, Joker's Laughing Gas, and Constantine's Silk Cigarettes.
Overall, the most valuable reward was undoubtedly the drawing opportunity.
It could randomly draw one from the many Superman Templates as a reward.
As a Lucky Emperor in his previous life, Luke felt that his chances of drawing Silver Superman or Superboy-Prime were extremely high.
By then, forget Thanos, the Director of Universal Family Planning—even Skyfather-level Odin or Thor in Rune King Form would be no match for him head-on.
Of course, the latter few were more useful for making jokes than for any practical purpose.
Poison Ivy's Pheromone Perfume could be sprayed on the body to increase one's attractiveness to the opposite sex.
Note: It worked even better between members of the same sex.
"This is obviously lesbian perfume..."
Luke was speechless. What was he supposed to do with it?
As for Joker's Laughing Gas and Constantine's Silk Cigarettes—
The former made one "laugh until the muscles spasmed and the whole body convulsed. Excessive inhalation could easily lead to death."
The latter "merely provided your lungs with a negligible amount of nicotine, bringing you a little closer to lung cancer."
After looking through the task rewards, Luke opened his character panel. The data on it had changed—
Host: Luke (Luke-Cahill) Loaded Template: Superman (LV1) Abilities: Stellar Energy (Passive), Bio-Force Field (Passive) Reputation: 451024 Task List: Begin the Path of Heroes (Side Quest, Completed) Achievement Obtained: Legendary figure
A line of information appeared on his retina.
Luke shifted his thoughts and looked over it.
Your name shall be recorded in history and passed down for a hundred years! (Enhances the host's leadership qualities and influence)
"Not bad."
Luke was quite satisfied when he saw the effect.
This sort of invisible aura of personal charisma could often play an unexpectedly crucial role.
"A draw, huh? For something like this, I should pick an auspicious day and play suitable background music. Otherwise, there's no sense of ceremony."
After thinking for a moment, Luke decided to save the drawing opportunity for the day the president awarded him his medal.
He would borrow the Lucky Emperor's fortune and get it in one shot!
Filled with pleasant expectations, Luke entered the washroom.
He did not climb into the massive, luxurious hot spring bath. Instead, he simply rinsed his strong body with cold water.
Clearly defined muscles stood out like solid stone, displaying a masculine air.
His entire body seemed sculpted from marble, powerful and beautifully built.
Explosive strength filled every inch of him.
"Sure enough, it won't work... My eyes are so sore!"
Luke braced both hands against the wall and sighed.
He closed his eyes, which he had been struggling to keep open, and gave up on trying to use Heat Vision.
According to the setting, the Stellar Energy Superman normally absorbed was stored within the trillions of cells in his body. When necessary, it could be concentrated and released through his eyes.
From burning a planet to healing a wound, it all depended on the user's control and the energy within his body.
Perhaps Luke had not loaded the template for long enough, and the Stellar Energy he had absorbed was still insufficient.
It was difficult for him to release Heat Vision directly through his eyes like Superman could.
But on further thought, Clark Kent had seemingly only learned that move after reaching adulthood, which made Luke feel much better.
Ten minutes later, Luke—the "Conqueror" in Italy's eyes and the "Legendary Hero" proclaimed by the Allied Nations—walked out wearing a white bathrobe.
When he saw the European broadsword hanging on the wall, he could not help wanting to test it.
Even when Mussolini had fired a nine-millimeter bullet into his chest, it had not harmed him at all.
He wondered whether this European broadsword, its sharp edge gleaming with cold light, could cut through his skin.
Luke took it down and swung it hard at his arm.
Clang!
A crisp sound of metal breaking rang out!
The European broadsword engraved with intricate patterns collided with Luke's bulging muscles, producing a clear metallic clang.
Then came a strained wail. With another clang, the finely crafted European broadsword snapped apart!
Yet only a faint white mark was left on Luke's flexed arm muscles, and it vanished in an instant.
Even when swung with his immense strength, the broadsword had failed to inflict any effective damage.
"Looks like no one on the World War II battlefield will be able to stop me anymore."
Leaning against the headboard, Luke casually picked up the copy of The Prince beside him. It was a work by the Italian thinker Niccolò Machiavelli.
Unfortunately, Mussolini had not learned from it how to turn Italy into a powerful centralized state. Instead, he promoted totalitarianism and became a dictator despised by everyone.
Main Quest: The Opening of the Third Faction, Hellfire Club! Requirement: Extract genetic fragments from Mutants (0/5). (Completing this task will fulfill the prerequisite for unlocking the Celestials major event.) Reward: "Leech" Serum ×5
Several lines of information suddenly appeared before Luke. He kept up the appearance of reading, but heightened his hearing to its maximum, scanning the entire palace like radar.
Tasks generally only opened upon encountering important plot characters or learning key plot information.
The enormous palace contained only Luke, yet he had received a task notification.
There was no doubt that a Mutant was sharing the room with him.
"Hellfire Club..."
Luke knew of this organization. Its founding could be traced back to the eighteenth century.
At the time, it had mainly existed to record and investigate mysterious incidents involving Vampires, Werewolves, witches, and the like.
Later, it gradually became a social venue for elites from all walks of life, specifically inviting famous scientists and influential wealthy figures.
Overall, the Hellfire Club at this stage was still fairly normal.
It was not until a scientist named Sebastian Shaw joined that it became an exclusive organization for special individuals—Mutants.
However, the Hellfire Club occasionally also extended invitations to the world's leading figures.
For example, Howard Stark, who would later lead S.H.I.E.L.D. and take Stark Industries to greater heights.
"You've been hiding there and watching for so long. Are you still not planning to come out?"
His calm question echoed through the palace bedroom. Luke set down his book, clenched his right fist, and tensed his muscles as veins stood out clearly.
Boom!
His fist swung through empty air. The air seemed violently compressed by the tremendous force, erupting with a thunderous blast!
Visible ripples of air spread outward like a cannonball leaving its barrel, unleashing several tons of terrifying force!
The open-air balcony outside the palace instantly shattered, with fragments of stone flying everywhere!
A transparent figure was thrown away by the aftershock and slammed heavily into the wall, coughing up a mouthful of blood.
"You're a Mutant too!?"
Hearing that question, Luke laughed softly and shook his head. "Not everyone who displays unusual traits is one of your kind or stands with your faction."
"You know Mutants exist?"
In the corner, a small, thin man with black scars covering his face rose to his feet and stared at Luke with cold eyes.
The roaring airwave created by that punch had struck like a solid cannonball. The aftershock alone had sent him flying.
In terms of pure physical strength, the thin man had never seen anyone more terrifying than this Allied Nations captain.
"I'm curious. Who sent you? Sebastian Shaw?"
Luke did not answer his question. Instead, he threw out a name.
Sebastian Shaw, the Black King of the Hellfire Club, possessed the powerful ability to absorb energy and turn it into his own.
If the thin man truly came from the Hellfire Club, he could not possibly be unfamiliar with that name.
"You know Mr. Shaw? Heh. Captain Cavill, no matter how much you know about Mutants, it no longer matters."
The thin man sneered coldly. His figure suddenly twisted and blurred.
Like an invisibility cloak covered in optical camouflage, he instantly vanished!
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