The hotel where Luke and his party stayed was an important scenic spot in Sicily, the small town of Taormina.
The climate here is like spring all year round and the scenery is beautiful.
One side is a cliff and the other faces the sea.
The city buildings are like stones piled on the terraced mountains.
I have to say that Alessandro is really good at doing things.
Or, to use a more accurate description, he knows how to please those in power.
Luke came to the hotel called "Peashooter" and learned that Alessandro had already booked an entire room on the third floor to entertain himself and his entourage.
Moreover, the reason why I chose this small hotel with little reputation.
On the one hand, because there are few guests, it will not attract too much attention;
On the other hand, the Pea Hotel is located at the highest point of the town of Taormina.
If you stay in a room on the third floor, you only need to open the window and you can overlook the entire town, feel the humid sea breeze, and hear the sound of waves that brings peace to your heart.
Many people enjoy this feeling - Luke is no exception.
According to the plan, he needed Alessandro to recruit twenty well-trained gunmen and obtain a pass into the city of Rome.
Calculating the time, Luke may have to stay in the small town of Taormina for about four to five days.
It's a good thing to have a comfortable accommodation.
Luke and the team members chose a room—according to the rules, it was supposed to be one of Damtan Dugan or Dinu Manelli sharing a room with the commander.
This not only provides protection, but also makes it easier to deal with unexpected situations that may occur.
However, after seeing the powerful strength of Luke himself.
The members of the Howling Commandos all said that they were the ones who needed to be protected.
Therefore, the two rooms next to Luke have become popular items among the team.
In the end, Dugan and Manelli, two veterans, received the benefit of being "protected by super soldiers."
"In the next few days, Dugan and Manelli, you two will take turns keeping an eye on Alessandro. Although he seems like a smart man, you must prevent him from making stupid mistakes!"
In Luke's room, members of the Howling Commandos gathered together to make plans for the next mission.
This team was dispatched by the Strategic Science Corps. In addition to Luke as the commander, there were five other people.
Dugan, who serves as the charger, is the most prestigious leader in the team.
Dinu Manelli, who is always taciturn and reticent, serves as a scout and a pretender to get information.
The next few team members are sniper Jimmy, known as "America's Valisi", and he is a sharpshooter who is always on target.
Zeref was in charge of the assault, and Kenneth was the machine gunner and veteran driver.
"Duggan and I will pretend to be emissaries sent from Berlin. The letters and necessary props to verify the identity are all ready - the Allies did capture a Berlin emissary two weeks ago. Thanks to the Strategic Science Corps from September 9 Reliable information from the head snake killer's mouth!"
Luke spread out a map of the city of Rome, with clear troop deployments on it.
"The others arrived in Rome with Alessandro's Gunners. On the day of the operation, Jimmy, you have to seize the commanding heights - this is the position! Zeref and Kenneth are responsible for leading the Gunners to create chaos in Piazza Venezia!"
"The highest officer guarding Sicily is the Italian General Guzzonilau. He has eleven local divisions and two German armored divisions under his command. During this period, the Allies will conduct irregular bombings and move the fleet Enter the Tunis Strait and use Panterella Island as a base to create the illusion of an imminent landing and distract Guzzonilao.”
"Our mission is to break into the Palace of Venice! To coerce Mussolini as a hostage, in less than twenty-four hours, I believe the King of Italy will issue an announcement to depose the Prime Minister! Anyone with foresight can see that the Axis Powers The situation is over.”
"Then, we only need to hand over the dictator to the Allies. It doesn't matter whether it is the United Kingdom, the United States, the army, the navy... but my personal suggestion is to show kindness to General Eisenhower."
After Luke finished his long speech, the members of the Howling Commandos looked at each other and suddenly smiled.
It was as if a big stone had been lifted from their hearts, and they all breathed a sigh of relief.
Although this young commander had previously reduced the Italian army to nothing, he broke into the enemy's hinterland with a single team and captured the leader alive.
It sounds like a legendary story written in a third-rate novel, with no authenticity at all.
The Howling Commandos were willing to follow Luke not because of his charisma, but because they had no other choice.
After all, we were pulled on board. If we don’t continue to follow the captain’s instructions, what else can we do
However, seeing the plan Luke had made and the confidence he showed, the Howling Commandos no longer had any other ideas.
They feel that they can trust this young commander!
"Let's break up."
Feeling the change in the atmosphere within the team, Luke had a smile on his lips.
Perhaps it was only at this moment that he was truly recognized and given the command of this team.
After taking a short rest, Luke enjoyed a seafood dinner alone and stood on the balcony watching the sky get dark.
The afterglow of the setting sun sinks into the sea level, pedestrians are playing on the silver beach, and rows of palm trees are blown by the night wind, swaying in a dancing posture.
Further away are a few seagulls skimming the water, as well as rolling waves and tides.
Luke's spirit relaxed, and a look of longing rose in his eyes.
In a few days, everyone, regardless of the Axis or Allied powers, will hear of his name and his almost legendary deeds.
"Even if I don't follow the plot and follow Captain America, I can still become a 'hero' in the eyes of the world."
Luke smiled.
Lead less than thirty people to conquer a country.
This is an amazing feat that will go down in history.
Just like Pizarro conquered the Inca Empire with a population of about 6 million with less than 200 people.
After returning to his free thoughts, Luke took advantage of the rare free time to go out for a walk alone.
He walked along the street and came to a spectacular theater, which was crowded with people and the atmosphere was fiery.
Under the noisy and boiling night sky, if you stop and stand still, you can vaguely hear the singing of "Oedipus" or "Antigone".
Of course, I also met many charming Italian girls during this period.
It's a pity that Luke didn't have the idea of having an affair, and he failed to live up to the enthusiasm of those beautiful girls.
After walking aimlessly for forty minutes, he returned to the hotel.
"Um!"
Luke was about to open the door, his eyes condensed, and a cold light burst out.
With his keen sense, he could clearly hear the breathing of another person in the room, which seemed to be absent. It would be difficult to detect it unless he listened carefully.
"Is Xhosa really stupid enough to betray me and give up the olive branch offered by the Allies? Or is the plan discovered by Hydra?"
Many thoughts went through Luke's head at once.
He gently opened the door and stepped on the soft carpet without making any sound.
The sea breeze blew in from the half-open window, and Luke slowly walked towards the big bed in the master bedroom.
He was confident that as long as the intruder showed the slightest movement, he could break the other person's neck in less than a second.
"come out… "
"ah!"
Luke suddenly opened the quilt, rushed forward, and pressed his right hand on the "intruder's" neck.
"Is it a woman?"
Luke, who was pressed against the other party, had a look of astonishment in his eyes.
A woman wearing silk pajamas was lying on the bed. She had wavy black hair, her slender legs were slightly curled up, and her beautiful eyes were full of tears, like a poor lost lamb.
"Who are you?"
It took Luke a long time to hold back these words.
This woman, who exudes a mature aura and looks like a plump and charming peach, does not look like a Hydra killer.
The muscles showed no signs of training, they were tight but lacked strength.
Moreover, you can see clearly under the silk pajamas, and there is no place to hide weapons.
"My name is...Marlena."
The woman's voice is as weak as her appearance. (End of chapter)