Volume 4 Chapter 12: Change of Plans

“Lieutenant Colonel, do you suspect that there is a traitor among the three of them?” Once they entered the room and sat down, Grant immediately asked.

Skorzeny nodded with a heavy expression. As the person in charge of the “Heracles Plan,” he was very worried that the mission would fail because of this. Although Gerthard and Bock were Superpowered Beings, they had always served in the military as low-ranking officers, so the possibility of them being spies was almost none.

Kluge (Grant) was an interrogation expert from the SS intelligence department. He could be considered a sworn enemy of foreign intelligence agents, so it was also unlikely that he was a spy. As for Wurdenbeller, although he had not served in the military, his status as a Baron was very special.

Before Wurdenbeller became a Vampire, he had made significant contributions to Germany in the Franco-Prussian War. His title of Baron was personally awarded by German Emperor Wilhelm I. It could be said that in every war of the German Empire, he had made outstanding contributions to his homeland. Such a person simply could not be turned by the enemy.

This way, aside from Skorzeny himself, the possible traitors were only Madame Monica and Dr. Robert and his wife. Logically, the doctor couple who had served in the Aryan Ark Corps for a long time should not be spies either. However, before they came to Casablanca, they had gone missing once, which added a lot of suspicion to them.

Even if they were patriots before, scientists were different from soldiers after all. They were forced to serve in the Aryan Ark Corps, living almost like they were under house arrest. Plus, Leo Robert had become neither human nor ghost in biochemical research. Perhaps they had long harbored resentment towards the Empire in their hearts. It was possible that they took this opportunity to join the Allied Forces.

As for Madame Monica, she was the most likely candidate among the eight Superhumans to betray the Empire. She was originally the widow of a certain Junker noble. During the Weimar Republic era, Germany abolished the nobility system, and the Third Reich never restored this system. If Madame Monica resented the government for this, it was not hard to understand.

“Lieutenant Colonel, can you tell us what Madame Monica’s Superpower is?” Qin Lun frowned and asked. Among these Superhumans, he had not seen Madame Monica’s ability.

“Madame Monica is a sandstorm person!” Skorzeny hesitated for a moment before speaking. “She doesn’t like to publicize this ability everywhere, so I didn’t tell you before!”

Qin Lun nodded as if he understood. No wonder she hated rainy days. And she could overtake them and catch up to Skorzeny first without anyone noticing.

The eight Superpowered Beings Skorzeny selected each had their own roles in this plan. If one link was missing, the burden on the others would multiply, and the chance of failure would increase a lot.

The primary task of the “Heracles Plan” was to assassinate the leaders of the three countries. Madame Monica was responsible for cover during the operation. If there was a sandstorm as cover when the commando team acted, the success rate would also increase significantly.

Gerthard, played by Qin Lun, was the suppressor. His sniper rifle was not only a tool for assassination but also responsible for suppressing the reinforcements of the Allied Forces. Captain Bock, the demolition expert, was the saboteur. Whether the assassination could succeed depended on him.

Baron von Wurdenbeller was the battlefield scout. The large groups of Vampire Bats scattered across the battlefield could keep the small commando team always one step ahead of the Allied Forces. The interrogation expert played by Grant needed to obtain clues about the three country leaders and the Allied Forces’ unconventional warfare forces when necessary.

The giant Leo was responsible for frontal assaults on the few fortifications outside the venue. His Infrasound and huge size were equivalent to a human-shaped tank. His wife, Dr. Keller, was responsible for interpreting intelligence data on the Allied Forces’ unconventional warfare forces.

Lieutenant Colonel Skorzeny himself coordinated from the center. The extraordinary strength and speed of the sphinx allowed him to support any link and compensate for unexpected situations.

These eight Superhumans with clear divisions of labor, combined with an Oranienburg Special Forces Soldier squadron, would form an incredibly powerful force. It could be said that once they gained the upper hand, no matter how many Allied Forces were in Casablanca, they would be suppressed for a short time. During this period, whether it was assassinating the three Allied leaders or obtaining decisive intelligence, there was a high chance of success.

However, now they were missing three whole Superpowered Beings, and they could no longer fully suppress the Allied Forces in Casablanca. Moreover, from the situation during the airdrop, it seemed the Allied Forces had also sent Superpowered Beings. The attack lost its suddenness, and this operation had much more uncertainty.

Realizing the mission was full of difficulties, the remaining members of the “Gentlemen Alliance” fell into silence.

“You all go and rest first! There is only one and a half days left until the Allied leaders’ meeting. Tomorrow we will first go to check the venue predetermined by the Allied Forces, and then decide whether the plan can be implemented!” Skorzeny said with a calm expression.

“Lieutenant Colonel, I’m afraid we don’t have time to rest!” Qin Lun suddenly spoke. “If the Allied Forces already knew about our existence, do you think the leaders’ meeting might be held earlier?”

“Possible!” Skorzeny’s thick eyebrows raised, and he turned to look at Qin Lun. “Before you came, I discussed this possibility with Wurdenbeller, but acting hastily would only lead to our complete annihilation. In fact, without Madame Monica’s sandstorm cover and the giant’s assault capability, our assassination operation is basically a failure!”

“Do you want to implement the backup plan?” Qin Lun frowned and asked.

“Hmm, the Baron’s ability is hard to guard against. As long as we have one or two days for reconnaissance, we can still try to steal intelligence about the Allied Forces’ unconventional warfare forces.” Skorzeny said somewhat helplessly. “You are the elite of the Empire. Even if the operation really fails, I cannot let all of you perish in Casablanca.”

“Lieutenant Colonel, actually, even without Madame Monica and the giant Leo, we still have the ability to assault strongly. At least in Casablanca, we temporarily have one force that is absolutely stronger than the Allied Forces!” Qin Lun suddenly narrowed his eyes and said lightly.

“A force absolutely stronger than the Allied Forces?” Skorzeny was taken aback upon hearing this and asked uncertainly, “You mean…”

Qin Lun smiled and pointed to the west. “We still have the Gneisenau. Casablanca is a port city. All the buildings in the city are within the battleship’s firing range…”

Skorzeny fell silent. The Gneisenau was indeed a good move that the enemy could not predict. The Gneisenau battleship belonged to the navy. Before they set sail, except for him, the other commando members did not know they would be taking the Gneisenau. The traitor also did not expect this.

Most importantly, even if the traitor had now joined the Allied Forces, this intelligence probably had not yet caught the attention of the Allied high command. Otherwise, the Gneisenau should have already been bombed by planes.

“Although the Gneisenau was responsible for bringing us to Casablanca, it has no subordinate relationship with the SS intelligence department. It might not agree to shell Casablanca!” Skorzeny thought for a while and said with a bitter smile. “You rest first. I will go send a message to the warship now. Whether they agree or not depends on that Commodore captain’s judgment!”

“I’ll go out to gather some information!” Wurdenbeller shook his head and sighed, muttering quietly, “Such a busy fate!”

Qin Lun and the other members showed a trace of a smile on their faces. They were almost certain that the captain of the Gneisenau would agree to the shelling plan. This sortie of the Gneisenau was ostensibly to carry out raiding missions in the Atlantic Ocean, but in reality, it was just providing escort duty for the “Heracles Plan.”

Although the “Heracles Plan” was only a combat plan for a special small team, it involved the subsequent course of the entire war. Although German generals had competitive relationships between the navy and army branches, in matters of major principles like this, they could distinguish what was important.

However, the Gneisenau was being chased by two English fleets. If it lingered for most of a day, its situation would likely become very dangerous. It might very well end up like her sister ship Scharnhorst, resting forever in the Atlantic Ocean.

Although Skorzeny told everyone to rest first, no one felt sleepy at this moment. Grant and Qin Lun sat to the side playing cards, while Bock and Skorzeny studied and discussed the Allied Forces’ defense layout map of Casablanca. This Allied defense map was the result of German intelligence agents’ work over more than ten days.

Only a short while later, Lin Feng, who had received the Gneisenau’s reply, returned to the room with an excited expression and handed the decoded telegram to Skorzeny.

“Everyone, the General agreed to our plan. At dawn, the Gneisenau will shell Casablanca.” After reading the telegram, Skorzeny immediately gave orders to everyone. “I have already ordered the intelligence agents here to set out separately. They will provide the battleship with detailed firing coordinates. Synchronize your watches now. We set out in one hour!”

Skorzeny placed the telegram on the table and called in a grayish-brown small bat from outside the window. The bat’s small eyes emitted a green glow. It very humanely used its small wings to prop itself on the table, crawling over the telegram as if reading its contents.

Half an hour later, Wurdenbeller returned to the hideout. The Baron’s formal attire was somewhat torn, and he looked pale. It seemed he had suffered some setbacks during reconnaissance.

“Your Excellency Baron, did you find the meeting place of the three country leaders?” Skorzeny asked cautiously.

“I found three locations where the Allied Forces have tight security, but I cannot tell which one is the leaders’ meeting place!” Wurdenbeller picked up the tea on the table and gulped it down. “These three places are all quite close to the city center. One of them, a museum, has the largest area. There are many defensive works at the entrance, and two American Sherman tanks. This place is most likely the resting place for the three country leaders!”

“Let’s go, we’re moving out!” A sharp light flashed in Skorzeny’s eyes as he decisively waved his hand.