Chapter 63

On a calm and tranquil night.

The dim moonlight silently shines down, making the dark sea appear even more mysterious and profound.

"Bzz, bzz, bzz."

In the distance, a few faint engine noises can be heard, blending with the sound of the waves, sometimes faint, sometimes clear.

Under the moonlight, three speedboats can be seen not far away, swiftly gliding across the sea. These speedboats are like phantoms on the water, flying over the waves, with even the front half of their hulls leaving the surface!

Each speedboat carries six dark figures, dressed in black combat uniforms without any insignia, their faces covered in black paint.

Suddenly, the leader of the group makes a gesture, and the three speedboats simultaneously shut down their engines. The crew members pick up their paddles and start rowing quietly.

After rowing for a while, the leader speaks in a low voice, "Position yourselves, 200 meters ahead." Confidence and determination shine in his eyes, accentuated by the scar that crosses his left cheek. This scar-faced man is Otto Skorzeny, recognized as the founder of modern special forces. He has accomplished numerous seemingly impossible missions.

On September 12, 1943, he effortlessly rescued Mussolini. On October 15, 1944, during the Mickey Mouse Operation, he kidnapped Admiral Horthy's son. The next day, he easily passed through Hungarian military lines to capture Admiral Horthy. In December 1944, he formed the 150th Armored Brigade and participated in the Battle of the Bulge, disguising his troops as American soldiers and causing confusion in the enemy's rear. In May 1945, he surrendered to the Americans while under pursuit and escaped from a prisoner-of-war camp in July 1948. He ended up in Spain and lived as a legal businessman until his death in Madrid in 1975, at the age of 67.

He is indeed a real-life "Captain Germany" and has earned nicknames like "Europe's top villain" and "Scar-faced Grim Reaper."

Due to Wilhelm's interference, Skorzeny's life has been changed. He was brought under Wilhelm's command a few years ago and established a special forces unit directly under the Emperor called KSK.

Tonight marks their first operation, and their target is the luxurious private yacht ahead. In Skorzeny's view, this is a straightforward test, as the yacht is simply docked there, and they only need to silently board it.

Under the cover of darkness, the three speedboats quietly approach the yacht. Each speedboat has a crew member with a prepared grappling hook gun, aiming at the yacht's railing and pulling the trigger.

Snap! Snap! Snap!

The hooks accurately latch onto the railing, but the collision between the hooks and the metal railing produces a muffled sound, attracting the attention of a security patrol not far away.

"???" The approaching security guard wonders what these things hooked to the railing could be, and the first thought that comes to his mind is that they've encountered pirates!

Since the profession of navigation appeared, pirates came into existence. They plundered ships, killed crews, and committed all sorts of atrocities. Yet, over the course of centuries, pirates oddly became a respected profession, even appearing as a belief in many animations and novels.

However, with technological advancements, in the 20th century, piracy became almost extinct, as it required shipbuilding. In the past, people could handcraft wooden ships on small islands, thus becoming pirates. But now, in an industrialized world, only large shipyards can produce advanced pirate vessels.

Though he can't fathom how pirates are present here, he can't imagine who else would behave so stealthily.

"..." Just as he's about to raise the alarm, he feels a pain in his neck and hears a crisp sound. Then, everything goes dark.

Skorzeny drops the lifeless body of the security guard and orders the team that has climbed aboard, "Stick to the plan. Group one to the lower deck, group two to the control room, and group three, come with me to find the target individual."

The team divides into three smaller groups and quickly moves toward their respective destinations. Each of them holds an MP41 submachine gun equipped with a suppressor and occasionally unleashes long tongues of fire to take down any encountered enemies.

Skorzeny smoothly arrives at the resting area, where there are three bedrooms. A team member, holding a hammer, is about to approach and break the lock on one of the bedroom doors when suddenly, the door swings open, revealing a sleepy little boy of about seven or eight years old.

Skorzeny quickly covers the boy's mouth with his hand, while two other team members rush into the bedroom to search it thoroughly. After a moment, they shake their heads at Skorzeny.

He releases his grip, and the boy appears as if he has been frightened into a daze, making no sound or movement.

A worried team member nearby whispers, "Captain, isn't this the third target? Is he just scared stiff? The orders were to bring them back safely."

"..." Skorzeny clicks his tongue and lightly slaps the boy's head. The boy seems to snap out of it, trembling all over, and lets out a loud cry that echoes through the resting area.

"Harry, what's going on?" A few seconds later, the bedroom door next to them opened, and a middle-aged man in pajamas stepped out.

"!!" The middle-aged man saw several heavily armed men standing at the door and quickly stepped back, but he tripped and fell to the ground. Trembling, he asked, "Who, who are you people?!"

Skorzeny made a few gestures, instructing two others to handle the last bedroom, while he stepped inside. There, lying on the bed, was a middle-aged woman sound asleep. Skorzeny recognized her as the second target, the wife of the middle-aged man.

Skorzeny extended a hand to help the man up from the ground. "Richard William, the designer? You don't need to be afraid. We have no ill intentions. We won't harm you or your family."

The middle-aged man's expression clearly conveyed disbelief. "Who are you people, and what do you want?"

Skorzeny gave a faint smile, which tugged at the scar on his face, causing Richard William to shiver. "We are the German Crown Prince's men, sent by Prince Wilhelm to invite you to Germany as his guest." While speaking, two team members brought in a ten-year-old girl. "Captain, we've found the fourth target too."

The young girl ran to the bed of the middle-aged woman, frantically shaking her awake.

Waking up, the middle-aged woman was shocked to see so many fierce strangers in the room and couldn't help but scream hysterically.

Upon hearing the origins of these people, Richard William's face filled with confusion and disbelief. "The Crown Prince of Germany? Why would he look for me? I don't know him."

Skorzeny shrugged, not hiding anything. "Of course, it's because of your profession." He had mentioned earlier that Richard William wwas a designer, but in which area was he a designer?

He was the chief designer of the Rolls-Royce "Merlin" aircraft engine for the British Empire!

As for how remarkable the "Merlin" aircraft engine was, it was the most outstanding aviation engine during World War II. Not only did it power the Spitfire but also the Hurricane, Mosquito, and even the Lancaster heavy bomber, among many other Allied aircraft. There were about 50 different improved versions produced in the UK, totaling around 150,000 units, excluding the approximately 50,000 units fitted to the Mustang. The later Spitfire fighter equipped with the improved Merlin engine could even catch up to and shoot down V-1 flying bombs.

It had taken quite an effort for Wilhelm to discover Richard William's whereabouts, and he immediately dispatched his most capable men to bring him back to Germany.

"The Crown Prince promises that if Mr. William agrees to come to Germany, you and your family will be treated with the highest honors and never worry about livelihood again. However, the Crown Prince also said that if you're stubborn, your family will meet a watery grave."

Seeing Richard William's face turn increasingly ugly, Skorzeny's voice turned cold. "So, how have you considered it, Mr. William? Your family's lives are at your whim."

Gazing at his trembling wife and children, Richard William felt despair. "If I agree, I'll be a traitor and hunted sooner or later!"

Skorzeny, however, had an air of ease. "You can rest assured. We'll blow up this yacht, and no one will know how you disappeared. In Germany, the Crown Prince will give you new identities and put you on the highest level of secrecy. You'll also be provided with a group of bodyguards to ensure your absolute safety. Think about it, if we can't guarantee your life, who else would dare to come and seek refuge with us?"

Richard William opened his mouth but hesitated. After a long pause, he sighed deeply. "It seems that Your Highness, the Crown Prince, has thought everything through." He went to his wife and children, comforting them, changed his clothes, and followed Skorzeny off the yacht.

They were welcomed by a submarine. As Skorzeny had said, after everyone boarded, the submarine launched two torpedoes at the yacht. As the yacht exploded, the submarine slowly submerged, disappearing into the sea amidst the sound of the explosion.