Hong Kong variety show: The mastermind behind the scenes is emerging.

Lupus Castle, a suburb of Rome.

The setting sun bathed this centuries-old, imposing building in a crimson glow. This was the power center of the Lubbers family, and one of the most mysterious strongholds in the Italian and even European underworld.

A convoy of black Mercedes-Benz cars passed through a massive wrought-iron gate and slowly drove in along a tree-lined path paved with gravel.

Along both sides of the road, every ten meters stood a fully armed member of the family guard. They wore sunglasses, held submachine guns, and solemnly saluted the convoy.

The convoy stopped in front of the main building.

Lu Chen stepped out of the car, looked at the magnificent castle in front of him, and a satisfied smile appeared on his lips.

"Darling, welcome home."

The car door opened, and Sophia, arm in arm with Lu Chen, gracefully stepped out of the car.

"It seems you've done a good job managing this place." Lu Chen nodded.

……

On the top floor of the castle, in the luxurious master bedroom.

Heavy velvet curtains blocked the view outside the window, while the firelight from the fireplace illuminated two intertwined bodies.

The passion of their long-awaited reunion erupted like a volcano that had been accumulating for a long time. Sofia's enthusiasm was hotter than the Roman sun, and she served the man who had changed her destiny with utmost tenderness.

After a long while, the clouds dispersed and the rain stopped.

Sophia curled up in Lu Chen's arms like a lazy Persian cat, her fingers gently tracing circles on his chest.

Lu Chen lit a cigarette, exhaled a smoke ring, and his eyes regained their clarity: "What's the current situation with the Mafia?"

Sofia sat up, wrapped the sheet around herself, and her expression became serious.

"Thanks to you, darling, because the Black Gloves and White Gloves brothers suffered setbacks in Hong Kong, losing a lot of manpower and funds, the Corleone family is having a tough time now," Sophia said, taking a document from the bedside table. "To cut their losses, Godfather Antonio ordered a full-scale strategic contraction. They closed several overseas smuggling channels, brought the funds back, and also withdrew a large number of people back to Sicily. The High Table took the opportunity to pick up a significant portion of the market share they had given up."

"Well done." Lu Chen kissed her forehead approvingly. "However, even a centipede doesn't die easily. That old Godfather Antonio won't give up so easily. But what about internally? I heard there's some turmoil within their ranks as well?"

"It's not just not peaceful, it's practically on the verge of war," Sofia said gleefully.

"Godfather Antonio is getting old, and this defeat has severely damaged his prestige," Sofia analyzed. "The family's second-in-command, the strategist Paul, was originally a staunch supporter of the Godfather faction and controlled the family's economic lifeline. But because all the funds and manpower he provided to the Black Gloves went down the drain this time, he has now become the scapegoat and has been expelled from the inner circle."

"The third-in-command of the family, the Godfather's cousin, Luca, is a warmonger who controls the family's armed forces. He has long been dissatisfied with the Godfather's weak strategies, and with the recent destruction of the Black Gloves, which belong to the Godfather's inner circle, Luca feels that his opportunity has come. He is secretly recruiting soldiers and is eyeing that position covetously."

"The separation of the economy and the military is a harbinger of internal strife," Lu Chen laughed, a cold laugh. "But a divided mafia is a good mafia."

"Darling, what do you mean?" Sophia asked.

"We need a spark to ignite this powder keg," a glint of light flashed in Lu Chen's eyes. "Then, we won't even need to lift a finger; they'll start a bloodbath on their own."

"And we..." Lu Chen pinched Sophia's chin, "We just need to go in and collect their bodies when they're both badly injured."

"I understand, but that ledger is hidden deep within the Godfather's manor. Getting it won't be easy."

"Don't worry, our professional 'friends' will handle it for us," Lu Chen said, looking out the window towards the city of Rome. "As for the killing... Gin and Brandy should stretch their muscles a bit. We should also have Gin bring Brandy along; that kid's a good gun, but he still needs some practice."

……

The next day, early in the morning.

In a suite of a budget hotel in downtown Rome.

Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, mercilessly piercing the buttocks of the four grown men.

"Ouch... my head..."

Toby crawled out of a pile of empty bottles, clutching his head which felt like it was about to explode. He glanced around and saw King Kong sleeping with the lamp in his arms, while Thomas and David were tangled up on the carpet like a human pyramid.

What's worse, each of them had bright red lipstick marks all over their faces and necks.

"My God... what did we do last night?"

Toby tried hard to recall, only remembering that they drank too much at the bar, then suggested taking King Kong to "experience the passion of Rome," and then... that was it.

"Who kicked my ass?!"

Thomas suddenly woke up and kicked David off him.

"Shut up! Let me sleep a little longer!" David rolled over, hugged the shoe next to him, and rubbed it against it. "Monica, you smell so good..."

"Those are my smelly socks!" Thomas slapped him awake.

"Arise! Arise!"

In an instant, chickens and dogs jumped around in the room.

King Kong, having seen it all before, recovered the fastest. He rushed into the bathroom, washed his face, looked at his lipstick-covered face in the mirror, and whistled smugly, "Looks like last night's results were pretty good. Everyone, time to get back to work!"

Half an hour later, the four of them finished getting ready. Although they still smelled of alcohol, their eyes were now more serious.

"The plan is clear," King Kong said, spreading out a map. "This is the Godfather's estate in Sicily, the Mafia's headquarters. We'll split into two groups. Toby and I will be in charge of monitoring the main gate and side gates, while Thomas and David will patrol the outer walls and the back hill. Remember, this time we're just observing; don't make a move."

"clear!"

……

The following week.

These four clowns displayed surprising professionalism.

They have a clear division of labor.

Toby disguised himself as a temporary lawn mower and mingled around the perimeter of the estate, where he was responsible for drawing maps and patrol routes.

Thomas and David, with their agile skills, sneaked onto the outer wall of the manor at night to observe the guards' shift changes and blind spots in the surveillance.

Meanwhile, King Kong used his high-tech equipment to set up telescopes and listening devices on a tall building in the distance to gather all available intelligence.

Of course, there were also quite a few funny incidents along the way.

For example, Toby almost pushed the lawnmower into the fountain because he was so engrossed in watching the guard's wife sunbathe; Thomas almost got his butt bitten off by two Dobermans because he stole some snacks from the manor kitchen...

However, a week later, a detailed infiltration plan was on the table.

……

Inside a safe house in Sicily

The lights were dim, and four heads were huddled together.

"We've got the situation figured out," King Kong said, pointing to the floor plan on the table. "The Godfather's estate is heavily guarded, with about sixty gunmen patrolling in three shifts. The core area is a secret underground chamber, and the ledgers are in a safe there."

"Forced entry is definitely out of the question; we'll be riddled with bullets," Thomas said, chewing gum. "So we have to outsmart them."

Just then, the door to the secret room was pushed open.

Sophia, dressed in all black, walked in, followed by Tian Yangsheng carrying a metal box.

"Thank you for your hard work, everyone."

Sofia placed the metal box on the table and opened it.

Inside was a bottle of clear spray and a small, clear, sealed bag containing a fingerprint extracted with tape.

"This is what you need," Sofia explained. "According to information provided by our informant—one of the Godfather's personal maids—the elevator and safe leading to the secret room both require the Godfather's fingerprints to activate. These are the fingerprints the maid extracted from the Godfather's wine glass."

King Kong's eyes lit up. He took the fingerprint and examined it: "The integrity is very high. Give me two hours, and I can make a silicone fingerprint that's indistinguishable from the real thing."

"And this," Sophia pointed to the spray bottle, "there's a corridor outside the secret room, covered with surveillance cameras, and four guards in the monitoring room watching the screens 24/7. This is specially prepared for you—a potent Soviet military anesthetic. Just a little bit will make them sleep like the dead."

"Wow, this is a great thing!" King Kong played with it with great interest.

"You only need to take care of getting the ledgers. As for the aftermath and potential pursuers..." Sofia's lips curled into a cold smile, "we'll take care of that for you."