The Death Knell

In the next few days, Steve underwent hellish training here. In fact, for others, these trainings are just recruit training, which is running, learning to crawl forward, etc., but for him, there are some Too intense.

His heart disease and asthma caused him pain that felt like his chest was going to explode every time.

But he still persisted, he wanted to go to the battlefield no matter what, and this was the only opportunity that was hard-won. So even if he is ranked last in any event, he will still not give up.

His teammates may have looked down on him at first, because he looked sick and joining the army seemed like child's play.

But after a few days passed, everyone except Hodge was impressed by his tenacity. No matter what his body was like, the soul contained in it was undoubtedly strong enough.

Americans of this era were also influenced by many simple concepts. They would respect anyone who was worthy of respect.

And Steve also showed extraordinary wisdom during training.

When the instructor led them to run past a flagpole dozens of miles away from Camp Caspian, he told them that no one had been able to take the flag off for thirty years. If anyone could take the flag off the top of the flagpole, then the returning Instead of running the distance, you can ride back to the camp with Agent Carter.

There was a car to save energy, and there was a beautiful instructor like Carter in the car. Others swarmed towards the flagpole and climbed up like monkeys.

Steve watched from behind for a while. After the helpless crowd dispersed, he pulled out the latch under the flagpole. When the flagpole fell, he easily picked up the flag on the ground and handed it to the instructor.

"Thank you, sir."

Then he climbed into Carter's jeep out of breath. The firm will and wisdom he showed made Carter look at him differently. Even though he was about to run away and die, he could still think calmly. And he is neither arrogant nor impetuous after doing something that others cannot do.

This is a very valuable quality.

Su Ming has not met with them these days. He occasionally comes to the military camp and just takes a look from a distance. Now the one-week deadline is coming, and the appearance of Captain America is getting closer and closer.

At dusk on the seventh day, Philip and Dr. Erskine stood by the playground talking about these recruits. They needed to determine the final selection.

"Why, Doc, why did you choose Steve? He's too small."

Colonel Philip complained helplessly to Dr. Erskine that it was indeed not easy for Steve to persevere this week, but his words and deeds were not like a soldier at all.

Dr. Erskine turned to look at the crowd under the setting sun. He tilted his head and asked, "Then who do you like?"

"Hotch, that's what a soldier looks like." Philip's feelings about Hodg were not bad. Although the guy was a thorn, the more thorns in the army, the more capable he was.

Troops go to war, not to parades.

Dr. Erskine shook his head: "Hodge is a bully. What I need is a good man."

"But he has courage. It takes courage to go to the battlefield." Colonel Philip took out a grenade from the ammunition box at hand, pulled out the ring and threw it to the group of recruits. The green ball jumped in. In the crowd, he then shouted: "Grenade!"

Suddenly, the new recruits dispersed, and everyone began to look for bunkers, but only Steve jumped on the grenade, hoping to use his body to protect his comrades.

"Hurry up and stay away from me!"

Agent Carter, who was informed, looked at him with admiration. Although he was thin, his courage was stronger than anyone else.

She favored Steve. Although this man was thin, his soul was very tall. She firmly supported the doctor's view that Steve was the right person.

The grenade did not explode. It was a fake grenade used for training.

But Hodge, who the colonel thought was the bravest, hid farthest away. It took him a long time to poke his head out to check, and slapped the colonel in the face.

"He's still too small."

Dr. Erskine looked at the colonel with a mocking look. No matter how thick-skinned the colonel was, he couldn't help but blush. Finally, he managed to say something and ran away.

...........

In two days, it will be the day of the experiment. These two days are used for Steve to rest and other staff to prepare.

That night, the entire barracks was empty except for Steve. Those comrades who had trained together had failed when they succeeded.

The losers must leave, perhaps to other combat units, perhaps to other departments of the Strategic Science Corps, but the cruelty of war is also reflected in the military camp. There is no choice, survival of the fittest.

Some figures were moving around outside the window, but Steve still lowered his head to read.

Dr. Erskine was carrying a bottle of wine and two glasses at the door: "Is it convenient for me to come in?"

"certainly."

Steve closed the book in his hand and invited the doctor in with a smile.

He actually didn't know much about the experiment that was going to be conducted, except that he was told that he would get a shot and he would become stronger.

The doctor strode towards Steve and put the wine glass on the suitcase beside the bed: "Can't sleep?"

"I guess...I'm a little nervous." Steve shook his head slightly and said mockingly.

The doctor sat on the bed opposite him. The lights in the room were bright, but the doctor's expression was not relaxed: "Me too."

Steve put his palms together and placed them between his legs, leaning forward slightly. He looked at the doctor's face, which was full of traces of time.

"I've always had a question...why me?"

The doctor opened his mouth and adjusted his glasses, as if he was remembering something, because his other hand kept squeezing the cork of the wine bottle.

"I think this is the fundamental reason why you can't sleep." The doctor sighed and raised his eyebrows as if relieved: "The answer comes from Augsburg, my hometown."

Steve listened to the doctor's words attentively. The barracks were very quiet, and the doctor's voice reached his ears clearly. His current mood was mixed with excitement, anxiety, and nervousness.

It was like knocking over the spice box in my mind.

The doctor continued his conversation, recalling events from his youth.

"Actually, many people have forgotten that the first country the Nazis invaded was actually their motherland. You know, after World War I, my people struggled and worked hard, but they only felt their own weakness. of insignificance.”

The doctor slapped his knees with his free hand. He had always seen the suffering of his motherland. The people did not have enough to eat and clothing, and Britain and France took away too many things from them.

“At a time when they felt like there was nothing they could do, Mustache showed up with his troops, walking the streets wearing uniforms and carrying bright flags, promoting his struggles and beliefs... People found Straw after falling into the water."

The doctor raised his glasses again. There were slight scratches on the lenses. He only acted subconsciously, which showed that his heart was far from as calm as he appeared.

"Then he heard about me, and about my experiments. He asked me to strengthen his army, and I had no interest in the offer... so he chose Hydra for his research Agency, one of the leaders of Hydra is called John Schmidt, and he is a madman with great leadership."

This was the first time Steve had heard of the Hydra organization, and his expression became serious. There was an intuition that told him that the Strategic Science Corps was a force established to fight against it.

"Both Mustache and Schmidt were very fond of the occult, and Mustache used it to inspire his followers. But for Schmidt, these mystical things were not all fiction, and he believed that his gods were Human beings have prepared a mysterious power, perhaps buried in some unknown place...So when he heard about my research, he could no longer hold himself back."

The room became quiet, the doctor lowered his eyes and recalled the past, while Steve was thinking about the doctor's words. He felt that an unknown and dangerous world had opened the door to him. In the past, he had only seen the tip of the iceberg of the real world.