"Refuse? He actually refused?!"
Upon hearing Kyle's straightforward answer, Agent Carter was stunned. Her usually cold and composed face showed a bewildered expression on it as she asked back. "Why? This is what every recruit in the training base dreams of."
Kyle smiled and slowly raised a finger, speaking in a relaxed tone. "Firstly, this is an experiment after all, and I cannot ignore the possibility of failure, although the chances of failure are very low. And I believe in myself. I believe that even without the Super Soldier Serum, I can become an outstanding soldier."
Kyle meaningfully raised a second finger. "Secondly, and most importantly..."
"What is it?" Agent Carter asked, puzzled. It was the first time he felt such a strong sense of curiosity.
"Although I turned down the opportunity to be the first Super Soldier, I can recommend someone— Steve. He has a potential that is not inferior to mine! I hope you consider him seriously."
Kyle concluded in this way.
Exiting the military dormitory, Agent Carter was still in a state of confusion.
In her opinion, Kyle gave up the opportunity to become the first super soldier and passed it on to Steve. She couldn't decide whether his decision was foolish or showed loyalty.
"But this means that the selection of the Super Soldier candidate for tomorrow is almost finalized," Agent Carter signed as she went away. Kyle himself relinquished the first seat, so it would be Steve, the second chosen person.
Inside the military dormitory, Kyle was examining the Green Ability Card he had just extracted from Agent Carter when the door suddenly opened with a bang, and a thin figure rushed in.
"Steve, what are you doing here and why are you in such a hurry?" Kyle didn't even raise his head as he spoke knowing that it was Steve who had returned.
"Kyle! Why?!" Steve rushed to the bedside, his face filled with an incredulous expression as he asked loudly, "Why did you give up the opportunity to become a Super Soldier to me?"
"Oh, so you already know?" Kyle replied with a smile.
"Dr. Abraham came to see me and told me," Steve replied back with the same incredulous expression on his face.
"In that case, you'll be leaving the dormitory tomorrow and heading to the secret laboratory," Kyle guessed as if he knew something before he smiled and said. "Isn't that great? For you, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If you become a Super Soldier, it will completely transform your life."
"For me, of course, it's a dream come true, but you also need this opportunity," Steve said with some difficulty in his tone.
"If you really want to know why I denied this then I can only say that this opportunity is more important for you," Kyle answered softly. He made this choice after careful consideration.
With the ability to Extract Ability Cards from other people, he could safely and quickly extract the abilities of others, without risking his life in the Super Soldier experiment.
Although Steve succeeded as the protagonist in Captain America's movie, there was no guarantee that the Super Soldier Serum would be flawless for others. Even if he succeeded, there was a certain probability that he would have that grotesque appearance of Red Skull.
Furthermore, if there were no Captain America, the main plot of Marvel would likely go awry, which was something Kyle did not want to see.
"If you want to thank me, then strive to complete the Super Soldier experiment for me. Don't let me down," Kyle smiled as he sincerely patted Steve's shoulder.
Brother, go and fight to become stronger, then come back and let me extract your abilities. Think of it as a profitable investment; there's nothing more to it.
"Kyle, you're a really good person." Steve, unaware of the whole truth, had tears in his eyes that sent chills down Kyle's spine. He almost kicked him off the bed.
The next morning, Steve packed his belongings and secretly left the training base. No one among the recruits knew where he was going, except for Kyle. The Super Soldier program was officially underway in a hidden underground base.
Another day passed.
Commander Brandt gathered all the new recruits at the training base and announced the termination of the Super Soldier project, causing an uproar among the recruits.
Kyle knew that everything was proceeding according to the normal trajectory of Marvel's history. The first super-powered artificial hero in Marvel's history— Captain America— had quietly come into being.
Inside the commander's office...
"It's a pity. Dr. Abraham is dead, and the Super Soldier Serum can no longer be produced. Kyle, you lost your only chance to become a Super Soldier," Commander Joseph expressed his regret to Kyle and he genuinely felt sorry for him.
"This is God's choice," Kyle sighed in response, but internally, he remained unruffled.
With the ability to Extract Cards, who said he couldn't become a Super Soldier without the Super Soldier Serum?
Kyle made a request, "Commander Joseph, I heard that Steve succeeded. Can I go and see him?"
"I'm afraid not," Commander Joseph shook his head, explaining, "Steve is currently in the secret base, undergoing personal training to adapt to his new abilities. General Chester has given orders that no one should disturb him."
"Then when will his training be completed?" Kyle asked anxiously.
"I'm afraid it will take at least several months," Officer Joseph answered truthfully.
"Several months?" Kyle frowned. This was similar to a scene from one of Captain America's movies, except he didn't expect the training to be completely isolated. Without access to Steve, he wouldn't be able to extract his Ability Card.
"Several months will pass quickly. By the way, General Chester has new instructions for you, a new mission," Officer Joseph said with a serious expression on his face. "Soldier Kyle, due to your outstanding performance during the training period, you will be sent as a superior recruit to participate in the mission with the 102nd Division on the front lines of the war!"
"To the front lines?" Kyle's heart skipped a beat when he heard this. This sudden and significant news exceeded his imagination.
"Kyle, you are about to face real war. Don't die so easily at the hands of the enemy," Officer Joseph said, placing combat uniforms, rifle ammunition, and the mission information for the front lines on the desk.
"Yes Sir," Kyle spoke as he took the items, feeling a bit overwhelmed.
He never expected to be sent to the front lines so soon, to participate in World War II!
His plan was to obtain the Super Soldier Ability Card from Steve and then face the war with a strong guarantee, but he didn't expect it to happen so suddenly!
This was also a consequence of Kyle's exceptional performance during these days of training, which led to his early graduation from the training base and deployment to the front lines.
Officer Joseph waved his hand in farewell. "An aircraft will come to pick you up this afternoon. Go back and get ready."
"Yes Sir," Kyle nodded and walked out of the office while holding the items in his hand.
"Come back alive, kid," Officer Joseph sighed as he watched Kyle's figure. In a large-scale war, no matter how talented a soldier is, there was a high probability of death.
Pushing open the door, warm sunlight bathed Kyle's face, dispelling the haze in his heart.
He relaxed his grip on the military suit and smiled contentedly.
He walked straight ahead confidently. With his current physique and skills, he was the elite among the elites, and combined with the Extracting Card System, there was no reason for him to die in this mere World War II!
If he had to die, it would be under the future Thanos' finger snap.
Kyle encouraged himself as he regained his spirit and walked forward with confident steps.
(End of this chapter)