Speculation and theories were trivial matters as far as Arthur was concerned.
The mechanism of the Disassembler had no consequence for him either. From the moment he had acquired the Golden Finger, he had no intention of letting anyone understand how it worked.
As long as it worked, who cared about the rest?
With a clap of his hands, an electricity-like sensation surged through his body.
The fragmented energy residue he had accumulated earlier had already laid the groundwork within Arthur's body.
Now, as this much more powerful energy merged with them, they instantly became one.
And then… Arthur snapped his fingers!
"Heh heh heh heh…"
He chuckled awkwardly. He was behind enemy lines and was about to infiltrate the enemy's stronghold, so indulging in adolescent fantasies felt out of place.
Most importantly… damn it, not even a dull, colorless crystal shard could ignite a spark in him!
This… infuriated Arthur. Gritting his teeth, he continued disassembling.
With so much loot from disassembling, he couldn't consume it all at once. Compared to the seemingly useless crystal shard, the Battle Soul, which could enhance his physical abilities, appealed more to Arthur's appetite.
Unfortunately, the overuse of broken Battle Souls might have diminished their effectiveness, as the boost Arthur received from snapping them now was minimal.
But as the saying goes, even a mosquito's leg is meat, right? Every bit of strength gained, no matter how small, could potentially be the saving grace in this dangerous place!
After snapping dozens of Battle Souls, Arthur couldn't go on.
The gates of the military factory were within reach. Arthur found his helmet and pulled it on.
His expression became wooden as he drove up to the sentry. Two soldiers intercepted him.
"Hail Hydra!"
As they approached Arthur, the two soldiers performed a military salute that Arthur found utterly cringe-worthy before demanding identification.
Arthur had seen movies where Hydra's awkward salutes left him speechless.
With one hand raised in a fist, Arthur mimicked the salute and shouted "Hail Hydra" before handing over the identification that had been in the vehicle all along.
Since it was a Hydra vehicle, the inspection wasn't rigorous. After a cursory glance, they let him through easily.
As the gate slowly closed behind him, Arthur gently stepped on the gas and entered.
He was well informed about the perimeter, but the interior remained a mystery.
Driving aimlessly wasn't a good idea. So, after a short distance, he spotted some warehouses where he parked the truck he was driving.
As he turned and parked the vehicle, Arthur kept a close eye on the right side mirror. There was a reason for that.
The left side was crowded, while the right side, though guarded, was relatively sparse.
If the unexpected passenger in his vehicle really belonged to the same faction, they would probably choose to exit on the right side after he stopped the vehicle.
Sure enough, he caught a glimpse of a shielded figure crouching low and sneaking away, reflected in the mirror.
Though fleeting, Arthur saw the stars and stripes on the shield!
"Holy…"
Arthur's profanity was quickly swallowed.
After half a year of war, except for the few people around him, almost nothing resembled the plots of the movies.
Arthur couldn't help but feel confused by the truth of this world… Wasn't this the plot of the first Captain America movie?
In the movie, wasn't Captain America's first mission to attack a military factory?
After half a year, if not for the star-spangled shield, Arthur wouldn't have realized that his timeline had synchronized with the events of the movie.
"If it is him…" Arthur paused for a moment. "Then what the hell am I doing here?"
With this thought in mind, Arthur quickly got out of the car.
After circling around, he followed the Captain's path.
Not long after, he came upon a dead Hydra soldier lying on the ground.
Arthur's face darkened. "He doesn't mess around, does he?"
He picked up the body and tossed it under the car with a flick of his hand.
Taking a few steps forward, he reached a corner. Just as he looked out, a shield suddenly flew at his face, seemingly out of nowhere.
Arthur recoiled abruptly, then kicked out hard. As he collided with the shield, the powerful force knocked him back about two meters. Astonished, he muttered, "That's some serious power!"
Immediately, a man holding the shield appeared from behind the building, ready to strike.
Arthur quickly removed his hat and whispered, "Hang on!"
Seeing Arthur's face, the captain was also taken aback and quickly stopped his fist. "Instructor, have you joined Hydra?"
"…Wait, didn't it say that after the serum injection, your learning ability and intelligence increased significantly?" Arthur looked at Steve in confusion as he spoke. "How did you come to the conclusion that I joined Hydra?"
Just as the Captain was about to speak, Arthur grabbed his hand and said. "Let's go!"
The two quickly ducked under a nearby truck. Only then did the group's orderly footsteps become audible.
Arthur and Steve lay under the vehicle, watching the group's feet. After they had passed, the two exchanged glances.
Dead silence was the last thing they needed, even though they were behind enemy lines.
Arthur broke the silence first. "No time to explain, get in the car!"
With that, he crawled out and the captain quickly followed. He ran to the driver's side of the truck and looked confused as he watched Arthur getting farther and farther away. "Shouldn't we get in the car?"
Seeing Arthur waving frantically at him, the captain hurried to catch up.
He couldn't help but wonder why, after such a long time apart, the instructor was still so inexplicable.
After the two arrived at a more secluded spot, Steve finally asked Arthur, "Instructor, are you here to perform a mission?"
"Isn't it obvious?"
Arthur was speechless. "But the more important question is what are you doing here? Weren't you busy selling bonds all over the country? The man with the big plans and the star-spangled banner?"
Half a year ago, Dr. Erskine was murdered at a ball, and all the data was destroyed. The whereabouts of the last serum were unknown… At the time, the upper echelons suspected that Arthur had it, given his close relationship with Dr. Erskine.
But after several inquiries and investigations yielded no results, and under pressure from Colonel Phillips, they had to let it go.
Since then, Steve Rogers has embarked on a six-month career selling his 'abilities'!