Chen Mo did not intend to take away Steve's opportunity.
Steve desperately needed this chance; it was a crucial turning point in his life, and as his master, Chen Mo would not ruin it. Moreover, compared to directly replacing Steve in the enhancement experiment, Chen Mo had a better and grander plan.
The extraordinary intelligence brought by his exceptional mental strength allowed Chen Mo to see things more clearly and thoroughly. He was planning a grand strategy, and when the time came, he would gain much more than just a single serum enhancement.
What he needed to do now was to let Steve undergo the enhancement as per the original storyline while gaining the trust of Colonel Phillips, Dr. Erskine, and Agent Carter.
These three, as the core leaders of the Strategic Scientific Reserve, were crucial to Chen Mo's entire plan.
Gaining their trust wouldn't be easy, but Chen Mo wasn't alone. Behind him was a vast organization, Hydra, whose power far surpassed that of the Strategic Scientific Reserve.
The high-ranking officials and extensive intelligence network controlled by Hydra provided excellent cover for Chen Mo's identity. No matter how they investigated, they couldn't find any flaws, while Chen Mo knew everything about them.
After verifying Chen Mo's "background," Dr. Erskine felt very reassured. With Chen Mo's strength, it was impossible for him to be a spy sent by Hydra. If Hydra could create spies with Chen Mo's abilities, it would mean they had already mastered an enhancement method not weaker than the super-soldier serum, making it unnecessary to send Chen Mo to steal the serum. They could simply send someone to assassinate him.
More importantly, Dr. Erskine trusted his judgment of people. He could sense Chen Mo's goodwill and integrity.
In fact, it wasn't that Chen Mo's acting was particularly good. Although he had his own goals for joining the Strategic Scientific Reserve, he had no ill intentions towards Dr. Erskine and Agent Carter. What he intended to do was not only for himself but also to rewrite their original tragic fates. Therefore, Chen Mo didn't feel guilty towards them and naturally had a clear conscience.
In the movie, the endings for several characters were not good. Dr. Erskine was killed by a Hydra spy in the lab after the serum enhancement experiment succeeded, and Howard was later killed by the brainwashed "Winter Soldier" Bucky.
Steve and Carter, although not killed, endured even deeper pain. They finally found true love, only to be cruelly separated by fate.
Seventy whole years!
One was frozen at the bottom of the sea, unaware of anything, while the other aged in waiting. When they met again, everything had changed. In the end, Steve personally carried the coffin, bidding farewell to the love of his life who had lived alone.
All these tragedies would be rewritten by Chen Mo. Compared to that, a little concealment from Chen Mo was nothing.
Because he often assisted with Dr. Erskine's research, Chen Mo became a regular in the laboratory. After completing his tasks, the doctor wouldn't rush him out, allowing him to wander around the lab. Without any concerns, Dr. Erskine, who already had a good impression of Chen Mo, didn't guard against him much.
Therefore, during experiments, the doctor didn't deliberately avoid him. Seeing Chen Mo's interest, he would carefully explain things. With Chen Mo's exceptional learning and memory abilities, he quickly mastered the biological knowledge and could draw inferences, proposing his own ideas.
Amazed by Chen Mo's genius learning ability, Dr. Erskine believed even more in the rare talent Chen Mo claimed to have and began to deliberately teach him biological knowledge.
Of course, the core formula of the super-soldier serum was known only to the doctor. Dr. Erskine had been controlled by Hydra in his early years and was forced to enhance Red Skull Schmidt, so he always had a deep fear of Hydra.
He also worried about the formula being leaked and used by Hydra. That's why, in the movie, no one could recreate the serum after his death.
In fact, Chen Mo, with his exceptional memory, had already read most of the books in the university library during his college years. He had a deep understanding of basic disciplines like biology and physics, with many concepts and knowledge far beyond this world.
However, the advanced technological theories involved in the doctor's enhancement serum were not part of the modern knowledge system.
As Chen Mo's understanding of the super-soldier serum grew, he proposed many ideas that even Dr. Erskine couldn't help but admire.
Eventually, the doctor suggested to the colonel that Chen Mo be transferred to the laboratory.
The core task of the Strategic Scientific Reserve was to develop the super-soldier serum. The elite soldiers selected were meant to be subjects for the serum experiments…
The core task of the Strategic Scientific Reserve is to develop the super-soldier serum. The elite soldiers selected are meant to serve as subjects for the serum experiments.
Although the colonel was reluctant to see his most promising soldier switch to being a researcher, he had to agree to the doctor's request and transferred Chen Mo to the laboratory. Chen Mo's role officially became Dr. Erskine's assistant.
In matters related to the serum, the doctor had more authority than the colonel. In the movie, the colonel didn't actually favor the weak Steve; he preferred the excellent soldier Gilmore Hodge. However, he could only suggest, and in the end, it was Steve, chosen by the doctor, who underwent the enhancement.
…
Early in the morning, Steve and the others set out for field training again.
The military camp was unusually quiet. Taking advantage of this, Chen Mo arrived at the training ground early. He found a tall, straight red maple tree at the edge of the field to use as a target and began practicing his throwing knives, which he hadn't practiced for many days.
With a belt full of throwing knives around his waist, Chen Mo stood twenty meters away from the tree.
Silver flashes streaked through the air, accompanied by the sound of knives embedding into the wood. The tree trunk, at about head height, was densely covered with knives.
Here, Chen Mo didn't dare to risk exposure by using his spatial abilities. Fortunately, before enlisting, he had anticipated this and prepared a belt to conceal his knives, openly bringing more than twenty throwing knives to the camp.
After exhausting the knives he carried, Chen Mo walked to the maple tree and began pulling them out one by one. Although he hadn't used his full strength, the knives were embedded two to three centimeters into the wood, easily lethal if they hit a person.
Just as Chen Mo finished collecting the knives and was about to practice from a further distance, a voice called out to him.
"Chen Mo, what are you doing?"
Chen Mo turned around and saw that it was Colonel Phillips.
"Good morning, Colonel," Chen Mo greeted.
"I'm practicing throwing knives," Chen Mo said, shaking the knife in his hand.
Colonel Phillips took the knife from Chen Mo and looked at it disdainfully.
"Knives are for fighting. What's the point of practicing this? It's a waste of time!"
"If you have the time, you'd be better off practicing with a gun. It's much more powerful than these throwing knives!" The colonel said proudly, patting the M1911 pistol on his waist.