At the entrance of the command tent not far away, Colonel Phillips looked on with satisfaction and pride.
When the sound of the plane first started, he had walked out of the command center. He had witnessed everything, and Chen Mo's dramatic descent from the sky had shocked him.
"As expected of our strongest commander in S.H.I.E.L.D.! This is a true super soldier!"
Looking at the excited Steve getting up from the jeep, the colonel snorted disdainfully.
"Kid, compared to your master, you still have a long way to go!"
…
On the plane, Steve was still looking at Chen Mo with excitement.
Chen Mo's astonishing entrance had given him a huge surprise and interrupted his impulsive plan to break through the enemy's tight defenses alone.
Since Dr. Erskine's "assassination," Steve hadn't seen Chen Mo for over half a year. His impression of Chen Mo was still from before they parted.
At that time, Chen Mo hadn't undergone enhancement and had similar strength to Steve. But now, Chen Mo's displayed strength far surpassed his own.
Jumping from such a high altitude without a scratch and landing smoothly, Steve knew he couldn't do that.
Besides super strength and bone and muscle toughness, advanced landing techniques were essential. Clearly, in every aspect, the gap between him and Chen Mo was still very large.
In fact, Chen Mo had no choice. He wasn't bored enough to jump out of planes for fun.
In London, upon learning that Steve was heading to the Italian front for a performance and that the previously quiet Hydra rebel base was acting up again, Chen Mo knew something was wrong. Sure enough, the 107th Infantry Regiment, where Bucky was, had been attacked by Hydra, and over a hundred men were captured.
With Howard by his side, without him piloting the plane, Chen Mo knew that Steve, eager to save his friend, might recklessly charge through the Nazi defenses.
Even with the super-soldier serum's enhancement, Steve's flesh and blood couldn't withstand the heavily fortified enemy positions on the front lines.
Worried about Steve's safety, Chen Mo dragged the severely seasick Howard to pilot the plane across the English Channel, directly to Italy.
The plane was supposed to land at an airport near the military camp, but as it approached, Chen Mo, with his superhuman vision, spotted Steve and Carter in a standoff on a piece of open ground in the camp.
If they waited for the plane to land, Steve might have already run off. Impatient, Chen Mo had Howard lower the altitude, and he jumped directly from the plane.
The landing techniques he learned from Huang Quan and others came in handy. Otherwise, even with his superhuman strength, landing smoothly wouldn't have been easy. He would have had to roll to absorb some of the impact, losing the dramatic effect.
On the plane, besides Howard piloting, was the beautiful agent Peggy Carter, who had been trying to stop Steve from recklessly rescuing his friend.
After Chen Mo's dramatic appearance, Carter's attitude did a complete 180. With Howard piloting through the most challenging battlefield blockade and Chen Mo, who had single-handedly wiped out two Hydra bases, rescuing the captives would be a breeze.
With Chen Mo accompanying Steve, Carter was completely reassured. It was a perfect opportunity for Steve to adapt to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s combat style, specifically that of Commander Chen Mo.
Chen Mo didn't disappoint Carter. On the plane, he demonstrated S.H.I.E.L.D.'s strength and his command style to Steve.
The plane was Howard's private aircraft. The small cabin had a few comfortable leather seats, with the floor and walls covered in iron plates. The front connected directly to Howard's cockpit, and the rear was separated by a curtain. Though simple by Chen Mo's standards, it was luxurious for the time.
Under Steve and Carter's watchful eyes, Chen Mo walked to the rear of the cabin and pulled back the curtain.
The space behind the curtain was small, likely used as a cargo hold. The walls were bare, exposing the steel frame of the plane.
In this small space was a nearly two-meter-long giant box.
"Open it and see."
Chen Mo called Steve over to open the box himself.
Steve was curious about the contents. Knowing that anything Chen Mo presented so solemnly wouldn't be ordinary, he reached out and opened the box.
Carter also stood beside Steve, curious about what was inside.
As the box opened, a silver light first caught their eyes.
On top of the box was a silver metal round shield, about seventy to eighty centimeters in diameter, with a slight convex curve, looking heavy and solid.
Steve looked at Chen Mo in confusion, not understanding the significance of the shield.
Carter, however, was thoughtful. She had seen Chen Mo's shield before, and this one was almost identical. But Chen Mo's shield had been painted black, while this one was shiny and new.
"Soon, you'll be facing Hydra head-on. Your performance prop can only block handgun bullets. It would be easily torn apart by rifles and machine guns," Chen Mo said disdainfully, glancing at Steve's iron shield.
"The box contains your combat equipment, the pinnacle of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s technology."
Chen Mo pointed to the shield on top of the box.
"This shield and the sword below are modeled after my weapons, made of Adamantium."
Steve looked back at the box and saw a long sword beneath the shield.
He picked up the shield, examining it closely, finding it much heavier and sturdier than his prop shield.
"Adamantium is the hardest metal in the world, indestructible. This shield can withstand almost any weapon without damage."
Steve's eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at the shield. It was hard to imagine that this seemingly ordinary shield was so powerful.
Eagerly, he strapped the shield to his arm. With this shield, his chances of rescuing Bucky were much higher.
"Don't rush, there's more."