In the 1920s, at a secret base...
The world had plunged into the turmoil of World War II, and countless people were suffering. Yet, in this secret base, a luxurious dinner was held under bright lights.
It was a grand reception, with the hall filled with high-ranking officials and ladies in military uniforms and dresses. All the attendees were prominent figures from the outside world.
The banquet was hosted by the head of state, and every high-ranking official or scientific and technological talent in attendance caused a sensation. When a man in black leather entered, accompanied by several people, the atmosphere nearly reached a climax.
He was a proud man with a mustache. He waved to those around him and walked straight to the podium.
He held the highest power in the country, a man who had been rejected by the Vienna Academy of Arts and turned to painting on maps. To date, no one in the world has been more successful than him.
There was no need to state the identity of this man who could evoke such fanaticism among the people.
But, as with all things, there are exceptions. At least for the girl sitting in the corner, the speech of the man on stage seemed to have nothing to do with her.
"Rhein, don't you feel anything?"
"No."
The girl who was questioned curled her lips and responded. If she hadn't been forced to attend because she was too soft-spoken to refuse, she wouldn't have bothered to participate in such a noisy party.
"However, it's interesting that you're attending the party, Dr. Erskine. Schmidt actually let you out."
Erskine chuckled. "I'm mainly here to see you. Usually, we don't have many opportunities to communicate like this."
"That's true."
Rhein nodded, agreeing with the old man's statement. She and Erskine usually worked and lived under the watchful eyes of Schmidt's subordinates. There were indeed very few opportunities to relax and chat like this.
"Let's talk later; I haven't eaten yet."
Picking up a piece of steak, Rhein held a glass of Coca-Cola in her left hand and lifted the meat, showing off with no concern for appearances. Dr. Erskine, who was about to say something, fell silent helplessly, waiting for her to finish eating.
Naturally, only a top biochemist like Dr. Erskine could treat someone as special as Rhein. She held many positions at the base, such as weapons technology consultant and chief technical officer of mechanical engineering, among others.
The fact that so many important roles were entrusted to a young girl who had just reached adulthood spoke volumes about her abilities.
Dr. Erskine greatly admired such a young genius with profound knowledge.
But what no one knew was that she wasn't a real genius, at least not as brilliant as the doctor in front of her.
Rhein wasn't a native of this world; she was a traveler from another.
Eighteen years ago, Rhein had traveled to this world and become the child of an ordinary family. Even more unfortunate was that her parents abandoned her at an orphanage.
At that time, almost everything that could be invented had already been invented, and the things that hadn't been invented were inaccessible to ordinary people. Not to mention, the looming threat of World War II was imminent.
Rhein was quite desperate until she discovered her own "golden finger," the 'Red Alert System.'
The system had two functions and wasn't very sophisticated, but she was quite pleased with both.
One feature was called the Technology Library.
As the name suggests, it included all the science and technology from Red Alert. She had unlocked all the technology from the Allied and Soviet forces of the second generation, and the third generation included the Chinese camp as well.
The second function was recruitment, which required gold to enlist any unit with unlocked technology.
Initially, she was excited, but soon realized it was practically useless. Technology wasn't something ordinary people could easily engage with. Even disregarding the research and development costs, the expense of manufacturing equipment was astronomical for ordinary individuals.
As for recruitment, it was even more out of reach.
She couldn't afford to pay with gold. At that time, the world was in a deep economic crisis, and ordinary people had no chance to improve their situation except through special means.
Fortunately, Rhein's exceptional talent at school caught the attention of officials. It wasn't a problem for her to receive some military design plans to support herself while familiarizing herself with the world. She was assigned to Schmidt's team.
Had she not met Schmidt, Rhein might have thought she was in a typical World War II world. But after seeing Schmidt and learning about his classic human body enhancement plan, she realized this wasn't just any universe—it was the Marvel universe.
Rhein was immediately disheartened. Originally, she had wanted to stir up trouble in the world, but now she decided against it.
She chose to develop her skills secretly as a safeguard for Earth and planned to take action only if the Avengers were unable to handle external threats. This approach would keep her out of the limelight and avoid putting herself in constant danger.
After taking a sip of Coke, Rhein hiccupped and put some of the remaining steak back on her plate. Despite her appetite, she couldn't eat much as a girl who barely exercised.
Seeing that Rhein had finished eating, Dr. Erskine, with a smile in his eyes, said, "The speech is over. Would you like to go for a walk?"
"Hurp—yes."
Hiccupping again, Rhein got up and walked out of the hall with Dr. Erskine, followed by two tall soldiers.
After all, these two were top scientific research talents of the Third Reich, so mistakes were not allowed.
After walking in the courtyard for a while, Rhein felt her legs growing weak, so she found a bench and sat down. Dr. Erskine sat beside her, closing his eyes to enjoy a breath of fresh air.
"The fresh air is filled with the smell of gunpowder and war," Rhein remarked.
"There's nothing we can do," Dr. Erskine replied.
Rhine shook her head, understanding the profound meaning behind Dr. Erskine's words.
The air in the courtyard was indeed fresh, but as the initiator of the war, the whole world was engulfed in flames of conflict, making the air far from beautiful.
"I know you are also a peace-loving person," Dr. Erskine said seriously, looking into Rhine's wine-red eyes. "You rejected the military's uranium program research project, which is very important."
The uranium program was a nuclear project initiated by Germany before the war, in the late 1920s. Simply put, the Third Reich, having discovered the powerful potential of uranium as a nuclear material, wanted to use it to dramatically alter the world order.
Rhein paused for a moment upon hearing the doctor's words, then shook her head and replied, "I'm not a physicist like Einstein; I don't have that capability."
She said that, but in reality, with enough resources, she could create the world's first atomic bomb. After all, the Soviet Union's superweapon was a nuclear bomb.
She had detailed plans in her mind, from the purification and preparation of nuclear materials to ballistic missiles. She could spend several months writing these plans in detail and then let the military execute them.
But she wouldn't do it.
"Really? But you did talk with Heisenberg some time ago."
"Yes, just chatting."
Embarrassed, Rhine scratched her face, curled her hair, and mumbled, "I only communicated with him in a regular academic manner. I didn't share the correct calculation methods..."
"What did you say?!"
Dr. Erskine was genuinely alarmed. While he didn't believe Rhein could successfully develop the project if she joined the uranium project team, it was better to have one less genius involved in such a dangerous project.
However, from what this girl said, it seemed she knew how to handle nuclear weapons?
Erskine wasn't a nuclear physicist, but he knew that the theoretical energy release ratio could make nuclear weapons far more destructive than all the V1 and V2 missiles launched by the Third Reich.
Thinking of this, he grabbed Rhein's wrist excitedly. Rhein frowned in discomfort, struggling twice before managing to speak softly, "Please let go. There are still people watching."
"Oh, sorry."
The unusual physical contact caught the attention of the two soldiers, who approached with questioning looks.
"Is there any conflict between the two of you?"
"No, we just had some differences in academic discussion. By the way, could you bring me a bottle of Coke?"
Before the old man could react, Rhein quickly spoke to defuse the situation and sent one of the soldiers away. She remembered that Schmidt had said he would meet all reasonable demands as long as she worked for him. Getting a Coke shouldn't be a problem.
"Of course, please wait a moment."
The soldier glanced at the other guard accompanying him, then looked at Erskine's elderly frame and Rhein's slender figure. Relieved, he went to get a Coke.
Seeing everything was fine, Rhein sighed with relief and gave Erskine a reproachful look. However, she wasn't truly angry; the matter was too important.
Without waiting for another apology or question from the old man, Rhein took the initiative to explain.
"I did discuss nuclear physics extensively with Heisenberg, and he did learn a lot from me. However, I didn't tell him to consider the neutron diffusion rate."
Seeing Erskine's confusion, the girl explained helplessly, "It's about the demand for uranium-235. Generally, only a dozen kilograms of uranium-235 are needed to reach the critical point. But if you don't account for the neutron diffusion rate, this value increases by several hundred times, meaning more than ten tons of uranium-235."
Rhein couldn't help but laugh as she remembered Heisenberg's excited but ultimately confused research when he got home, only to be baffled by the results.
"But more than a dozen tons... isn't that too much?"
Rhein rolled her eyes and, though reluctant, explained mockingly, "A dozen tons isn't much? With the current industrial level, even if all the centrifuges in the world operated 24/7 until the end of the war, it would be impossible to produce so much uranium-235. Dr. Erskine, perhaps you should take a supplementary course in nuclear physics. Would you like me to be your tutor?"
"Ahem, I'm a biochemist, not a nuclear physics expert."
Erskine, embarrassed by the young girl's ridicule, made a weak excuse and hurriedly left the courtyard. At that moment, the soldier who had gone to fetch the Coke returned.
"Miss Rhein, here's your Coke."
"Oh, thank you."
The girl smiled politely, took the Coke, and held it in her arms without drinking it. She gazed at the clear night sky, lost in thought.