Steve's expression was somewhat dejected.
At that moment, Senator Brandt approached him.
"It's not that I have anything against the Colonel; it's just that he hasn't grasped the key point. But I see your potential, Steve. More importantly, the entire country sees it too."
Brandt handed a newspaper to Steve.
"Ever since your heroic deeds made it into the papers, the response has been incredible. Recruitment lines at enlistment stations are now stretching down the streets!"
Steve glanced at the newspaper and saw the headline: "Spy Appears on New York Streets, Mysterious Hero Descends to Save Innocent Civilians."
(By the way, the "abducted good citizen" in the story? Totally staged.)
Looking over at Agent Carter, Senator Brandt remarked, "Steve is perfect for the idol path—indirect ways of saving the country are also vital. Keeping him cooped up in a lab doesn't do anyone justice."
Seeing that Carter remained silent, Brandt stepped closer, patted Steve on the shoulder, and said in a warm tone, "Kid, would you like to serve your country on a more critical battlefield?"
"Sir, I'd be honored!" Steve eagerly replied, nodding without hesitation.
"Well, congratulations! You're getting a promotion!"
Brandt extended his hand, shaking Steve's with a meaningful smile. Steve immediately felt like he might have been a bit too naïve.
Agent Carter, observing from the side, shook her head slightly.
Brandt quickly convinced Steve to take up the offer. Leveraging Steve's growing popularity, he began aggressively promoting war bonds to raise funds for the military.
Steve's new career as a performer officially began, with countless film offers pouring in. He traveled across states for national tours and earned the title "Captain America" due to his performances.
Wang Ye's Burden
Wang Ye, wanting to catch one of Steve's shows in person, found himself too busy to spare the time.
The fight against Hydra had begun under S.H.I.E.L.D.'s name.
Every day, Wang Ye's desk was piled high with an endless stream of documents that seemed to multiply like they had a mind of their own.
Thankfully, Agent Carter helped during the day; otherwise, Wang Ye might have given up entirely.
Staring at the stack of files he had been reviewing all morning, Wang Ye felt overwhelmed.
"By the way, Carter, how's recruitment going across departments? At this rate, I, the first-ever Director, might just die buried under paperwork!"
Agent Carter neatly stacked the files she had just finished and placed them on the completed pile.
"It will take some time to recruit everyone. Given the current situation, we've raised our hiring standards to be more stringent than before. Anyone we can't fully trust won't pass the screening."
With increasing knowledge about Hydra, Agent Carter had grown more and more alarmed by their pervasive infiltration capabilities.
"Still, we've already found a few promising candidates. They're in the final stages of the selection process. Once approved, they can officially join and begin their assignments," she said with a smile, clearly pleased with the progress.
What Carter couldn't possibly know was that these "promising candidates" had all been secretly arranged by Wang Ye through Johann.
These individuals had squeaky-clean backgrounds, but deep in their subconscious, they carried an indelible imprint.
Under normal circumstances, they were just themselves. But with specific triggers—certain words or sounds—they would transform into puppets, following orders without question.
The most significant aspect of this was that the subconscious imprint was entirely undetectable.
Originally, Schmidt intended to use these agents to infiltrate high-ranking government positions across nations. Now, they had been placed into S.H.I.E.L.D.
"Well, that's good to hear. I just want to hit the bar and drink until I'm satisfied! After days of paperwork, I can't even remember what alcohol tastes like anymore!" Wang Ye sighed, almost moved to tears upon hearing his "reinforcements" were nearly ready.
"I think you're just getting lazy. Don't forget you're the Director, and these are files that require your personal approval! Meanwhile, I've left a mountain of intelligence work undone to help you, and you don't hear me complaining. Oh, and no smoking in the office—you want to burn all these files to ashes?"
Agent Carter's tone was sharper than usual, her temper running high. Wang Ye guessed it might be that time of the month, so he chose to take the high road and not argue.
For this future daughter-in-law, Wang Ye was quite satisfied. After all, as the old saying goes: "A slender waist and full hips make for easy childbirth."
"Oh, sorry, force of habit! Then, my beautiful Agent Carter, would you kindly make me a cup of coffee?" Wang Ye extinguished his cigar and returned it to its case with a smile.
Carter didn't respond but still got up to prepare the coffee. After all, Wang Ye was the Director, and she had voted for him herself during the election.
Late October 1943
In the blink of an eye, Wang Ye had spent months tirelessly working through files.
Under his guidance, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s various departments had been thoroughly infiltrated by Hydra agents.
These agents, unaware of who their real superiors were within S.H.I.E.L.D., had all received a single instruction upon entry: "Wholeheartedly develop S.H.I.E.L.D."
Finally, Wang Ye was able to hand off his workload to subordinates. He happily returned to his antique shop, resuming his laid-back lifestyle.
(End of Chapter)
Want to read the chapters in Advance? Join my Patreon
https://patreon.com/Glimmer09