Chapter 05 The Marvel World?!
Keywords: Agent Carter, 'Super Soldier Plan,' World War II battlefield, U.S. soldiers!
When Arthur connected the keywords in his mind, he felt his face turning a little pale. Any of these keywords on their own would typically be associated with an ordinary "crossed over" experience with a touch of danger, but when linked together, there was only one thought Arthur could come up with: Captain America!
Before being "crossed over," Arthur was watching "Iron Man." However, instead of crossing over to the time period of Iron Man, he had somehow ended up on the World War II battlefield with Captain America. Was this a hint that he had crossed over into the Marvel Universe?
The Marvel Universe?
Suddenly, Arthur felt like his future was bleak. What kind of world was this?
Every corner of the universe was filled with aliens, and battles of all kinds were constantly erupting. Major villains seemed to consider destroying the world as their pastime, and it wasn't clear why. Wasn't living in peace enough?
And after watching Avengers: Infinity War, Arthur couldn't help but recall Thanos and his snap of fingers to see the sunset in his hometown. In the end, all of this could be boiled down to three letters: WTF!
How did he end up in this world of all places? And, it was difficult to determine whether this was the movie universe or the comic universe.
The movie universe would be manageable, but the comic universe… was indescribable. There were countless beings capable of destroying Earth, a multitude of unimaginable entities roaming across the cosmos. They traversed different universes and dimensions!
In all honesty, in a mere World War II battlefield, Arthur believed that, with his Disassemble ability, the abundance of skill books he had disassembled, and his enhanced physique from Battle Soul, he had a good chance of surviving.
Furthermore, he could perform actively on the battlefield, earn accolades, and perhaps become an officer, ensuring a good life ahead.
However, what about now?
Arthur suddenly felt that he had been naïve.
"The Super Soldier Plan is a serum developed by Dr. Abraham Erskine. It can change a person's physique, turning an ordinary soldier into a Super Soldier," Agent Carter softly explained when she noticed Arthur's silence. "This isn't the place to discuss it. Let's finish this Decapitation mission, and afterward, we can talk in detail. I believe that, if it's you, you might qualify for this experiment."
At the same time, the sergeant, who had moved ahead at some point, stood up, signaling that it was safe ahead.
Agent Carter patted Arthur on the shoulder. "Keep going, soldier!"
"…"
One thing is for sure; we need all the encouragement we can get.
With the looming threat of Loki, Ultron, Thanos, and the like arriving to wreak havoc on Earth, could Arthur make it to that time? In this World War II setting, considering the Captain America scenario of being frozen for seventy years, would he already be an old man when the great war loomed over everyone?
Even with all his enhancements, what good would that do when he's an elderly man fighting with a cane?
He couldn't help but breathe out a sigh of relief. Compared to the epic battle of the future, the current World War II battlefield seemed less intimidating. At least here, there wasn't something like the Infinity Gauntlet capable of wiping out half of the universe with a finger snap!
For a moment, Arthur's confidence surged, and he even thought that he could look down on these opponents from World War II, charge into Berlin, and make a name for himself by lifting Hitler's head!
Okay, that was obviously just a delusion.
Moreover, after realizing this, Arthur suddenly thought of something else.
"Perhaps… our main adversary next is not the little mustache man but Hydra!" Agent Carter's presence suggested that even if this wasn't the movie world of Captain America, it had profound connections. During this period, Captain America's primary opponent was none other than Hydra, right?
"Hey… why am I getting carried away with these thoughts?" Arthur gave himself a tap on the head. It was pointless to think this far ahead. He had to take one step at a time.
So, the next step was to keep moving forward.
The journey ahead didn't have any sniper ambushes, and the sergeant believed that the encounter with the sniper earlier had been a fluke. But they still had to move cautiously and do everything to avoid being detected, especially by the enemy planes that occasionally passed overhead.
The hardships of the journey were evident. Without the significant enhancements from the Battle Soul, Arthur would have given out a long time ago.
Even with these enhancements, he felt like his whole body was covered in sweat and mud. As a well-rounded modern-day otaku, Arthur had never experienced such hardship.
But now, whether it was to win this battle or simply to survive, he had to persist. And as for running away on the way? Arthur had considered it. However, just like the determination he had made when he had gone insane before, he now held on to the belief that "people are like birds flying to the sky, undying for all eternity."
Running away at this moment might be an option, but on a World War II battlefield where he was unfamiliar with every corner, how far could he get? If he was lucky, he might run into his current unit, be slapped with a desertion label, undergo reformation and forgiveness, and then return to fight.
If he didn't want to return to battle, there would always be a military court-martial waiting for him. Whether it was life or death at that point would be even more uncertain.
If his luck was bad, he might run into Hitler's forces, which would make the phrase "too young, too simple" more than apt.
So, instead of all that, Arthur decided to give it his all. This decision was not just a result of his experience from movies and lessons from novels; it was equally rooted in his enhanced physical abilities and marksmanship. Plus, the experiences of a day on the battlefield had granted him the courage to fight to the death.
(End of this chapter)