5
Chapter 5: This Wine Is Still Warm
"Hey, brother, you didn't get selected for enlistment. Are you drinking because you're in a bad mood?"
Thor shook his head and looked at the future Captain America.
What was he up to?
Steve sat down beside him and said, "You know, Mr. Howard Stark is hosting a scientific exposition tonight. It's going to be lively, with many people attending the celebration!"
Steve then lowered his voice: "There's a recruiting office next to the expo. The recruiting officer will likely be distracted, and the review process will be somewhat lax. This is a good opportunity for us!"
Steve was actually quite clever. The reason he dragged Thor along wasn't just for a fun outing.
Normally, a recruiter interviewing two candidates at the same time would subconsciously shorten the time spent on each, reducing the chances of mistakes.
Even if things went awry, having two people together would give them courage and support each other.
The above was the conjecture of the system, who quietly reminded him.
Thor suddenly realized that the guy with innocent face and big eyes wasn't as straightforward as he seemed. He was indeed the type who could say "Hail HYDRA " with a straight face.
Before they could respond, an arrogant voice interrupted them.
"Little runt, hiding here, huh?"
A young man with a swollen face and four or five thugs surrounded them.
The young man glanced around, but didn't see the soldier who had beaten him before. He sighed in relief and sneered, "What? Your friend ran away, and now you're left here to get beaten?"
He glanced at Thor. "It's none of your business. Just leave..."
He was still somewhat hypocritical. If he could fight like Bucky, he'd be in trouble.
"Bang bang bang bang—"
After a fierce struggle, Thor returned to his seat.
Steve stared in disbelief at the punks who had been taken down by beer bottles in the blink of an eye, and at Thor, who remained unfazed.
Thor adjusted his suit and took a swig of whiskey.
"This wine is still warm!"
Steve was puzzled—Thor drank such strong liquor like it was beer, and it was hard not to burn your stomach. Definitely "warm"...
The system's little sister silently complained: "It's so difficult to pretend to be normal human for you idiot!"
…
Half of Steve's plan succeeded. The exposition outside was noisy, and the recruiter was already distracted and eager to finish his shift.
Seeing Thor's information, he barely glanced at it and marked it with 1A. He completely overlooked the suspicious identity of a strong blond youth flagged earlier that day.
Then, Steve himself failed the review repeatedly.
It wasn't that his plan had gone wrong, but rather that an elderly man named Abraham had noticed Steve in the crowd at the exposition.
Good looks are common, but an intriguing soul is rare.
This young man undoubtedly had an exceptionally noble soul. Dr. Abraham had a strong feeling that he was the person he had been searching for!
So he immediately started investigating Steve quietly.
It wasn't impossible to uncover Steve's falsified background and enlistment details; it's just that most of the time, no one had the time to delve into it. But when someone did take the time to investigate, his dubious history came to light.
By the way, Thor, who was using the pseudonym Donald Blake, was also checked.
There was no need to verify Bucky's innocence.
According to the investigation, Thor's identity was legitimate. However, Dr. Abraham was somewhat concerned about Thor's recent behavior.
He was so violent and unruly!
Thor's arrogance and defiance were apparent, and his tendency to pick fights in places like bars was noted.
Maintaining a style of avoiding trouble unless provoked, Thor had gained some notoriety on the streets of New York. His reputation was well-known upon inquiry.
Most of the time, he was blamed for reacting to others, and many of those beaten were not upstanding citizens. New York's law enforcement was quite lenient in this area. In theory, he was a brave and law-abiding individual...
But Dr. Abraham seriously suspected that if Thor hadn't learned restraint through his upbringing, he would have been even more barbaric than the legendary Vikings!
The super-soldier serum could amplify the recipient's inherent traits, making it unsuitable for him until this side effect was resolved.
He was a good soldier but not the one Dr. Abraham was looking for.
Dr. Abraham shook his head in regret.