Ch.172 WWII

Gin worked quickly. Almost before Su Ming could finish his drink, updated intelligence was laid out in front of him.

Hydra's sphere of activity had not significantly changed; for now, they were still confined to Europe. After all, Europe was still the center of the world, and they weren't particularly interested in the United States just yet.

Hydra had already aligned itself with the small-mustached man. The little dictator had a deep fascination with the occult, so Hydra catered to his tastes, conjuring up all sorts of mystical devices, earning them a valuable role within the Nazi Party.

There was also news from the Hellfire Club. They were currently based in London, presenting themselves as a private gentlemen's club. However, there seemed to be something peculiar about them beneath the surface.

As for the mutants, there was more information, but it was fragmented. Gin had leveraged his network and learned that superpowered individuals were appearing all over the world, but they were incredibly secretive. Finding them in this era was nearly impossible.

Wakanda still hadn't been located. It was as if the place didn't exist. Su Ming's recollection placed it somewhere in northern Africa, but no matter how hard he searched, it couldn't be found. His plan to upgrade his Godslayer rifle's rounds to vibranium bullets would have to be postponed.

Over the years, Su Ming's enterprises had come to dominate every aspect of ordinary life. He had essentially become what you'd call a "retail magnate."

Damn it! Once he finished burning through the knowledge he had brought back from the future, in a few decades, he probably wouldn't see any military orders coming his way anymore.

His subordinates—what a bunch of fools. He had explained the principles of the technology thoroughly, yet they still couldn't even produce a decent rocket. What they came up with wasn't even comparable to a firecracker.

He had lowered his expectations, asking them to develop a new airplane engine, not even a jet engine, just a conventional piston engine. But even that was inferior to the one in Su Ming's own car.

This, perhaps, was the difference between a scientific genius and ordinary researchers.

He couldn't think about it; it was too exhausting. These scientists were better off focusing on consumer goods—after all, that seemed to be the extent of their capabilities.

Another year passed. In 1938, the small-mustached man fulfilled the promise he made when he took office: "To gain land for the German people with sword and blade." Through a series of cunning diplomatic moves, he reclaimed the Sudetenland without firing a shot.

Britain, influenced by the rise of appeasement and its longstanding continental balance policy, took a lenient stance toward the small dictator.

France, crippled by its own economic woes, could do nothing but station troops along the Maginot Line, hoping for the best.

In early 1939, the small-mustached man signed a non-aggression pact with the big-mustached man. On September 1 of that year, Germany launched a blitzkrieg against Poland, initiating what they called "Operation Fall Weiss," forcing Britain and France to declare war on the dictator.

However, his blitzkrieg strategy worked to devastating effect. Within a year, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and even France had all surrendered.

British Prime Minister Chamberlain resigned in disgrace, and Winston Churchill, who had once been First Lord of the Admiralty, was appointed Prime Minister. He vowed to fight the dictator to the end.

Thus, World War II had officially begun.

At this point, however, the United States had passed the Neutrality Act, effectively stating, "You Europeans fight your war; we'll just watch."

President Roosevelt in the White House only wanted to do business. The Great Depression still gripped the nation, and the U.S. had yet to fully recover. He was more than happy to sell products to anyone—whether to the Soviet Union or the British—so long as they had money. The U.S. would sell them anything.

Wilson Enterprises jumped on the bandwagon. With its geographical vulnerability and the dictator's unrestricted submarine warfare, Britain was in a dire situation. Su Ming, ever the humanitarian, decided to help the suffering British people by dumping goods on the British Isles.

Wilson Enterprises' arms, clothing, and food were shipped across the Atlantic in bulk. To avoid being sunk by submarines, Su Ming even arranged for naval escorts.

The wealth Britain had accumulated over centuries of global dominance was now being funneled into Su Ming's pockets at an alarming rate.

"Get as much as you can while the good times last," he thought. "The prosperity won't last forever."

Londoners had grown accustomed to seeing the black-and-yellow W logo everywhere.

There was no escape: whether they went out to buy flour, with the bags stamped with a W, or purchased alcohol with W on the bottles, or even joined the military, where weapons bore the W insignia. Even at home, when their wives wore stockings and lingerie, the W was there on the tags.

If it weren't wartime, they probably would have developed a phobia of the black-and-yellow warning colors by now. Wilson Enterprises' products had infiltrated every corner of life, subtly transforming the way people lived.

American goods were everywhere.

Churchill, however, had noticed something suspicious, but there was no alternative at the moment. Britain needed support. Without American aid, the homeland wouldn't last long.

While Churchill brooded in his office, Su Ming was busy establishing safe houses worldwide, and Yamamoto was inspecting oxygen torpedoes on his battleship.

President Roosevelt had it all figured out—let the others fight while America got rich. The U.S. economy was rapidly improving.

Unbeknownst to him, however, the Japanese were already preparing to move south.

Their campaign to invade China had been a complete failure. In recent years, superhuman individuals had thrashed the Japanese army so thoroughly that the soldiers were fleeing in disarray, screaming:

"We can't handle it, we can't win, the suzerain country is too strong! Retreat! Retreat! America is easier to bully!"

Yamamoto knew that if he wanted to make his mark, he had to rely on the noble Imperial Navy. The army fools might as well all commit seppuku.

On December 7, 1941, they launched the attack on Pearl Harbor. Since it was a surprise attack, half of the U.S. Pacific Fleet's battleships were sunk while in port.

As the pilots radioed back, the message consisted of just three words:

"Tora, Tora, Tora."

Yamamoto felt certain of victory. With aircraft carriers leading the charge, how could they lose?

As long as the fleet could hold Hawaii, the key point in the Pacific, they could buy plenty of time.

However, the U.S. 8th Task Force, which had been delayed a day by a typhoon while transporting new fighter planes to Wake Island, was still out at sea.

Halsey shrugged aboard the USS Enterprise: "Too much wind on the deck. What did Yamamoto say? I couldn't hear him."

Leaving aside the events in the Pacific, Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor forced the United States into the war.

The day after, President Roosevelt delivered his famous speech to the nation:

"Yesterday, December 7, 1941—a date which will live in infamy—the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan."

"No matter how long it may take to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people, in their righteous might, will win through to absolute victory."

"Victory will be ours. May God bless us all."

Click.

Su Ming switched off the radio and turned to look out the window of his tower at the New York skyline. He knew the story had begun.