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Chapter 6: The Most... Best Soldier?

"Do you want to go to the battlefield to kill the enemy?" Dr. Abraham asked Steve.

"No, I don't want to kill. But I hate a bully, no matter where he is."

The doctor nodded. "I think I can give you a chance."

He picked up Steve's report and gave it a top grade of 1A.

…

Soon, Thor and Steve, now in military uniforms, appeared on the training field at the military camp together.

"Hey, buddy, look at us—we've both made it into the military!"

Steve was thrilled to finally wear the uniform. Although his short stature made him stand out among the tall and strong soldiers, he was full of confidence.

"Recruits, stand at attention!"

A crisp voice commanded, and a female officer with a commanding presence approached the group with determined strides.

"Everyone, I'm Agent Carter, and I'll be supervising your training..."

Peggy Carter scanned the row of soldiers. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw Steve, clearly taken aback by the sight of such a small soldier among the group.

But her gaze sharpened when she noticed the stoic Thor beside Steve. She hesitated for a moment, realizing it wasn't the right time to address him, so she chose to ignore him for now.

However, if she was not going to make trouble, that didn't mean the soldiers would be cooperative. Except for Steve, these 1A-rated recruits were among the best and were accustomed to being dominant. Now they were being subdued by a woman, which inevitably led to some dissatisfaction.

"Miss, you're British, right? I thought I joined the U.S. Army. Want to see some of my moves?"

One soldier spoke up provocatively.

"Fool..."

Thor muttered under his breath.

If Peggy Carter was assigned as the instructor, she wouldn't be a fool. This situation needed someone to act out, and this soldier, Hodge, was providing exactly that. He was essentially volunteering to be the example, which was a foolish move.

As expected, Hodge was soon knocked to the ground like a ragdoll.

Steve nudged Thor and asked quietly, "This lady is really fierce! I remember you have a history with her. How did you manage to provoke her?"

Thor glanced at Peggy Carter and replied, "A few days ago, I was forced to fight back in self-defense, and she came along and accused me of being too harsh and interfering too much."

"So, I beat her too."

Steve's eyes widened as he looked at Hodge, who was still trying to recover.

How fierce was Peggy if Thor's reaction made her unable to handle it?

"Agent Carter, I'm glad you've joined this group of recruits!"

An officer in his fifties approached, accompanied by Dr. Abraham.

"Colonel Phillips!" Peggy Carter saluted.

Phillips nodded and began his speech.

"General Barton once said that wars are fought with weapons, but they are won with soldiers. We will win because we have the most..."

At that moment, Colonel Phillips noticed Steve Rogers standing at 1.6 meters tall.

Steve, originally shorter than the other soldiers, stood beside the tall Thor.

"The most... best soldier..."

Colonel Phillips faltered and shot a frustrated glance at the impassive Dr. Abraham behind him.

He had been told that he was getting the best recruit, guaranteed to be exceptional...

This is the result?

This old man is not only bad but was terribly misguided!

During the subsequent days of training, Steve's performance was predictably poor.

Not only did he lag behind the specially selected outstanding soldiers, but even ordinary recruits outperformed him. Colonel Phillips was increasingly dismayed, with the lines on his forehead deepening daily.

Steve's determination was admirable. Even when his legs felt like they would cramp, he gritted his teeth and pushed through the training.

The problem was, willpower alone wasn't enough. A person without any real strength couldn't break through tough obstacles, no matter how hard they tried!

The only bright spot was that his teammate, Donald Blake, had top-notch statistics, reminding Phillips of his younger self.

No, he had been far less intense when he was young.

The problem was, the old man Abraham seemed to be committed to Steve Rogers, regardless of the results.

…