Time flew by quickly amidst the various preparations.
Master Gu Yi made some progress in the research of Otherworld Magic, mainly in the knowledge regarding the theory of Magic Storage in artifacts.
Recently, magic staffs have become popular in Kama Taiji, gradually giving rise to a new combat style of one hand holding a Suspended Ring and the other a magic staff.
Using the Suspended Ring to open doors and constantly maintain distance, while using the magic staff to unleash stored magic to attack opponents, it looks like a kite-flying tactic.
However, the Casting Cost remains unavoidable; only by pre-storing magic can the cost be paid less suddenly.
The Adjutant has yet to complete the reverse engineering of the Leech Potion, at this pace, it will take several years.
Without the internet, the Adjutant can do little; her means of acquiring knowledge now are limited to radio broadcasts and books, but Su Ming is content that she has self-studied to become a chemistry expert.
Su Ming's factory has also expanded significantly, besides the existing food series, in the past two years the experts under him have also developed instant mashed potatoes, instant juices, canned coffee, vacuum-packed chicken legs and eggs, among others...
The school gradually also began to have ordinary students; it must be said that the scars left by the war on people are very deep, Su Ming was initially worried about not finding enough orphans, but now the school is almost full.
The younger children are easier to handle, as they don't quite understand what 'death' means, but the slightly older ones, upon realizing their parents are gone forever, many exhibit psychological issues.
Depression, autism, mania—traits of a typical villainous childhood template.
Su Ming had to hire more psychologists to fill the school's infirmary.
Yet, as the school became more popular, Su Ming also gradually became busier, but he found life quite fulfilling.
.................
June 1944, Normandy landing.
December 1944, the German Army launched a counterattack in the Ardennes Region.
Although the dates have shifted slightly, it appears to be normal history, except with Hydra and Captain America, the secret battle between the two sides was incredibly brutal.
The members of the Invasion Team are doing well, but the Roaring Assault Team continually suffers high casualty rates; they are merely ordinary people, dropped behind enemy lines, facing the sweep of blue beams is somewhat beyond their capacity.
At this time in the Ardennes Region, Steve and his SSR subordinate unit are temporarily residing in a corner of the vast forest.
He is in the field hospital, watching a member of the Roaring Assault Team close their eyes forever.
He saluted to bid farewell to his comrade.
Steve's hand trembled slightly, he could bravely face war but could never accept it.
The tent built in the forest provided little insulation, the ground was frozen solid, and the air reeked of blood.
Only after a good while did the surrounding chaotic noises pull Steve's thoughts back to reality.
After all, SSR is located at the far end of the front line, the area is relatively safe, and many severely wounded soldiers have been transferred to their hospital.
Doctors and nurses were continually running around, treating those people.
"Don't be afraid, soldier, it's just shell shock, you'll be fine."
"Malaria, sergeant, quite common on the battlefield, I'll get you some aerostat."
"Nurse, quickly bring morphine! This fool just danced with a bouncing Betty mine!"
With the Avenging Angels on the team, Steve recently learned a lot of medical knowledge, he could understand what the doctors and nurses were saying, and this became the root of his oppression.
Shell shock is a psychological disorder; during attacks, patients feel as if a regiment's 105 artillery is firing at them, causing the ground and everything around to shake violently.
'Bouncing Betty' is a German S-type anti-personnel mine, which, upon triggering, ejects to waist height spraying shrapnel widely to injure personnel.
Morphine, a painkiller, is extremely precious on the front line, usually used only on dying soldiers as end-of-life care...
"Avenging Angels, if you want to help, go ahead, more doctors are indeed needed here."
Holloway couldn't hold back any longer; the doctors' techniques were akin to a slaughterhouse, he couldn't stand it.
But they were a covert unit, and being too close to ordinary people posed slight... issues with confidentiality protocols.
Colonel Philip ordered them not to showcase their capabilities in front of others, to prevent spies from uncovering their secrets.
But now with Captain America's command, things were different; Steve had disobeyed orders more than once.
Upon hearing Steve's words, he turned and rushed to a nearby bed, snatching a nurse's stethoscope to hang around his neck, shouting repeatedly:
"Stop, quickly stop, don't amputate, I can help him!"
Steve sighed again and looked at Monac lying on the bed nearby, he seemed asleep, but his brows were furrowed deeply.
The Magic Prince faced an entire squad of German Sorcerers in the last battle; those guys held eagle flags and assault rifles, adorned with various Magic Shields, engaging in a fierce clash with him.
Monac eventually won, but the Casting Cost led him to a mental breakdown, continuously babbling incomprehensibly, only calming down after being injected with a sedative.
The Torchbearer was lent to the British for some unknown task, leaving Steve and Namor idly.
Steve's attitude toward Namor was quite indifferent.
```
The Alien Race King was just standing there with his arms crossed, leaning against the tent pole, calmly watching some people die.
Captain America and he were not on the same side; the Underwater King couldn't care less about the lives of the Earth Surface People.
He went to the battlefield only for revenge and to eliminate the opposing U Demon. And America? An enemy's enemy is not a friend of his, Namor.
Steve turned his head and said to him, "If you find it boring here, you can leave."
Namor picked up the Trident beside him and left; he had already wanted to leave. When is there a war without deaths? Just watching his dying subordinates contributed nothing to the war.
Namor couldn't be bothered to reason with Captain America; in terms of eloquence, he was far worse than Steve. He planned to prove it with action.
For example, by going to the frontline himself and killing hundreds or thousands of Germans.
Steve watched Namor's back, then looked at the chaotic field hospital. He couldn't be of much help here, and he might just get in the nurses' way.
He also slipped out of the tent, walked a short distance away, found a tree stump in the snow to sit on, cradled his Shield, and fell into thought.
"Hey, Steve."
Peggy's voice brought him back to consciousness from behind, her breath forming a small white mist.
"Peggy."
Steve nodded, indicating for her to sit down, to sit beside him.
"I'm very sad about Thompson's death, too; he was a good man." Peggy organized her thoughts and comforted him.
Steve sighed. It wasn't really anyone's fault. The fault lay with the war itself.
"This war has taken too many good people. All I can do is end it as soon as possible."
Peggy slipped her hand into Steve's, trying hard to pull him up, but she wasn't nearly strong enough.
Steve shook his head helplessly and stood up, as Agent Carter encouragingly nodded:
"We'll all help you end this war, but right now, Colonel Philip has a visitor. You'll definitely want to meet him."
Steve was puzzled, but Peggy grabbed his arm and led him to the commander's tent.
Then Steve saw a familiar face, a man wearing a monocle, in a stylish wool coat.
"Aha, my little Steve, Captain America." He laughed heartily, embraced Steve, and patted his back.
"Mr. Wilson, why are you here? It's too dangerous." Though seeing a familiar face did lift Steve's spirits, he soon became worried about this person who had always taken care of him.
This was the Arden Forest; German artillery could pound here at any moment, not to mention V1 rockets.
"Didn't you know I'm now one of the sponsors of SSR? Let me check if you're wearing the long johns sponsored by Wilson Enterprises."
Saying so, Su Ming pretended to lift Steve's pant leg to take a look.
"No, sir, please don't." Steve shyly dodged and snuck a glance at Peggy.
He didn't want to act like a child who needed care in front of the girl he liked.
Su Ming was just teasing him. His reason for coming was to see how things were on all sides. Hydra seemed surprisingly quiet lately; he wondered what they were up to.
In fact, long johns were a good thing. Not only did they keep one warm, but the elastic fabric could also serve as a tourniquet in critical moments.
They were very popular among the soldiers.
Peggy blushed, because the Wilson Enterprises-sponsored long johns for the Strategic Science Corps were all bright red, and she was wearing them at the moment.
"In any case, since the young men are all fighting on the battlefield, it's not appropriate for me to always stay in the rear, so I brought along a batch of supplies to comfort everyone."
As Su Ming spoke, he quickly swept his gaze across the entire army camp as if unintentionally.
SSR had much better discipline than Leviathan; at least the camp was relatively clean.
"Thank you, Mr. Wilson, you're always so generous. Mr. Stark came by a few days ago, too. Do you plan to meet him? Successful people like you two surely have many common topics to discuss?"
Colonel Philip beamed at the mention of supplies, warmly inviting Su Ming to go to the underground bunker to meet Howard.
"Alas, he's a brilliant scientist. I'm just an ordinary businessman. I still prefer to stay with my military friends; it feels safer."
Steve turned his head to look at the military temporary airport in the distance and saw planes marked with a "W," but he didn't see the pilot or crew.
Mr. Wilson had flown himself over, piloting a large transport aircraft through the German air blockade...
With that kind of courage, who needs a sense of safety?
Steve was speechless, and could only hold back, rubbing his chin hard.
Colonel Philip looked at Su Ming as if he were the god of wealth; one couldn't just deliver supplies without even providing lunch, right?
He still pulled Su Ming into the underground bunker and asked Steve to accompany him.