The Allied Forces front line.
The operational meeting had just concluded.
On the sand table, the blue arrows symbolizing victory had already driven the red markers of HYDRA into a desperate corner.
Yet, the atmosphere in the meeting room was more oppressive than after any crushing defeat.
"That supply depot on the outskirts of Dresden was completely destroyed. Soldier Boy did a great job! Although... the supplementary report mentioned civilian casualties in several villages, this is an unavoidable cost of war."
"A cost?"
Steve Rogers stood up from the corner.
His azure eyes, which had become even clearer after being baptized by the "Rebirth" serum, were burning with raging fury.
He stared fixedly at the "God of War" who was leaning against the wall, boredly trimming his nails.
"Your combat style is too reckless."
"Your attack affected three nearby villages, causing hundreds of civilian casualties."
"They are innocent!"
Soldier Boy blew on his nails to remove non-existent dust.
The Captain's questioning seemed less important than the bit of dirt under his fingernails.
The surrounding generals exchanged glances, not daring to breathe a word.
Finally, Soldier Boy turned around.
With the look of someone watching a bumpkin visiting the city for the first time, he lazily scanned everyone present.
Only then did he let his gaze fall on Steve.
"Innocent?"
"There are no innocents in war."
"They live on the enemy's land, breathe the enemy's air, and eat the food grown by the enemy, so they are my enemies."
He took two steps forward, casually picked up a glass of whiskey from the table—no one knew whose it was—and swirled it.
"This is war, sweetheart, not some F--King game of house!"
"My mission is to win, not to hand out candy to those Germans. Do you expect me to air-drop cakes and flowers and ask if they'd like to surrender peacefully?"
"They are civilians, not soldiers!"
Steve's tone rose a few notches.
His azure eyes ignited with anger.
"We came here to liberate them, not to slaughter them! How is your behavior any different from HYDRA?!"
"Difference?"
Soldier Boy finally looked him in the eye and drained the wine in his glass.
That look was like watching an hopelessly naive idiot.
"The difference is that I achieved victory. And you, you only know how to cling to your ridiculous morals while playing in the mud in the trenches with your brothers."
He took a step forward.
His towering frame brought an intense sense of oppression.
"Don't you F--King try to teach me how to do things with your Boy Scout rules, you little runt."
"The reason you can stand here and point fingers at me is because I cleared all the trash in front of you."
"What you should be doing is kneeling down to thank me, not barking at me like a mad dog."
"You..."
Steve's fists clenched.
He could not tolerate this disregard for life, and even less could he tolerate this man staining the name of a hero!
This was no hero at all!
This was a butcher wearing the cloak of a hero!
"What? Want to lay a hand on me?"
Soldier Boy's smile grew wider, filled with cruel anticipation.
He even leaned his face in.
"Buddy, you don't actually think this muscle of yours was built by just working out, do you?"
"Enough! Gentlemen, we are..."
An elderly army officer finally mustered the courage to try and mediate.
He didn't want to see the nation's two "nuclear weapons" go off here.
But it was already too late.
Steve moved.
His body, enhanced by the "Rebirth" serum, exploded with astonishing speed, and a straight punch fueled by fury smashed directly toward Soldier Boy's face!
The surrounding officers let out a collective gasp.
The expression on Soldier Boy's face subsided, turning into a cruel grin.
"Well done!"
He didn't dodge.
He couldn't even be bothered to block with his hands.
He just stuck his neck out and took the Captain's blow—infused with all his strength and anger—straight on with his face!
"Bang!"
Steve felt as if his fist had hit a mountain; the recoil made his arm go numb.
Yet, Soldier Boy only tilted his head slightly to the side.
There wasn't even a red mark on his face.
He stuck out his tongue and licked the corner of his mouth.
"Is that all the strength you've got?"
He said in a tone of utter disappointment.
"It's not even enough to scratch an itch, you little runt."
Having finished his mockery, Soldier Boy moved.
He was so fast that even Steve's enhanced dynamic vision couldn't capture a clear trajectory!
A large hand directly gripped Steve's throat and lifted him bodily off the ground!
Steve kicked his legs wildly in the air.
He used every ounce of his strength to pry at Soldier Boy's fingers, only to find that the hand was as hard as if it were cast from steel.
It didn't budge an inch.
"You think that because Lynn gave you some new toys, you can stand on equal footing with me?"
Soldier Boy brought Steve's face close to his own.
His scorching breath sprayed onto his face.
His eyes were full of violence.
"Let me tell you, in my eyes, you will always be that coward who needs to hide behind others!"
"Boom!"
He didn't even use much strength, just a casual flick!
Steve's body was smashed violently through the wall of the meeting room, crashing into the hallway outside.
Smoke and dust filled the air.
In a corner not far away.
Human TorchJim Hammond stood quietly.
There was not a ripple of emotion in his orange-red pupils.
His guide had not given any orders.
Therefore, he was just a spectator.
Soldier Boy walked out step by step through the hole in the wall.
His leather boots crunched on the rubble with a "creak, creak" sound.
He was like a lion that had just taught a challenger a lesson, patrolling his territory.
"Cough, cough..."
Steve struggled to climb out of the ruins.
His throat burned with pain, and a trickle of blood spilled from the corner of his lips.
He had lost.
He had lost completely.
Whether it was strength or speed, he was far inferior.
This was a gap that technique could not bridge.
Soldier Boy walked up to him, looked down at him from above, and raised his foot, stomping heavily onto the Star Shield beside him.
"Crack——"
The shield made of Vibranium did not shatter.
But the force caused the shield to sink deeply into the floor tiles.
"Remember this lesson, runt."
"In this World, it has always been the fists that do the talking."
He withdrew his foot, looking down at Steve's face, which was covered in dust and blood.
"Only girls care about reasoning."
Having said that, he let out a burst of arrogant laughter and strode away without looking back.
Leaving behind only a disheveled Captain America and a deathly silent command post.
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