The future Captain America is going through some tough training, while on the other side, the Red Skull is not having an easy time either.

Deep beneath the mountain, five hundred feet underground lies the Hydra headquarters.

"What a bunch of useless idiots!" the Red Skull, also known as Johann Schmidt, exclaimed as he angrily kicked the desk in front of him.

The Hydra soldiers standing nearby all quivered in fear, their heads almost touching the ground.

It's not surprising that Schmidt is so angry. Ever since he discovered the whereabouts of Dr. Erskine, the creator of the super-soldier serum, he has sent all of his spies to infiltrate the United States to kill him and prevent him from creating another super-soldier serum.

Schmidt is very arrogant, believing that only he deserves this power that surpasses that of ordinary humans. Therefore, he cannot allow Dr. Erskine to create another super-soldier serum like himself!

However, to his disappointment, all the assassins he sent have failed. Just now, he received the news that the last few assassins were also killed.

Now, besides some high-level sleeper agents, he has no more assassin spies available.

According to intelligence, Erskine has successfully developed the serum for super soldiers and is just waiting for the final test subject. At this point, nothing can be done to stop it.

"No! We can't let this happen!" Schmidt is unwilling to accept the situation. He knows the power of the super soldier serum, and it cannot fall into the hands of the Allied forces. If that were to happen, his dreams of world domination would never come.

The only solution now is to deploy advanced covert agents to eliminate Erskine, retrieve the serum, and duplicate it. This operation must succeed at all costs. Failure is not an option.

...…

One week has passed in the blink of an eye.

Today is the last special training day, and Jack deliberately gave the trainees a break. They could have free time if they could stand still in military posture for four hours without moving.

Isn't this simple?

The soldiers trained for a week obviously didn't take this joke seriously. Standing still was definitely easier than a ten-kilometer armed cross-country.

The soldiers stood in military posture under the scorching sun while Jack and Carter sat under the shade of a tree, enjoying their iced coffee and whispering.

Compared to Jack's enjoyment, Carter seemed somewhat absent-minded, his gaze involuntarily drifting towards the short man in the squad.

"You should be a little braver, Peggy," Jack teased, noticing Carter's strange behavior. "For a person who has never been in love, it's highly unlikely he would refuse such a beautiful woman like you. Besides, I think Rogers also has feelings for you."

"What are you talking about?" Carter blushed, rare for her. She didn't know whether it was from the heat or embarrassment, and her gaze was somewhat flustered as she looked at him. "I don't have that intention. I'm just curious about why he must go to war."

Carter had looked through Steve's files and naturally knew everything he had done to join the military, which was why she was curious.

Going to war can lead to death. Isn't he afraid of dying?

"Why not call him over and ask instead of guessing?" Jack said

"What? Don't..."

Carter wanted to stop, but Jack had already taken the initiative with a naughty smile and loudly called out, "Rogers, come forward!"

"Yes!"

Steve, barely standing, ran out of the queue and came to the tree.

Wiping the sweat from his face, Steve stood straight and loudly declared, "Reporting for duty, sir!"

"Hmm, one week of training. It looks like you made it through."

Jack looked Steve up and down. One week wasn't long, but Steve had changed a lot, and there was now a hint of military determination in his behavior.

"Carter is curious. Why do you want to go to the battlefield so badly? Can you tell her?"

Steve subconsciously looked at Carter next to him. She looked directly into his eyes and wanted to hear his answer.

"Because...my parents both died in the war. My father died from mustard gas, and my mother contracted tuberculosis in a hospital and died too."

"So, you want to kill the enemy and seek revenge? Is that why you joined the military?" Carter furrowed her eyebrows. If that were the case, Steve would be like most others, and it would be disappointing.

"No, that's not it!" Steve was flustered by Carter's misunderstanding and quickly clarified, "I just...I hate war. I want to end this war and prevent more children like me from becoming orphans."

As Steve answered, Carter stared into his eyes and saw his resolute gaze, making her believe him almost completely.

"Alright, back to formation," Jack gestured for Steve to return to the group. Steve glanced at Carter before turning and walking back to the group.

"Are you satisfied with the answers?" Jack asked

"Shut up!" Carter replied.

"Hahaha!" Jack laughed.

Not far away, Colonel Phillips and Dr. Erskine looked at each other behind a truck. The latter looked at him smugly and asked, "Do you still have anything to say now, Colonel?"

The Colonel replied, "Kindness won't win wars."

Phillip took out a grenade from the ammunition box on the truck. "In a war, It takes courage to fight." After saying this, he pulled the pin from the grenade and threw it toward them, shouting, "Grenade!"

Phillip's shouting and the rolling grenade instantly scattered the once neatly arranged formation. Soldiers scattered in all directions, either crouching on the ground or hiding behind blocks. At least they had good situational awareness in response to the danger.

While others were taking cover, Steve stepped forward. He used his small body to cover the grenade, holding it tightly against his body. This scene shocked Carter, who rushed forward without thinking. It took her two steps to realize that she was not acting appropriately.

They saw that the grenade didn't explode. After realizing this, it was a fake alarm!

Carter breathed a sigh of relief while Steve sat up, looking puzzled, and asked if it was a test.

Just then, Colonel Philip and Dr. Erskine approached them. Colonel Philip muttered something about Steve being too skinny before leaving. At the same time, Dr. Erskine complimented him for doing well and passing the test before leaving.

"Alright, an alarm is off. Let's continue training!" Jack clapped his hands and had everyone reassemble, even though it was pointless.

In the end, everyone failed the final test except for Steve.