Chapter Nine: Captain America and the Counterattack

Within the temporary encampment at the front lines, near the command tent.

“After last night’s prolonged battle, we have lost 987 soldiers. The German casualties are higher than ours, with current estimates nearing two thousand.”

Upon hearing his subordinate’s report, Colonel Marcus furrowed his brows deeply.

Nearly three thousand soldiers dead, with even more wounded and unable to fight—a testament to the ferocity of last night’s battle.

“The Germans were so desperate to seize this area last night. They must want to establish it as a strategic zone, then push straight into the heart of Europe. Although they have temporarily withdrawn, they won’t give up so easily. Once they recover, they’ll return in force. Signalman, how many more troops can be sent from our rear to reinforce us?” Colonel Marcus’s tone was tense.

The communications soldier replied, “All other frontline sectors are stretched thin in both manpower and supplies. Only three units, totaling three hundred men, can be spared to reinforce us here. One of those is made up entirely of raw recruits, hastily assembled from the training base.”

“Recruits?” Colonel Marcus could not help but roar in anger. “What use are recruits? This is the front line, not a nursery!”

Just then, a voice came from outside the tent: “Report! A soldier named Kyle requests an audience with the colonel on urgent business.”

“Kyle?” Colonel Marcus was taken aback. He could not recall anyone by that name in his camp, but after a moment’s thought, he decided to let the man in.

As Kyle entered, Colonel Marcus’s eyes widened in recognition. “You’re the recruit who reported in last night, aren’t you?”

“Yes, Colonel Marcus.” Kyle nodded, recognizing the officer as the one who had received him the previous night and sent him straight to the front.

“What do you want?” Colonel Marcus’s tone was cold and indifferent. Kyle still wore his blood-stained combat uniform, not yet having had a chance to clean up.

“Last night, I obtained some important intelligence from a German elite squad. I believe it could be of great value to the campaign, so I came to see you directly after the battle,” Kyle replied, producing two parchment scrolls from his pocket.

“A German elite squad? Intelligence?” Colonel Marcus’s eyes widened as he took the scrolls, asking, “How did you get these?”

“I took them from their bodies after killing them,” Kyle shrugged, briefly recounting his encounter with the German squad on his way to the battle zone.

“You eliminated an enemy elite squad that was operating behind our lines?” Colonel Marcus was incredulous. With a touch of apprehension, he unrolled the parchments to find maps and a host of German ciphers.

“These are definitely German intelligence codes,” Colonel Marcus said, both astonished and elated. “They must have been collecting intelligence from the battle zone—everything should be on here! Signalman, fetch a codebreaker from the rear immediately!”

“No need,” Kyle said, waving his hand lightly.

“No need?” Both Colonel Marcus and the communications soldier looked at him in surprise.

A weary smile touched Kyle’s young face. “As it happens, I learned German code systems from the specialists back at the training base.”

——

Three days later.

Three days had passed since Kyle had been sent to the front.

At that moment, in an underground laboratory—

Boom! Boom! Boom!

In the training arena, an oversized punching bag swung wildly under the force of powerful blows.

Standing before the bag was a tall, muscular blond youth, his vest soaked with sweat. Each punch he threw was devastatingly powerful, sending the heavy bag swinging violently.

Carter, watching from the side, could not hide her concern. “Steve, you should rest. You’ve been at this for an hour.”

Boom!

Steve acted as if he hadn’t heard, landing even harder blows as sweat rained to the floor.

“Steve!” Carter raised her voice, cold and commanding. Only then did Steve finally stop, letting the bag come to rest.

With a bitter smile, he said, “What am I, really? A super soldier? Or just an experiment hidden in a basement? I don’t want to be either.”

“Steve, your fight hasn’t come yet,” Carter consoled him.

“When will it come? How much longer do I have to wait?” Steve’s handsome, earnest face was lined with pain. “My brother—Kyle—has already gone to the front! He entrusted me with his hopes, and yet I, Steve Rogers, am left to lead a quiet life far from the sounds of war.”

“Kyle.” At the mention of the name, Carter fell silent as well.

“I could be doing so much more. I shouldn’t be wasting my time here,” Steve insisted.

“Of course, Private Steve, you certainly could do much more.”

A robust voice interrupted them. Steve and Carter turned to see a middle-aged man in a suit and tie.

“I’m a senator. I have ample resources and opportunities, enough to let you show your talents to the entire nation. It would be a powerful boost to the war effort,” the senator said with a smile, producing a business card. “I call it the Captain America Publicity Campaign.”

“Captain America?” Steve was taken aback, hesitating before finally accepting the card.

Meanwhile, at the front lines—

“Kyle, the colonel wants you at headquarters.”

“Headquarters?” Kyle, just back from combat, was surprised. He handed his weapon to the communications officer and made his way to the white command tent.

“Private Kyle, reporting for duty!”

“Come in.”

Stepping inside, Kyle was surprised to find the tent filled with officers in uniform—a dozen or more.

Colonel Marcus, the highest-ranking officer present, sat in a chair, raising his voice as Kyle entered. “Gentlemen, this is the soldier who, three days ago, brought back and decoded the two intelligence maps—Private Kyle.”

All eyes turned to Kyle, their gazes filled with astonishment at his youth and striking appearance.

“Private Kyle, you’ve truly performed a great service!”

“Yes, I heard one of those maps contained intelligence on our camp. If the Nazis had gotten it back, this place would have been leveled by bombers by now.”

“Come on, the second map is even more important.”

“They’re both crucial! To bring back and decipher those maps—today’s recruits are something else.”

“A rare talent. Our army needs fresh blood like this.”

Amid the chorus of praise, Kyle remained silent until Colonel Marcus cleared his throat, restoring order.

“Private Kyle, your significant contribution to the army will be officially reported once this campaign is complete,” Colonel Marcus declared solemnly.

Kyle’s eyes widened in surprise. “This campaign? You mean—?”

“That’s right.” Colonel Marcus nodded, spreading out the decoded documents from the second parchment. With an authoritative air, he continued, “Thanks to you, we now have the locations of several German encampments outside this battle zone, marked on the second map.”

“With this information, the general has issued new orders—tonight, we launch our first large-scale counterattack!”