Skipping Military Ranks

"Enough with the nonsense. Captain, what are you doing here? I'm injured right now, I can't spar with you."

Kyle teased Captain Joseph casually, as they were good friends.

"You brat, you're truly... amazing! Bringing honor to our training base!" Captain Joseph, just like before, started scolding but then changed his tune to praise.

"I've heard about you. You went to the front lines, got promoted to Corporal in just three days, obtained crucial intelligence from the enemy camp, led a hundred-man unit deep into enemy territory alone, and annihilated an entire large enemy base with a smaller force. You achieved victory against the odds."

Captain Joseph exclaimed, giving him a thumbs-up, "You've really outdone yourself. Do you know how important this counterattack on the front lines was for our army? Destroying one large enemy base, three medium-sized camps, and one transit station reversed the situation in the front-line combat zone! All military regions and even the entire nation are buzzing about this perfect counterattack!"

"As the biggest contributor to this counterattack campaign, you are a national hero and an idol to all soldiers! Because of this, it has even sparked a wave of young people enlisting in the army these past few days."

Compared to being promoted to Corporal in three days, this battle was what truly made Kyle famous!

"Don't praise me too much, I'll get conceited," Kyle said with a light laugh, his young and handsome face radiating confidence.

If Captain America, with his Super Soldier physique alone, could shine brightly during World War II, then with his more versatile and powerful Card Draw System, becoming a mere American hero would be no difficulty at all.

However, his reputation within the military had significantly increased due to this battle, which was somewhat beyond Kyle's expectations.

Kyle blinked and asked Captain Joseph with a hint of anticipation, "By the way, with such great military achievements, did the commanding generals above mention any promotion for me?"

"You kid, you're already a Corporal and still so fixated on rank," Captain Joseph said, stroking his beard with displeasure and putting on a stern face. "Military merits must be accumulated step by step. The important thing is repelling Nazi Germany and defending the homeland. However, you did indeed make significant contributions in this counterattack campaign, and your rank has been slightly increased."

Kyle caught the key point from his words and pressed, "How much is 'slightly'?"

"See for yourself." Captain Joseph seemed unwilling to say more and pulled a soldier's ID from his uniform pocket, tossing it over.

Kyle quickly took it and opened the ID. It was indeed a new personal soldier ID registered for him, featuring his black and white headshot taken when he enlisted.

Kyle Dove:

Male, 22 years old, rank of Second Lieutenant in the US Navy.

"Second Lieutenant? This—" Kyle was greatly surprised. This was more than just a little; it was a huge leap!

From Corporal to Second Lieutenant, there were two rank differences in between, meaning he had skipped three tiers at once.

Kyle had skipped three tiers when he was promoted from Soldier to Corporal, but that was still the rank of Corporal, the lowest officer position. This time, he had jumped to a genuine officer position!

"Captain Joseph, you're also a Second Lieutenant, aren't you?" Kyle looked at the stern-faced Joseph with a peculiar expression, suddenly understanding why he was unhappy.

"Are you happy now? You don't have to call me Captain anymore," Joseph gritted his teeth. Just two weeks ago, he was a soldier he had trained, and now they were the same rank?

Can you imagine?

Joseph complained like a nagging wife, "It took me ten years to slowly crawl my way up to the rank of Second Lieutenant, and you, kid, did it in less than ten days. You've really made me proud."

"Something's not right. Even with my great achievements, one battle shouldn't be enough to promote me to Second Lieutenant," Kyle asked doubtfully, many conspiracy theories surfacing in his mind.

"That's why you, kid, have encountered a once-in-a-century opportunity."

Joseph sighed and explained, "We are in the midst of World War II, and the country urgently needs to set an example to inspire the passion and desire of young people to enlist and boost army morale. And you just happened to step forward, so the rank of Second Lieutenant was naturally given to you."

Joseph paused, then smiled, "You're not like 'Captain America,' who relies on propaganda films and song-and-dance performances for a false title. You've earned your heroic halo with genuine strength and achievements!"

"Captain America." Kyle's heart trembled, and he asked urgently, "Is it Steve?"

"Of course, it is." Joseph took out a cut-out clipping from the New York Daily News and said indignantly, "After the Super Soldier experiment succeeded, that kid's physique did undergo an astonishing transformation. But instead of going to the battlefield, he spends his days with politicians making army propaganda films, singing and dancing to raise funds for war bonds, and building a righteous reputation as Captain America."

Kyle quickly took the newspaper. Lucy helped him spread it out, and they both looked at it.

On the front page of the newspaper was a large black and white photograph of a tall, well-built young man with a righteous and handsome face, wearing a blue and white striped bodysuit.

'Buy one more E-series war bond, and the soldiers on the battlefield will have one more bullet!'

'Who is strong and brave, saving America from peril? Hurry and answer Captain America's call to join our fight!'

Such English banners were printed in bold above and below the newspaper's headline.

"It really is Steve." Kyle smiled, seeing a faint trace of his past frailty in the tall young man in the newspaper.

Captain America, Marvel's first artificial hero, had finally debuted.

Even though it started with such a ridiculous and comical political propaganda method.

"Joseph. I don't have any missions right now, do I? I haven't seen Steve in two weeks either. I want to see him, I hope you can help me," Kyle looked at Joseph eagerly, forcibly suppressing the anticipation in his heart.

He needed to obtain the Super Soldier Ability Card as soon as possible! He was tired of having a physical level limited to the peak of human capability.

"Is that so?" Joseph frowned. He personally disliked Steve immensely, but since the request came from Kyle, he had no reason to refuse.

Joseph could only nod and agree, "How about this? Steve isn't in New York right now either; he's traveling across the United States for propaganda. However, in two days, he will be holding a promotional speech at a European training base. I'll be returning then, and I'll pick you up beforehand to take you there."

"Okay, I can wait for these two days," Kyle nodded in agreement, his hands subtly clenched into fists.

Successfully drawing the Super Soldier Ability Card would be a major step in his rise in this Marvel world!