Goodbye Steve

Chapter 22: Goodbye Steve

The next morning.

After an early breakfast at the hospital, Kyle changed into a brand-new officer's uniform that Joseph had sent over, along with a chest badge displaying his rank as Second Lieutenant.

Lucy was even more attentive to Kyle's appearance than he was, fussing around him, straightening his collar and sleeves, and meticulously smoothing out every wrinkle in the uniform with her hands.

"It's not like I'm attending a celebrity gala, do I need to look so gentlemanly?" Kyle teased. Lucy, however, seemed preoccupied and didn't reply.

"What's wrong? Did someone bully you?" Kyle continued.

Lucy seemed to gather her courage and nervously asked back, "Kyle, are you going back to the battlefield with that big-mustached officer later?"

"The battlefield isn't that soon. The mission hasn't been assigned yet, we're just going to the recruit training base I used to train at." Kyle looked at her and smiled, "What's wrong? Even with an officer's position, it's normal to go to the battlefield now."

"Then can I go with you?" Lucy lowered her head, her small hands twisting together anxiously.

Kyle put on a stern face and said, "Lucy. What do you think the battlefield is, a fun place? Have you forgotten how you escaped?"

"But I... my family all died on the battlefield, and my home is gone. If even you leave, then I..." Lucy's beautiful big eyes welled up with tears as she spoke.

"This is quite a problem."

Kyle stroked his chin, thought for a moment, and then said, "I have an idea. My home was originally here in New York, but my parents also sacrificed themselves in a past war, so it's empty and no one is living there now. If you don't mind, you can stay there for the time being."

He remembered seeing his own file at the training base, knowing that before joining the army, he was an orphan living in a vintage villa left by his deceased parents.

The key to the house was deposited at a storage facility in New York, and it could be retrieved with an identification slip.

"Stay at your house?" Lucy's eyes widened, and a blush spread across her fair, pretty face. Kyle's words carried a different meaning to her.

Isn't this like moving in together beforehand, even if the other party isn't home often?

"You can stay as long as you want," Kyle said with a smile, affectionately stroking Lucy's golden hair.

He didn't have any other significant thoughts about Lucy for now; he simply regarded her as fondly as a sister.

"Brother Kyle, you're so good to me." Lucy's eyes sparkled with joy. She quickly tiptoed and gave Kyle a light kiss on his cheek, then, like a startled rabbit, fled the room with a flushed face.

"Uh, this is really..."

A subtle feeling arose. Kyle touched his cheek where he'd been kissed, but quickly cast the thought aside.

Now was not the time for leisurely romance.

He had to continue getting stronger, strong enough to face any unexpected crisis that occurred in this world.

Accumulating military merits to advance his rank, gaining a certain amount of prestige and power, even wealth – there were many things awaiting Kyle's dedicated efforts.

Reborn into Marvel, if he only wanted to be an ordinary person, it would be a grave disservice to the Card Draw Ability bestowed by heaven.

Kyle had his own life blueprint, waiting to be filled with colors stroke by stroke.

Around eight in the morning.

Joseph personally drove a jeep to pick Kyle up and take him to the military airfield.

Kyle bid farewell to Lucy in New York, then boarded the transport plane with Joseph, returning to the initial training base.

Meanwhile, at the training base.

The military had specifically erected a speaking stage in an open area of the plaza. Steve, in his capacity as Captain America, was scheduled to give a speech, which carried political undertones.

The base commander had long since issued an order, mandating all soldiers from the training camps to attend the speech in the plaza on time, with dismissal from military service for anyone who failed to do so. What was particularly noteworthy was that, besides the soldiers, no officers attended this speech.

This was because not only the soldiers but all the officers scoffed at Steve, who claimed to be Captain America without ever having been on the battlefield.

It was foreseeable that Steve, dressed in the iconic American tight-fitting suit, would face strong resistance from the assembled soldiers as he took the stage.

In fact, this was precisely what happened.

"Are you ready to go fix Hitler with me?"

Steve stood on the stage, facing a sea of silence below. Trying to warm up the atmosphere, he addressed the hundreds of soldiers, "Alright, any volunteers?"

"Nonsense. Why else would we be here?" a soldier from below shouted impatiently, causing all the soldiers sitting on the ground in the plaza to burst into laughter.

"We want to see the girls dance!"

Facing the soldiers' commotion, Steve responded awkwardly, "I think they'll only sing one song later, so I was thinking about how to handle the extra time."

"Get lost!"

"Little fairy, you should wear boots to dance!"

The soldiers below showed him no respect, becoming increasingly rowdy. Some soldiers began throwing fruits or water bottles they held onto the stage.

Carter, standing behind the stage, clenched her fist, wanting to help Steve out of his predicament, but was helpless.

"Please, don't do this. I was a training soldier here before too." Steve said helplessly, using a decorative prop in his hand as a shield to block the incoming projectiles.

"What are you doing?"

A cold, powerful voice suddenly came from the back of the plaza, and all the soldiers in the plaza turned their heads in surprise towards the rear.

They saw a young man in an officer's uniform standing behind the soldiers. He exuded a faint aura of authority, his sharp, cold gaze meeting the eyes of the soldiers.

"It's Second Lieutenant, sir." The soldier, who was about to retort, swallowed his saliva in disbelief after noticing the rank insignia on the young man's chest.

"A Second Lieutenant this young? How have I never heard of him."

"He's not much older than us, is he?"

Amidst the nervous whispers of many soldiers, some seemed to recognize the young man's identity and exclaimed with complex expressions, "It's Kyle, Second Lieutenant Kyle!"

Second Lieutenant Kyle?

The many new recruits were slightly stunned, and their gazes towards the young officer became fanatical.

"Hey, hey, is it really him?!"

"Of course! A Second Lieutenant this young, who else could it be but Kyle?"

"Oh my god! The American Hero, he's my idol."

"Who isn't? I joined the army because of his exploits!"

The soldiers in the square were too excited to speak. Finally, someone started a chant, "Stand at attention and salute!" Immediately, hundreds of soldiers snapped to attention, turned, and saluted the young man: "Greetings, sir!"

"Thank you for your hard work, sir!"

Facing their adoration, Kyle, standing behind them, responded coolly, "No need for salutes. I was one of you just two weeks ago. But is this how you treat my brother? Is this the quality of a soldier?"

The soldiers exchanged glances, then gritted their teeth. With quick reflexes, they turned again and bowed in apology to Steve on the stage: "We're sorry!"

Steve, on the stage, remained silent. Looking at the cold young man standing behind the soldiers, he felt a mix of excitement and shame.

He suddenly remembered, for no particular reason, the scene of the sunset after Kyle won the Pistol Match at the training base.

At that time, Kyle had said to him, "Steve, from now on, no one will dare to look down on us anymore."