Shield Weapon Concept

After finishing all that, Howard did not stop working.

A 1.6-meter-tall tower shield slowly took shape in Howard's hands. Once polished, it gave off a heavy, solid presence.

Howard actually had little interest in making a large tower shield out of a single piece of metal. If Han Lin had not requested it, Howard would never have bothered with something so technically unimpressive.

Handing the shield to Han Lin, Howard mocked, "I think you ought to need a more suitable weapon! This tower shield really has no technical value at all."

Han Lin nodded without denying it. When he had first ripped off a tank's gun compartment and used it as a giant hammer, he had felt that he could develop in that direction. But material limitations had kept the idea shelved.

After all, no one wanted their weapon to break apart halfway through a fight. Given Han Lin's strength and the weight of that kind of hammer, he knew he could destroy four or five ordinary ones in a single battle.

Now that there was Secondary Adamantium, at least Han Lin would not break it himself. He said, "I don't know much about cold weapons. I want a weapon that can serve as both a shield and a weapon, something handy. I actually like tank gun compartments, but they wear out too quickly. Can you design a weapon for me?"

After Han Lin finished speaking, Howard stared at him in stunned silence before shouting, "What do you need such a huge cold weapon for? Aren't your own fists more useful? Carrying something like that would just be a hassle."

"Listen, buddy, I'm human too. Modern firearms can still hurt me. Even Steve was injured while carrying that Sound-Absorbing Steel shield, which is why I asked you to prepare a shield for me. It could save my life in a crisis!"

Han Lin's words left Howard somewhat dazed. The feeling brought by power had made Howard lose himself in his own world. Han Lin was far stronger than him, yet he still thought about protecting himself at every moment.

Steve had also been injured on the battlefield. No one knew how the tide of war might change. Howard and the others had never asked about Han Lin's prophetic abilities; they knew Han Lin did not want to talk about them. And from Han Lin's reaction upon hearing that Steve had been injured, they could tell that Han Lin was not omnipotent...

There was no unchanging future, nor was there any certain future!

Howard shook his head and laughed bitterly. "I'll help you design it when I have time. You know, I barely even have time to sleep lately."

Seeing that Howard seemed a little different, Han Lin smiled and patted his shoulder. "I don't know what you thought of, but there's no need to be nervous. You still have Steve and me in front of you, along with countless Allied soldiers on the battlefield. You only need to send your weapons to the front lines."

Howard did not respond. He merely nodded.

When everything was nearly ready, Carter walked in with a five-star United States general. Seeing the question in Han Lin's eyes, Carter said:

"This is General George Catlett Marshall, Chief of Staff of the United States Army. He hopes to represent the military in inviting you to re-enlist as the captain of a United States special operations unit, with the rank of colonel."

Han Lin looked at the tough-looking middle-aged man, who appeared to be in his forties but was likely older, and said teasingly, "I came back after retiring once and got promoted by such a huge rank? Since when did United States military ranks become so cheap? I won't re-enlist."

General Marshall was stunned for a moment before asking hesitantly, "Could you tell me why?"

"Why? You're asking me why? Don't you know what you people did yourselves? I won't become anyone's weapon, nor will I target anyone. The moment you held that meeting against me, I lost my trust in the United States. And now you're asking me why?"

Han Lin showed General Marshall no mercy in his mockery.

"We never regarded you as a weapon. Your power is simply too great, so we needed an opportunity to place limits on it." Marshall wanted to explain further, but Han Lin cut him off.

"I don't care. You considered how to control me, how to study me, and how to gain the greatest benefit from me. That alone is enough. That is why I will never return to the military... Do you need any more reasons?" Han Lin looked at the general he had once held in rather high regard with disgust.

"You even set your sights on your own people. Why should I put shackles on myself? I'm going to the battlefield this time only for my friend, Steve Rogers. He is also the final wish of my teacher, Dr. Erskine.

"I will fulfill what Dr. Erskine hoped for alongside him. I will not accept any rank. You can give me the title of an external consultant, but I will not accept any military orders."

Under Han Lin's repeated questioning, General Marshall felt Han Lin's disappointment in the country. He had worked his way up step by step. The battlefield of World War I remained vivid in his mind, and he had emerged from that mountain of corpses and sea of blood.

He had reached his current position. No longer needing to go to the front lines, he commanded the war from behind, yet he had forgotten that those on the front lines had been fighting for this world all along.

They all knew how much Han Lin had given for the entire European battlefield and the United States, yet the country's response had chilled the heart of this overwhelmingly powerful soldier.

Every word Han Lin spoke was like a heavy hammer striking General Marshall's heart. If he put himself in Han Lin's place, he felt he might have been even colder than Han Lin.

Anyone could die, so long as it was not him. Self-interest had been displayed to its fullest at the meetings held by the United States government. In the midst of a global war, there were still people targeting their own side.

Yet Han Lin had not taken his anger out on the country. He had even rooted out every Hydra spy within the United States. Though he had extorted a sum of money from the United States government, that could be considered Han Lin's retirement pension.

Based on Han Lin's achievements, he would definitely have become a general after the war. After retiring early, he had not made any demands regarding his accomplishments, which was why Roosevelt had given him so much leeway.

Thinking of this, General Marshall seemed to age more than a decade in an instant. The life he had worked so hard for had been denied by this young man. He, along with all the nation's leaders, had been wrong. Everything they did was for themselves, yet they always shirked their responsibilities.

"I'm sorry!" General Marshall gave Han Lin a deep bow. "I apologize to you on behalf of the country. You may refuse to accept it, but please believe me: the nation of the future will not do anything to make things difficult for you. I guarantee it with the honor of a five-star general."

Han Lin watched the general go from spirited and vigorous to somewhat listless, and he could guess what Marshall was thinking. Nothing was sadder than a dead heart.

Han Lin had no intention of comforting him. Everyone had to bear responsibility for their own actions. Only then could fewer people make mistakes.

That included Congressman Brand and Senator Lawrence. They had used him as a weapon, so they had to pay the price. One was still full of youthful vigor, but Han Lin only needed a single word to bring down this spokesman for Captain America. The other had promised too much during his negotiations with Han Lin, and that was not well received in Congress.

Han Lin watched the general, who had gone from middle-aged to old in an instant, slowly leave the base. Only then did he turn and see Carter looking at him with an apologetic expression.

"Don't be like that, beautiful. I know it wasn't your intention. I don't care whether he came or what his purpose was. You only brought him here. This isn't your fault." As he spoke, Han Lin gently hugged Carter.

Seeing Han Lin's actions, the big-mouthed Howard said, "I'm considering whether I should tell that American ass about this scene."

"I don't care. Steve can't beat me anyway, but I do know that spreading rumors gets you beaten." Han Lin shrugged indifferently. "And you definitely can't beat either Steve or Carter."

Carter smacked Han Lin on the arm, then looked at Howard with a teasing expression. "Interested in having a match with me? I think Lin would be very happy to see it."

Howard looked at Carter and Han Lin as though they were demons, then surrendered. "All right, all right, my mistake. You win!"