A few minutes ago.
In the control room, Colonel Phillips was making small talk with one of the committee members, Councilman Brand.
"I'm glad you could make it, Councilman."
The colonel said with a smile.
Given his temperament, he usually preferred not to deal with politicians.
Because these guys were far too hypocritical!
They always wore smiles on their faces while secretly calculating the benefits each decision could yield.
This made Colonel Phillips, a military man through and through who prioritized the big picture, extremely uncomfortable.
Yet as the director of the Strategic Scientific Reserve and a participant in the Super Soldier project, he had to learn to rub shoulders with politicians.
After all, research funding and allocated resources both required the committee's approval.
"Is that the 'super soldier' you selected? Good god! He looks like he hasn't eaten in days!"
Councilman Brand stood in the second-floor control room, looking down.
He wore a look of utter astonishment at the sight of the short, frail Rogers.
This was somewhat different from the super soldier the committee wanted.
"Rogers is... a fallback to prevent failure. Councilman, do you see him? Luke Cahill, the finest soldier I've ever laid eyes on!"
Colonel Phillips wore an awkward expression as he pointed down at Luke.
He held little hope for Rogers; the other man's presence here was merely the result of Dr. Erskine's stubborn insistence.
"Many people are applying for funding at this stage, but the budget allocated to the Strategic Scientific Reserve is always the largest! Colonel, you mustn't disappoint The President."
Councilman Brand delivered a veiled warning before taking a seat with his accompanying publicists.
He was willing to attend not out of a love for science.
Rather, he wanted to claim this credit for himself at the very first opportunity.
Councilman Brand acutely perceived the inherent propaganda value of a super soldier.
Whether he could change the course of the war didn't matter; capturing the public's gaze was the key!
Five minutes later, the serum injection experiment entered its final stage.
The power switches of the two metal pods had been cranked up to seventy percent.
Dazzling white light all but swallowed the surrounding space.
Roars laden with intense agony erupted from inside the metal pods.
It was Rogers!
The process of receiving the serum was, to him, like thousands of knives fiercely slashing at every single cell and nerve in his body.
Especially as the energy transmission values increased, the modifications he had to endure grew more violent, multiplying the physical and psychological torment!
"Steve!"
Erskine's right hand trembled. Everyone knew full well that the serum injection might cause the test subject to die.
Only the one who successfully persevered could become a super soldier.
Yet judging by the looks of it, Rogers seemed unable to take much more.
"Colonel, what is the meaning of this?"
Councilman Brand asked, tilting his head.
Two identical metal pods, both with test subjects undergoing the serum injection.
Why was Rogers exhibiting such excruciating pain, while Luke's side showed zero reaction?
Could it be that he had been injected with a fake serum?
Faced with Councilman Brand's confusion, Colonel Phillips shrugged, wearing an equally puzzled expression.
The subsequent templates need to be unlocked by relying on renown... Isn't this just like when I play video games!
Lying in the metal pod, Luke was unaware of the changes unfolding outside.
He digested the massive influx of information entering his brain, beginning to understand how this so-called "template" was meant to be used.
First came the tier settings provided by the character panel.
Based on different strata, the game divided Kryptonians into six levels.
LV1, Civilian.
LV2, Warrior.
LV3, Scientist.
LV4, General.
LV5, Magistrate.
LV6, Emperor.
Each time he leveled up, he could draw items exclusive to Krypton.
Crucial objects such as the Fortress of Solitude and the Codex of Life, for instance.
As for the Superman Template I currently possess, it's set to 'Civilian'. Across overall attributes and abilities alike, it's temporarily no match for the authentic Superman next door...
Luke looked at the numerous greyed-out, locked templates with a trace of regret.
The cheat he had received was, in essence, a game panel.
Therefore, the system still adhered to that classic routine of grinding renown, pushing levels, and completing daily missions.
Clark Kent is a naturally born Kryptonian with boundless potential; as for General Zod, another Kryptonians, he's a general born and bred, with a rank probably around LV4 or LV5!
Luke's thoughts wandered as he recalled two Kryptonians who had left a deep impression on him.
Though he was currently only at the lowest tier of LV1 "Civilian", it was already enough.
Kryptonian blood was essentially an oversized power bank; as long as he absorbed the stellar energy of a yellow sun, his physical fitness would continually grow stronger.
It was just that if he wanted to possess boundless potential like the real Superman.
He would have to work hard to grind renown, push levels, and raise his ceiling.
Otherwise, relying purely on sunbathing to become Golden Superman was completely unrealistic!
"One hundred percent!"
The metal pod's output was cranked to maximum, the blinding white light nearly searing their eyes.
The console erupted in a burst of electrical sparks, and Rogers, who had been letting out agonized cries, suddenly grew quiet.
Erskine hastily instructed Howard Stark to open the metal pod; he temporarily pushed aside the silent Luke to save Rogers first.
A wave of white steam dispersed, and everyone revealed expressions of incredulous shock.
Steve Rogers!
That scrawny, undernourished little guy had transformed in the blink of an eye into a tall, formidable captain with a massive chest!
It was as if he had been swapped with a completely different person.
The next moment!
Everyone in the control room cheered and leaped for joy, immersed in wild elation, itching to throw a celebratory banquet right then and there.
Councilman Brand was overcome with a surge of grand ambition, shouting bravado like "Berlin is going to be nervous" and "Capture Hitler alive".
In his view, with a legion of super soldiers like Rogers, the Allied Nations essentially had victory in the bag and could win this war without a sliver of suspense!
Yet Colonel Phillips and Councilman Brand, immersed in their excitement, elation, and other emotions, failed to notice one of the attendants in the control room slip close to Dr. Erskine while everyone was distracted.
"Hail Hydra!"
The accompanying attendant who had come to offer congratulations quietly walked up to Dr. Erskine's ear and uttered those words.
The latter raised his head in surprise, only to meet a pair of cold eyes.
Hydra?
Dr. Erskine reacted instantly.
The attendant didn't give him time to cry for help; a PPK automatic pistol pressed against his chest, and the man pulled the trigger directly.
The bullet pierced his heart, kicking up a bloom of blood.
Dr. Erskine felt a brief flash of agony before collapsing limply.
Gunshots echoed indoors, accompanied by shouts of "Protect the Councilman" as the guard detail closed in.
Immediately following, a deafening explosion rang out within the control room.
The flames of the blast swept outward!
A powerful shockwave shattered the glass windows!
Colonel Phillips shielded the panicked councilman, while the guarding soldiers were caught in the concussive wave, crashing into the walls like broken kites.
Screams, explosions, gunshots...
These chaotic noises interrupted Luke's visions of the future.
He furrowed his brows slightly, pondered for a moment, and effortlessly shook off the restraining straps bound tightly around him—a necessary measure to keep test subjects from thrashing and harming themselves.
Creak! Creak!
Luke punched right through the sturdy outer shell of the metal pod, ignoring the dancing electrical sparks, and put his hands to work with brute force, tearing open that layer of alloy sheeting.
Accompanied by a teeth-grinding sound of tearing metal, Luke leaped out of the metal pod the very next moment.
He saw Dr. Erskine lying on the floor with a gunshot wound, along with the newly tall and robust Rogers.
Councilman Brand shrank back, hiding off to the side as the crowd shielded him.
Meanwhile, the man in the suit suspected of being a Hydra assassin shot down several guards, ran up the stairs, and vanished from sight.
ps: As usual, shaking down everyone for recommendation tickets and collections! Hand them over quickly! (Super fierce.jpg)
ps2: The six tiers roughly correspond to Earth-level, Skyfather-level, Single Universe, Multiverse, Higher-dimensional Universe, Omniverse... Theoretically, the comics don't have these exact ranks, but the author referenced some data and portrayal scaling to use this classification~
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