New Goal

"Dugan! Did you see that? He lifted that Ford-modified military jeep with both hands!"

"I have eyes, I don't need you to tell me! And he twisted my beloved Winchester into a pretzel!"

"Can any of you explain why my tactical dagger couldn't pierce his skin?"

"Is this guy really human?"

"..."

An hour later, the Howling Commandos who had followed Luke to Fort Drum Army Base in Jefferson County, New York, witnessed the most unbelievable and terrifying sight of their lives.

Just as they had said, every member of the Howling Commandos was a battle-hardened veteran with a special skill of his own.

Trenches that had buried countless bodies, barbed wire hung with scraps of flesh...

They had survived that kind of hell. They had seen the cruelest executioners and played the role of butchers themselves.

Roaring artillery, machine guns spitting fire, tanks like steel monsters...

It could be said that they had seen every kind of grand spectacle!

But—

The immense power Luke displayed before the Howling Commandos completely shattered the established beliefs they had built up over decades!

Before this, Dugan and his men had never imagined that someone could lift a military jeep weighing several tons as if it were a barbell!

Was this even fucking human!?

"Stop looking at me like I'm some kind of monster."

Luke's expression was calm, his breathing steady.

There was no sign at all that he had just used a jeep to complete an entire warm-up routine.

"I'm merely an ordinary soldier who longs for peace to arrive and yearns for a quiet life."

The Stellar Energy he had absorbed over the past few days had pushed Luke's physique to another level.

Like Superman, he might still struggle to carry an airplane weighing hundreds of tons, but lifting a jeep weighing a few tons was no problem.

However, in this era when even Super Soldiers could run rampant, people's capacity for acceptance was nowhere near as great as it would be in later generations.

Their imagination regarding superpowers, aliens, and the cosmos was limited to science fiction novels.

Therefore, Luke's display had utterly stunned the members of the Howling Commandos!

"You really are a monster, okay!"

Dugan, nicknamed Dum Dum, glanced at the Winchester twisted into a pretzel and the military jeep sitting firmly where it had been, then silently swallowed the words that had reached his mouth.

"Cahill... sir, you're the Super Soldier the military has been talking about, aren't you?"

After a while, Manelli, whom Colonel Phillips had called a master of disguise and hand-to-hand combat, spoke up.

After witnessing Luke's inhuman strength, the members of the Howling Commandos—at least Manelli himself—no longer had any objections to this young captain leading them.

Although he still did not know whether Luke possessed the basic qualities of a commander.

But combat capability enough to crush Nazi forces was sufficient to answer every doubt.

"No wonder Colonel Phillips sent him to lead the Howling Commandos."

Manelli immediately felt relieved, and the dissatisfaction in his heart vanished in an instant.

"Super Soldier?"

Hearing those words, Dugan's gaze toward Luke changed as well.

He had heard a little about that program.

It was said to be one of the military's research projects involving human enhancement.

"That's right. Steve Rogers and I both received serum injections from the Strategic Scientific Reserve and became Super Soldiers."

Luke answered with a straight face.

Although he had nothing whatsoever to do with Super Soldiers, that did not prevent him from using the excuse as a shield.

He wondered whether, in the future, when people discovered that the gap between Rogers' abilities and Luke's kept growing wider, they would suspect that the former had been injected with fake serum.

"All right, sir. I apologize for what happened before."

Dugan shrugged, no longer wearing the cold, resistant attitude he had shown earlier.

Having seen Luke's true strength and learned of his Super Soldier identity, he no longer worried that Luke would hold the team back. Instead, he began to seriously doubt whether he could truly become Luke's teammate.

With Dugan's extensive experience, he felt that if Luke were thrown onto the battlefield, those Nazi soldiers would definitely be scared witless!

Even Hitler, far away in Berlin, might not sleep peacefully!

Side Quest: Howling Commandos, the First Step Toward Becoming a War Hero! (Completed)

Requirement: Join them and gain the recognition of more than three members. (Achieved)

Reward: Scarecrow's Fear Toxin ×10. (Obtained)

Luke received the notification that the quest had been completed. Sure enough, when dealing with veterans, the fastest way to earn their recognition was to demonstrate extraordinary ability.

Reputation points detected!

Shop unlocked!

Maintaining his composure, Luke immediately opened his character panel.

After being updated, the information displayed fifty Reputation Points—likely provided by members of the Howling Commandos.

"It seems that as long as people feel respect, admiration, or reverence, they can generate Reputation Points..."

Luke deduced.

He opened the shop, and just as he had imagined, it was filled with a dazzling array of items, not much different from a game.

There were all kinds of interesting props, such as "Clark Kent's Glasses."

The description below read: "Once worn, they create an absolute disguise that cannot possibly be seen through, taking the form of a tall, strong, sunny reporter."

There was also "Batman's Vanishing Trick," described as: "When any target has their back turned to you, activate this item to disappear from their field of vision."

There were also skill cards belonging to various heroes, such as "Martial Arts Master"—from Deathstroke. Its effect was mastery of all kinds of firearms and cold weapons, allowing the user to defeat enemies several times stronger than themselves through hand-to-hand combat alone.

Another was "Hustle Expert"—from the famous Exorcist Constantine. Its description read: "Possesses superb rhetoric capable of persuading (deceiving) even demons and angels."

There were countless things like that.

All of them required Reputation Points to exchange for.

"Interesting!"

Luke's eyes lit up slightly. He was especially interested in the skill card called "Cuckold Cap Dispenser"—from Nightwing Dick Grayson.

Its specific effect was: "For women in a committed romantic relationship, especially women whose profession is superhero, your charm will be unleashed one hundred percent."

How had such a bizarre ability slipped in here?

After swiftly browsing the items in the shop, Luke's expression returned to normal.

He cleared his throat and looked at the Howling Commandos. "I'm sure you all know that Colonel Phillips sent me to lead this team because we're preparing to carry out a raid!"

"I can't tell you the exact details for now. However, our final destination is Italy, and I have already prepared the necessary passes and suitable identities."

"So, you can regard this mission as a secret operation in which we pose as smugglers, bypass the blockade of naval patrol fleets, and infiltrate Sicily, Italy."

The members of the Howling Commandos looked at one another. Most of their previous missions had involved attacking Axis Powers transport convoys or assassinating high-ranking officers.

They truly were not very familiar with infiltration and disguise.

But after hearing him out, the members led by Dum Dum Dugan still answered in unison, "We'll follow all of your orders, sir!"

"Good. I believe that after this mission, the name of the Howling Commandos—and all of your names—will appear on the White House's desk!"

Luke promised.

He was not making an empty promise. If the mission planned by Colonel Phillips could be completed.

Then Luke's name would very likely spread throughout the Allied Nations.

By then, the Reputation Points he could gain might be enough to exchange for a whole pile of skill cards, perhaps even unlock new templates!

P.S. Dear readers, feel free to suggest some "props" and "skill cards." Of course, this author isn't trying to copy book review comments—I just want to see everyone's interesting ideas~