Successful Triumphant Return, Welcome Back

The next day, noon.

"Commodore Luke Cavill and Captain Steve Rogers have gone missing behind enemy lines in Sector Three. The reconnaissance team conducted a thorough search but found no clues."

The radio operator reported the received message to Colonel Phillips, who was pacing back and forth, visibly anxious.

The latter's face was ashen, and he remained silent.

His face was creased with wrinkles, and his eyes were filled with rage.

The radio operator standing before him trembled, afraid of being caught in the crossfire and becoming the target of the Colonel's fury.

"Continue the search!"

Colonel Phillips slammed his hand down on the table, gritting his teeth.

If Luke wasn't found within the next twelve hours, the military would have no choice but to list him among the casualties.

Once this news got out, it would undoubtedly deliver a devastating blow to the morale of the Allied forces on the front lines.

A war hero, a legendary figure, who had been diligently publicized not long ago, suddenly died at the hands of Hydra...

How could this be explained?

It was likely that not only the President would be furious, but the Allied Nations would also demand accountability.

"This is truly terrible!"

Colonel Phillips sighed heavily.

He had expected Luke to have a longer development, a broader future.

But who could have predicted that a rising star, before even shining, would be completely extinguished!

Even though Luke had once created the astonishing miracle of conquering Italy, facing a Hydra base with six hundred men, along with those giant tanks and energy weapons, the chances of survival were still very low.

"The last reconnaissance plane is back..."

Carter, holding a stack of blurry black and white photos, hurried into the makeshift camp tent.

"Still no findings! Hydra's base experienced an astonishing explosion, nearby buildings collapsed and disintegrated, and it even caused a mountain fire... Fortunately, it didn't spread."

Colonel Phillips saw the British female agent and his anger flared. He said coldly, "What's the use of saying this, Agent Carter! We've lost a general! The Allies have lost a hero!"

"If you had notified me in time, notified Allied Command, and stopped Luke's reckless behavior! None of this might have happened!"

"The military can't do anything to Howard Stark; he's a well-known young millionaire in New York and the biggest weapons sponsor for the Allies! But you are nothing!"

"Agent Carter, I hope you'll think through the consequences before acting in the future... Oh, and you won't have a future either. Once Allied Command gets wind of this, they'll definitely cause trouble for the Strategic Scientific Reserve, and we'll all be ruined together!"

Inside the camp tent, a scolding, like a burst of gunfire, erupted.

Colonel Phillips glared at the female agent in front of him and lowered his voice, "I've told you many times, don't let personal feelings affect your work. This is the first lesson of being a good agent!"

"I haven't, sir!"

Carter bit her lip lightly and shook her head.

"Don't deny it so quickly; I haven't even said who it is yet. Luke, Rogers, or that playboy Howard Stark... Agent Carter, can you tell me who it was that made you lose your mind and risk court-martial to help him?"

Colonel Phillips kept sneering, then added, "I've always said women shouldn't be involved in war! Damn the British!"

Facing the discriminatory remarks from her superior, Carter took a deep breath, her chest heaving, but she remained silent.

Just as Colonel Phillips was about to inform Allied Command, the noisy sounds from outside reached the camp tent, where the atmosphere had cooled to freezing point.

Faintly, applause and cheers could still be heard.

"What's going on?"

Phillips angrily walked out of the camp tent, with Carter following closely behind.

They saw that in front of the camp, the soldiers were crowded into two rows.

On the tree-lined road not far away, two familiar figures appeared.

Luke and Rogers!

The Allies' Superman, and Captain America!

Behind them followed a group of captured Allied soldiers!

Further in the distance, giant tanks rumbled, appearing to be captured spoils of war.

"They're back!"

The soldiers were ecstatic, looking with envious eyes at the captured soldiers holding energy weapons and walking with their heads held high.

They looked like victors returning triumphantly, their spirits soaring, immensely proud.

"What is this?"

Colonel Phillips, who had just walked out of the camp tent, asked in astonishment.

Not only had those captured soldiers returned safely, but they had also brought back Hydra's secret weapons!

This was a great victory!

A victory for the Strategic Scientific Reserve!

"It must be Superman! He led everyone to defeat Hydra and rescued our comrades!"

A soldier guessed excitedly.

The others nodded repeatedly.

The Allies' propaganda in recent days had already deeply ingrained Luke's legendary image in people's minds.

Upon returning to camp, everyone was treated like heroes.

The impatient ones were already asking what had happened and how the captured soldiers had escaped from Hydra.

Colonel Phillips, who had been furious earlier, even came out personally to welcome the team—though his primary concern was Luke's safety.

This young Commodore, only twenty years old, was now a legendary figure among the Allies and a propaganda model promoted by the military, as well as an object of admiration for countless contemporary soldiers.

If Luke were to have an accident and die on the front lines, it would undoubtedly cause a huge upheaval within the Allied forces!

Therefore, when he had requested to go to the front lines earlier, many high-ranking officials had disagreed.

Even President Roosevelt, who had proposed Luke's return to the battlefield, actually hoped that this young Commodore would remain behind the lines, serving as a propaganda tool to stabilize morale.

But Luke, who was solely focused on building a solid foundation, accumulating experience, and gaining prestige, would never accept such a seemingly tempting suggestion.

He wanted to completely crush Hydra and lead the Allies to true victory.

Once he accomplished this, no one would be able to question his achievements.

"You've created a miracle once again, Luke!"

Colonel Phillips looked excited upon seeing Luke return triumphantly.

As for Rogers beside him, he was intentionally or unintentionally ignored.

After all, the Allies only needed one hero!

Just as in the eyes of the world, there has always been only one sun!

"There are wounded soldiers who need medical attention. Also, Colonel, my actions during this rescue operation were too reckless. I will proactively report this to Allied Command."

Luke accepted the praise with a calm expression.

After dealing with the four enhanced soldiers, he and Rogers had rushed directly to Red Skull's command center.

However, Red Skull had already escaped by plane with the Tesseract and Dr. Zola.

Furthermore, Hydra's base was about to explode, making further pursuit difficult.

Thus, Luke could only return to camp with a group of captured soldiers and a dejected Rogers.

Those giant tanks and the energy weapons seized from the munitions factories became their spoils of war.

"Mr. President, sitting in the White House, certainly wouldn't expect to receive your victory report so soon!"

Colonel Phillips's face broke into a smile, all traces of his previous anger gone.

With just two people, they had completely destroyed Hydra's secret base, taken down two munitions factories, and eliminated six hundred Nazi guards within them.

What an astonishing achievement!

Colonel Phillips's intuition told him that Luke was capable of far more than this!

After this war ended, he would receive even greater honors!

The youngest Rear Admiral in the history of the United States?

Perhaps even General?

For the first time, Phillips felt his imagination was incredibly limited.

"This is a great victory for the Strategic Scientific Reserve! We'll celebrate your success a little later!"

Colonel Phillips glanced at Carter beside him and said with a chuckle.

In terms of rank and position, Luke was the highest-ranking officer in the camp.

Except for direct orders from Allied Command, he had the authority to make any decision.

But this young Commodore did not become arrogant after his success and turn his back on people.

On the contrary, whether it was towards his old friend Rogers or his former superior Colonel Phillips, Luke maintained a friendly and approachable attitude.

He lowered his own aggression to make the military bigwigs who harbored dissatisfaction towards him relax their guard.

This was his true intention.

"Do you have anything to say to me?"

Luke saw Carter blocking his path and a smile appeared on his face.

"Welcome back."

The cold and beautiful female agent remained silent for a long time before saying this.

ps: Thanks to [Brother, you're one of us] for the 2500-point reward, [Lazy Autumn] for the 600-point reward, [Seductive Bitch, Pure and Unpretentious] for the 100-point reward, and [ZHY Technology] for the 100-point reward. Sending love~

ps2: Dear readers, remember to vote and collect for your author, whose gastroenteritis has flared up again~