New Recruit Training

When Alex met Steve again, he found him holding a physical examination form, his gaunt face filled with excitement and his eyes with disbelief.

Seeing Steve's expression, Alex knew it had worked.

As expected, as soon as Alex approached, Steve grabbed him, his tight grip causing Alex a slight pain. "Alex, I succeeded! I'm a soldier now too!"

Alex chuckled and put a hand on the excitedly agitated Steve. "That's great, we can fight side-by-side!"

When Bucky heard the news, he looked skeptical until he saw the physical examination form in Steve's hand. Then he smiled, said nothing, slung an arm over Steve's shoulders, and the other around Alex, holding them tightly.

After only a few days of rest, the three of them were conscripted together and left Brooklyn for a recruit training base in New Jersey. Here, they would undergo three months of training before being sent to the WWII battlefield to fight for their lives.

Before enlisting, Alex, Bucky, and Steve had already undergone over half a year of physical training, and all three had seen significant improvements in their stamina. Although Steve was still weaker, he was now comparable to an average person. During the initial recruit assessment, Alex and Bucky took the lead, far ahead of most recruits, while Steve could keep pace with most, not being the straggler he was in the movies.

After the assessment, the recruits were assigned to various units for specialized physical and military skills training. Alex and Bucky, due to their outstanding performance, were assigned to the Army's elite 107th Infantry Regiment. Steve's performance was average, and he was assigned to a different unit.

After a day of training, Alex dragged Bucky to find Steve. Steve had a strong sense of justice but lacked the corresponding strength, and Alex was genuinely worried he'd be bullied in the barracks.

"Alex, is this really your first time holding a gun?" Bucky said, slinging an arm around Alex as they walked towards Steve's unit, his voice full of amazement. "Did you see that? Ten shots, ten bullseyes! The instructor was stunned!"

Alex shrugged, his expression casual. "Do you think I had a chance to hold a gun before?" With his powerful psionic abilities, Alex could easily lock onto the target's center, making the rest simple: aim, shoot, hit the bullseye.

Just as Bucky was about to say something else, a harsh voice boomed from the nearby training field.

"Steve, go home and draw your comics! This place isn't for you!"

Alex and Bucky exchanged a look, their eyes flashing with anger, and they quickened their pace towards the training field.

On the field, Steve was sprawled on the ground in a sorry state. The smallest size uniform still hung loosely on him, and the helmet tied to his forehead almost covered half his head.

"Steve, are you okay?" Seeing Steve's pathetic condition, Alex's anger flared. He quickly ran a few steps to help Steve up, his eyes glaring furiously at the soldiers laughing all around.

Hearing Alex's voice, Steve turned and saw Bucky beside him, a hint of a smile appearing on his face, tinged with surprise. "Alex, Bucky, you're here!"

Seeing the burly soldier in front of them, who was even more muscular than himself, Bucky's expression darkened. He asked sternly, "Steve, what happened?"

Steve wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, shook his head, and slowly said, "It's nothing, nothing at all."

Steve wasn't going to pursue the matter, but someone became even more arrogant.

"Well, well, look who's got backup?" The burly leader crossed his arms, looking at Alex and Bucky with disdain.

Alex was tall, but very thin, much like Steve. Bucky was quite strong, but unfortunately, there were seven or eight people on the other side, and Bucky alone was clearly not enough.

Bucky, not to be outdone, stepped forward, looking provocatively at the tall, muscular man. "What, you wanna fight?" In Brooklyn, Bucky had fought countless fights, and his opponents had invariably been bigger and more numerous than him.

Alex said nothing, quietly stepping forward, his actions conveying his stance.

Steve wanted to say something to de-escalate, but seeing the expressions on Bucky and Alex's faces, he clenched his fists and stood beside them.

"What are you doing? Do you want to be kicked out?" A middle-aged man in a bright green second lieutenant's uniform rushed over, his face menacing.

Seeing the newcomer, the burly man's expression immediately changed. He stepped forward obsequiously, skillfully pulled a cigarette from his pocket, and respectfully offered it. "Second Lieutenant Daniel, these three started the trouble."

Steve couldn't help but shout, "It was you who..."

Before Steve could finish, the second lieutenant waved his hand to interrupt him and roared angrily, "Causing trouble in the barracks, you're all punished with a 30-kilometer weighted march!"

Hearing this, Alex and the other two were even more enraged. Alex spoke up to argue, "Sir, they provoked us first..."

"Disrespecting a superior officer, add another 20 kilometers!" Second Lieutenant Daniel took a long drag from his cigarette, a look of enjoyment on his face.

Bucky was about to say more, but Alex grabbed his arm. He looked up at Second Lieutenant Daniel, his expression calm. "Recruit Alex admits his mistake and will accept the punishment." Without another word, he pulled Bucky and Steve away, grabbed the weighted gear, and started the long-distance run.

Bucky and Steve were incredibly indignant but could only channel their anger into motivation, tightly following Alex.

After running for a while, Steve was already panting, his weak physique unable to bear such a heavy load. Seeing this, Alex and Bucky slowed down, falling to Steve's sides.

"I've dragged you down!" Steve said with difficulty, taking a step and looking at the two beside him with deep guilt.

Bucky spat on the ground, saying indignantly, "Steve, how can this be your fault? If anyone's to blame, it's that Daniel, and that big guy!"

Then, Bucky turned to Alex and asked with confusion, "Alex, why did you stop me just now? I wanted to beat them up!"

Alex smiled mysteriously, but offered no explanation. Because just moments ago, he had seen a strange person, wearing glasses and a dark grey checkered suit, completely out of place in the bustling military camp. More importantly, he was accompanied by Colonel Phillips, the highest-ranking officer at the recruit training camp!

The appearance of a bespectacled man in the military camp was already strange, and with Colonel Phillips accompanying him, the man's identity was obvious.

Dr. Abraham Erskine, the great doctor who invented the super-soldier serum.

Seeing the two of them appear, and recalling the events of the movie, Alex immediately guessed that they were here to select subjects for the Super Soldier Program. To ensure Steve left a good impression on them, Alex had to suppress his rage and comply with Second Lieutenant Daniel's punishment.

As it turned out, Alex's actions were very effective. As they ran past, Alex saw a faint smile on Dr. Abraham Erskine's face.