In the following days, Steve underwent hellish training here, which for others would merely be basic training, just running and learning how to crawl forward, but for him, it was somewhat too intense.
His heart condition and asthma made him feel like his chest was going to explode with pain every time.
But he persisted, no matter what, he wanted to go to the battlefield, and this was the only hard-won opportunity. So even though he was the last place in every project, he still wouldn't give up.
Initially, his teammates might have looked down on him because he seemed like a sickly person, making enlisting appear like a joke.
However, after a few days, except for Hodge, everyone admired his tenacity and perseverance, regardless of his physical condition, his soul was undoubtedly strong.
In this era, Americans were still influenced by many honest and simple concepts, they would respect anyone worth respecting.
Moreover, during training, Steve exhibited exceptional intelligence.
When the instructor led them past a flagpole dozens of miles from Caspian Camp and told them that no one had taken down the flag for thirty years and that anyone who managed to take it down from the top of the flagpole would not have to run back and could ride back to camp with Agent Carter,
there was a vehicle that could save energy, and with a beautiful instructor like Carter in the vehicle, others swarmed towards the flagpole, climbing up like monkeys.
While Steve observed for a moment from the back, once the helpless crowd dispersed, he removed the pin at the bottom of the flagpole, causing it to fall, and he easily picked up the flag from the ground and handed it to the instructor.
"Thank you, sir."
Then he climbed breathlessly into Carter's jeep, his determination and wisdom causing Carter to look at him differently, clearly on the verge of exhaustion, he could still think calmly. And after accomplishing something others couldn't, he remained humble and unassuming.
This is a very valuable character trait.
Su Ming had not met with them these days, occasionally coming to the camp just to take a distant look, now the one-week deadline was about to end, and the appearance of Captain America was drawing closer.
In the evening of the seventh day, Colonel Philip and Dr. Erskine stood by the playground discussing these new recruits, needing to determine the final candidate.
"Why, Doctor, why would you choose Steve? He's too small."
Colonel Philip helplessly complained to Dr. Erskine, Steve had persisted over the week, it was indeed not easy, but his actions were not like a soldier's at all.
Dr. Erskine turned his head to look at the crowd under the sunset, tilted his head and asked back, "Then who do you think is suitable?"
"Hodge, that's what a soldier should be like." Philip had a favourable opinion of Hodge, though he was a troublemaker, but the more troublemakers in the army often meant more capabilities.
The army was going to war, not to parades.
Dr. Erskine shook his head, "Hodge is a brute, I need a good man."
"But he has courage, going to war requires courage." Colonel Philip took a hand grenade from the nearby ammunition box, pulled the pin, and threw it into the group of recruits, the green ball bounced into the crowd, then he shouted, "Grenade!"
In an instant, the recruits scattered like birds and beasts, everyone began to look for cover, but only Steve, dashed towards the grenade, hoping to protect his comrades with his own body.
"Get away, stay far from me!"
Agent Carter, who knew, looked at him with admiration, although small, his courage surpassed everyone else.
She had a favourable opinion of Steve, this man was small, but his soul was enormous, she firmly supported the Doctor's view that Steve was the right person.
The grenade did not explode, it was a fake grenade used for training throwing.
But the Hodge whom the Colonel thought the bravest was hiding the furthest, finally poking his head out long after, making the Colonel's face burn with humiliation.
"He's still too small."
Dr. Erskine looked at the Colonel with a teasing gaze, even if the Colonel had thick skin, he couldn't help but feel a bit awkward and finally squeezed out a sentence, then slipped away.
........
In two more days, it would be the day of the experiment, these two days were for Steve to rest, and for other staff to prepare.
That evening, the entire barracks was empty, only Steve was left, those comrades who had trained together, with his success came the realization that they had all failed.
The failures had to leave, perhaps to other combat units, perhaps to other departments of the Strategic Science Corps, but the cruelty of war was also reflected in the barracks, no choice, survival of the fittest.
There were some shadows moving outside the window, Steve continued to read with his head down.
Dr. Erskine appeared at the door with a bottle of liquor and two glasses, "Mind if I come in?"
"Of course."
Steve closed the book in his hand, smiled, and invited the Doctor in.
He actually didn't know much about the upcoming experiment, just heard that after an injection, he would become stronger.
The Doctor walked towards Steve in big strides, placing the glass on the luggage crate by the bed, "Can't sleep?"
"I guess... I'm a bit nervous." Steve shook his head slightly, speaking self-mockingly.
The Doctor sat on the bed opposite him, the room lights were bright, but the Doctor's expression was not relaxed, "Me too."
Steve clasped his hands together, placed them between his legs, and leaned forward slightly, watching the Doctor's face, marked with the traces of time.
"I've always had a question... why me?"
The Doctor opened his mouth, adjusted his glasses, as if recalling something, because his other hand was continuously squeezing the plug of the liquor bottle.
"I guess, that's the real reason you can't sleep." The Doctor sighed, raising his eyebrows as if relieved, "The answer comes from Augsburg, my hometown."
Steve listened intently to the Doctor's words, the barracks was very quiet, the Doctor's voice clearly reaching his ears, his mood mixed with excitement, anxiety, nervousness, and more.
As if a condiment box had been overturned in his heart.
The Doctor continued his topic, reminiscing about his past when he was young.
"In fact, many people have forgotten, the first country Nazi invaded, in reality, was their own homeland, you know, after World War I, my compatriots struggled, worked hard, but they only felt their own weakness, their insignificance."
The Doctor's empty hand patted his knee, he had always seen his homeland's suffering, people not having enough food or clothing, England and France taking too many things from them.
"When they felt powerless, that mustachioed man appeared with his team, dressed in uniform, marching down the street with bright flags, promoting his struggle and beliefs... people found a straw to clutch at after falling into the water."
The Doctor lifted his glasses again, the lenses bearing minute scratches, his unconscious actions showed that his inner world was far from as calm as it seemed.
"Then he heard about me, heard about my experiments. He wanted me to enhance his army, but I had no interest in such proposals... so he chose Hydra as his research institution, one of Hydra's leaders was John Schmidt, a charismatic madman."
This was the first time Steve had heard of the Hydra organization, his expression became serious as a mysterious intuition told him that the Strategic Science Corps was established to counter such forces.
"The mustachioed man and Schmidt, both were very fond of mysticism, he used it to inspire his followers. But to Schmidt, these mystical things were not entirely fictional, he believed that his god had prepared some mysterious power for humanity, perhaps buried in some unknown place... so when he heard of my research, he could no longer hold himself back."
The room became quiet, the Doctor lowering his gaze as he reminisced about the past, while Steve pondered the Doctor's words, feeling as if a dangerous unknown world had opened its doors to him, he has only seen the tip of the iceberg of the real world until now.