Chapter 22: Black Serpent Captain Hodge
"What's going on here?"
Mason pushed through the crowd and stood beside Steve.
"Nothing, just having some laughs with my future comrade-in-arms." Hodge grinned. "But Steve here seems a little sensitive."
When they first arrived at Camp Lehigh, Hodge had relied on his size and strength to repeatedly harass Steve. Mason had caught him several times and always intervened. Though they'd never come to blows, the bad blood had been brewing.
Once, Hodge deliberately picked a fight but got thoroughly humiliated by Mason. After that, he'd backed off considerably—so what was with today's performance? Not only was he causing trouble again, but he'd brought backup.
"Give me back my notebook!"
Steve didn't appear injured, though his hair was disheveled and his collar torn.
"Notebook? What notebook?"
Hodge smirked. A stocky freckled guy with a buzz cut beside him pulled out a journal from behind his back.
"Oh, you mean this? Wait, let's see whose name is on it." His name was Kevin. Mason vaguely recognized him—before enlisting, he'd been a small-time thug in the Brooklyn area who'd actually gotten into a scrap with Hodge during basic training.
Kevin made a show of opening the journal, revealing "Captain America" written clearly on the title page.
The notebook wasn't filled with diary entries or daily observations, but rather covered with all sorts of unusual hand-drawn sketches.
Initially, the drawings were rough and unpolished, mostly crude lines, but as the pages progressed, the artwork became more refined. Mason noticed that nearly every page featured a metal shield emblazoned with a five-pointed star.
The figure holding the shield was somewhat indistinct, but at first glance bore a striking resemblance to Mason himself. He wore a distinctive uniform, looking heroic, as if battling some sinister force.
"This notebook belongs to some chump calling himself Captain America." Hodge snatched the journal from Kevin, made a show of flipping through several pages, and sneered. "Guys, look at this name—it's pathetic. Captain America?"
"Ha! I'd say Captain Black Serpent sounds way more badass!" Hodge's mockery was met with unanimous approval from the surrounding soldiers, who laughed and slapped each other's shoulders.
When Hodge uttered the name Captain Black Serpent, Mason felt a burning sensation on his hand, but he didn't immediately check it. "Hodge, joke's over. Give it back to Steve. I don't want any trouble."
Steve's expression was conflicted—part embarrassment at having his private sketches exposed, but mostly anger at the insult to the Captain America name.
He'd only overheard the name by chance from Mason that day, and initially, he'd also felt the name seemed too simple for humanity's first superhero. But later, as he reflected on it repeatedly, he'd gradually understood the special sense of honor and responsibility embedded in that straightforward name.
Hodge's smile vanished as he stepped directly in front of Mason, a cold gleam in his eyes. He whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Poor bastard. Doesn't feel good to be passed over, does it?"
"You're really defending this weakling? Once I become a super soldier, I'll show you what a real nightmare looks like!"
So that's it.
Mason's expression shifted. No wonder Hodge's attitude had changed so drastically—he'd already learned about the super soldier selection from Colonel Phillips.
His ego had been massively inflated.
Mason had initially considered approaching Hodge, trying to work with him, but seeing the vicious cruelty in the other man's eyes,
he immediately abandoned the idea. A fierce determination ignited within him. "Screw this! I refuse to believe I can't complete this mission without delivering it to you, Hodge!"
Having survived yesterday's carnage, Mason's courage had grown considerably, and a reckless idea suddenly surged through his mind.
"What would happen to this mission if I killed Hodge right here? Would Steve be chosen as the new super soldier candidate, or would they select another recruit?"
This thought, barely a fleeting notion, grew wildly like kudzu. Mason remained silent, calmly staring at Hodge. Face to face, Hodge saw the madness and lethal intent in Mason's eyes. For a moment, Hodge felt like he couldn't breathe.
"He's going to kill me!"
The realization flashed through his mind, and Hodge instinctively took several steps back, almost ready to flee.
When he regained his composure, he found his cronies staring at him strangely. Hodge's face flushed crimson, feeling his dignity had been severely challenged. He violently tore the notebook in his hands to shreds, shouting in rage,
"Here's your damn notebook back! I'm the one who won!" Paper scraps flew everywhere as Hodge roared and swung his hand at Mason's face. His action was so sudden that none of the other soldiers around them reacted in time.
Though Mason had acted impulsively, despite Hodge's surprise attack, he didn't panic. He shifted his body slightly to dodge the slap, then used his forward momentum to drive his knee hard into Hodge's abdomen!
Oof!
Hodge nearly vomited, his body curling like a shrimp as he clutched his stomach and groaned in agony, completely dropping his guard. Once Mason committed to the attack, he abandoned all restraint. Using his forward momentum, he tackled Hodge to the ground and swung his fist, slamming it hard into his temple!
Thud thud thud!
Three consecutive heavy punches left Hodge seeing stars, completely dazed. Just then, Mason felt weight crash onto his back. Turning, he saw Steve had taken a kick meant for him, getting knocked into Mason.
"Mason, watch out!" Steve warned through gritted teeth.
The others standing nearby didn't stay idle either, surrounding Mason and Steve and throwing punches.
Though Mason's physical abilities far exceeded those of ordinary men, he hadn't systematically studied any fighting techniques. He could handle two or three opponents with raw strength and aggression, but he was struggling against this many.
At that moment, Hodge, who'd just taken three punches from Mason, staggered to his feet. His temple was bruised and swollen, one eye nearly closed. Enraged, he grabbed a pen lying on the ground and roared as he lunged forward, aiming to stab it into Mason's eye socket!
Mason was being restrained by two men and couldn't break free. Just as the sharp pen tip in Hodge's hand was about to pierce his face, a lean figure leaped out from the side.
It was Steve, who'd just gotten up. He roared and mustered all his strength to body-slam into Hodge's side, sending Hodge stumbling and crashing to the ground.
Meanwhile, the two men who'd been restraining Mason snapped back to their senses, a wave of fear washing over them
as they hastily released their grip on him. Having narrowly escaped death, Mason's killer instinct surged. Taking advantage of Hodge being knocked down by Steve, he pounced on him, snatched the pen, and drove it toward Hodge's eye socket!
"Go to hell with your Captain Black Serpent!"
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