Arthur’s mouth twitched as he looked at the woman in front of him, feeling a bit speechless. “You’re not sleeping in the middle of the night, running here to flirt with a good young man— is that appropriate?”
Special Agent Carter tilted her head as she glanced at Arthur, and then smiled, “Your way of speaking is indeed interesting. Are all Chinese people this humorous?”
Arthur blinked; it was a difficult question to answer!
He cleared his throat and said, “Let’s get to the point. You’re not sleeping at night, lurking around my tent. Are you planning to take advantage of the quiet night to sneak in and do something unspeakable to me? I’ll tell you, I don’t buy into that ‘the rice is cooked’ stuff.”
“Do you have such expectations?” Agent Carter came to Arthur, she came very close, looking up at him with an interesting glint in her eyes. “Tell me, is this what you’ve been hoping for?”
Arthur was instantly flustered!
He quickly took a step back. “Don’t play around; a good young man can’t handle this kind of teasing!”
Agent Carter’s smirk deepened as she lightly bit her lip. “Is this your shy charm from a different culture?”
Arthur was speechless, not knowing how to respond.
“What did Colonel Phillips say to you?” Special Agent Carter asked.
“Is that the reason you’ve been wandering around my tent?” Arthur inquired.
“Do you prefer the reasons you provided?” Agent Carter continued to tease Arthur.
“He seems to be against me continuing to be active on the battlefield,” Arthur didn’t entertain Agent Carter’s teasing and said, “And I’ll probably be transferred tomorrow.”
“He shouldn’t treat a war hero like this,” Agent Carter sighed. “Where are you going?”
“Nowhere,” Arthur said, “I’ll probably find out tomorrow.”
“Alright.” Agent Carter and Arthur fell into silence as they aimlessly walked around the military camp.
After a while, Agent Carter suddenly spoke up, “You have the potential to become a hero.”
“Is it because I killed their commander?” Arthur asked.
“No,” Agent Carter shook her head. “Or maybe… not just that. Your performance on the battlefield is the source of my confidence in you. Honestly, my first impression of you was very bad, really! But yesterday’s battle, the mission, completely changed my impression of you. In the beginning, I shouldn’t have looked at you with unequal eyes. I apologize for that.”
Arthur blinked; this turn of events was a bit unexpected.
Then Agent Carter continued, “Do you know? War should not be blind. On the battlefield, courage fueled by blood is far less useful than wisdom. And instant decision-making is crucial. When we encountered the sniper, that moment, I was gambling…”
Arthur remembered the woman’s life-defying leap and nodded silently.
“But you instantly understood my meaning, and in that moment, you abandoned all distractions, completing that mythical shot!” Agent Carter looked at Arthur seriously. “Your performance in that moment was perfect, incredibly soul-stirring!”
Being praised like this, Arthur felt a bit at a loss and awkwardly said, “Ease up on the compliments… I can handle it.”
“…”
Agent Carter helplessly looked at Arthur. “I’m serious.”
“Yeah, I believe you,” Arthur thought for a moment and then continued, “But… being a hero, that’s too far-fetched for me.”
“It’s not far,” said Special Agent Agent Carter. “If you’re willing, I can talk to Dr. Erskine and report to the higher-ups. I believe—”
“Wait, wait, wait… You’re getting too excited,” Arthur helplessly interrupted. “First and foremost, the most important thing is that I have no intention of becoming a hero! Secondly… your people won’t let a foreigner become your hero, right?”
“…You’re not a foreigner; you’re a U.S. citizen!”
“…” Arthur blinked, unintentionally revealing the entire character’s background.
A U.S. citizen of Chinese descent, orphaned, adopted by Colonel Phillips, enlisted secretly during World War II and fatefully assigned to Colonel Phillips’ unit…
Right now, he could only say, “But nationality doesn’t represent everything, right? It’s just a few words; can it erase a person? In the future, if I become the hero you mentioned, active on this battlefield, entering everyone’s field of vision… what if they say, ‘Hey, where did this yellow monkey clown come from?’ If I end up killing their whole family, will I still be the hero you expect?”
“That won’t happen.”
“It will,” Arthur said with a smile. “You can’t expect everyone to change their attitude toward me like you do, right?”
Agent Carter fell into silence.
This question was actually very cruel, and Agent Carter’s thoughts were straightforward.
She believed Arthur had the potential to become a hero. But she forgot that in the current environment, aside from whether Arthur was willing or not, would those people above be willing?
Compared to having a foreign hero in the public eye, they would prefer a local superhero to bring vitality and hope to their country.
Hmm, and maybe sell some bonds on the side?
It seemed like Captain America started as a clown, participating in performances and promoting bonds.
Looking at the silent Agent Carter, who seemed to be contemplating this harsh reality, Arthur sighed. He had to say, “Even if I don’t become a Super Soldier, a superhero, or whatever, can’t we continue the fight? Can a superhero really change the battlefield? Then why are we here? Are we just here to wave flags, cheer, eat sandwiches, and go home to have babies?”
“Haha…” Agent Carter laughed, biting her lip as she looked at Arthur. “You’re a strange person. From your words, I can see that you don’t trust this country. But you’re still active on this battlefield. Why did you join the military?”
“I had a dream since I was a child.”
Arthur, with a serious expression, looked down and gazed at the stars, slowly speaking like a great figure. “That dream is… world peace!”
It’s a cliche!
But Agent Carter clearly didn’t catch the reference.
Considering the current situation, her gaze toward Arthur became more focused. “Now, in my eyes, you are a hero!”
“Huh?”
……
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