The Pentagon Command Center.
Smoke filled the air, stinging eyes, but no one had the heart to turn on the ventilation system.
On the tactical sand table, the flags representing the Allied Forces were surrounded by a sea of crimson HYDRA emblems; the Western Front had completely collapsed.
Captain America was critically injured and unconscious, his life hanging in the balance.
This news was heavier than the loss of ten divisions.
It had drained the backbone of the entire country.
"What does the Medical Department say?"
The Minister of Defense's voice was hoarse, his bloodshot eyes fixed intently on the sand table.
"The situation is dire."
"What about those two gods?"
"Soldier Boy is being held back in Belgium by the Perfect Being legion. Every time he destroys an enemy, he has to endure the shock of a spatial explosion, and he is already showing clear signs of fatigue.
Human Torch... his flames are the natural enemy of those monsters.
But HYDRA has changed their tactics, using human wave attacks to isolate him on the Eastern Front, making it impossible for him to reinforce France."
"In other words, we can only watch helplessly as the defensive line is torn apart?"
Their planes, tanks, and artillery had become nothing but a pile of expensive scrap metal in the face of those eerie "Perfect Beings."
This was a war they could neither comprehend nor win.
"Report!"
A communications officer rushed in, looking panicked, his voice trembling: "Mr. Lynn Morris... in the name of the Chairman of Vanguard Holdings, is requesting an emergency video conference with the Department of Defense, the Strategic Scientific Reserve, and the Congressional Military Committee!"
"Vanguard?"
The Minister of Defense frowned.
What does he want?
At such a critical moment, and as a businessman?
"Connect him."
The Minister of Defense waved his hand wearily.
He wanted to see what that guy, who had stirred up the entire World, was really up to.
Soon, the main screen in the conference room lit up.
On screen, Lynn Morris's hair was impeccably groomed.
His calm and composure formed a stark, jarring contrast to the doomsday atmosphere in the command center.
"Good afternoon, gentlemen."
Lynn's voice came through the speaker.
"I apologize for the intrusion, but I believe what I am about to show you might bring a turning point to this frustrating war."
He didn't mention Captain America, he didn't mention Soldier Boy, and he didn't even mention those damned "Perfect Beings."
"First, regarding our mutual friend, CaptainSteve Rogers."
Lynn waved his hand gently, and a detailed medical report along with a slowly pulsing vital signs monitor appeared on the screen behind him.
"Truly regrettable, isn't it?"
"Even gods can bleed. But fortunately, the biological department of Foreseer Pharmaceuticals has made a minor, insignificant breakthrough in our research on high-energy particle erosion."
The screen switched, and a blue, gel-like substance sealed in a glass container appeared.
"Biological stabilization gel, an experimental product. It can suppress the energy erosion within the Captain's body, buying us valuable time."
The Military's top medical experts were helpless, yet a pharmaceutical company had actually come up with a solution?
"Of course, merely stabilizing the Captain's life is not enough."
Lynn's expression remained calm.
"We need weapons to strike back."
He snapped his fingers.
A 3D model of a grenade appeared on the screen.
"Repulsor Field Grenade, a sample rushed out overnight by the engineers at Vanguard Machinery. It cannot cause physical damage, but the pulse it releases can effectively neutralize energy explosions within a fifteen-meter radius for three seconds."
"In other words, when a Perfect Being self-destructs, our soldiers will have three seconds to survive."
A collective gasp echoed through the command center.
This thing... it was practically tailor-made for this war!
"That's not enough."
The screen switched.
A design blueprint for a highly sci-fi powered exoskeleton armor was presented to everyone.
"Individual powered exoskeleton armor, codenamed 'Sentinel,' currently just a prototype. The inspiration comes from my reverse engineering of some of HYDRA's technologies."
"It can triple an ordinary soldier's strength and defense, and allow them to run at speeds exceeding forty kilometers per hour while carrying a load. Most importantly, its chest plate and arm shield can be equipped with Repulsor Field emitters."
The generals stared at the blueprint, dumbfounded, their minds blank.
They felt as if they were not attending a Military meeting, but watching a science fiction movie from fifty years in the future!
Repulsor Field Grenades, exoskeleton armor...
While they were worrying about the war, Lynn Morris, this shameless bastard, had already built a commercial empire capable of providing everything for the war!
"Mr. Morris... what do you want?"
The Minister of Defense knew very well that there was no such thing as a free lunch.
The fangs Lynn was baring inevitably came with his demands.
"What I want is very simple."
Lynn finally smiled, a smile that, to the generals, was more terrifying than the Red Skull's grin.
"I need money, a massive amount of money, to perfect these technologies and put them into mass production."
"At the same time, I, on behalf of Foreseer Pharmaceuticals, announce that our penicillin purification process has achieved a breakthrough, and production will double."
"I am willing to supply the Military with unlimited quantities at a patriotic price."
Hearing about penicillin, the generals' eyes lit up.
This stuff was as important on the battlefield as bullets.
"And the conditions?"
"The conditions are simple."
Lynn held up one finger.
"I need the Military to open up all wartime material supply chain channels to all subsidiaries under Vanguard Holdings."
"From steel and rare metals to chemical raw materials and transportation logistics... I need priority."
The entire command center fell silent.
Everyone understood.
Lynn Morris didn't want money.
He wanted to control the lifeblood of this war!
He wanted to implant his commercial empire like blood vessels into the entire nation's War Machine!
"That's impossible!"
A general in charge of Military production shouted instinctively.
"This is letting a private company control the nation's economic lifeline!"
"Is it?"
Lynn fixed his gaze on that general through the screen.
"Then, please tell me, besides this, what other choice do you have?"
"Is it to use the flesh and blood of soldiers to fill HYDRA's factories? Or to tell the families waiting for their fathers and husbands to return that their heroes died in vain because of your incompetence?"
Indeed, did they have any other choice?
No.
When conventional warfare fails, and political maneuvering becomes a joke, whoever can bring the hope of victory holds the power to define the rules.
The Minister of Defense closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and when he opened them again, only determination remained in his eyes.
"The committee agrees to all your conditions."
"Pleasure doing business with you, gentlemen."
The smile on Lynn's face grew even brighter.
"The first batch of biological gel and Repulsor Field Grenades will be delivered to the front lines within twelve hours. As for the Captain... I will go and bring him home myself."
The video communication was cut off.
In the command center, there was a deathly silence.
After a long while, the Minister of Defense muttered to himself.
"Have we... brought in a savior, or have we unleashed a monster even more terrifying than HYDRA?"
No one could answer him.
Because everyone was thinking about the same question.
When this war ends, where will that behemoth named "Vanguard" head?
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