When Luke and Bucky walked to the movie theater across the street, the future Captain America was being beaten in the alley by the back entrance.
A "bang" punch hit Steve Rogers' cheek, causing a clear pain.
Without a doubt, Rogers was knocked to the ground.
His thin body looked particularly weak in front of the strong villain.
This is why in the cinema, no one dares to stand up and stop the other party.
Even if the strong villain makes a lot of noise and has no regard for the opinions of others, no one wants to get into unnecessary trouble.
Only a "fool" like Rogers would risk being beaten to stop someone's impolite behavior.
Rogers, who fell into the corner, hurriedly picked up the lid of the trash can next to him and used it as a shield in front of him.
There was no fear in his eyes, but a look of determination.
Like a brave warrior.
Unfortunately, the huge gap in size and strength cannot be made up by pure courage.
The muscular villain pumped his fist, knocking Rogers to the ground again.
But not long after, the thin little man struggled to get up again, as if he was not aware of the pain, and assumed a boxer's posture.
"I could fight you all day!"
Rogers gasped.
His punches were slow and lacking in power, and were easily blocked by the strong villain.
"It seems you haven't been taught enough yet!"
The villain sneered, and his clenched fist came into close contact with Rogers' nose again.
He also wanted to go up and kick him hard, so that this little man without self-awareness would understand the consequences of meddling in his own business.
Bang!
There was a strong force coming from behind.
The villain let out a scream, lost his balance, staggered and fell against the wall.
“Which neighborhood bastard are you to bully my friends in Brooklyn?”
A cold voice sounded from behind.
The villain quickly turned his head and saw two young men.
One was wearing a crisp, pressed brown military uniform, and the other was wearing a leather jacket.
The latter was staring at him with sharp eyes.
"Luke! This kid is nosy! I didn't know he..."
Bang!
Without saying a word, Luke stepped forward, raised his fist and hit the villain on the bridge of his nose.
The opponent leaned back and fell heavily to the hard ground.
Blood spurted out from his nose like a faucet with a valve opened.
Luke didn't stop there. He raised his long legs, stepped on the other's twisted face with his dark black boots, and rubbed hard.
"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu...Luke!"
The muddy water and soot on the soles of the shoes poured into the villain's mouth without any explanation.
Coupled with the blood overflowing from the nose, it mixed into a strange smell.
"Go away. Next time I see you bullying my friends, I might go over to your house and paint the house."
After a moment, Luke let go of his feet and said coldly.
The villain, whose face was covered with blood, ran out of the alley in a state of disgrace, without even the thought of saying a harsh word.
There is no way, the other party is Frank's nephew.
Moreover, he is well taken care of by the Irish gangsters and is really untouchable.
"That's why I asked Luke to stay in Brooklyn and take care of you."
Bucky, who was dressed in military uniform, reached out and pulled Rogers up with a helpless expression on his face: "Sometimes I think you just like to be beaten, otherwise why would you always provoke these bastards who you can't beat?"
Rogers patted the dust on his clothes and took a breath of cold air.
The pain in his cheeks and eye sockets was only now clearly transmitted back to his brain, with a severe burning sensation.
Previously, he relied on his courage to forget the physical pain.
Now...
Rogers felt like he needed to see a doctor.
"You went to the recruiting station again?"
Luke picked up the draft form on the ground, with Steve Rogers' identity written on it.
Just the place of residence changed from Brooklyn, New York, to Paramus, New Jersey.
"It's illegal to falsify information on the draft, Steve."
Luke rubbed his palms.
Fortunately, this body has been trained all year round and is quite strong, so it has no problem dealing with the villain.
He, Rogers, and Bucky grew up in Brooklyn.
However, their experiences were more similar than their own.
First, both parents died in the war.
Rogers' father served in the 107th Infantry Division during his lifetime and was killed by German mustard gas during a battle.
My mother was a nurse in the tuberculosis ward. Unfortunately, she was infected and did not survive.
To a certain extent, the future Captain America can be regarded as the protagonist's template for parents to sacrifice their lives.
As for Bucky’s background and experience, it’s pretty much the same.
His father also served in the 107th Infantry Division and died in an accident during a military exercise. He was raised by his mother.
Therefore, these two young people who have known each other since childhood became close partners.
"I just want to do something..."
Rogers lowered his head in frustration and coughed violently.
Not only was he thin, he also suffered from mild asthma.
Symptoms such as chest tightness and difficulty breathing often occur.
With such a physique, sending him to the battlefield would be tantamount to murder.
Therefore, every time Rogers went to a recruiting station, he would be rejected by the recruiting officer.
"You didn't have to be so... fierce just now, Luke."
Rogers looked up at his friend and said hesitantly.
Luke frowned slightly, then relaxed and showed a friendly smile: "I have to do that. Otherwise, there will be more people bullying you in Brooklyn in the future, or even causing trouble for us."
"Luke is right. If it weren't for his uncle, who has a certain reputation among the immigrants in Ireland, we don't know how much bullying we would have suffered from those little gangsters."
Bucky nodded in agreement.
He and Rogers had been bullied by those little gangsters in the past.
The daily routine of being cornered and fighting on the street was repeated almost every day.
Until one day they met Luke and became friends.
Later it turned into blocking others in a corner.
And in Bucky's eyes, Luke is very smart.
He came up with an idea to make money, taking advantage of the strict management of the military base and the prerequisite that soldiers could not go out casually.
A few people sneaked into the military camp and sold small commodities such as tobacco and alcohol.
Because of the protection of their parents and old comrades, many people turned a blind eye to this and pretended not to see it.
They made a lot of money from this business.
Later, this attracted the attention of the bootleggers in Brooklyn.
It was Luke who took the initiative to establish good relations with the immigrant groups in Ireland and took the initiative to carve out part of the business to avoid this trouble.
"That's fine. You can stay here and continue to run your business. When I come back, maybe you both will become rich! Just like Howard Stark!"
Bucky joked.
No one knows how long the war will last.
For civilians, they hope that the smoke will dissipate soon and life will return to peace.
But for others, this is a good opportunity to make a fortune.
Capitalists never miss an opportunity to amass wealth.
Many people know that before the United States entered this world war, it sold a large amount of weapons and equipment to both the Axis and Allied Powers, thereby making a fortune.
Among them is Stark Industries, which has become famous in recent years.
It was able to grow rapidly, leap to the top, and stand side by side with those established military-industrial groups. The main reason was that Howard Stark seized the opportunity.
The other party not only used his clever mind, but also added some useful inventions, which was appreciated by the Ministry of Defense.
And he also used the huge wealth he earned to open the door to the upper class society, thereby laying a broad and good network foundation.
In just a few decades, he became a military industry tycoon.
In addition to the rapidly developing Stark Industries, there are also oil companies that are also seizing the opportunity.
They broke through the British blockade through neutral countries like Switzerland and shipped barrels of oil to Germany, thereby making huge profits and enriching the country.
As a multinational enterprise and industrial giant, Ford is even more exaggerated.
It even helped the Germans produce trucks to make hidden political investments.
Therefore, Henry Ford, the founder of the Ford Company, was awarded the Grand Cross—the highest medal awarded to foreigners by the German Nazis.
It can be seen from this that capital has no camps.
They have only one purpose, and that is to harvest wealth.
Even though the United States has entered the war and joined the Allied camp, and the world situation has become increasingly serious, it still cannot stop the speculators' plans.
"Howard Stark, I don't have a mind like that!"
Luke smiled slightly. He turned to Rogers and said, "Steve, if you really want to join the army, there are so many recruiting stations. I can go with you a few more times, just to try my luck."
"real?"
Rogers had a surprised smile on his face.
Bucky has always been opposed to him joining the army, and the two have had several quarrels over this.
Luke rarely expressed his opinions, but today he suddenly agreed with his actions, which made Rogers very happy.
Bucky, who was standing next to him, was about to say something, but when he saw Luke giving him a "I'm measured" look, he stopped talking.
He knew that Luke, his always taciturn friend, would never do anything without a reason.
"Okay! Tonight is my last night in New York! Are you going to spend it in this alley?"
Bucky eagerly greeted his two friends.
He will go to war tomorrow and rush to a foreign country.
Tonight, I specially made an appointment with a few beautiful girls with hot bodies, and prepared to take Luke and Rogers for a wave of indulgence. (End of chapter)