Chapter 367: The Old Captain America's Freefall Entrance
"Winter Soldier, Falcon, if your reckless actions cause this mission to fail, I swear I'll have you court-martialed," the new Captain America, John Walker, barked threateningly.
As the U.S. military's hand-picked representative, Walker had powerful backing.
If anything went wrong, the military would undoubtedly take his side, both officially and unofficially.
In truth, the creation of this new Captain America was largely a political stunt.
After all, the Avengers' growing popularity was beginning to overshadow official authority.
"Who are you trying to scare?"
Sam, never one to back down, shot back with that fiery temper of his, "Wearing a cosplay outfit and waving a shield around—just because of that you think you're Cap? I'm ex-military too. Try arresting me if you've got the balls."
He had ties with Colonel Rhodes, aka War Machine, so his own background wasn't necessarily weaker than Walker's.
"Falcon, you really wanna go against me?"
Walker's already-prominent underbite seemed to jut out even more, his patience wearing thin.
This super-soldier serum investigation was supposed to be Walker's big debut—a way to gain public approval and step into Steve Rogers' shoes as the new Captain America.
The stakes were clear: make a big impression now, and down the line he could be backing a presidential campaign, influencing voters directly.
But the plan had been derailed by the repeated interference of Winter Soldier and Falcon, throwing everything into chaos.
"You got that right. We're here because of you," Sam replied bluntly, giving Bucky a not-so-subtle nudge to back him up.
Bucky, typically stoic, responded with a cold, silent stare.
Truthfully, they weren't personally targeting Walker—they were serious about tracking the source of the serum.
Bucky himself had once been injected with an early version and was determined to uncover who was now distributing it on the black market.
Steve Rogers' version of the serum remained the gold standard—crafted by Allen himself. Even when HYDRA got their hands on it, they couldn't replicate it properly. Their copies lacked the double-serum combo and had no access to the original data.
That's why Red Skull and Bucky's enhancements never matched Steve's perfectly balanced transformation.
Over the decades, tech had advanced and the serum had undergone multiple rounds of optimization. It had finally become relatively stable and could now work without the aid of fusion chambers.
Just then, amidst the three-way standoff, local military forces sealed off the city. Convoys of armored vehicles surrounded them.
A total double-cross.
The largest buyer of the serum was the warlords of Europa.
And today's deal was with the dictator of Gigania. With the army showing up right now, anyone with half a brain could guess what was going on.
They weren't just seizing the serum—they were also skipping the payment. Win-win.
The Gigania regime likely didn't give a damn about offending the seller. Backed by military might, they probably assumed no one could touch them.
In reality, many dictators were shortsighted, relying on brute force to rise to power and never truly understanding the global powers behind things like the serum.
"All units, drop your weapons and surrender immediately. Anyone who disobeys will be considered an enemy agent and executed on the spot!"
A military officer's voice boomed through a loudspeaker, forcing all three factions into cover.
"I'm Captain America! I represent the United States of America! I'm commandeering this operation to arrest these criminals!" Walker shouted with confidence.
Under normal circumstances, America's overwhelming military clout would've made smaller countries comply.
But the only response was a hail of gunfire.
A volley of bullets tore through the wall Walker was hiding behind, turning it into Swiss cheese.
"This is Gigania! I don't know any Captain America. Surrender immediately!" the officer shouted coldly.
All three groups were foreigners. Even if things escalated, the U.S. would be in the wrong, and their only recourse would be some post-conflict retaliation.
Because, ultimately, international order was governed by the UN.
And on Earth, both the Justice League and Avengers backed the UN. Unlike the international body from Allen's homeworld, which was more like a retirement center—utterly useless.
"Damn it. I should've been sunbathing in Hawaii instead of getting involved in this mess," Sam muttered, watching the Gigania troops through a drone hovering in the sky.
If he dared take flight now, those dozens of missile lock-ons would be right on his tail.
And the ground was no better—armored vehicles bristled with heavy machine guns. Even with super-soldier enhancements, they weren't bulletproof.
"You're already black. Don't need more sun," Bucky quipped dryly.
"Seriously, man? Now's the time for dark humor?" Sam groaned. "We should be thinking about how to—"
Just then, his goggles displayed a familiar figure appearing on the rooftop.
"Cap?"
But wait—the second Captain America?
Walker was still cowering behind cover, yet another Captain America had just shown up on the roof.
Steve Rogers had officially retired, with the Avengers hosting a farewell party before his departure.
If Sam had to guess, the guy probably looked like a diaper-wearing grandpa by now, having lived since World War II.
Heh…
At that moment, everyone's attention snapped to the rooftop.
Standing tall with hands on his hips, Allen announced dramatically, "Captain Grandpa, reporting for duty!"
Then he leapt off the ten-story building.
Thud!
A perfect face-plant.
"…"
The soldiers stared, stunned and speechless.
Who the hell was that?
Dude really just… jumped?
He probably meant to make an epic entrance and ended up looking like a joke.
"Sorry, didn't get the superhero pose right," Allen said as he sprang to his feet, completely unharmed. Turns out, his six maxed-out classes and body enhanced to 72 times that of a normal human made that fall nothing more than a light bump.
"Wh… what do you want?" the officer asked cautiously.
He now realized this man wasn't ordinary—anyone else would've been a splatter on the ground.
"I'm Captain America," Allen said confidently. "I'm here for my shield."
Without hesitation, he marched toward the barricade where Walker was hiding, hand extended. "Give it to me."
"I… I can't. It's government property," Walker protested.
He was the new Captain America—if he lost his gear while on assignment, it'd be a total humiliation.
"Makes sense," Allen said calmly. "Then tell me—are you willing to die protecting government property?"
"I am…"
The word "willing" almost slipped out before Walker realized what Allen was really asking.
Seeing Allen casually crush the concrete wall like soft tofu, cold sweat broke out down his spine.
This guy's punch might actually kill him.
"Here you go," he said, wisely handing over the shield with both hands.
"Good man. You've got some love for the people, but without that butt-chin, you'll never be Cap," Allen nodded in approval, flipping the shield experimentally.
As expected, it wasn't Adamantium anymore—this one was made from 100% Vibranium.
He'd handled the original back in WWII—it was at least five or six times heavier and far inferior in performance.
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