Chen Mo had no intention of taking Steve's chance away from him.
Steve needed this opportunity more than anyone — it was the turning point of his life. As his mentor, Chen Mo had no desire to ruin that. In fact, compared to directly taking Steve's place in the enhancement experiment, Chen Mo had a far greater plan in mind.
His exceptional mental strength gave him an extraordinary clarity of thought. He was seeing the board from above — preparing for a long, strategic game. When the time came, he would gain far more than just one dose of serum.
For now, his priority was to ensure that Steve received the enhancement according to the original timeline, while he himself earned the trust of Colonel Phillips, Dr. Erskine, and Agent Carter.
These three formed the core leadership of the Strategic Scientific Reserve, and they were crucial pieces in Chen Mo's larger plan.
Earning their trust wasn't easy, but Chen Mo wasn't alone. Behind him stood Hydra — a vast, powerful organization far beyond the Strategic Scientific Reserve in reach and resources.
With Hydra's influence across the Allied governments and its vast intelligence network, Chen Mo's fabricated identity was flawless. No matter how deep they investigated, they could find no inconsistencies. Meanwhile, Chen Mo knew everything about them.
After verifying Chen Mo's "background," Dr. Erskine completely relaxed around him.
With Chen Mo's power, it was impossible for him to be a Hydra spy. If Hydra were capable of creating an operative like him, it would mean they already possessed an enhancement method equal to or greater than the Super-Soldier Serum. In that case, they wouldn't need him to steal anything — they could simply send someone to eliminate Dr. Erskine outright.
But above all, Erskine trusted his own judgment of character. He sensed sincerity and decency in Chen Mo — a quiet, honest goodness that couldn't be faked.
In truth, it wasn't that Chen Mo was acting particularly well. Though he had his own goals in joining the SSR, he held no malice toward Erskine or Carter. What he intended to do wasn't only for himself; it would also rewrite the tragic fates awaiting them all.
Knowing that, Chen Mo felt no guilt — only calm determination.
In the original timeline, none of them had a happy ending.
Dr. Erskine was killed immediately after the successful experiment, assassinated by a Hydra agent.
Howard Stark would later be murdered by the brainwashed "Winter Soldier," Bucky Barnes.
Steve and Carter survived — but their suffering was deeper. They found love, only to be torn apart by time itself.
Seventy long years — one frozen beneath the sea, the other growing old waiting.
When they finally met again, they were separated by a lifetime, and Steve himself carried her coffin to her grave.
All of that tragedy, Chen Mo vowed, would be changed. Compared to that, a few secrets were nothing.
Because he often worked with Erskine on research, Chen Mo became a familiar face in the lab. After each day's work, the doctor never rushed him out. Instead, he let Chen Mo wander freely around the lab. Trust already established, Erskine had no reason to guard against him.
So when experiments were conducted, the doctor didn't bother to exclude him.
If Chen Mo showed interest, Erskine patiently explained every process. With his extraordinary memory and intellect, Chen Mo learned quickly — grasping complex biological concepts with ease and even offering his own insights.
Astonished by Chen Mo's brilliance, Erskine grew even more convinced that his "one-in-a-million talent" story was true. He began deliberately teaching Chen Mo the fundamentals of biology and advanced biochemistry.
Of course, the core formula of the Super-Soldier Serum remained a secret that only Erskine knew. Having once been forced by Hydra to enhance Johann Schmidt, the Red Skull, he still carried a deep fear of the organization.
He worried that if the formula were leaked, Hydra would weaponize it again. That's why, after his death in the original timeline, no one could ever recreate the serum.
Chen Mo, however, already had a strong foundation. His mind was exceptional; back in university, he had practically devoured the entire library, mastering a wide range of disciplines — from biology and physics to engineering.
In many ways, his understanding even surpassed the scientific knowledge of this world.
Still, the serum's principles incorporated theories far beyond modern science.
As Chen Mo's understanding deepened, the suggestions he made began to astonish even Dr. Erskine.
Eventually, the doctor approached Colonel Phillips and requested that Chen Mo be officially transferred to the laboratory.
The Strategic Scientific Reserve's primary mission was to perfect the Super-Soldier Serum, and these elite recruits had been chosen mainly to serve as test subjects.
Although Phillips didn't want to lose his most promising soldier to a desk job, he had to agree to Erskine's request.
And so, Chen Mo was reassigned to the lab — officially becoming Dr. Erskine's assistant.
When it came to anything related to the serum, Erskine's authority far outweighed the colonel's. In truth, Phillips had never believed in the scrawny Steve Rogers. He favored the physically superior soldier, Gilmore Hodge, but his opinion didn't matter. In the end, it was Erskine's decision that would determine who received the serum.
…
The next morning, Steve and the other recruits left early for field training, leaving the camp unusually quiet.
Taking advantage of the calm, Chen Mo went to the training ground, picking a tall red maple tree as his target.
From twenty meters away, he drew a throwing knife from the belt at his waist and let fly.
The blades flashed silver in the sunlight, striking the tree with a rhythmic thud, thud, thud.
By the time he was done, the trunk — chest height — was filled with knives embedded two or three centimeters deep.
Here, Chen Mo didn't dare risk exposing his space ability, so he'd prepared in advance before joining the army — crafting a custom belt lined with knives to disguise his practice.
After emptying his belt, he walked up to the maple and began pulling the blades out one by one. Even without using full strength, each throw could easily kill a man if it hit flesh.
He had just finished retrieving the knives when a voice called out from behind.
"Chen Mo! What the hell are you doing?"
Turning around, Chen Mo saw Colonel Phillips approaching.
"Morning, Colonel," Chen Mo greeted.
"I'm practicing my throwing knives," he said, twirling one lightly in his hand.
Phillips took the knife from him and examined it with mild disdain.
"Knives are for close combat. What's the point of wasting time throwing them?"
He patted the M1911 pistol at his hip and said proudly, "If you've got time to play with toys, you'd be better off practicing your aim with this. The gun's got a lot more stopping power than your fancy knives!"