Shocking the World

The first-floor hall of the villa was quiet, its subtle atmosphere heavy and oppressive.

Kyle and General Chester looked at each other for a moment. Both had their own thoughts and principles, and at that moment, something that had once bound them together finally began to crack.

What General Chester valued was military strength. National interests came above all else; even if it meant putting Kyle, or even himself, in danger, he would still support that decision.

"Major General Kyle, please consider it carefully." General Chester explained slowly, "This is not a plan I came up with. It was the best solution jointly discussed and agreed upon by the generals and officials this morning."

To them, of course, it was the best solution.

Leaning against the sofa, Kyle wore an expressionless face as he sank into thought.

General Chester reassured him, "Don’t worry. After you leave for Tokyo, I will send armed soldiers to Harlem Street to ensure your family’s safety."

Though alongside that protection, there would probably be an element of surveillance and control.

Kyle narrowed his eyes, resting both arms along the back of the sofa. His voice turned colder. "No problem. I accept the assignment."

"Kyle…" General Chester began appreciatively, only for Kyle to interrupt him. "Sir, Lucy and I are about to take an afternoon nap. Could you please leave?"

The plainly distant dismissal made General Chester’s expression stiffen slightly. After taking a breath, he said, "Then I’ll leave everything to you. The soldiers I brought will remain stationed here. When it is time to depart in two days, a special vehicle will take you to the base airport."

"Take care. I won’t see you out," Kyle said coldly.

General Chester did not seem to mind. He slowly rose from the sofa and headed for the front door.

He paused at the doorway, lifting his head to gaze at the blue sky and white clouds outside. A sudden urge to turn back and make amends rose within him, but reason quickly overcame emotion, and he stepped firmly outside.

Kyle remained silent on the sofa. He reached into the air, pulling a White Item Card from the storage area of Card Space. It materialized into a Major General rank insignia representing glory.

Without even looking at the insignia, Kyle tossed it straight into the trash bin.

That afternoon.

While mourning and bidding farewell to the president’s body before the White House plaza, General Chester, America’s Five-Star General, issued an important military announcement to the media on behalf of the military—

Major General Kyle, the Superhero and War Hero who represented the nation’s conquest and strength, would be sent alone to Tokyo, Japan, in the Asian theater to carry out a mission to assassinate the supreme leader, the Emperor!

The moment this news was released, the entire nation was shaken!

The American public generally doubted it. Kyle’s individual combat strength was beyond question, but openly sending him alone into enemy territory to assassinate its leader was undoubtedly an extreme mission tantamount to suicide!

Yet from the podium, General Chester explicitly declared that Major General Kyle had agreed to and accepted the major mission. He said Kyle possessed both the ability and confidence to complete the order, leaving the protesting civilians and soldiers speechless.

That night, as the news rapidly spread around the world through various channels, the entire world felt as though it had been struck by an earthquake!

The world was in an uproar!

After careful analysis and judgment, every country concluded that this solo deployment could no longer be called merely difficult. It could only be described as the result of the American military’s temporary madness, along with Major General Kyle’s personal arrogance.

In the Asian theater, where the flames of war still raged, Japan’s upper ranks learned of the news and were so humiliated and enraged that they went wild that very night!

In their eyes, America had sent countless warships to invade the islands along their homeland’s coast over the past few years, yet had never gained the upper hand. Now it actually had the shameless audacity to send a single agent to threaten the great Emperor.

One man against one nation? What kind of Cherry Blossom Goddess joke was that!

On the morning of the second day, the Japanese Emperor issued a domineering public declaration from the Imperial Residence in Tokyo: "We warmly welcome America’s Major General Kyle to Tokyo, Japan, for a ‘visit.’ When he arrives, our soldiers will teach him a little about the essence of ‘Bushido’!"

Before Kyle had even left home, the two nations had already begun trading barbs across the vast ocean, the air thick with gunpowder.

Germany, which had long since surrendered, was the country that understood Kyle himself best. As onlookers, they hoped Japan could avenge them, yet also watched with inexplicable sympathy.

The Soviet Union, Britain, and America’s other allied nations merely watched coldly, unable to determine what new trick the American military and Kyle himself were pulling, and did not dare jump to conclusions.

This was the most unbelievable solo assassination mission in history.

From this point on, Kyle’s name formally spread across the world. Whether he would prove to be a meteor flashing through the night sky or a sun hanging in the galaxy, he was already the brightest and most dazzling hero of World War II!

Inside the office of the supreme commander at New York’s main military base.

A communications officer approached the door, looked at General Chester seated in his office chair, saluted, and reported, "Report! Captain Nick Fury wishes to see you."

"Captain Fury…" General Chester considered it, then nodded. "Let him in."

The communications officer withdrew through the door. The next moment, Fury, dressed in a neat officer’s uniform, hurried into the office at a half-run.

"What is it? As the company-grade officer who won last year’s Best Commander award, you seem awfully impatient," General Chester said softly.

"Precisely because I am Best Commander, I have unique insight into analyzing the battlefield." Fury took a deep breath and said with a grave expression, "General Chester, why are you letting Major General Kyle carry out such a high-risk mission alone? If Major General Kyle and I led the troops in a full-scale assault on Japan, like in the last major campaign, our chances of victory would be much greater!"

"Captain! Are you questioning my orders?!" General Chester raised his head and stared at Fury with a commanding gaze.

Fury gritted his teeth without backing down. "I don’t understand! I respectfully request an answer from my commanding officer!"

"I know. You and Major General Kyle have always been comrades, and he personally promoted you."

General Chester softened his tone and said quietly, "You need to understand that this was a joint decision reached by all American congressmen and the military’s general officers. It is not something I can easily influence."

"I think I understand now." Fury smiled. "So you are actually afraid of a hero who defended his country…"

"Captain! Watch your words!" General Chester warned coldly.

Fury ignored him and continued, "You were the ones who promoted Kyle step by step, placing him upon the altar of a War Hero. Now you think he stands too high, so high that he fills you with fear. That is why you want to use the final stages of the war to send him into enemy territory and leave him to fend for himself."

"You all think you see everything too clearly, so under the banner of patriotism, you impose checks and balances and suspicion from every direction. But you do not understand Kyle at all. He is an extremely difficult person to get close to, yet once you do, he cares deeply about loyalty and affection. And the national power you value so highly is completely worthless to him."

By this point, Fury seemed utterly disappointed in the military. He removed his officer’s cap and the rank insignia from his left shoulder, then solemnly placed them on the desk before him. "I, Nick Fury, hereby submit my resignation as a captain to the supreme commander!"

Fury shrugged freely, turned, and walked straight toward the office door, leaving behind one final remark. "Sir. One day, you will realize just how foolish your decision was—you are driving away a Superhero!"

General Chester stared blankly at Fury’s departing back. At last, he closed his eyes and sighed, bracing his forehead with one hand.

At that moment, he seemed to have aged several years. He no longer resembled a commanding and imposing Five-Star General, but rather a helpless old man.