"Pull up the clearest satellite snapshot—damn it!"
Colonel Rhodes' face changed drastically. He didn't even have the mood to keep up small talk with Stark. He called out to him loudly, "Hey! Tony, your jeep is the one in the back!"
Tony shot him a disdainful look, ignoring him as he opened the door and climbed in. "Sorry, this is my fun jeep. Your boring jeep's in the back."
"You… ah, forget it. Nice work."
Rhodes sighed helplessly, boarding the jeep Tony had been using and signaling the soldiers to follow. He immediately contacted the Department of Military Security to bring up the clearest satellite images.
"This is… going to take me some time to process. Oh my God, how could this even happen? Damn it, maybe I just didn't sleep well last night…"
After using his rank to gain access to the clearest imagery—and seeing the bald head, yellow bodysuit, red gloves, and white cape of the panic-stricken man falling through the clouds—Rhodes could only sigh heavily.
Decades ago, near the end of World War II, when America's first superhero, Captain America—Steve Rogers—appeared…
A top-secret file recorded in detail the existence of someone Steve revered as an idol—a man named "Saitama."
Back then, when Steve had fallen near the Statue of Liberty and Manhattan suffered a once-in-a-century tsunami, this super-soldier was sent to the hospital. Yet he kept murmuring the same name over and over—"Saitama."
Even after Steve recovered, he personally scoured the globe for Saitama, searching for three years straight. Only when all traces were lost did he finally give up.
No matter how much U.S. government officials spoke to him, Steve's admiration for Saitama bordered on fanatical. He even repeatedly stated, "Even as a super-soldier, I wouldn't even count as a younger brother in front of Saitama."
To America's leaders of that era, such words were absurd to the extreme.
After all, in those days, Steve Rogers was the pinnacle—apart from the Red Skull of Hydra, no one could come close. He had become the very symbol of American freedom and justice.
Even the newly formed S.H.I.E.L.D., directly answerable to the United Nations, took part in investigating this legendary figure "Saitama"—whether he was real or fictional. In the end, they found nothing.
As the years passed, the file was shelved and forgotten.
By coincidence, Rhodes had once come across it. At the time, he thought Steve must have been hallucinating.
How could someone exist who could single-handedly stop a Black Hawk helicopter flying over 600 km/h, throw Steve 89 kilometers, and destroy the Statue of Liberty in the process?
But now… seeing a satellite image that perfectly matched Steve's description—especially that unforgettable suit and bald head—Rhodes felt a storm raging in his heart.
Still, as a disciplined soldier, he wouldn't believe in legends from just a photo or two. Maybe… it was just image interference or some weird phenomenon.
Besides, in the core blast zone of a Jericho missile, not even a heavy tank would survive.
Amid the scorched, devastated mountain range, the ground still sizzled with the aftermath of the bombardment.
"Cough, cough… this landing spot was pretty bad. Next time, can we pick a better one?"
A heap of rocks and dirt shifted aside, revealing a shiny bald head. Saitama, clearly annoyed, crawled out of the crater, brushing dirt off his belt.
His freshly washed clothes from yesterday were now filthy, with some edges even torn.
In his military jeep, laptop open to the satellite feed, Rhodes' eyes widened like saucers—his expression one of pure shock.
"What is it, Colonel?"
The soldiers were stunned. Rhodes was young but exceptionally composed, which was why he was trusted to head the military's R&D department. Seeing him lose his composure like this was rare.
Rhodes felt his heart about to jump out of his chest. Out of habit, he had been scanning the Jericho blast zone for debris, with no real expectations.
Then he spotted a shiny little dot. Zooming in, he froze in disbelief—was that… a bald head?
And the man seemed to look up, as if aware someone was watching him.
"This… this has to be Saitama! Damn it—surviving in the heart of a Jericho missile blast?! Am I dreaming?!"
The color drained from Rhodes' face.
BOOM—
RATATATATATA!
"We're under attack! We're under attack!!"
Before Rhodes could act, Tony Stark's vehicle ahead exploded into a brilliant fireball, and heavy gunfire erupted as a swarm of armed insurgents opened fire from all directions.
(End of Chapter)
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