Peleliu Island.
Logan and the others pulled wounded soldiers from various corners of the battlefield.
"Thank you! Thank you for saving us!"
Three wounded soldiers wept with emotion. One clutched Wolverine's arm desperately. "I thought I was dead for sure. I never imagined I'd survive!"
Another recognized Charlie and quickly asked,
"Captain Charlie! I can't believe you came yourself to rescue us! Are reinforcements here?"
Charlie snorted coldly. "Reinforcements? There are no reinforcements. Just the four of us."
The three soldiers looked around at the carnage with puzzled expressions. One asked, "But... I saw a red light sweep across the battlefield. Wasn't that some high-tech Allied weapon?"
The hot-headed Victor scoffed. "You should be thanking Captain Jeno. It was all his doing."
Logan nodded in agreement. "That's right. Captain Jeno used... uh... lasers? Lasers to kill all the enemies and save you."
Unclear about Jeno's exact abilities, Logan could only describe the terrifying red beams as lasers.
"What? One person?"
The wounded soldiers buzzed with disbelief. How could one man kill all the Japanese soldiers?
But looking at the bodies strewn about, they had to accept the result.
Then, someone spotted Jeno standing on a nearby hill.
The looks in the three soldiers' eyes shifted to gratitude. Only by brushing against death could one truly appreciate the value of life. They were deeply thankful Jeno had saved them.
"Captain Jeno! Thank you for saving us!"
The wounded soldiers removed their helmets, waving them in salute to Jeno.
Jeno looked at the three wounded men, each face wearing a sincere smile.
Jeno returned a bright, cheerful smile. He slowly rose into the air, then, under everyone's astonished gaze, said, "Everyone, it wasn't I who saved you. It was you who saved us."
The wounded soldiers stared, mouths agape, looking utterly stunned. Their superior officer, Jeno, could fly?
Jeno spread his hands with a smile. "It was you who taught us the meaning of resilience and courage. In you, I saw priceless qualities like fearlessness and bravery!"
As he spoke, Jeno didn't forget to smear William's name. "Major William refused to authorize your rescue. But I had to save you!"
"Because as long as I'm here, I will never abandon a single member of our forces!"
The smoke of battle had cleared. Sunlight streamed down from the sky onto the island, illuminating Jeno's figure like a deity.
He continued,
"Each one of you is a hope for a free America! And I came here to save that hope for the future!"
After saying this, Jeno puffed out his chest. An aura of noble righteousness washed over the wounded soldiers below, moving many to tears. Some of the more emotionally fragile soldiers wept openly.
Under Jeno's impassioned speech, many of the wounded felt that Captain Jeno was truly a good man!
Unlike that damn William, who treated them as disposable cannon fodder.
"Now, I'll take you home!"
With those words, Jeno shot towards a distant part of the island and returned moments later, holding a damaged observation balloon.
He gently set down the wrecked balloon. These balloons could carry several people and were typically used for reconnaissance.
However, the actual balloon part was long destroyed, leaving only the ropes and the large wicker basket.
Jeno smiled, helping a soldier with a wounded leg into the basket.
"Is the Boss planning to use this basket to get everyone back?" Logan watched as Jeno kindly assisted the wounded into the basket.
Victor rolled his eyes. "Obviously. Come on, let's help too."
Supporting a wounded soldier, Victor looked at Jeno in the distance, a strange feeling stirring in his heart. Maybe following a leader as shameless and ruthless as Captain Jeno isn't such a bad choice?
With the last man helped into the basket, Jeno tied the ropes securely to himself and took off.
He ascended effortlessly into the sky, drawing gasps and exclamations from the soldiers in the basket.
As they rose higher, they saw the island shrink to the size of a fingernail below.
Jeno, carrying the basket, flew steadily back towards the base.
....
American Base.
Major William was still gathering his officers, feverishly holding meetings to discuss battle plans.
"God! What is that?!"
"My heavens! A basket without a balloon?!"
Chaotic noises erupted outside the command tent, making William frown.
William pointed to a lieutenant he favored. "Lieutenant Rott, go see what's happening."
Lieutenant Rott stepped out of the tent. He saw a crowd of soldiers gathered, staring up at the sky.
"What's up there?"
Rott followed their gaze skyward, then mirrored their expressions. His jaw dropped, and he rubbed his eyes.
"Is it a bird? Is it a plane? It's—Superman!"
Against the blue sky, a towering figure was slowly descending, carrying a wicker basket.
"Those are our men! He's wearing an American uniform!"
The soldiers exclaimed excitedly, "And he can fly!"
"My God!"
Under everyone's stunned watch, Jeno gently lowered the basket to the ground.
Thud.
As the basket landed, several wounded soldiers helped each other disembark.
Seeing the wounded soldiers, another officer murmured, "God... he even saved the survivors left on the island!"
The survivors embraced their comrades. Then someone shouted, "Captain Jeno saved us! He's a hero!"
The crowd erupted again. Everyone looked up at Jeno, floating in mid-air, with reverence.
Logan and Victor exchanged a glance, then took the lead in chanting, "Jeno! Jeno! Jeno!"
Driven by their enthusiastic cheerleading,
The camp's atmosphere ignited. Everyone began cheering for Jeno. His name echoed across the entire base.
Now, William in his tent could no longer sit still. He rushed out with his officers to see what was happening, only to witness this scene.
Jeno, floating in the air with arms spread wide, and the cheering soldiers on the ground below formed a picture that resembled a scene of worship.
Not far away, the rescued wounded soldiers were receiving treatment. Looking at this spectacle, an officer beside William sighed, "Unbelievable. That bastard... he actually rescued the wounded we left on the island?"
Staring at Jeno, who looked like a deity, William's expression turned grim.
Meanwhile,
Listening to the crowd chanting his name, Jeno slowly raised a finger to his lips, signaling for quiet.
"No, no, no, my brothers, my comrades!"
Jeno flashed his signature bright, sunny smile. "I am not the hero. It is you who shed your blood to fight the evil Axis powers. My friends, you are the true heroes!"
The crowd erupted in thunderous cheers once more, forming a stark contrast with Major William's livid face.
William, unable to contain himself, barked orders at his subordinates:
"Go find out what happened! What about the Japanese garrison on Peleliu?"
"How on earth did that guy save those men from the brutal Japanese?"
"And... why can he fly?"
At this moment, William felt like a clueless child, his mind filled with a hundred thousand questions.
A soldier sent to gather information soon returned with a complete report.
"He flew his squad to Peleliu Island?!"
"Shot lasers from his eyes and single-handedly slaughtered all the Japanese soldiers on the island?!"
"Carried the basket back to base by himself?"
Listening to the report, Major William could no longer stand. His legs trembled, and he collapsed to the ground.
It's over. All over. He could already foresee his fate.
He would be branded by the Pentagon as the "arrogant, incompetent major."
He might not even last until the war's end before being relieved of duty and sent packing back to America.