"Try not to use large-scale destructive weapons. Prioritize evacuating civilians and patients!" Shen He shouted loudly. As everyone around him prepared their weapons, they still followed his orders with perfect discipline. "Seal all entrances. Call Violet out. Clear the intruders. Have Jeanne defend the hospital building… One squad comes with me. Everyone else, move in squads and engage freely."
"Yes, sir!"
Almost simultaneously, the reply echoed—and everyone streamed out of the training hall.
Gunfire and explosions erupted in an instant, so intense that Rogers nearly thought he had returned to the battlefield.
No—this was a battlefield.
"Is there anything I can do to help?" Rogers asked.
"There is—stay right beside me and don't wander off. You're a civilian now, not a soldier!"
Shen He motioned to an eight-man squad and had them escort the group toward the exit.
This place, once peaceful and quiet, had now become a war zone. From every building, people rushed out—many of them still dressed in nurse uniforms—yet holding weapons and firing ruthlessly. One enemy after another climbed over the outer wall, dressed like maintenance workers but moving with the precision and discipline of elite troops.
The deafening gunfire shook the air. Every second, someone fell. The air thickened with the mixed smell of smoke and blood.
Rogers couldn't speak at all. Peace? This is peace?
"We'll circle around this way to the hospital building," Shen He said, leading the group along the wall with extreme caution. "Jeanne is defending that area; the enemy won't be able to break through."
"Mr. Shen, if we're going to the hospital, taking this path means we'll pass a narrow passage. We could be ambushed by concentrated fire." Rogers crouched low as he moved. "Could you give me a weapon? I think I can help."
"Mr. Rogers," Shen He continued forward without even turning his head, "you understand the value of protecting civilians better than anyone. Unless every single one of us dies, there will be no chance for you to step into combat. And I'm not going to say it a fourth time—you're no longer a soldier. What reason do you have to fight now?"
Rogers was stunned by the question.
His war was over. This was not his battlefield. Having taken off the uniform, it seemed he had no reason to keep fighting.
They soon reached a narrow passage. Away from the wall, the sides were lined with waist-high bushes. The left side opened into the raging battlefield.
Just a few meters in, Rogers caught movement in his peripheral vision—several men in maintenance uniforms climbing over the right-side wall, raising machine guns toward them.
"Danger!"
Rogers instinctively tackled Shen He to the ground.
But someone reacted faster. Three soldiers rushed in front of them, using their bodies as shields to block the hail of bullets. They collapsed instantly. As they fell, the remaining soldiers stepped in without hesitation, and a fierce firefight erupted.
One soldier collapsed right in front of Rogers, his pupils dilating as he died. Rogers' heartbeat spiked slightly—his adrenaline was kicking in.
—His body was already preparing for battle.
Shen He jumped up, shielding Rogers with one arm as he retreated—his strength shockingly powerful.
But more and more enemies poured over the right-side wall. This was clearly a gap in their defense—and with no cover, the soldiers could only use their bodies to protect Rogers and Shen He. There was no hesitation, no fear. Even when shot and falling, they didn't make a sound.
Rogers clenched his fists. He grabbed a fallen soldier's weapon and tried to run forward—
—only for Shen He to yank him back.
"You're not Superman! And you don't have your shield! Charging out there makes you a target—do you want their deaths to be meaningless?"
Rogers froze. Shen He's meaning was painfully clear.
He was being protected.If he died before the people protecting him, it would be an insult to their sacrifice.
As a former soldier, Rogers understood that feeling deeply—though he had never stood in the position of the protected before.
Shen He snatched the gun from his hand and opened fire—his accuracy precise—but the enemies kept coming. Eventually, of the two remaining soldiers, one fell.
The last soldier was hit in the leg and collapsed backward. Rogers caught him and took the weapon. Now—it was the civilian's turn to fight.
But at that moment, a small figure carrying a silver crescent moon emblem dashed into the enemy ranks. Screams erupted one after another as bodies were sliced apart mercilessly, blood spraying like a waterfall. The overpowering stench of iron filled the air. And when it all ended, only a girl drenched in blood stood there—holding a massive scythe, like death itself.
Rogers was speechless.Even more shocking than the bloodshed was that the girl looked no older than eleven or twelve.
Shen He lowered his weapon and waved. "Violet."
Like a gust of wind, Violet appeared in front of them, looking up at Shen He with wide, obedient eyes—as if the blood covering her was nothing more than Halloween makeup.
"Is… is she one of your soldiers?" Rogers' throat felt dry. In that moment, countless suspicions flashed through his mind—
Biological weapon experiments.Brutal training.Something even worse.
"She was found on a battlefield by one of my colleagues. Before that, she had always been used as a weapon." Shen He used his sleeve to wipe the blood from her face and spoke softly. "I treat her as family. But fighting has become instinct for her. And she has reasons to fight. So yes—you can consider Violet one of us."
The Violet standing before them was only a virtual NPC modeled after the real one—but the identical appearance and expression still drew genuine affection from Shen He.
Rogers didn't know what to say. He could clearly see that Shen He cared for this child sincerely.
"Let's go. To the hospital building," Shen He said, not wasting any time.
Rogers carried the last injured soldier. The hospital wasn't far. When they arrived, he saw another girl in medieval white armor holding a flag at the foot of the stairs. Many soldiers were defending the entrance. The moment they appeared, the enemies surged toward them as if sensing a common target.
"Jeanne, use your Noble Phantasm!" Shen He ordered.
"Yes, Master."
Jeanne stepped forward a few paces, placed one hand prayerfully over her chest, then raised her flag high.
Noble Phantasm—The Lord Is With Me!
"My banner—protect my people! Bring down the Lord's blessing upon this place!"
With her solemn invocation, golden light radiated from the flag, enveloping the entire hospital building. Every enemy attack crashed into the barrier, rippling its surface—but not harming it in the slightest.
Faced with Rogers' astonished expression, Shen He simply shrugged. "If we didn't have some real skills, how could we call ourselves guardians?"
The battle continued. More and more civilians trapped inside the battlefield were escorted into the hospital, but the enemy's assault only grew fiercer. They were clearly prepared—and coming with a specific objective.
Until Rogers spotted the mark on one enemy's arm—a skull with serpent limbs. At that moment, everything clicked.
"They're Hydra! Their target is me!"
Finally realized…Shen He narrowed his eyes slightly.Let me see, Rogers—what lies in your heart.
The true purpose of this test was not only to help Captain America familiarize himself with Chaldea—
But to make him understand what he wanted.
Captain America didn't have to be a soldier who followed orders.
But he did have to be a hero who fought for his beliefs.