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79.62% Marvel Plane Trader / Chapter 43: Howard! Captain America!

Chapter 43: Howard! Captain America!

Time flies, and summer has come in the blink of an eye. The weather in Chicago has also started to become hot.

In the morning, Josh, wearing a POLO shirt, leisurely sits in the yard drinking coffee.

Of course, he doesn't just drink coffee. He's not a person from Shanghai who will die without it. Occasionally, he also drinks some black tea.

As for green tea, it's not that he doesn't want to drink it, but in the US market, like in the UK, black tea is mainstream. Except for Chinatown, it's hard to buy green tea elsewhere.

But the problem is that the Pacific War is being fought fiercely, and things from Asia can't be shipped over. Even green tea is hard to find in Chinatown, and most of it is low-quality tea dust. Maybe the situation is a bit better on the West Coast in Los Angeles, but in the Midwest like Chicago... sigh!

So, for now, Josh can only honestly drink coffee and black tea.

Actually, it's fortunate that he is now rich and influential. If he were an ordinary person, he would barely have anything to drink, not even coffee or black tea, which are controlled commodities. The former can only be bought one pound per person every five weeks, and the latter only 20 grams per week... What the heck?!

Fortunately, it'll be better in two more years.

He's young and can endure.

"Darling, I have some bad news. It seems that you've caught the attention of the Joint Labor Army Organization!" Margaret, wearing a white chiffon dress, sits next to Josh with an invitation in her hand.

"...It's only been three months. Are they selling bonds again?" Josh's head immediately started to ache when he heard the Joint Labor Army Organization.

It's early July now. At the end of March, he bought three million bonds at once, which did bring him a lot of prestige and benefits.

For example, establishing three factories has been almost smooth sailing, and various raw material supplies have also been met.

Especially the syrup factory. With the help of the hired researchers from the University of Chicago, the saccharification enzyme was successfully put into large-scale production a month ago. The first batch of cornstarch syrup was successfully tested a week ago.

After experiencing it, the military representatives directly took over this batch of syrup and the subsequent production. Josh has now hitched a ride on the most powerful army of this era. Regardless of the quality, the US military at this time is undoubtedly the world's number one in terms of scale and equipment.

But this is not without a cost. Since then, Josh has been targeted by various anti-French XX organizations in this era, who are constantly thinking of coming to him for money.

Aren't you the vanguard of anti-French XX? You bought three million bonds. Can you spend a few thousand or tens of thousands of dollars to support our work? Isn't it too much to ask?

But the situation is not yet serious, and these small organizations are usually easy to deal with.

For example, he could say that all his money was spent on bonds and ask if he should donate some bonds to support them.

Usually, the other party would shut up at this point.

Because these organizations need money and materials, bonds, although good, cannot be used as cash in the short term.

But what if they don't use the bonds? Are you really contributing to the anti-French XX or just lining your own pockets?

However, is it possible to go to the bank directly with bonds? Absolutely not. The military sells bonds to raise funds for the war. If the bonds are redeemed before maturity, it may seem reasonable for ordinary people short of money. However, for an anti-government organization like you, are you sure you're not digging into the US military's interests?

But for some organizations related to the military, it is not so easy to deal with.

After all, Josh's sugar factory just took a large order from the military and is not short of money.

In this regard, the US military can be said to be a model customer with a good conscience. Most orders are paid in cash or advance and never delayed, unlike the UK next door, where all kinds of credit are given.

However, Josh had just received the money, and the Labor Army organization came shortly after.

This is a designated cooperative organization of the Department of Defense.

The invitation to Josh was also very clear.

You have earned so much money from your orders? Shouldn't you support us a little more, like buying more bonds? After all, the interest on bonds is not low, and you won't lose, will you? In this situation, can Josh not buy?

If he doesn't buy, he can forget about future military orders.

Of course, Josh doesn't really care about the military's orders. After all, he has a trading system. Selling the same sugar to Daenerys, the profit is many times higher than selling to the military.

But the identity of a military supplier is important to Josh.

Having such an identity is very helpful for his class promotion in the United States and integration into various capital circles.

And two years later, when World War II ended, this identity became even more valuable.

At that time, whether he went to Europe or Japan, he could be a top-notch figure and make a fortune at a very low cost.

So even if it's a pure donation, he must keep this identity.

However, this feeling of being controlled by the military made him very uncomfortable.

"Haha, dear, don't be so unhappy. Compared to Howard in New York, you're not bad. He was forcibly recruited by the military; even his staff was recruited." Seeing Josh's unhappiness, Margaret smiled and persuaded him.

"How can I compare with him? He is an aviation expert, and I am just a high school dropout." Josh shook his head, but at the same time, a doubt came to his mind. Isn't Howard Hughes supposed to live in Los Angeles?

"Dear, you don't have to be so modest. You've just turned 16 and already have three factories and a military order. Especially the glucoamylase enzyme and fructose syrup produced by the sugar factory are monopolistic products. Your future achievements will definitely be higher than Howard's." Margaret walked behind Josh, hugged his shoulder, and said with her face close to his, "By the way, many Hollywood stars are accompanying the Labor Army organization to Chicago this time, such as Jane Russell, Whitney Frost, and Pauline Goddard. Especially, Whitney Frost, she and Judy Garland starred in The Ziegfeld Girl, and they acted really well."

Whitney Frost? Josh looked bewildered. He had never heard of her.

He did have some impression of Jane Russell, who was Howard Hughes' mistress and was boycotted because she wore too little in a movie during World War II and later could only play small roles.

"By the way, there should be a program schedule on the invitation. Let's take a look." Margaret said cheerfully.

Josh smiled helplessly and opened the invitation in front of him.

The next second, his face instantly changed.

"Margo... What was the full name of the Howard you mentioned earlier?" Josh asked.

"Howard Stark? What's wrong? By the way, he had a big science and technology exhibition before he was forcibly conscripted by the Department of Defense last month. It was quite large-scale, but I found out too late. Otherwise, we could have gone to New York to see it. I heard there were many novel things there." Margaret's voice was cheerful, but Josh's voice at this moment sounded a bit trembling, which made Margaret feel strange, but she answered truthfully.

Because she was standing behind him, Margaret did not notice Josh's pale face and his fixed gaze on the program named 'Captain America' on the invite.


Chapter 44: Captain America

A chorus of female voices echoed throughout the place.

"Who is brave and strong enough to save America?"

"Not everyone can storm the beaches and attack the enemy!"

"But we can all cheer and shout for support!"

"Who swears to fight day and night to defend the truth?"

"E-Series Defense Bonds, every purchase adds a bullet to the soldier's gun barrel!"

"Who spreads propaganda for the country door-to-door? Holding the national flag, traveling across the country from east to west? He shoulders all responsibility with the Stars and Stripes on his shoulder!"

***

Unlike the last fundraising event limited to the upper class, this time, the joint labor-military organization's bond promotion covers the entire population, so it's naturally not taking place in some mansion but at the Chicago Grand Theater.

This is one of the three largest theaters in the United States, built in 1865, and it's been more than seventy years since then. It has been rebuilt once and can accommodate four thousand spectators at a time.

And this time, the joint labor-military organization will stay in Chicago for a week.

Josh sat in the VIP box with a stiff smile, watching the muscle man on stage, surrounded by a group of singing and dancing beauties, performing an awkward musical.

But among the audience, only Josh's smile was somewhat stiff. Most people were very excited, with their eyes shining and applauding loudly.

"What's wrong, Josh? You don't seem to like this musical? I think it's well-written!" Margaret, who was sitting next to him, clapped excitedly and asked.

"Oh, it's nothing, just not used to this kind of lively occasion." Josh forced a laugh.

But how could his attitude really deceive Margaret, his close companion? Since receiving the invitation a few days ago, Josh has been absent-minded.

He had been planning to become a city tycoon with the help of the dimensional trading device in what he thought was an ordinary parallel world, only to find out now that he was in the Marvel Universe, which made him extremely nervous.

But he couldn't say anything about it. What could he say? That he thought this was an ordinary world but was now panicking because he realized it was the Marvel Universe? No way!

But in fact, it was partially Josh's fault. He didn't read newspapers much in his previous life as an urban man of the internet age. After crossing over to this era, he read newspapers daily, mainly local Chicago newspapers. Hence, it wasn't surprising that he missed the news about Howard Stark.

He also found news about Howard Stark and Captain America afterward. Their appearances were exactly the same as in the movies. The size of Stark Industries also matched the situation in the movies.

If it was based on the comic book version, as far as Josh could recall, Stark Industries was founded by Howard's father, and it had already grown before World War I.

But according to the information he collected, Howard Stark was born in 1917 in a civilian area of Manhattan's Lower East Side, where his father was just a fruit vendor, and his mother worked in a clothing factory.

Howard Stark only graduated from college in 1934 and started from scratch.

Stark Industries was only established in 1939 and began to develop by relying on military and British orders.

Although the development speed was extremely fast, it had only been four years so far, and it was still far from being a giant.

In terms of industrial scale, not to mention compared with old giants like Rockefeller, it was far inferior to the Vanderbilt family.

So its popularity was high on the East Coast, but in the Midwest and West, its popularity was relatively low.

In this time when information was not as widely spread as in the internet era, Josh, who had only been in this world for a few months, had not paid attention to Stark Industries, which was quite normal.

And although he was initially scared when he found out he was in the Marvel Universe, after a few days of calm, Josh had turned the corner.

So what if it's the Marvel Universe? The real high-risk era is mainly in the main plot of Future Avengers. Going forward, although Hydra is causing trouble, it's usually relatively secretive. Overall, the danger level isn't that high.

And when it comes to the real main storyline of the Avengers... what decade is it again?

The Battle of New York was in 2012, which will be almost seventy years from now.

Thanos' snap was in 2018, even later.

He couldn't even be sure if he could make it to that time...

But he had the Multiverse Trading System, which made it highly unlikely that he wouldn't make it to that time.

"Mr. Josh, why don't you take a photo with our Captain America? You've purchased another million dollars in bonds this time; we need the whole country to know about your contribution!" After Captain America's show ended, Senator Brandt of New York, the United Labor Army organizer sitting nearby, smiled and invited Josh.

This time, Josh couldn't possibly be the one who contributed the most to purchasing bonds.

But Senator Brandt didn't mind because a million dollars was still a huge amount and most of those who subscribed to amounts more than Josh's were old veteran corporations.

So even if the subscription amount was less, no one would think Josh's sincerity was lacking.

Even Senator Brandt was still planning to use Josh as a model for modern American teenagers and as a form of publicity.

"That's what I should do, and I'm happy to take a photo with Captain America. But during the photo, could Mr. Captain take off his mask and take a few more shots with me? I think it would be more meaningful, and I'd like to have a few photos as souvenirs." Josh smiled and responded to the senator's invitation.

When he heard the invitation, Josh suddenly thought it would be very meaningful if he could take a photo with the Captain America of this era because the currently popular Captain America would have to sleep under the North Pole in less than two years.

"Oh, of course, that's a very reasonable request!" The senator was slightly surprised by Josh's request, but it wasn't a big deal.

Captain America initially wore a mask during performances to protect his identity as a super soldier from German targeting, and later it became a symbol of Captain America.

If it were an ordinary person who said they wanted to take a photo with Captain America without a mask, the senator would naturally not agree.

But the senator would naturally not refuse such a small request for Josh, a model of anti-French XX youth and a major donor.

So Josh easily stood next to Captain America without a mask.

"Hello, Captain. When I got closer, I realized you were taller than I imagined. I wish I had your athletic body when I have your age." Josh smiled and looked at Captain America in front of him, complimenting him.

"Mr. Kane, you flatter me. You're still young; you'll definitely be taller than me in the future!" Steve Rogers looked at Josh before him and listened to his compliments, feeling heartfelt.

After all, just a month ago, he was only about 1.6 meters tall, while Josh, who was already 1.8 meters tall at 16 years old, was his envy.

And even now that he has become a super soldier, he is only 1.88 meters tall, not much taller than Josh.

The only difference is that Josh's body looks a little thin.

There's no way around it. Josh actually does exercise, but muscles are not something that can build quickly.

"I thought you didn't like Captain America, but you looked very happy taking a photo with him." After taking the photo, Margaret came up to Josh and smiled.

"Margo, would you believe that he will become a truly respected hero by the world?" Josh didn't directly respond to Margaret's words but said something that made her feel inexplicable.

But at this moment, a tall figure suddenly squeezed through the crowd and came to Josh's side.

"Dix? What are you doing here?" Josh was a little surprised to see the big man suddenly appear.

"Boss, something's happened. Our goods were robbed!" Dix whispered in Josh's ear.

Josh, who was still happy a moment ago, immediately had a change in expression upon hearing the news.

"Margo, let me take you back first. There's been a situation at the company." Josh said to Margaret.

Margaret understood that something must have happened but didn't ask any more questions. She just obediently nodded and followed Josh out of the theater.

Meanwhile, on stage, Steve Rogers, taking a group photo with others, looked thoughtfully at Josh's departing figure. It was obvious that he had noticed the situation with Josh just now.


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