Chapter 55: Princess, I Am Your Consort
Allen was having the time of his life playing with the mud horse in the swamp, making Nanaue envious.
Jumping and hopping around, the little shark flailed his arms anxiously.
When Allen had his fill, he flipped his hair back with satisfaction and declared, "That was a breathtaking rush of speed and passion."
"Nanaue wants to play!"
Overjoyed, Nanaue eagerly took the mud horse, unable to wait any longer. Mimicking Allen's movements, he kicked his foot into the muddy ground.
Bang!
He used too much force and immediately flipped over, landing flat in the mud.
"You have to sing while kicking, and put your emotions into it. Mud horses are sentimental creatures," Allen instructed with a straight face.
Injecting emotions into a mud horse? What a talent you are.
Unfortunately, while most people could master the mud horse at a glance, Nanaue—whose intelligence barely hovered around the passing line—failed miserably at learning.
"Nanaue, as your master, I'm utterly embarrassed."
Allen then started making more mud horses.
After a bout of tree-chopping and busy labor, soon everyone had their own mud horse.
Determined to succeed, Nanaue repeatedly requested an extra-large version, so Allen built him a supersized mud horse.
"Assault squad, move out!"
The team used their mud horses to traverse the swampy terrain with ease, gliding over the mud as if they were skiing.
With spring in full swing, frequent rains had turned many battlefields into muddy quagmires. If the mud horse could be popularized, it would become a game-changing tool for the battlefield.
Not only was it simple to make, but the materials were readily available, making it perfect for use in the Allied forces.
During the winter on the Eastern European front, the frozen ground was so hard that even artillery shells could only leave shallow craters, allowing armies to charge freely.
Now that temperatures were rising, counteroffensives had stalled, giving the Nazis time to replenish supplies and strengthen their defenses.
If the Allies were equipped with mud horses, they could ride them to press the attack.
Unintentionally, Allen had introduced an ancient invention that could shorten the war in Europe, thereby accelerating America's intervention in the Asian theater.
As they approached the fortress, gunfire echoed from within.
What puzzled them was that the battle seemed to be happening inside the fortress.
"Could it be an internal conflict over the 0 and 1 issue?" Allen squinted and speculated.
"Forget that, let's launch a surprise attack!"
Seeing that there were no sentries on the fortress walls, Steve immediately decided to strike quickly.
Why the enemy was fighting among themselves was not their concern.
"Nanaue! Shark charge!"
"Nanaue, attack!"
At that moment, Nanaue roared like a humanoid tank and charged straight at the fortress gate.
The team advanced in a straight line behind him.
Nanaue's role was to act as a meat shield, covering their approach. Once they reached the gate, Namor could punch through the heavy wooden doors.
Why didn't Namor just fly in? Because of snipers.
Although Namor had an incredible physique and was impervious to ordinary small-caliber bullets, rifles and sniper rounds could still penetrate his skin at close range.
Boom!
With a single punch, Namor easily blasted the doors open, and it was clear he hadn't even used his full strength.
Inside, they saw Nazi soldiers surrounding a woman in leather armor.
Allen recognized her instantly and exclaimed, "She's the Pokémon!"
"You know her?"
Steve was baffled—this guy seemed to know everyone.
Of course, the nickname was just for fun and couldn't be taken seriously.
After all, she was nearly six feet tall, with a supermodel physique—calling her a Pokémon was a bit much.
"She once lusted after my peerless looks, but I cruelly rejected her." Allen raised an eyebrow and explained, "She was too superficial. I only like women who appreciate my inner qualities."
Carter rolled her eyes and thought to herself, What inner qualities? You're just hormonally imbalanced.
"Princess Diana, don't panic—I am your consort!"
Shamelessly claiming the title of consort, Allen brandished a machete in one hand and an iron chain in the other as he joined the fight.
That's right, the woman was none other than the Amazonian princess from Themyscira—Wonder Woman, Diana.
With the strike team's intervention, the Nazi soldiers stood no chance and were swiftly defeated within minutes.
However, instead of celebrating, Wonder Woman and the strike team found themselves in a standoff.
"Namor, come with me."
Diana wielded the Lasso of Truth in one hand and the God Killer Sword in the other, her tone leaving no room for argument.
Allen picked his nose and taunted, "Xi ma? Xi ma? You wanna take my guy, xi yi xi ah?"
"You wanna try me?"
Diana activated the divine power of the God Killer Sword, causing it to glow with a golden light.
"I tried. Now tell me, how's the grip?"
Allen spoke with a stubborn tone but the words of a coward.
She was a demigod wielding two divine weapons—only an idiot would fight her head-on.
"Is there some kind of misunderstanding here?"
Steve stepped in to mediate. Since Diana had shown no mercy to the Nazis, she was likely an ally, and he was already considering how to recruit her into the strike team.
"You know me?"
Namor looked at her expectantly, hoping to learn something about himself.
Diana's sharp eyes softened as she examined him carefully.
From Namor's confused expression and genuine gaze, she saw no sign of deception.
"He lost his memory. I'm his attending physician. If you have any questions, you can talk to me." Allen butted in.
Diana gave him a glance—something about him didn't seem quite right—but she didn't press further. She sheathed her weapons and calmly explained, "The Kingdom of Atlantis has declared war on Themyscira. I came to find you to prevent the war from breaking out."
Namor was the king of Atlantis. His return was the only way Diana could think of to stop the war.
The Kingdom of Atlantis possessed both technology and magic, while Themyscira was blessed by the Old Gods. If war erupted, the devastation would inevitably spread to the surface world.
"Alright, I'll go with you."
This was a chance to regain his memories, so Namor gladly agreed.
"I have a brilliant idea," Allen said with a mischievous grin. "I volunteer to represent Atlantis in a political marriage with Themyscira. Princess, what do you think?"
"Not happening."
Diana vanished in a flash and reappeared beside Allen, lifting him effortlessly like a chick. With a cold smile, she asked, "Didn't you just claim I lusted after your peerless looks?"
"Who—who's spreading lies?" Allen darted his eyes around and righteously declared, "Handsome men always attract jealousy. Princess, don't listen to the slander of petty people."
The strike team members all gave him a look of disdain.
We can vouch for it—you said it yourself.
With the misunderstanding cleared, everyone sat down for a proper discussion.
Diana explained, "Not long ago, an Atlantean envoy arrived at Themyscira, demanding the Amazons submit. Naturally, this led to conflict. The Amazons fear nothing and immediately prepared for war. However, during our preparations, a gravely injured Atlantean fled to us, revealing that their king was missing and the kingdom had fallen into the hands of the nobles. That's why I came to find Namor—to stop this war."
Allen grinned slyly. "Princess, why not reconsider the marriage proposal? I don't mind taking one for the team."