1 Chapter 1 The beginning

  The Battle of Iwo Jima, hailed as one of the fiercest battles in the Pacific theater, lasted from February 19, 1945, to March 26, 1945.

  The entire island was nearly turned into scorched earth.

  In this battle, the U.S. military suffered 6,821 deaths and 21,865 injuries.

  The Japanese military suffered 22,703 deaths, with 1,083 soldiers surrendering.

  During the fighting, Sergeant John Hardy, a member of the Marine Corps, displayed great bravery by killing over a dozen Japanese soldiers.

  While leading his squad in an assault, he was unfortunately struck by a bullet through the chest.

  When he regained consciousness, he found himself aboard a medical ship, receiving treatment. However, unbeknownst to anyone, at that moment, John Hardy's body had already been inhabited by a soul from the future.

  Jon Hardy was born in 1921, making him 24 years old at the time. He had neither father nor mother and only a high school education. He had served in the military for five years and participated in many battles, which molded his tough character.

  Two souls separated by a century merged perfectly.

  After a long while, he finally accepted his new identity.

  The nurse in charge of Hardy was named Katherine. Among the dozens of nurses on board, Katherine was the youngest and most beautiful.

  Katherine assisted Hardy with changing his bandages, disinfecting his wounds with iodine, applying sulfur powder, wrapping them in gauze, and helping him lie down.

  "Sergeant Hardy, I believe you'll recover soon," Katherine said reassuringly with a smile.

  "Thank you, Miss Nurse."

  Days later, with the medical ship full of wounded, it set sail back to Pearl Harbor. Hardy noticed something peculiar about his injuries; although initially severe, his recovery was unusually swift.

  No signs of infection.

  Scabs formed in two days.

  Only a scar remained after ten days.

  Complete recovery in just half a month.

  This rate of recovery was nearly 3 times that of an average person.

  Hardy dared not share this with others, fearing he would be seen as a monster. However, he suspected that this was a benefit from his crossing.

  Now, the two souls had not fully integrated, and their memories constantly interchanged, causing Hardy to sometimes feel mentally disoriented and uncomfortable.

  He went to see a doctor, but naturally, he couldn't mention the crossing. He simply inquired how to alleviate his mental confusion.

  The ship was staffed with surgeons, who were not well versed in Hardy's condition. They speculated that he might be suffering from a mental disorder related to war trauma.

  After coming down from the battlefield, many soldiers suffered from war trauma.

  The doctor gave him a few sedatives and a referral for further examination at a psychiatric department upon reaching Hawaii.

  The ship was filled with wounded, and the nurses were extremely busy every day, leaving them exhausted. Hardy's condition improved significantly, allowing him to assist Katherine when free.

  With Hardy's help, Katherine's workload decreased, and he made many friends while caring for patients.

  After half a month, the ship crossed the Pacific Ocean and arrived at Pearl Harbor, where all the wounded disembarked, including the nurses on board.

  Another wave of nurses would replace them.

  Hardy underwent a physical examination at the hospital, where the doctor discovered that he had fully recovered physically. However, given the large number of wounded, the doctor paid little attention to him.

  Hardy took the note from the ship's doctor to the psychiatric department. After a simple inquiry, the doctor diagnosed him with post war psychological trauma syndrome.

  Conclusion, Hospitalization for one month for psychological treatment.

  During his stay in the hospital, Hardy met Katherine again. They had become quite familiar, and Hardy felt a strong attraction towards this girl with two dimples when she smiled. He invited Katherine to dinner at a restaurant in downtown Honolulu.

  After dinner, the two took a gentle walk on the soft beach, enjoying the gentle sea breeze and beautiful night.

  As time passed, they didn't return to the hospital but naturally ended up at a hotel, engaging in a pleasant and intimate conversation in bed.

  Afterward, Katherine lay in the man's arms, gently touching the scars on his strong chest. She told Hardy that she had thought he was the most handsome man on the ship.

  The next morning, Katherine went to work at the hospital while Hardy lay in bed, feeling that his mental confusion had greatly improved after a night of intense therapy by the young nurse.

  Hardy had once read online that love was the best remedy for healing psychological trauma, and now he believed it.

  Walking naked into the hotel bathroom,

  In the mirror, A strong bodied man with six pack abs, a mermaid line, powerful thighs, short black hair, not so big but deep eyes, naturally carrying a fierce demeanor, slightly grinning with a hint of roguishness.

  No wonder women liked him.

  During the month of treatment, Hardy spent half of it with Katherine at the hotel.

  Katherine was a nurse and couldn't do without her nurse outfit.

  White cap, Stethoscope, Silk stockings, Vacuum nurse uniform,

  These items truly complemented each other.

  However, the good times were always short lived. One day, a lieutenant officer found Hardy.

  "Sergeant Hardy, your injuries have healed, and the military is preparing to arrange for you to return to duty."

  Hardy immediately shook his head.

  His body now housed a soul from the future and he was unwilling to risk his life in the war.

  Moreover, the battlefield was unforgiving. Although he recovered much faster than others, he was not invincible.

  Bullets would still cause bleeding if they hit him, and a head shot would still be fatal.

  He had already made up his mind to retire.

  He went to see a psychiatrist, claiming that he still suffered from mental confusion. The doctor gave him a diagnosis of post war trauma syndrome and thus, Hardy left the army.

  A few days later, he received a meager pension of a few hundred dollars and a combat medal. After bidding farewell to Katherine at the hotel, he boarded a cruise ship bound for Los Angeles the next day.

  He was unsure of his future direction, feeling somewhat lost.

  Through these two months of observation, he realized that this world was somewhat different from what he remembered. Many things were not the same as in his memories.

  In his past life memories, the current U.S. president should have been Harry S. Truman, but now it was an old man named Johnson.

  This world had many familiar things, but also many companies and celebrities he had never heard of.

  In the newspapers, he saw reports such as a few days ago, when the newspaper reported that Vito Corleone, the head of the Corleone crime family, held a grand wedding for his daughter Connie.

  Reading this report, Hardy was baffled.

  Vito Corleone marrying off his daughter—wasn't this a plot from "The Godfather"? How could it appear here?

  "The FBI has brought charges against Chicago mob boss Al Capone again. This marks the 7th charge he's faced in his lifetime. We wonder if this Chicago underworld emperor will escape unscathed once more."

  He had recently read another news article.

  The federal court charged Nucky Thompson with tax evasion and sentenced him to ten years in prison. Nucky Thompson's incarceration led to several major factions in Atlantic City falling apart, and their future direction was uncertain.

  He hadn't paid much attention at the time,

  But now, thinking back, wasn't this the plot of "Boardwalk Empire"?

  Hardy seriously suspected that he had crossed into the world of movies and television.

  He decided to settle down first, understand this world, and then decide.

  Upon the cruise's arrival in Los Angeles, he took a bus back to his hometown in Orange County, rented a small apartment room, and settled down. A few days later, he found a job as a waiter at a tavern.

  His working hours were from 3 PM to 11 PM, giving Hardy plenty of daytime.

  He woke up early to jog and maintain his fitness.

  There was a boxing gym near his home, and Hardy enrolled. In the mornings, he would go to the boxing arena to practice.

  After crossing into this time and space, Hardy initially hoped for a system like those in novels, but unfortunately, it never appeared.

  However, he discovered that he was different from others.

  For example, his recovery ability was ten times stronger than normal.

  He had noticed this as soon as he was reborn.

  While practicing at the boxing gym, injuries were inevitable muscle strains, swollen eyes, grazed fists but these minor injuries would completely heal after a good night's sleep.

  Once during a sparring session, he was accidentally hit by the gym's strongest boxer, Garcia, and had a rib broken, but he was mostly recovered in three days.

  He also had a heightened sensitivity to danger compared to others, which he suspected was due to the fusion of two souls.

  After over two months of training, Hardy's physical strength, endurance, combat skills, and awareness had greatly improved.

  Yesterday, during a sparring session with Garcia, Hardy knocked him down in just three minutes, leaving him unable to get up, with blood coming from his bruised eyes and mouth.

  Hardy had become the gym's strongest boxer. The coach advised Hardy to focus on boxing; perhaps he could become America's best boxer in the future and earn a lot of money.

  Hardy thought about it and ultimately declined.

  He had bigger aspirations for the future and didn't want to be just a boxer.

  In addition to boxing,

  He occasionally practiced with firearms.

  He was already skilled with guns, developed from the battles on the battlefield. His main focus was quick draw shooting.

  Hardy bought a second hand Colt revolver for $45, with a complimentary holster. Occasionally, he would go into the wilderness to practice shooting, sometimes even returning with a couple of game animals.

  Hardy lived a stable life, but the world did not stop, it continued to push forward in full force, with countless events occurring every day.

  On August 6, 1945, the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, followed by Nagasaki on August 9, 1945.

  On August 15, 1945, Japan announced unconditional surrender.

  The surrender document was signed on September 2, 1945, marking the end of World War II.

  However, these events had no relation to Hardy.

  Now, he was just an ordinary American citizen, working at the tavern.