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Chapter 145: Teaching a Child
🕑 Added 2025-01-08 15:12:25 +0000 UTCAlthough the most urgent task was to win Josh's forgiveness and prevent the tycoon from filing a lawsuit, Phillips wasn't foolish enough to bring Dooley directly to his doorstep.
After all, Phillips had no real connection to the former European business tycoon.
In fact, if you dig deeper, there might even be some conflict between them. Back when the Midnight Oil was stolen, Phillips had sent both military police and Carter to investigate and arrest the man.
The best way to gain the tycoon's forgiveness was to use a mediator.
Peggy Carter would have been the ideal candidate, but by the time Phillips arrived in New York, he had already visited her and learned that she had been seriously injured.
If she acted as mediator, it would likely make things worse, not better.
This left Phillips with no choice but to find someone else.
After thinking it through, he could only come up with two options.
One was Howard Stark, another business tycoon.
But Phillips dismissed that idea almost immediately.
Although Howard was a renowned inventor and admired by the general public, his reputation among the wealthy elite was rather poor.
Especially after his recent fallout with Hugh Jones of Roxxon, about which Phillips knew some inside details due to his intelligence connections and his past partnership with Howard.
It was also rumored that Josh's fiancée was a stunning beauty.
If Howard's behavior caused any trouble because of this, Phillips feared that Josh might retaliate with the Army Department-something Phillips, as a military officer, was well aware of.
So, that left him with only one choice: Major General William Ross, who was currently on vacation at home.
Yes, Josh's old friend.
With European forces being downsized, Major General Ross, an old front-line commander, had been granted a break.
But the real reason for his leave was his wife's pregnancy.
Ross's wife wasn't American, she was Bavarian.
Ross had been married before the war, but later divorced.
During the war he was a bachelor and met his present wife during the "Eagle's Nest" operation in Bavaria. She was only 18 at the time.
Ross kept this relationship very secret, known only to a few trusted people.
It wasn't until earlier this year, after Josh spent a month in Europe, that Ross took a leave of absence, returned to the U.S. with his young wife, and married her.
Shortly after their wedding, his wife became pregnant.
Now it was July, and Ross was still on leave.
The military didn't mind extending his leave because the post-war downsizing had left too many officers and generals without proper assignments. The Pentagon was more than happy to let them take extra time off.
Although Phillips and Ross weren't close, they had worked together against common enemies in the past.
So Phillips and Dooley immediately went to Ross's house on Long Island.
When the butler announced Phillips' visit, Ross was quite surprised. He looked across at his guest—by chance, it wasn’t just anyone; it was Josh, the very person Phillips was looking for.
"Josh, what do you think?" Ross hesitated and asked Josh if they should meet Phillips.
With their relationship, it was unthinkable for Josh to come to New York and not visit, especially since Ross's wife was pregnant. It would have been rude not to visit, especially since Ross's wife was, in a sense, Josh's fellow countryman.
During his visit, a little surprise happened.
At Ross's invitation, Josh agreed to be the godfather of Ross's unborn child.
At first, Josh was reluctant to be the godfather. But when he learned the child's name, he immediately agreed.
The child's name was Thaddeus E. Ross... Yes, the future father-in-law of the Hulk, the Red Hulk in the comics, and the U.S. Secretary of Defense in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the famous General Ross.
At that moment, Josh felt like her life had taken an unexpected turn.
"Reborn as the Godfather of the Red Hulk?"
"Reborn as the godfather of the Hulk's father-in-law?"
It sounded strange, yet somehow exciting.
Although General Ross often appeared as a half-antagonistic character in Marvel stories, there was no denying his power. After causing such major chaos, he still managed to climb higher in his career, supported by a very strong background.
Wait a minute—if Josh became this child's godfather, wouldn't that powerful background essentially be me??
Josh had a sudden realization.
Hmm, even if it didn’t become reality, it could be a good sign, right?
So he agreed.
When Josh agreed to be the child's godfather, both William Ross and his wife were happy.
Ross, though nearly 50, was still considered a young general in a time of war when many generals were much younger.
For example, General Li Mei, who was born in 2006, was already on par with Ross at 39 years old.
Similarly, General Li Chiwei, who was the same age as Ross, had already been a major general for two years.
Compared to these rising stars, Ross, despite his remarkable achievements, found his career advancement limited. If he lived long enough, he might be promoted to lieutenant general, but beyond that, it seemed unlikely.
With special assistance, however, the situation could change.
Obviously, improving his relationship with Josh would benefit him greatly.
And with Josh as a godfather, his child would have a clear advantage, whether he joined the military or pursued another career.
"Heh, this is great news. Phillips' position as head of the Strategic Science Reserve is secure, and his network is strong. Doing him a favor could be very beneficial to you!" Although Josh's main goal in dealing with the Strategic Science Reserve was Peggy Carter, who would become a major S.H.I.E.L.D. figure, meeting Phillips at Ross's house was purely coincidental. Still, it was an opportunity he couldn't pass up.
