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In a small publishing house in San Francisco, the sound of printing presses echoed loudly as they ran at full capacity, a rare stroke of fortune for the business.
The owner laughed loudly, unable to hide his delight, while an employee remarked that his grin practically reached his ears.
It was understandable.
The book freshly printed in his hands was a windfall.
[The War to End Everything – Volume 1][Author: Dwight Van Bradley]
He did not know where this “Van Bradley” came from, nor did he care.
The manuscript had been submitted by an Asian intermediary who claimed the real author wished to remain anonymous.
At first, no one believed it would sell.
The editor who insisted on publishing it had nearly written a report of apology after the initial release flopped.
The story did not follow pulp fiction conventions.
It was not an adventure but a suffocating tragedy filled with madness and death, where characters died so frequently that the protagonist was barely identifiable.
Then the war in Europe broke out.
When news arrived that German forces had crossed into Belgium, someone connected the events to the book.
Upon rereading it, the parallels were undeniable.
The publisher immediately launched aggressive marketing, branding it as a prophetic work that had predicted the European war.
Demand exploded.
Bookstores begged for even a single copy.
Meanwhile, the publisher cursed himself for not printing more copies in the first place.
His regret was quickly interrupted when police arrived.
The publisher protested, invoking freedom against government interference, but the editor, surrounded by officers, revealed what he knew.
Across the Atlantic in London, a Royal Navy officer named Richard returned home briefly and discovered his younger brother reading the same book.
At first, he dismissed it as nonsense, but upon checking the publication date, he froze.
It had been printed before the war began.
As he read further, the descriptions of the Balkans, the Austrian advance, and Germany’s strategy toward Belgium aligned too closely with reality.
Realizing its significance, he decided to bring the book to his superiors instead of resting.
By June 12, 1915, my graduation from West Point was approaching.
However, even before receiving my diploma, I found myself receiving numerous requests for meetings and handshakes.
My history instructor approached me with a stiff expression.
He explained that although my academic rank was around fortieth, my leadership, perseverance through racial barriers, and exceptional performance in certain field engineering exercises qualified me for a special recommendation.
He intended to assign me to the Corps of Engineers.
I immediately refused.
Accepting such a position would raise suspicion.
I insisted on a standard evaluation based on merit alone.
After some hesitation, he relented.
Other approaches followed.
Artillery, cavalry, none appealed to me.
Only infantry would allow me to achieve what I intended in the coming war.
Then a middle-aged man approached and handed me a card.
He represented the Ford Motor Company.
He presented a copy of the book.
[The War to End Everything – Volume 1][Author: Dwight Van Bradley]
He already knew the truth.
He explained that investigations had revealed the manuscript originated from me through my brother.
Even the government had looked into it, and information had spread to major companies.
He then made his offer clear.
I did not belong in the army.
A man with foresight should enter business and help lead America.
The compensation he described was extraordinary.
I refused.
He countered immediately.
If my ideas could save soldiers’ lives, was that not also service to the nation?
Then he revealed something more specific.
He mentioned my concept of a machine capable of traversing destroyed battlefields while carrying weapons.
An armed tractor.
I had never written that in the book.
He smiled slightly and asked if I would consider working with them to dominate the future battlefield.