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"We're just going back like this?"
Flying through the sky, Tony still couldn't let it go.
They had come all this way, only to return with their tails between their legs. It felt... a bit unsatisfying.
"What else can we do?" Arthur simply put on his mask. "We can't just charge in, destroy Wakanda, and steal all their technology and research just because they refused, can we?"
"Of course not..." Tony rolled his eyes. "Look at you, such an old man's mindset, so extreme!"
"…"
Arthur was both amused and exasperated. 'How was he the one to blame here?'
They had just flown out of Wakandan territory and were about to find a place to draw a teleportation circle to return to Camp Lehigh when Jarvis's voice suddenly rang out:
"Tracker detected!"
Tony and Arthur exchanged a glance. Arthur's eyes gleamed with a hint of menace.
Arthur was never the type to cross the line without reason. This time, he had come with the utmost sincerity to seek cooperation, hoping for a mutually beneficial outcome. Even though the talks had failed to meet even his preliminary goals, it wasn't enough for him to take action against Wakanda.
But now they had the audacity to send someone to follow them?
Did Wakanda intend to stop them from leaving with any of their secrets?
If that was the case… then Arthur wouldn't be holding back anymore.
Even if their current team was too small, if push came to shove, he could call in reinforcements from Asgard. He would make Wakanda sit down and 'talk' properly.
He will also make them realize that they were far from powerless.
Just as Arthur was mentally preparing to get aggressive, a Jet Aircraft suddenly appeared in front of them in the blink of an eye.
"This doesn't make sense," Tony said. "No matter how confident they are, a single Jet shouldn't be enough to stop us."
Arthur agreed and hovered in place, frowning as he waited.
Moments later, the Jet Aircraft reached them and opened a hatch. There was no communication, but the message was obvious.
Arthur and Tony exchanged another look, then flew into the open hatch together.
Inside, they were met by a figure in a completely black outfit with the head of a panther, waiting silently.
As they entered, the figure slowly removed his helmet…
Still very Black!
Prince T'Challa!
Arthur blinked. "Don't you people have penalties for treason?"
"...Of course we do," T'Challa rolled his eyes. "But both my father and I believe that if we can join your team, maybe, just maybe, we'll finally get to see what lies beyond Wakanda. Or even beyond the world itself."
Arthur blinked again, then smiled. "Welcome to the team."
"And me too!"
A hand reached out from the cockpit. "If you don't mind, I'd like to understand how you're able to use spatial-folding tech so effortlessly. And how that person can survive in such conditions without dying!"
It was Princess Shuri.
Arthur was a little speechless. "The old king must really trust me, he's handing over both of his kids?"
"No, she sneaked out," T'Challa said, clearly a little frustrated. "I just hope she doesn't cause trouble."
"I doubt it!"
Arthur glanced at Princess Shuri. Not only did he not feel like she was a burden, he was already thinking—
If this girl joins Camp Lehigh, she'll be a massive asset!
…
…
The Jet Aircraft flew steadily toward Camp Lehigh.
The four of them were already seated and ready.
"Even now, I still don't understand why you two would… hmm, follow us?" Arthur said. "Your refusal was so clear that I thought the matter was completely off the table."
"If it were just up to me," T'Challa replied seriously, "I would have joined you the moment you showed us those things." His expression was solemn. "But Wakanda is not a family business. It is a nation, a civilization born of many tribes and sustained through the power of Vibranium. We can't make such a decisive choice based on something we are still uncertain about. You may not like to hear this, but the truth is, Wakanda doesn't yet hold your team in high enough regard."
Arthur didn't mind. He simply nodded.
People are the same everywhere, it's human nature to think this way. Nothing offensive about it.
"But speaking personally," T'Challa continued, "I'm willing to believe in you. My father is willing to believe in you too. So before I'm crowned as king, I've decided to join your team, to stand beside you. I want to see with my own eyes how far your so-called truth really is from my own beliefs."
His words were honest and straightforward.
"If, in the future, I come to believe that we truly need to unite to resist that force looming in the cosmos…"
But before T'Challa could finish, Arthur's expression suddenly changed.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small device that had been silently vibrating this whole time.
Tony saw it too, and his expression shifted instantly. "It's a ping from Ronan!"
Arthur took a deep breath, tapped the device, and in the next second, a projection lit up in front of everyone.
What they saw made them doubt their own eyes.
In the boundless void of space, a massive fleet resembling a fusion of Iron and giant beasts loomed, excluding a terrifying presence. Ronan's perspective zoomed in. His eyes were calm as he stared out the window, and his voice echoed through the projection:
"Thanos... what awaits you is annihilation!!!"
As his words ended, a deafening blast erupted.
A radiant beam of light, colorful like a rainbow and surging like a tidal wave, exploded toward the massive fleet ahead.
Flames blazed around Ronan, his entire form wreathed in roaring fire.
But at that very moment, the main battleship of the enemy fleet activated a transparent energy shield, blocking the full force of that rainbow-colored torrent.
The shield trembled, clearly struggling to withstand the impact, but it held.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!!!!!!
A series of explosions roared one after another. Inside the Jet Aircraft, the four of them could only watch as cascading waves of energy burst through the void, shining with brilliant and defiant light.
And finally... the projection faded.
Everything ended.
Silence.
Arthur leaned his back against the cold metal wall, clenching his jaw, but saying nothing.
"So this is what we call... failure?"
Tony let out a long breath. "What did we just see? An endless army… an entire fleet… Compared to them, Ronan's forces were like..."
He paused, unsure how to put it into words.
"...like a bunch of Boy Scouts?"