On a vast savanna in East Africa, dozens of tents were scattered about.
In the very center of the cluster of tents stood a luxurious Villa with a highly modern feel, appearing completely out of place and discordant with the surrounding primitive environment, as if it had appeared out of thin air.
However, this Villa actually had appeared out of thin air.
Killmonger had watched with his own eyes as Darian took out a small silver capsule, gently pressed the button on top, and tossed it onto the grass, causing a Villa to spring up just like that.
Killmonger was dumbfounded at the time.
He was even more shocked when he heard Darian say it was a Hoi-Poi Capsule, a piece of high technology for storage.
Is this freaking science!?
Even Wakanda's level of technology probably couldn't reach this extent!
"Um... what you said before, was it true?"
On the Villa's rooftop, Killmonger asked cautiously as he looked at Darian, who was lying under a sunshade wearing sunglasses and drinking juice.
They had been on this savanna for several days already.
After spending these few days together, Killmonger had become completely well-behaved.
He had seen how terrifying this mysterious team was.
On their way to East Africa by car, they were attacked by a pack of wild carnivores. A burly man stepped out of the team, opened his mouth, and spat out high-temperature flames, making a wild game barbecue right then and there.
What was even more ridiculous was that there were several more soldiers who could breathe fire like that, just like the soldier who had insta-killed him before; they were all just ordinary members of this mysterious team.
Killmonger found it hard to imagine that if even these ordinary members were so powerful, how terrifying the strength of Bucky, the team Commander, and Darian, whose depth remained unknown, must be.
At this thought, the last of the restless ideas in Killmonger's heart were extinguished.
This mysterious force not only possessed incredible high technology, but their strength was also ridiculously powerful; they were simply not someone he could afford to provoke.
Because of this, Killmonger became even more convinced that if he could get their help, his chances of seizing the throne of Wakanda would definitely increase significantly.
But several days had passed, and Darian's group showed no signs of taking action.
Especially Darian himself; every day he was either eating and drinking or lying under a sunshade saying he wanted to soak up the Sun, looking as relaxed as a tourist on vacation, as if he had long forgotten the promise he made to him.
Killmonger endured it as long as he could, and finally, on this afternoon, he plucked up the courage to ask.
"Of course it's true."
Darian took a sip of juice and said unhurriedly, "We will help you take the throne of Wakanda, but the prerequisite is that you must cooperate obediently and agree to a few of our conditions."
"What conditions?" Killmonger asked.
"I heard Wakanda has a Vibranium mine. The first condition is that once you become the new King of Wakanda, we want the mining rights to that mine. As for the other conditions, it won't be too late to discuss them after you succeed."
Darian stated his true purpose.
Years ago, Wakanda sold a piece of Vibranium to America, which later became the core material for Captain America's shield. They claimed to the World that it was just a special metal obtained by chance, most of which had been sold to America, with only a small piece remaining in Wakanda as a family heirloom.
But in reality, the Vibranium reserves Wakanda possessed were as massive as an entire mountain.
Despite years of continuous mining by Wakanda, they had only extracted a small portion of it.
After learning this news, this Vibranium Mountain became a target Darian was determined to obtain.
But Wakanda viewed Vibranium as the foundation of their nation, valuing it more than their own lives. It was absolutely impossible for them to let outsiders touch the Vibranium. The more Vibranium discovered by others, the more forces would covet Wakanda.
As for freely mining Wakanda's Vibranium Mountain, that was even more impossible.
To Wakanda, this was undoubtedly a demand that would shake the very foundation of the nation.
Darian also knew that the King of Wakanda would not agree to such a ridiculous demand. He had thought of several ways to acquire that Vibranium mine, but those methods were not very reliable and would likely come at a significant cost.
But after seeing Killmonger, he suddenly had a bold idea.
Since the current King of Wakanda didn't agree, why not just replace him with a new king who would?
And so, the following events unfolded.
"As expected, your target is also Wakanda."
Killmonger wasn't surprised by this.
He had long guessed that this mysterious force wouldn't help him become the new King of Wakanda for no reason.
They must have an agenda, and what was most coveted in Wakanda was none other than Vibranium.
What else could they want? Black dudes who don't like to bathe?
"No problem. As long as you help me take the throne of Wakanda, I can agree to any condition." Killmonger agreed without hesitation.
He was a smart man. Darian's conditions were certainly harsh, but the prerequisite for everything was that he had to take that seat first.
Killmonger's original plan was to use Klaue to sneak into Wakanda and then make further plans. But now Klaue had been thrown into the sea by Darian's men to challenge the World record for holding one's breath—a challenge he was still undertaking—so he probably couldn't count on him anymore.
As things stood, he could only rely on the help of this mysterious force.
"Very good."
Darian was very satisfied with Killmonger's reaction. Dealing with smart people was worry-free; they understood everything with a single hint.
"No need to rush. Wait a few more days, and we can start the operation."
Hearing this, Killmonger's heart felt at ease.
Then, he suddenly thought of a problem and asked with some concern, "But as far as I know, the old King of Wakanda is still alive and well, and has no intention of abdicating for the time being."
A country cannot have two kings. Only when the old king abdicates voluntarily does a new king have the chance to take over.
But the current King of Wakanda is not yet elderly and could probably stay in that position for several more years or even longer.
But how could Darian be willing to wait that long?
He waved his hand dismissively. "If he won't abdicate, then we'll make him abdicate by force."
Killmonger's eyes narrowed. "You're going to assassinate the King of Wakanda? That's the top leader of a nation. The risk is extremely high, and you'll likely become the mortal enemy of all of Wakanda immediately."
"What? Are you scared?"
"Oh no, what I meant was, can such a good thing be left to me?"
Darian looked at Killmonger's eager expression and was momentarily speechless.
He almost forgot that the old King of Wakanda was the man who killed Killmonger's father. Killmonger surely wished he could take him out personally.
Darian was a bit speechless. "What are you thinking? I'm a decent person. How could I do something like taking out the king of a nation?"
It was a good thing Wanda and the others weren't around, or they would have definitely roasted Darian: "Didn't you just take over after getting rid of the former king of Sokovia?"
Unable to personally kill his father's murderer, Killmonger was somewhat disappointed. "Then what exactly are you going to do? I can cooperate with your actions."
Darian looked at him with disdain. "No need. You're too weak; you can't even beat the weakest soldier by my side. Just stay here and wait for the notice."
Killmonger: : "..."
The current King of Wakanda, T'Chaka, had just finished attending an international conference in America, taking the opportunity to play the victim as usual to solidify Wakanda's image as a poor nation.
This was a traditional custom of Wakanda. Only by constantly playing the victim could they minimize external covetousness.
Especially with America; every time they played the victim, it was as if America suddenly went blind and completely ignored Wakanda. This tactic was quite effective.
"Your Majesty, shall we prepare the ship and return to Wakanda immediately?"
Just after landing at a remote airport somewhere in Africa, a member of the Royal Guard next to T'Chaka asked in a low voice.
"Mhm."
T'Chaka nodded, a hint of lingering fatigue on his face.
If it weren't for the sake of appearances, they would have long ago taken Wakanda's most advanced cloaked ship directly from America to Wakanda.
They wouldn't have to do what they were doing now: taking an ordinary plane back to Africa in front of everyone, then returning to Wakanda via a ship they had already hidden.
Just then, a gust of wind swept through without warning, kicking up a large cloud of dust that blew directly into everyone's faces.
The Royal Guards instinctively raised their hands to block the dust from their eyes.
When the dust cleared and they lowered their arms, they found there was no one beside them.
Royal Guard: "???"
Wait, where did our king go!?
At this moment, T'Chaka only felt the World spinning around him.
By the time he regained his senses, the scenery around him had already changed. He was in a dim room with no windows and only a single cold light source.
"What's going on!?"
T'Chaka's expression changed drastically.
One second he was in the wind and sand of the African wilderness, and the next he appeared in this enclosed space. This was completely beyond his understanding.
"Welcome, King T'Chaka."
A voice sounded from behind T'Chaka.
T'Chaka whipped his head around and saw a strange man staring at him.
Behind the man stood several fully armed figures, their automatic rifles pointed at him, making T'Chaka afraid to make any sudden moves.
"Who are you!?"
T'Chaka frowned, looking at the other person with a wary gaze.
"You can call me Doom."
Darian smiled slightly, using this temporary code name he had just thought of.
He didn't use any facial disguise; his face had long since been reshaped, so it didn't matter if it was exposed to T'Chaka.
This was exactly Darian's plan.
He had specifically sent Pietro to Africa to use his super speed to kidnap T'Chaka right in front of the Wakandan Royal Guard and bring him before him.
After many days of special training, Pietro's speed was getting faster and faster. Forget about stopping him, ordinary people couldn't even hope to see his afterimage. Even if the Wakandan Royal Guard were stronger than average people, they had zero reaction time in the face of absolute speed.
Just like that, Darian easily broke the record for kidnapping another country's leader, taking less than a few minutes.
"What exactly do you want, bringing me here?"
T'Chaka questioned sternly, his right hand moving inconspicuously toward his pocket, wanting to secretly contact his Royal Guard.
However, he felt nothing.
T'Chaka looked down and discovered that his clothes had disappeared at some point, replaced by a thin white towel barely wrapped around his waist to cover his private parts.
T'Chaka: "???"
Darian explained, "These are necessary security measures to prevent you from carrying any trackers. Additionally, this room is equipped with the most advanced signal jamming system, and the person who kidnapped you also carried a signal jammer. Even if you have a tracking chip implanted in your body, it's impossible to send any signals."
T'Chaka's clothes were stripped off by Pietro during transport. If it weren't for the fear of seeing something unpleasant, the man probably wouldn't even have a towel on him.
T'Chaka was suddenly furious. "Bastard, what is your purpose!?"
Darian said bluntly, "It's simple. I want Vibranium."
T'Chaka's heart skipped a beat, but his face remained calm. Using the same acting skills he used in international conferences, he tightened his face and said in a deep voice, "Most of Wakanda's Vibranium was sold to the United States years ago. The small remaining stock was looted by a thief thirty years ago, and we are still pursuing that thief's whereabouts."
Darian chuckled. "Stop pretending. I know Wakanda has a Vibranium Mountain that still hasn't been fully mined."
This is trouble!
T'Chaka's heart sank. The worst-case scenario had happened.
The other party not only knew about the existence of Vibranium but was also clearly aware of its massive reserves.
This meant that the top-secret information Wakanda had guarded for generations had been exposed to the outside World.
"I've never heard such a ridiculous claim. Where on earth did you get such groundless information?"
T'Chaka was still making a final effort to salvage the situation.
But Darian didn't bother wasting words with him and said directly, "You should know Ulysses Klaue. He told me everything, and I've bought quite a bit of Vibranium from him."
Saying this, he opened a suitcase he had prepared, which was filled to the brim with Vibranium.
Now, T'Chaka could no longer keep up the act.
He looked coldly at Darian and said resolutely, "Don't even think about it. I will never hand the Vibranium over to you!"
As he spoke, he instinctively wanted to straighten his back and lift his head to show his domineering kingly demeanor.
But the excessively thin towel on him severely held him back. As soon as he moved, the edge of the towel slipped down a bit, frightening him into quickly stopping his movement and clutching the only covering around his waist.
His kingly demeanor was nowhere to be found; instead, he looked like a customer caught in a raid by an anti-vice squad at a club.
"Humph! Since you don't agree, don't think about leaving this place!"
Darian snorted coldly, waved his hand, and turned to leave the room with the others.
T'Chaka looked at the closed door, feeling a sense of bewilderment.
In his imagination, he might be subjected to a bout of torture and forced to hand over the Vibranium, while he would resist to the death and vow never to surrender it.
As it turned out, the other party left just like that without even asking another question?
T'Chaka was completely baffled.
In the end, he could only attribute it to his kingly demeanor successfully intimidating Darian, making him afraid to lay a hand on him.
T'Chaka looked at this enclosed room that was like a prison and sighed softly.
He hoped those back in Wakanda would find him soon.