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Chapter 149: Wakanda War (2)
According to Number One, the people of that Tribe were very strong and held astonishing hostility towards them, the Outsiders. The moment Number One led his people in, they were surrounded by natives holding spears.
"I asked them about the Vibranium Mine and promised to give them some firearms as compensation. But they seemed very angry and wanted to imprison us. One of my soldiers couldn't hold back and fired a shot."
Number One recounted this to the other high-ranking military officers, his arms still empty. The Dionysus Factor wasn't omnipotent; without a doubt, unless mechanical arms were installed, Number One, having lost both arms, was essentially crippled.
A soldier without arms? What kind of soldier would that be?
"Those natives wielding spears were skilled in combat, and their spears were incredibly sharp; even my body couldn't withstand them. Moreover, they outnumbered us, so most of the other soldiers were killed, and a few were captured alive. I lost my arms, but I fought my way out."
Number One was quite articulate, especially with the last phrase, "fought my way out." Who knew if he truly fought his way out or played dead to escape?
Someone asked with uncertainty, "If the weapons of those natives are truly made of Vibranium, then how did they refine Vibranium?"
"Not all of it is necessarily Vibranium," a geologist accompanying the army explained eloquently. "If such a thing as a Vibranium Mine truly exists, the surrounding environment would be affected. Vibranium, as a Sound-Absorbing Steel, can naturally absorb and emit energy, which would have peculiar effects on the rocks or other associated metals surrounding it."
That made sense. They could be making spears from rocks or lower-grade associated metal.
To suggest that those natives could refine Vibranium? They wouldn't believe it even if you killed them. If they had such advanced technology, why would they raise rhinoceroses in open-air wooden fences and live in thatched houses? Their clothing was also peculiar.
Tony remained eerily silent, quietly playing the role of a military rookie. Combined with the recordings submitted in the reconnaissance report, that Tribe was, without a doubt, the "Border Tribe" specifically guarding Wakanda's perimeter outside the Protective Shield. They specialized in dispatching people outside Wakanda to keep watch, defining their tribal territory as a native Tribe to prevent others from straying and colliding with the Protective Shield.
Wakanda's Protective Shield also possessed a "mimicry" function, capable of covering the high-tech city and projecting an image of deep mountains and old forests to the outside world.
By now, Wakanda should have received the news and be making war preparations.
"Deploy troops, we must retaliate!" General Ross shouted.
Sixty thousand soldiers were mobilized, and tens of thousands of naval personnel patrolled the coastline. Various guided missiles were already prepared, waiting only for the military personnel ahead to transmit the exact coordinates, so they could unleash a barrage of artillery fire.
Unilaterally attacking and killing soldiers from another nation was a declaration of war. Even if the Military annihilated that Tribe, they would have justification. Moreover, the Military had no intention of offering excuses; they were there to loot. The death of their soldiers served as an excellent pretext for deploying troops.
Sixty thousand soldiers moved swiftly across the African savanna. Simultaneously, numerous tanks, armored vehicles, and regular machine gun-mounted military vehicles transported the troops.
A storm was brewing.
Inside the central building of the Kingdom of Wakanda, elegant and magnificent, golden inlays covered the walls of the hall, forming arch-like shapes that reflected each other in the circular chamber. A long red carpet stretched from the main entrance all the way to the throne on the opposite side, forming a long corridor.
After the Old King T'Chaka of Wakanda received the early warning from the Border Tribe, he immediately summoned the other three Tribes for a King's meeting.
Whenever matters concerning the nation's future arose, the Four Tribes would be summoned together by the King.
"The situation is clear," the Chieftain of the Border Tribe, W'Kabi, stood up, his words forceful. "The greed of the people from the Outside World for the Vibranium Mine has driven them to wage war on Wakanda! We must retaliate!"
"I have a question," the Elder of the River Tribe asked. "How did these Outsiders learn about Wakanda, and how did they know about the Vibranium Mine? We've successfully hidden for millennia; why are we exposed now?"
W'Kabi remained silent.
"It was me, I exposed the Vibranium..." W'Kabi's lover, General Okoye, who was also the King's royal guard captain, stood up and admitted her mistake.
The people of the Four Tribes fell silent.
King T'Chaka's expression was calm. He suppressed the rage in his heart and gently comforted Okoye, "This is indeed your responsibility, but no one could have predicted that Outsiders would have such keen senses, identifying Vibranium from a raw ore."
That piece of raw ore looked large, but the amount of Vibranium that could be extracted from it was quite limited, and it still needed further processing and re-refining in a technological laboratory to become a weapon, so no one paid it much mind. Raw ores like that were ubiquitous thousands of meters underground in Wakanda, and to this day, no Vibranium Mine had been fully detected deep underground.
Wakanda's weapons were all energy weapons, commonly using sonic weapons and pulse weapons, but these energy weapons couldn't be manufactured solely from Vibranium as a single material.
Furthermore, the secret of the Vibranium Mine had been exposed before. Decades ago, a despicable individual secretly infiltrated Wakanda and stole a large quantity of refined Vibranium. Although Wakanda had pursued that person for over twenty years, they had never managed to catch them; the culprit was as slippery as an eel.
W'Kabi slowly stood up, crossed his arms, performing a ritual of the Kingdom of Wakanda, and declared passionately, "King T'Chaka, on behalf of the Border Tribe, I request to join the war. We will defeat all these invaders, leaving not a single one. We can also seize this opportunity to strike out and conquer the entire world!"
W'Kabi was a renowned hawk, always advocating for Wakanda's external expansion. This exposure, paradoxically, filled him with unexpected joy. Wakanda, with its countless high technologies, had also fostered a significant number of expansionists, and people like W'Kabi were numerous within the Kingdom.
Especially now, W'Kabi, as a Tribe Chieftain, openly expressed expansionist rhetoric, something unprecedented before.
"We will discuss this matter later. First, we must deal with the army outside... I, the King of the Kingdom of Wakanda, hereby declare that Wakanda is entering a state of war. The Four Great Tribes shall join the battle simultaneously, striking down all invading enemies, leaving no one spared!" The Old King, gentle in appearance but ruthless at heart, sharply issued the command, intending to utterly annihilate all encroaching foes.
To protect Wakanda, years ago, he had even killed his own brother who sought to expose Wakanda, let alone these fools actively seeking death by coming to their doorstep. Regardless of the post-war consequences, the Old King decided to strike mercilessly first.
The enemies were clearly targeting the Vibranium Mine; they wouldn't give up until they found it, so a major war was inevitable. Rather than letting any escapees return with information, it was more advantageous to utterly annihilate them.
The Chieftains and Elders of the Four Tribes immediately stood up, crossing their arms over their chests, and declared with firm conviction.
"Long live Wakanda!"
(end of chapter)
According to Number One, the people of that Tribe were very strong and held astonishing hostility towards them, the Outsiders. The moment Number One led his people in, they were surrounded by natives holding spears.
"I asked them about the Vibranium Mine and promised to give them some firearms as compensation. But they seemed very angry and wanted to imprison us. One of my soldiers couldn't hold back and fired a shot."
Number One recounted this to the other high-ranking military officers, his arms still empty. The Dionysus Factor wasn't omnipotent; without a doubt, unless mechanical arms were installed, Number One, having lost both arms, was essentially crippled.
A soldier without arms? What kind of soldier would that be?
"Those natives wielding spears were skilled in combat, and their spears were incredibly sharp; even my body couldn't withstand them. Moreover, they outnumbered us, so most of the other soldiers were killed, and a few were captured alive. I lost my arms, but I fought my way out."
Number One was quite articulate, especially with the last phrase, "fought my way out." Who knew if he truly fought his way out or played dead to escape?
Someone asked with uncertainty, "If the weapons of those natives are truly made of Vibranium, then how did they refine Vibranium?"
"Not all of it is necessarily Vibranium," a geologist accompanying the army explained eloquently. "If such a thing as a Vibranium Mine truly exists, the surrounding environment would be affected. Vibranium, as a Sound-Absorbing Steel, can naturally absorb and emit energy, which would have peculiar effects on the rocks or other associated metals surrounding it."
That made sense. They could be making spears from rocks or lower-grade associated metal.
To suggest that those natives could refine Vibranium? They wouldn't believe it even if you killed them. If they had such advanced technology, why would they raise rhinoceroses in open-air wooden fences and live in thatched houses? Their clothing was also peculiar.
Tony remained eerily silent, quietly playing the role of a military rookie. Combined with the recordings submitted in the reconnaissance report, that Tribe was, without a doubt, the "Border Tribe" specifically guarding Wakanda's perimeter outside the Protective Shield. They specialized in dispatching people outside Wakanda to keep watch, defining their tribal territory as a native Tribe to prevent others from straying and colliding with the Protective Shield.
Wakanda's Protective Shield also possessed a "mimicry" function, capable of covering the high-tech city and projecting an image of deep mountains and old forests to the outside world.
By now, Wakanda should have received the news and be making war preparations.
"Deploy troops, we must retaliate!" General Ross shouted.
Sixty thousand soldiers were mobilized, and tens of thousands of naval personnel patrolled the coastline. Various guided missiles were already prepared, waiting only for the military personnel ahead to transmit the exact coordinates, so they could unleash a barrage of artillery fire.
Unilaterally attacking and killing soldiers from another nation was a declaration of war. Even if the Military annihilated that Tribe, they would have justification. Moreover, the Military had no intention of offering excuses; they were there to loot. The death of their soldiers served as an excellent pretext for deploying troops.
Sixty thousand soldiers moved swiftly across the African savanna. Simultaneously, numerous tanks, armored vehicles, and regular machine gun-mounted military vehicles transported the troops.
A storm was brewing.
Inside the central building of the Kingdom of Wakanda, elegant and magnificent, golden inlays covered the walls of the hall, forming arch-like shapes that reflected each other in the circular chamber. A long red carpet stretched from the main entrance all the way to the throne on the opposite side, forming a long corridor.
After the Old King T'Chaka of Wakanda received the early warning from the Border Tribe, he immediately summoned the other three Tribes for a King's meeting.
Whenever matters concerning the nation's future arose, the Four Tribes would be summoned together by the King.
"The situation is clear," the Chieftain of the Border Tribe, W'Kabi, stood up, his words forceful. "The greed of the people from the Outside World for the Vibranium Mine has driven them to wage war on Wakanda! We must retaliate!"
"I have a question," the Elder of the River Tribe asked. "How did these Outsiders learn about Wakanda, and how did they know about the Vibranium Mine? We've successfully hidden for millennia; why are we exposed now?"
W'Kabi remained silent.
"It was me, I exposed the Vibranium..." W'Kabi's lover, General Okoye, who was also the King's royal guard captain, stood up and admitted her mistake.
The people of the Four Tribes fell silent.
King T'Chaka's expression was calm. He suppressed the rage in his heart and gently comforted Okoye, "This is indeed your responsibility, but no one could have predicted that Outsiders would have such keen senses, identifying Vibranium from a raw ore."
That piece of raw ore looked large, but the amount of Vibranium that could be extracted from it was quite limited, and it still needed further processing and re-refining in a technological laboratory to become a weapon, so no one paid it much mind. Raw ores like that were ubiquitous thousands of meters underground in Wakanda, and to this day, no Vibranium Mine had been fully detected deep underground.
Wakanda's weapons were all energy weapons, commonly using sonic weapons and pulse weapons, but these energy weapons couldn't be manufactured solely from Vibranium as a single material.
Furthermore, the secret of the Vibranium Mine had been exposed before. Decades ago, a despicable individual secretly infiltrated Wakanda and stole a large quantity of refined Vibranium. Although Wakanda had pursued that person for over twenty years, they had never managed to catch them; the culprit was as slippery as an eel.
W'Kabi slowly stood up, crossed his arms, performing a ritual of the Kingdom of Wakanda, and declared passionately, "King T'Chaka, on behalf of the Border Tribe, I request to join the war. We will defeat all these invaders, leaving not a single one. We can also seize this opportunity to strike out and conquer the entire world!"
W'Kabi was a renowned hawk, always advocating for Wakanda's external expansion. This exposure, paradoxically, filled him with unexpected joy. Wakanda, with its countless high technologies, had also fostered a significant number of expansionists, and people like W'Kabi were numerous within the Kingdom.
Especially now, W'Kabi, as a Tribe Chieftain, openly expressed expansionist rhetoric, something unprecedented before.
"We will discuss this matter later. First, we must deal with the army outside... I, the King of the Kingdom of Wakanda, hereby declare that Wakanda is entering a state of war. The Four Great Tribes shall join the battle simultaneously, striking down all invading enemies, leaving no one spared!" The Old King, gentle in appearance but ruthless at heart, sharply issued the command, intending to utterly annihilate all encroaching foes.
To protect Wakanda, years ago, he had even killed his own brother who sought to expose Wakanda, let alone these fools actively seeking death by coming to their doorstep. Regardless of the post-war consequences, the Old King decided to strike mercilessly first.
The enemies were clearly targeting the Vibranium Mine; they wouldn't give up until they found it, so a major war was inevitable. Rather than letting any escapees return with information, it was more advantageous to utterly annihilate them.
The Chieftains and Elders of the Four Tribes immediately stood up, crossing their arms over their chests, and declared with firm conviction.
"Long live Wakanda!"
(end of chapter)
