Chapter 264

Wakanda!

The capital—Boning Zana!

The prosperous nation, blessed with clear waters and lush mountains, had been somewhat gloomy lately—not because of the weather, but because of its people’s mood.

War had broken out!

Several neighboring countries had dredged up old grievances, massed troops at the border, and joined forces to declare war on Wakanda.

The Wakandans had remained isolated from the world. Untouched by outside cultural influences, they had preserved their customs intact. Every one of them had been raised as a warrior from childhood. Their people were fierce and unafraid of war.

But not fearing war did not mean they liked fighting. No one wanted to see their loved ones die on the battlefield.

Besides, Wakanda was a small African nation with limited population and military strength. Every warrior was an extremely precious resource. Occasional brawls between tribes were acceptable, but going to war against several tribal nations at once meant that even victory would be no different from defeat.

In the royal council hall, King Azzuri summoned the elders of the four major tribes to discuss the deadlocked fighting at the front.

Wakanda had many tribes of all sizes, twenty-eight in total. Aside from the original five major tribes, the rest had migrated in from outside and integrated into Wakanda. To put it bluntly, these tribes were not valued. They did not even count as the backbone of the nation and had no right to decide its future.

The five major tribes were the Golden Tribe, the tribe of the Black Panther, as well as the Border Tribe, River Tribe, Mining Tribe, and Ape Tribe.

"Your Majesty, war has already broken out. Digging into its cause will change nothing. Driving back the invaders is our only choice," the elder of the Ape Tribe declared loudly.

He deeply disdained Azzuri’s desire to smooth things over and resolve the war through negotiation. What did it mean that there were many suspicious points behind the cause of the war? When people went to war, did they not just make up some excuse?

For example, the Ape Tribe’s reasons for going to war with other tribes were simple and brutal: I have two sheep I want to sell your tribe. What, you actually dare not buy them?

"Elder White Ape, war does not necessarily have to be decided through slaughter…" Azzuri, the King of Wakanda, renowned as a wise man, wore a solemn expression as he rose to his feet and declared, "War has never been the goal. It is merely a means, a diplomatic means extending from politics. We must first understand the enemy’s objective—what they want. Otherwise, even if we win this time, there will be another time."

"Your Majesty, there’s no need to say so much. You know we can’t understand any of it," the elder of the White Ape Tribe said impatiently. He only knew that the enemy had reached their doorstep. As warriors, they absolutely could not show weakness.

The other three tribal elders wore bitter expressions. Elder White Ape was right. Azzuri’s words were too profound; they could not grasp their deeper meaning.

Azzuri: "…"

Looking at his four uncultured teammates, Azzuri internally cried that he could not carry them and sighed. "War can indeed demonstrate Wakanda’s strength, but war kills people. For the sake of our citizens, we must proceed cautiously."

The elder of the White Ape Tribe slammed the table and rose, pounding his chest as he shouted, "The warriors of the White Ape Tribe do not fear sacrifice! Our spears thirst for blood, and our shields thirst for honor!"

Azzuri: "…"

Damn it, so everything I just said was for nothing!

"Your Majesty, I think Elder White Ape is right. The invaders have already reached our doorstep. We cannot retreat out of fear of war. If we leave the enemy with the impression that we are weak and easy to bully, that would be the true disaster for the nation!"

"Your Majesty, you worry too much. War does indeed kill people, but if they die defending the nation, the tribe’s warriors will have no complaints."

"That’s right. The warriors have already assembled at the front. If we shrink back now, it will definitely crush morale. The only ones who will benefit then are the enemy."

Seeing all four elders insist on war, Azzuri could not help feeling the frustration of being powerless to turn things around. Though he was Wakanda’s highest leader, the nation was not his personal domain. The council formed by the tribal elders served as his political right and left hands, while also checking his authority. Especially during a war concerning the nation’s survival, the tribal elders’ power would grow so great that it made him want to become a dictator.

"Everyone…"

Azzuri was about to say something else when he suddenly noticed the burning fervor in Elder White Ape’s eyes, and he could only laugh bitterly inside.

The King of Wakanda held military, political, religious, and other powers, usually through hereditary succession. But hereditary succession did not mean it could never change. The other four major tribes all had the right to challenge the reigning king and seize his position and title.

Azzuri saw the ambition in Elder White Ape’s eyes. The latter wanted to become king, which was why he was pushing this war so fiercely.

If Wakanda lost, he, as king, could not escape blame. If Wakanda won, someone would still have to answer for the lives lost, and it would still be him, the king, who took the blame.

If they did not fight, it would be even simpler. Azzuri could practically imagine Elder White Ape’s words: You coward, what right do you have to be king? Let me do it. I am willing to bleed and sacrifice for the nation.

"Everyone, formally declare war!" Azzuri sighed. He could not give up the throne. This battle had to be fought, and they had to win it while minimizing casualties.

"That’s more like it. Now that’s the King of Wakanda."

A sharp glint flashed through Elder White Ape’s eyes. Claiming that he needed to return to his tribe to organize the warriors, he left first. The other three elders also bade farewell one after another and returned to their tribes. Clearly, they had some thoughts about the throne as well.

Inside the council hall, Azzuri looked toward the Black Panther totem hanging at the very top and clenched his fists tightly.

"Dora Milaje, accompany me to the front. I need your strength!"

"As you command, my king."

From both sides of the hall, six female warriors carrying spears and dressed in scarlet stepped forward and dropped to one knee before Azzuri. They were the Dora Milaje, the king’s personal guard composed entirely of women. They came from every tribe and could be regarded as bodyguards—or consorts.

Eastern Africa, the Ilemi Triangle near Lake Turkana.

When Russell arrived, he discovered that the Wakanda fabricated by the Marvel Universe was near Ethiopia. Of course, there was no need to dwell on such details; the general idea was enough.

Hydra had secretly laid the groundwork, using its informants in Africa—government officials from various countries who had accepted benefits during World War II—to fan the flames and launch a military invasion of Wakanda. These people had no choice either. Their crimes were in someone else’s hands, so they could only obey every scheme directed against Wakanda.

Invading a small agricultural nation naturally did not require their own countries to take action. Promise benefits to a few tribal nations, and a coalition of cannon fodder appeared.

Since they were cannon fodder, they would have difficulty probing Wakanda’s true strength. Russell then had Bucky gather the mercenaries stationed around the perimeter, assembling a total of six thousand men.

Six thousand was no small number. In conflicts between tribes, this already counted as a major campaign. Wakanda’s warriors on the other side numbered only a little over three thousand in total.

A vast convoy of military trucks drove across the endless grasslands, kicking up clouds of dust.

The broad grasslands were far greener than imagined. Beyond the hills and slopes were rivers and forests. As far as the eye could see lay pristine scenery, with eagles occasionally soaring beneath the blue sky.

Africa was not all desert. Along the way, Russell had seen plenty of vibrant green landscapes and countless wild animals—lions, rhinos, antelope, crocodiles, and more.

Perhaps because they were getting closer and closer to Wakanda, he noticed black panthers appearing more frequently. A species that should have been rare was unusually abundant here. Their pitch-black forms crouched on tree branches, showing no fear toward the strangers’ arrival. Their golden eyes stared straight back at people, as if they were prey delivering themselves to the hunt.

Hmm… kind of asking for a beating!

After a day of travel, the trucks reached Wakanda’s border. Passing through hills and jungle, the mountainous region at the end was the royal capital, Boning Zana.

The border was packed with tents. Soldiers from various tribes lounged lazily in the sun in groups of twos and threes, with no military discipline to speak of.

The mercenaries were no better. These were lunatics afflicted with war sickness, people who had become mercenaries because they could not endure peaceful lives. Seeing the trucks arrive, they picked up their guns and gathered around with laughter.

That was right—they were bored out of their minds and looking for a fight!

Bang!

With a gunshot, a man who appeared to be the mercenary leader fired into the sky, driving away the troublemakers and clearing a path for the trucks to enter the camp.

The mercenaries did not know who was in the vehicles, and neither did their leader. He only knew that the visitors were extremely important people, people he had to protect at all costs.

Russell did not need their protection. With twenty Winter Soldiers, as well as Bucky, Natasha, and Jason, no one on this land could approach him easily.

The trucks formed a circle, and over a hundred well-equipped soldiers jumped down to set up camp. Before long, barracks had been erected.

Several tribal chiefs saw that their financial backer had arrived and wanted to meet him, build some rapport, and complain a little so they could raise their price. Russell refused to meet with those trash, leaving Bucky to handle everything while he remained inside his tent.

He had recently acquired a pet, caught halfway here—a massive black panther.

Russell had a fondness for felines and had not intended to make things difficult for it, but the beast was simply too arrogant. It sat on the road they had to take and refused to leave no matter how they chased it, carrying itself like some big shot who would not move unless fed.

Russell saw that it looked elegant and noble, perfectly matching his own temperament, so he had someone find a cage and lock it inside. Then… he had starved it ever since.

"Damn it, a damn animal actually tried to shake me down. I’ll starve you to death!"

Inside the iron cage, the black panther was dizzy from hunger. It struggled to maintain an elegant sitting posture as it stared silently at Russell.

Seeing its stubborn expression, Russell could not bear it anymore and silently thought that he was being too petty. Why argue with a big cat?

"Awoo!"

Crackle!

"Awoo, awoo, awoo—"

Natasha’s face was dark, while Yelena beside her looked even worse. She seemed utterly lifeless, as if her faith had collapsed and life had lost all motivation to move forward.

"Boss, I don’t understand why you insisted on catching it. After all…" Natasha complained inwardly. After all, you never really planned to keep it.

Russell raised his hand crackling with Electric Arc and stroked the black panther once, saying meaningfully, "You don’t understand. This is a good omen. What I have locked in this cage is not a black panther—it is the Black Panther!"