City of the Future

Deep within Wakanda, hidden beneath its wild mountains and forests, stood a majestic city rising from the plains at the center of clear rivers.

"Majestic" was already the only word Howard could find to describe it.

He had visited every developed city in the world, yet none could compare to the city before his eyes.

Advanced modern skyscrapers did not stand out alone as they did in New York or Washington. Instead, they clustered together in careful planning, their glass and metal reflecting a cold gleam beneath the sunlight.

Hover trains passed above the bustling streets on elevated rails. The ultimate splendor crafted by technology and the imagined constructs of the future could all be witnessed here.

Kyle and Howard stood at the irregular edge of the Mirror Dimension, gazing at the reflected image of the city of the future beyond. They were awed by this immortal city brimming with the Light of Technology.

"This is Wakanda’s true face—the legendary City of Gold that explorers have sought for centuries without success." Kyle chuckled and shook his head. "Though calling this place golden is far too inappropriate."

There were nearly inexhaustible Vibranium mines here! Gold was the metal people used to represent and measure wealth, but compared to Vibranium Metal, it was nothing at all.

"Kyle, can I go inside the city? Into the real world, personally enter it and see it for myself?" Howard asked excitedly, his words nearly tumbling over one another as he looked at Kyle pleadingly.

It was the first time he had been this excited and composed himself so poorly.

To a scientist, Wakanda’s city of technology was like a devout believer seeing God after worshipping all his life, desperately wanting to draw near and kneel in reverence.

"Of course. But you should change clothes first, or the locals will attack and drive you out the moment you enter." Kyle nodded. One reason he had brought Howard here was to help him break free from the technological constraints of the old era.

"Fine. Whatever you tell me to wear, I’ll wear." Howard agreed at once.

Kyle revealed a mysterious smile. "You said it."

Five minutes later.

Within the bustling modern streets of Wakanda’s hidden city.

With Venom’s simple transformation, Kyle disguised himself as a tall, muscular native youth with dark skin and a white robe. He blended calmly among the locals without the slightest incongruity.

"Kyle, does this outfit really work?"

Sticking close to Kyle’s side, the short Howard asked in a lowered voice.

At the moment, he wore a ferocious beast-shaped mask that concealed his face. His exposed, skinny upper body was painted with black and white powder, making it impossible to tell what color his skin had originally been. He also carried a strange primitive wooden staff and wore an elaborate headdress.

"Look, aren’t they dressed similarly?" Kyle reassured him quietly.

"This place is both advanced and barbaric. The city and its creations are so advanced, yet its customs and aesthetic sense are so primitive and outdated." Howard complained about his uncomfortable attire, but before long, the advanced technology within the city captivated him completely, and he could not look away.

Just then, a hover train silently swept past like a streak of light overhead, crossing a bridge dozens of meters above the ground between towering buildings.

Howard looked up. His eyes gleamed through the mask’s slits as he murmured to Kyle, struggling to suppress his excitement, "Incredible. They’ve created hover trains centuries ahead of their time—silent, and capable of maintaining an extremely stable speed."

Kyle smiled and said bluntly, "Because of the special material."

"The material?" Howard did not understand and fell into thought. Kyle reminded him, "Did you forget? That shield you gave Steve at the Training Base."

"Of course I haven’t forgotten…" Howard said, then suddenly shuddered. He stared at Kyle in disbelief and said with difficulty, "You mean their rail trains are made of Vibranium?!"

Vibranium Metal, also known as sound-absorbing steel, was the hardest substance on Earth. It was nearly impossible to find and was currently the most valuable rare metal known to humanity!

He had once believed that the shield provided to Captain America was the only object on Earth made of Vibranium. Later, when he saw Kyle’s Vibranium Bracer, he had been so shocked that he repeatedly demanded to know where it came from.

And now, Wakanda was using Vibranium Metal to develop hover trains?

Facing Howard’s confusion, Kyle answered softly, "Not just the hover trains. They’ve used the Vibranium ore they’ve continuously excavated for thousands of years to make clothes and weapons, power the city, and enhance their technology. You could say this entire city was built on Vibranium."

The answer was simply too shocking. Howard nearly cried out on the spot, but he realized in time that they were surrounded by native residents and forcefully swallowed the sound in his throat.

After a long while, he sighed from the bottom of his heart. "We all live on the same Earth, so why is the difference between regions so great?"

Even Howard, a self-made millionaire, was jealous and envious. It was no wonder Wakanda had guarded its Vibranium mines so closely for all these years, never daring to reveal them to the outside world, living independently in isolation. They drove away outsiders and even killed them.

These were mountains of Vibranium ore!

"No matter what, this city is the crystallization of advanced science. Most of its correct and practical technological principles could save me fifty years of detours." Howard’s eyes shone. Once he understood that, he grasped the deeper meaning behind Kyle bringing him here.

Kyle had a Gene Disease. Before leaving Earth, he wanted to pave the proper road toward future technology and evolution for them!

Over the following hours, Howard became completely immersed in the city of the future, looking eagerly in every direction at all kinds of novel technological creations.

Kyle, meanwhile, was quietly drawn to another phenomenon within Wakanda’s city—

From time to time, groups from different native tribes, all dressed in strange and uniform tribal clothing, marched grandly toward a certain part of the city. The local residents also seemed to be collectively celebrating something, discussing it excitedly with smiles on their faces.

Kyle blended into the crowd and listened for a moment. Soon, an enlightened expression appeared on his face as he understood what was happening.

It was not some local festival. It just so happened that Wakanda’s aging king was stepping down today, and Prince T’Chaka would accept challenges from the royal families of the nation’s tribes. If he succeeded, he would ascend as the new king!

"Interesting. Howard, let’s go take a look." Kyle turned around to make the suggestion, then froze. At some point, Howard had actually wandered off.

He scanned his surroundings. An endless sea of native residents surged toward the challenge grounds to watch, making Howard impossible to spot.

"That old gentleman was so engrossed that he actually dared leave my side…" Kyle’s expression changed slightly.

Wakanda had always regarded outsiders with disgust and hostility. Given their brutal methods, if Howard exposed his true identity, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Kyle did not think any further. He immediately followed the flow of native residents onward, weaving through the dense crowd as he searched for Howard.