Eve of the Storm

"The overall structural design is complete. There are still seven minor cycles that need to be tested. It’ll take at most seven days to finish, and then we can try making a new White Panther Armor."

Shuri handed the detailed experimental report to Erik while briefly introducing the progress of the Vibranium Magnetic Armor research.

Erik flipped through it casually, then returned the report with a smile and praised her. "Well done! Keep it up!"

Only after Erik left did Shuri let out a long breath. She turned to the data terminal and sent the latest armor schematics to an engineer. This engineer had been recommended by Ramonda and had always been loyal to King T’Chaka.

The Vibranium Magnetic Armor’s design was already complete. The reason she had said it would take another seven days was entirely to lull Erik into complacency and make him lower his guard.

Now, all she had to do was wait for the engineer to make the new White Panther Armor. Then Shuri could remotely control the armor to ambush Erik, aiming for a fatal blow. After that, she could completely free Wakanda from the tyrant’s grasp.

Thinking that she would soon be able to free her father from his suffering, Shuri trembled with excitement. She erased the transmission records and cleaned up every trace, then nervously paced back and forth through the laboratory.

Everything was ready. All that was missing was the final push.

Wakanda’s vibranium technology was extremely advanced. With complete design schematics, a new suit of armor could be manufactured in at most three hours. Even if the engineer worked alone for the sake of secrecy, without enough assistants or equipment, forty-eight hours would still be more than enough.

In other words, by this time the day after tomorrow, everything could be brought to an end. All the hatred, all the shadows, all the pressure, everything—all of it would be over completely.

Shuri took several deep breaths, forcing herself to calm down. She picked up the laboratory notebook and began falsifying the experimental data.

Although it would theoretically take only forty-eight hours, they still had to account for unexpected incidents that could cause delays. When making the plan, Ramonda had repeatedly instructed the engineer to put safety and stability first. After all, if the armor’s manufacture was discovered, there would never be a second chance.

Therefore, the work on Erik’s side that needed to be delayed could not be stopped.

Falsifying experimental data was far too easy for Shuri. To prevent the other laboratory workers from seeing through it, she did not use fake data. Instead, she backdated the data submission by a week.

Everything she wrote in the experimental report was true, but it reflected her research progress from a week earlier. That time difference was exactly what she needed.

Meanwhile, based on the memories in Shuri’s mind, Erik had already found the engineer who had dared to betray the king and provide support to the rebels.

"Where are the schematics?" he asked the moment he saw the man.

"W-what schematics?" The engineer forcibly composed himself and tried to argue, but Erik had already read what he wanted from the man’s mind.

He shoved the engineer aside, then opened the personal terminal behind him and pulled up the schematics for the Vibranium Magnetic Armor, which had just finished downloading and was hidden among a pile of ordinary files.

"T-this is the earliest version of the White Panther Armor schematics. I only took them to study and learn from them." The engineer was terrified. He stammered and spouted nonsense, hoping to fool Erik.

"Hmph!" Erik glanced at him and snorted coldly. The engineer’s left arm immediately twisted into a pretzel.

"Ah…" The engineer let out a miserable scream and collapsed unconscious.

"Useless!" Erik frowned. He took out his Kimoyo Beads, stabilized the engineer’s injuries, then woke him up again. Grabbing him by the hair, he lifted his face toward the screen.

"Where is the remote-control module in this?"

Trembling, the engineer raised his right hand and circled the remote-control module on the virtual screen.

"Excellent!" Erik nodded in satisfaction and waved his hand lightly. Several guards came over and dragged the engineer away.

"Don’t kill me! I was only repaying a favor! I never meant to rebel…" the engineer screamed. He lowered his center of gravity and kicked hard against the floor with both legs, hoping to win Erik’s forgiveness.

But all of Erik’s attention was focused on this latest Vibranium Magnetic Armor. How could he have time to care whether the man lived or died?

Erik cut the schematics over to his Kimoyo Beads, then summoned all the royal engineers and sent the schematics to every one of them.

"Will removing the marked remote-control module affect the armor’s overall performance?"

After several engineers whispered among themselves, the chief engineer stepped forward and replied, "Rest assured, Your Majesty. The remote-control module is independent to begin with. Removing it will not affect the operation of the main circuitry."

"Good. From now on, put down all the work in your hands and focus entirely on making this White Panther Armor first." After issuing the order, Erik went nowhere. He remained in the workshop, moonlighting as a supervisor.

Under Erik’s close watch, these people had no chance of tampering with anything, let alone secretly sending a message outside.

After pooling the strength of every engineer, the White Panther Armor, which would originally have taken three hours to complete, was finished in only two and a half.

Erik gazed at the broad, silver-white necklace in his hands, overwhelmed with excitement. He gently stroked its smooth surface. The unique feel of vibranium filled his eyes with obsession.

After playing with it for a while, Erik finally put the necklace around his neck. Then he lightly pressed the switch and, amid the surge of nanomolecules, donned the White Panther Armor.

After carefully sensing how the armor accelerated the rotation of the magnetic field within his body, Erik finally relaxed.

This is the power of the Fifty Heavens!

This is invincibility!

In that instant, Erik even developed the illusion that he could blast the sky and earth apart!

"Haha… My grand dream is finally about to come true!"

Fortunately, he still knew that there was something even stronger above the Fifty Heavens, so he did not go so far as to commit the insane act of killing all the engineers to prevent anyone else from obtaining such powerful armor.

"You’ve done well! Triple everyone’s bonus this month!"

Erik casually handed out some useless money as rewards, winning the engineers’ goodwill. Then he swaggered out of the workshop and headed toward the royal palace.

If you become rich and powerful but do not return home, it is like wearing fine clothes while walking in the dark.

Now that he had obtained something so wonderful, of course he had to share it properly with his "good friends"!