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"Listen, I don't care who you people are, you've trespassed on Wakandan soil. Do not resist, or I can't guarantee you won't be reduced to dust in the air the next second!"
A woman said this in a voice that was nearly gruff.
Arthur glanced at Tony. "Ready?"
Tony was stunned for a moment, but then immediately assumed a combat stance.
Arthur nodded, then shouted, "I surrender!"
"?"
Tony's face froze into a full-on 'white guy question mark' expression…
…
…
Wakanda, as part of its highly civilized system, held fast to a unique sense of humanitarianism. When Arthur and Tony chose to surrender, Wakandans didn't act out of anger (or self-destructive murder). Instead, they ordered the two men to make an emergency landing, dispatched soldiers to take them into custody, and brought them aboard a hovership.
Leading this group was a woman with dark skin… Of course, that wasn't surprising; everyone in Wakanda had the same complexion.
She looked at Arthur and Tony with a strange expression.
"Why have you come to Wakanda?" She asked this while standing in the main hall of the hovership.
Arthur and Tony stood directly across from her. Their hands weren't bound, and no one had even asked Tony to remove his suit.
This kind of treatment satisfied Arthur; it showed that they were at least being reasonable.
He gave a slight smile. "I believe I should meet your king."
"Apologies, sir, but that's not something I can authorize," the woman said coldly. "At least not until I understand why Iron Man and the Instructor have come to our country…"
"My reputation's reached here already?" Tony, who had been quietly inspecting the hovership's internal design, chuckled when he heard this. He then turned to Arthur and said, "I gotta say, their ship is way classier than those raiders' junk! Heck, even compared to Xandar, this holds up. Unbelievable... makes our Quinjet look like a toy."
"Different people, different resources, it's normal," Arthur replied casually. He looked at the woman and smiled. "Apologies. The kid here hasn't seen much of the world, he gets excited easily. Hmm, if you'd like, you can just treat our visit as a normal, friendly one. Believe it or not, we truly mean no harm."
"From the moment you chose to surrender, I believed that your intentions weren't hostile. But please, allow us to remain cautious," the woman replied. "You'll be temporarily detained in the capital until we fully understand your purpose."
"You're nervous…" Arthur looked at the woman and suddenly smiled. "Relax. The outside world doesn't know you exist. No armies or satellites are locked onto this location, waiting to unleash fire the moment your… ah, protective barrier opens. The truth is, there are only the two of us, and we have a few objectives for which we seek your help. So, if everything proves normal, I hope your king will grant us a meeting. Hmm… I won't be staying long, so I suggest you don't waste time on unnecessary procedures."
The woman furrowed her brow and gave Arthur a long, searching look, then turned and walked away.
Tony looked at the woman's back as she left, then turned to Arthur and said, "I thought you'd speak to them in a softer tone. We're the ones asking for help, aren't we?"
Arthur nodded. "We are. But if your attitude is too weak, the other party's will become overly aggressive. Just because we came here peacefully… doesn't mean I won't get angry."
Tony shrugged. "For an old man, your temper's a bit sharp. They seem pretty confident in themselves though, huh?"
"That's the sense of superiority that comes from a developed civilization."
The two of them started up another round of casual banter over this.
They kept chatting until the hovership finally landed, only then did they quiet down.
The dark-skinned woman appeared again: "Please, follow me."
Arthur smiled and glanced at Tony. Tony shrugged. "I respect their caution."
"But clearly, that doesn't match your personality," Arthur chuckled.
Following the woman out of the hovership, the first thing they saw was a corridor. Standing at the corridor's entrance was a group of people. At the front was an elderly Black man, and beside him stood a young Black man.
The rest of the group was made up entirely of armed women, lining both sides of the corridor in perfect symmetry.
"Welcome, friends from afar."
The elder smiled warmly as he greeted Arthur and Tony.
Arthur also smiled. "I imagine this hovership of yours circled in the air for at least ten laps, enough time to confirm there's no external threat. So let's skip the formalities and get straight to the point."
"The legendary Instructor is more impatient than I expected," the elder said with a faint smile.
The old man chuckled softly. "Please, this way."
As they walked, Arthur looked at the young man beside the elder, the next Black Panther.
Arthur gave him a subtle nod. The young man nodded back, looking at Arthur and Tony with a curious gaze.
Tony walked alongside them, glancing around at everything like it was some kind of sci-fi theme park.
Arthur, thoughtful, suddenly said, "Beneath the hollow behind us… that's where the Vibranium mines are, isn't it?"
The elder gave Arthur a surprised look. "That's… curious. Even if one of our people had accidentally leaked something, it shouldn't have been this detailed. Just how did you know?"
Tony perked up his ears, he was clearly interested in the answer too.
Arthur smiled faintly. "That's the troubling part… I honestly don't know how to answer."
"This answer is crucial to us," the elder said gravely. "More important, in fact, than the reason you came here."
"Then perhaps this isn't the best place to discuss it."
"Of course."
The group continued walking down the corridor, eventually arriving at an office.
Arthur's understanding of Wakanda was limited to what he'd seen in the movies, naturally, he couldn't know everything.
Meanwhile, the Eye of Horus was floating outside and happened to spot a young Black girl sneaking a peek through the door...
Once everyone was seated, drinks were served to Arthur and Tony.
Tony took a sip, his expression a mix of curiosity and caution. Then his eyebrows shot up. "Damn… it tastes way better than it looks!"